How to set the plow

Fulfillment of all regulatory requirements when setting up tools or any mechanisms, units is the main condition for their successful, productive work, it is a necessary action due to which the level of economic costs does not increase, but rather can be reduced by saving fuel materials and eliminating the need to re-plough, because tillage during the first procedure was performed efficiently, and such cost savings occur not only this time, but also over a long period, because, if you know, how to set up a plow correctly means being able to maintain its uptime. due to reduced wear of parts plow (primarily shares) and unexpected breakdowns.

About some important details in the process of setting up the plow

Correct plow setup begins with the correct setting of the tractor-plow linkage. This is obvious, since how accurately the plow will be oriented in relation to the soil surface, its impact on the fertile soil layer will be so optimal. However, at the very beginning of setting up the plow and even before checking the location of the tractor-plow link, it is necessary:

• check and / or ensure mobility, play in the adjusting nodes and connections;
• also check for the presence of mounting bolts at all their locations;
• Lubricate all of these adjusting joints.

Now a few words about the entry of the plow into the soil. Already during the first, verification pass, you need to mark exact correspondence of entry and exit points. And did they move, despite the fact that every year during plowing the direction of entry into the field changes: from left to right, or from right to left. Appropriate marking will facilitate this check. It is important to remember that the quality of the passage of the next strip depends on the accuracy of the plow passage between two points, and so on. One more nuance - plowing depth during the last pass should be about half the depth of all previous strips - this is how the edge of this field is marked.

The next detail - the location of the field boards of the individual plow bodies must be strictly parallel with respect to between them. This parallelism can be established using a ruler, measuring the distance between the field hull boards. It is important to take into account that the deviation of the distance from the "norm" can be caused by the curvature of the rack.

It is logical to assume that with the same distances between the plow bodies the distance between the mouldboards should also be the same. If it differs, then it is necessary to adjust the distance by tilting the blade back or forward with a special screw connection. Here the degree of horizontalness of the laid layers of soil depends on the greater forward curvature of the blade.

In order to reduce the consumption of fuel materials during plowing and make this process better and more accurate, it is necessary to adjust the degree of deflection of the plow land plate. namely: its protrusion beyond the sole of the plow and beyond the dimensions of the field edge of the blade. The norm will be protrusion of the lower edge field board beyond the cutting edge of the plowshare by 1-2 cm. The protrusion of the field board relative to the field edge of the blade should not exceed 0.5 cm. the board runs clearly along the wall of the furrow. As a control over the correct adjustment of the field board, plow behavior can serve - when it is constantly “pulled” towards the uncultivated part of the field - this means that the protrusion exceeds the norm. It is also worth noting that these adjustments are made without fail when replacing the shares.

In addition to setting equal distances between furrows, corresponding to furrow width is also an important parameter and, in case of deviation, distortion of the plow as a whole becomes real. The reason for this situation can be: deformation of the mounting bolts, mismatch in the size of their diameters or poor-quality material from which the bolts are made, or as a result of deformation of the plow body as a whole. To check the condition, it is necessary to measure the distance between the share tip and the plow frame, as well as the distance between the frame and the adjacent tip - that is, you need to compare the two indicators for their difference. If at least one measurement deviates by more than 5 mm, plow adjustment and replacement of damaged parts become mandatory.

To ensure the same thickness of undercut layers, which creates conditions for uniform plowing, the plow must “attack” the soil at an angle of 90 degrees. Compliance with such an angle is determined visually - moving a couple of meters behind the plow, try to calculate "by eye" the angle between the plow tines and the field surface. The angle of the tines is corrected on the control unit of the attached rear equipment, and after passing the turn, check whether the tines are in the correct position.

The next step in the setup is to set the thrust point. The thing is that when the tractor moves in the furrow, on the one hand it "rests" on the plowed soil, and on the other - in the still uncultivated. The correct draw point for four furrow plows is when the top link moves parallel to the furrow. If you do not adjust the thrust point or set it incorrectly. then fuel consumption will increase, as additional tractive effort will be required.

Now plow working depth - it should be chosen taking into account the working width of the hulls. The optimal depth is 2/3 of the working width of one body. For example, if the working width is 40 cm, then plowing should be carried out at a depth of 25 cm. This process (setting the plowing depth) for the first plow bodies is carried out using the tractor's hydraulic system. In order for subsequent bodies to be set to the same depth, the plow must be set parallel to the ground surface, and the plow parallelism is set using the top link of the three-point hitch. At the end of this adjustment stage, you need to set the copying and support wheels of the plow in height.

As for the working width of the hull, the adjustment is made, so to speak, individually, for each next "tractor-plow" combination. But the width of all hulls must be the same. In Vario plows, the width setting is simplified in terms of setting all other bodies, except for the first one - it occurs automatically. And for the first body, it is necessary to measure the existing distance between the cutting edge of the share and its tip. In the event that this parameter differs for other housings, it must be adjusted using the appropriate screw connection. To control the correct setting of the working width of the hulls, pay attention to the joints of adjacent strips - they must be the same.

Further preparation of the tractor for work with a plow

How to properly attach a plow to a tractor?

If you approach this issue theoretically, then it is easy to do. It is necessary to attach this agricultural implement to the tractor using the three-point linkage. To do this, you will need to install the appropriate linear bushings (“apples”) for the lower links and for the upper link, drive the tractor to the equipment, attach the lower links to it, fix the “fingers” and finally attach the top link. Now it remains only to connect the hydraulics and electrics. However, what is easy in theory is not always so in practice.

Regardless of the tractor model, it must have vertical control braces of the suspension mechanism. If we are talking about such attachments as a mineral fertilizer spreader or sprayer, then they have the points of attachment of the equipment to the lower links of the suspension mechanism are placed quite low. This was done with one goal - not to harm the plants. It is clear that it is necessary to take into account the clearance of the tractor itself.

But for soil-cultivating implements such as a plow, cultivator or disc harrow, everything is arranged differently: the attachment points of the equipment are located higher. Therefore, when attaching equipment of this group, it is always necessary to reduce the length of the braces, otherwise it will be necessary to raise the equipment too high with the tractor hydraulics. This can be especially true in the case of a plow when it comes to a large working width. When turning the hulls, the plow will touch the soil surface with the support wheel.

One more difference should not be ignored: when working with a plow, the traction force that the tractor must transfer to the ground is much greater than when using other mounted units. That is why, in the case of a plow with an excessive length of braces, in addition to the loss of lift height by the hydraulic system, many other problems arise. So, realizing that the lifting height is not enough, many machine operators automatically make another mistake. Instead of reducing the length of the braces, they attach the tie rods to the lower attachment points on the equipment. In addition, prolonged lack of adjusting the length of braces affects their functionality. After a certain time, you can find that they are completely rusty.

Revisiting the pull point

Traction force application and traction vector when ploughing, are crucial for good tillage.

Why is this point so important? If the hitch shaft is too short, or the attachment point to the tractor is too close to it, and the lower links are far apart, then the traction point will be far ahead of the tractor, and the equipment will “float” from side to side during operation. This will be especially noticeable if you "manage" to hang the equipment in such a way that the lower links become parallel to one another. Because in this case there will simply not be a single point of application of the traction force, since the vectors drawn from the rods will never intersect.

How do I adjust the top link?

In order to check whether the adjustment of the top link is correct, the tractor with the plow must be installed on a fairly flat area of the ground and note that the front of the plow is slightly higher than the rear. It is the top link of the three-point linkage that regulates this height ratio. At this point, the point of application of the traction force is also regulated. The point itself is an imaginary intersection of straight lines that can be drawn from the upper and lower rods. If the setting is done correctly, then this point is located as close as possible to the front axle of the tractor. And this arrangement guarantees optimum traction. Otherwise, when the top link is raised too high, after adjusting the plowing depth by the hydraulic system, the rear bodies will be deeper into the soil than the front ones.

What should have been done before hitching the plow?

It was necessary to check tractor tire pressure. It is important that the pressure in both tires is the same. In addition, unlike transport work, when high tire pressure reduces tire wear, this effect will not occur during plowing - when driving on uncultivated soil, lower tire pressure increases the grip patch with the surface and reduces slipping. When adjusting tire pressure, follow the recommendations of the tire manufacturer so as not to exceed the norms for their operation.

How to improve the stability of the tractor?

For this purpose, it is necessary to load the front axle of the tractor sufficiently. Such adjustment of the front ballast will not only improve the stability of the tractor with attached equipment when driving on the roads. but also reduce the degree of slippage when working in the field.

What front to rear track ratio is optimal?

Firstly, the track width at the front axle should not exceed the rear axle by more than 10 cm. But even better if they are the same. If this parameter is not observed, the tractor will need more effort and, as a result, more fuel materials. And tire wear will increase.

What determines the traction resistance of the plow in the soil

Here, the fundamental criterion is correct adjustment of the lower links. Only they are able to position the plow parallel to the ground surface. In addition to this, a very important indicator for quality plowing, lower link adjustment also improves traction and reduces slipping, fuel consumption. And therefore, it is worth dwelling on the topic of lower link regulation in more detail.

It should be remembered that when working with any tillage equipment, the lower links of the three-point heavy equipment attachment must be in the floating position. And when they are in the raised position of the unit, they should be fixed again. If not, then provide. transport security will not be possible.

An important property when working with the floating position of the lower links is their lateral displacement. It makes it possible to provide a certain freedom of deviation of the equipment, regardless of which direction the tractor is moving. For this, adjustment stabilizers are used. The automatic lower link stabilization system can be installed on one of them or both at once.

The machine's lower and upper links should be set at a slight upward angle to the equipment. This will ensure that the plowing depth is maintained with confidence.

But there is one caveat: the lateral stabilizers must be adjusted in such a way that they exactly correspond to the distance between the points of attachment of the equipment to the lower links of the tractor linkage mechanism (it is also important that with the raised unit, the lower links were not tensioned). If this is not done, then the traction control system will not work normally.

It should also be noted that for the correct lateral positioning of the attachment, especially the plow, it is necessary that the distance between the attachment points or the length of the attachment shaft correspond to the tractor. The need for this arises due to the fact that tractor manufacturers in recent years have not followed a unified approach when making technical decisions. On modern tractors, the attachment points of the lower links to the transmission housing are much further apart than they were a few years ago. There are two reasons for this approach: an increase in tractor power and the use of transmissions with multi-mode GDP.

It is not always possible today to judge by the power of a tractor about the compliance of its attachment system with equipment. The only thing that can help sort out this situation is controlling the distance between the linkage mounts on the tractor transmission housing and selecting the appropriate implement attachment shaft. Only in this case it will be possible to speak about the correct point of application of the traction force.

When can I start connecting a reversible plow?

The criterion here is the following - if all other settings on the tractor have already been made, then we can say that you are on the right track or you can start connecting a reversible plow. And setting all the settings means that:

• vertical brace length reduced as much as possible;
• lower link side stabilizers linkage adjusted to the length of the shaft used;
• according to the distance between the points of attachment of the lower links on the transmission housing, the correct choice of the hanging width has been made.

It remains only to connect the lower links and the plow. It is common to see height-adjusted positions on the linkage shaft or a pin tow hitch on attachments.

To ensure the normal movement of bodies on the headland, a wide-cut plow will need more free space under the frame than a unit with a small number of bodies. In this regard, the following mistake is sometimes made: in order for the support wheel not to touch the field surface during turnover, the machine operator simply tries to attach the upper link as low as possible to the plow without reducing the length of the braces. If the tractor has large tires and the plow has a low frame height, the lower links get a negative lift angle.

It may seem that by increasing the lift of the top link, the problem with the “clearance” of the plow has been solved. However, this solution option leads to the fact that the hydraulic reloading system starts to work to the detriment, “pulling out” the rear plow bodies from the ground. At the same time, on the front cases, such an effect will be almost imperceptible. It is clear that under such conditions one should not count on maintaining a uniform and stable depth of soil cultivation.

In addition, another problem arises: the angle of inclination of the line of action of the tractor-equipment traction force with respect to the supporting surface decreases - the plow, like the cultivator, cannot fully use the tractor traction. On many tractors this setting causes the top link to be almost vertical when the plow is raised. Therefore, most of the mass of the equipment falls on it, and not on the lower links, which leads to the need for significant traction forces that far exceed the weight of the equipment. As a result, the top link feels loads that it was not designed for. Because of what, accidents happen when the traction, having broken the mount on the tractor, rests on the hydraulic distributor block. What this will lead to, experts do not need to explain.

How small things can lead to big wins

The purpose of this section is to provide informational assistance to farmers on some aspects of working in the field. A detailed description of these nuances will help to more fully utilize the potential of the available equipment and local conditions on the lands of your farm. And as a result, prepare for the season in the best possible way so that the tillage is done with high quality.

How to start adjusting the plow?

Before you start setting up your plowing equipment, you need to decide on a plowing depth that will suit the conditions of your fields and the list of plants grown. The second preliminary question is the definition with the equipment at the disposal of the farm, suitable for performing soil-cultivating work. The size of the crop depends on the exact choice of the depth of plowing, and in the most direct way. Naturally, it is necessary to take into account all the side components: the specifics of growing specific plants, degree of soil infestation with weeds and pests, making adjustments for field relief, type or types of soil, is there a noticeable effect of wind erosion, are there places where melt water accumulates. That is, there are many details and nuances, but not paying attention to them means losing where you could find.

How to choose the right plowing depth?

The question of choosing the depth of plowing is paramount. For a long time, scientists, specialists in the field of agronomy have established that soil after plowing increases its fertility, even if mineral fertilizers were not added to it. They explain this by the fact that after plowing in the soil, the presence of plant nutrients increases and the saturation of the soil with the necessary amount of moisture increases.

Of course. after the introduction of mineral fertilizers into the plowed soil, the volume and quality of the crop increases much more tangibly. As it turns out, in properly processed and to the optimal depth soil, the root systems of plants will be located in the most favorable environment, saturated with beneficial bacteria. The roots of the vast majority of agricultural crops are located in the soil layer at a depth of 0 to 25 centimeters for cereals and somewhat deeper for other plants. Almost all (90%) beneficial bacteria that directly affect the growth and development of plants also live at a similar depth of up to 30 centimeters underground.

Research by scientists confirms the postulate that soil cultivation within its middle and deep layers can and even should be done on fields of various conditions. Such a tillage has a positive effect on soil microflora and increases their fertility. The only important thing is not to exceed the optimal parameters and not to make plowing excessively deep, for example, 40-50 cm, but to do it no more often than at the end of the next cycle - once every 3-5 years.