How to get rid of the curve at the ends?!

[Sonoftheheir]

Morning all,

Im asking for a bit of advice from the experts!

I understand that while I am still a
Ploughing man and not a min till kind of fellow, I may be laughed upon ploughing with a new fangled reversible plough and not measuring my fields out square with chains and pegs!

However I like to take a bit of pride in my work but for the life of me I can’t seem to stop getting a curve at the ends of the straight work?! It’s driving me mad as I have to make a short run every now and then to straighten the furrow.

I am ploughing with a 5 furrow Lemken with subsoilers and a furrow press. Check chains on the bottom linkage are loose.

 

[Tim G]

You're turning out of the furrow the wrong way? Maybe the press isn't helping.

 

[HCC]

I am no competition ploughman but I have found the same issue as you. I thought it was due to the plough leaning over on the stabilisers when dropping into work, and thus taking a narrower width of land at the start of each run.
This is obviously exaggerated the more runs you do, and the curve ends up further into the field as shown in your picture.
I found the way to counter this is to position the tractor rear wheel slightly on the unploughed land when lowering into work, thus forcing the plough to take full width. As you move forward, the tractor drops back into the furrow and away you go.

 

[Rob Garrett]

You're turning out of the furrow the wrong way? Maybe the press isn't helping.

Which is the right way? I turn into work (plough), reverse & turn plough over, then it doesn't hit the stone walls when you turn back into the furrow.

 

[Tim G]

Which is the right way? I turn into work (plough), reverse & turn plough over, then it doesn't hit the stone walls when you turn back into the furrow.

I've no idea! I turn the same as you. Try the other way for a bit.

 

[bobk]

I always turn on the unploughed side , still get bends mind .

 

[farmerm]

Which is the right way? I turn into work (plough), reverse & turn plough over, then it doesn't hit the stone walls when you turn back into the furrow.

I usually turn the other way and I can still get that occurring. I am with @HCC on this. I think as you drop the wheels into the furrow gravity is pulling the plough towards the worked ground so it drops in slightly towards the worked ground before it straightening up behind the tractor. Couple of inches on each pass and it soon adds up. Keeping any sort of straightness is even more of a ball ache when the fields are not bowling green flat, sometimes you have to compensate to counter the effect of gravity on the plough in the opposite direction!

 

[Tim G]

Perhaps we should just learn to embrace curves.

 

[Sonoftheheir]

I always turn back into the furrow from the un ploughed side. I think the dropping in when on the flat side might be the answer. I did wonder when the plough catches the furrow press arm that it pulls that way a bit and that might exaggerate the curve the more passes too?

Also soon get a bend or curve going from light land into a heavier hill part on a straight run. We have black fen soil with clay roddens running through.

 

[M-J-G]

It shouldn't make any difference what way you turn.
If the plough is falling away from the land due to a natural lean just hold the furrow wheel an inch or two onto the land until the plough is on the ground then allow the wheel to drop into the trough.

As said before the press won't help.

 

[M-J-G]

Perhaps we should just learn to embrace curves.

My neighbour says it'll be a bad cruve before it effects the crop.

 

[puppet]

Put the plough down just before you hit the furrow to keep it straighter.
However, most easily cured with the early introduction of some heavy discs

 

[robbie]

I don't have a set way to turn at the ends and don't think it makes a difference.

What I always do, especially with a press on is when you turn into the furrow drive slightly wide and the turn in so your front wheel Is in the furrow but you back wheel is half out. This allows the plough to swing in but still be in the right place when you set in.

If you drive into the furrow square and watch, the plough as you lower it you will see the plough sway and the front furrow is less than the rest, as you move forward it will get so it takes its full width but after a few rounds you'll have a bend.

 

[DRC]

I always turn on the unploughed side , still get bends mind .

It’s our eye sight

 

[Bury the Trash]

yes as said above take care how you pull in to start .. but
Drop off the Press for a day or 2 to get used to one thing at a time, it will also allow setting the plough by seeing what's happening better, ie, how level its running, size of particular furrows etc.

sounds like the plough isn't making a quick enough entry, and the subsoilers will contribute to that.

 

[Bury the Trash]

.....and don't forget the tractor 'linkage drop' needs to allow the plough to pull down in , check how thats set.

 

[bobk]

It’s our eye sight

Power harrow will straighten it

 

[Tim G]

A chap I once worked with ploughed every field but one with bends all over the place in, and with a well worn plough badly set so you felt every bout for the whole year after. The one field he did plough straight was the not uncoincidentally named rainbow field, which also was the only field we wanted to drill with a curve in the tramlines, so we still felt every furrow.

 

[davidroberts30]

I usually turn the other way and I can still get that occurring. I am with @HCC on this. I think as you drop the wheels into the furrow gravity is pulling the plough towards the worked ground so it drops in slightly towards the worked ground before it straightening up behind the tractor. Couple of inches on each pass and it soon adds up. Keeping any sort of straightness is even more of a ball ache when the fields are not bowling green flat, sometimes you have to compensate to counter the effect of gravity on the plough in the opposite direction!

This is exactly it

 

[DrWazzock]

Sometime it can be psychological. If the headland is at right angles I’m fine. But if it’s at a slight angle to the ploughing then I’ll subconsciously drive up to the headland at a right angle and bend my ends. I have to make a conscious effort to keep straight.
I turn to towards the unploughed land when I pull out at the ends, reverse along turning over then I reckon the swing of the plough toward the unploughed land as you set in counteracts lack of side draft as you pull in. My brother turns the other way and still keeps it straight though!