Is it cheaper to run a bigger plough?

[davidroberts30]

Think I have only ever bought one replacement mouldboard and that was when we hit a root and cracked one but they do need changing soon, it is all down to soil type and dryness of soil. As a comparison how long do points last can easily get 600 acre out of mine before turning (4 furrow)

600
im lucky to get 60

 

[nick...]

Maybe 50 acres here for both ends.worse Last year because it was so so hard.probably best ever about 120/150 in a wet year.got a relative on fens and he never changes parts ever as the soil is just about all peat
Nick...

 

[PSQ]

1 furrow or 10, you'll still change the metal at roughly the same *time* interval, if the ploughs are moving at the same forward speed, depth and width. You'll just have 10 times as many change intervals with the single fur on the same area.

There was a chap who moved to a farm near here who bough a new 300hp Fendt with a new 10 furrow KV for 300 acres, so he could cover a lot of ground ploughing before lunch. And he bought a second large Fendt to pull the drill, so he could sow it in the afternoon.
He no longer farms near here...

 

[Pebd99]

I worked out that if I went from a 5 to a 7 furrow plough I’d save myself 40 hours a year ploughing.

 

[Galcam]

Lots of people have the money to call the dealer when oil needs changing etc. Why do something you don’t want to do if u can pay someone else to do it. I would hate to have to change oil or fix tines on the Baler etc. I have other more enjoyable things to do with my time and as regards keeping a machine till it’s clapped out I would not dream of subjecting myself to the grief of breakdowns or costly maintenance or substandard performance if I can possibly avoid it. It’s all down to personal preference. We are all different and thank god we’re not all the same. The world would suck!!

 

[Hilly]

Subsidy and inheritance has a lot to answer for ........................

A bit being a joiner but unable to sharpen your pencil lol, on the otherside of the coin some farmers have massive engineering skills and made some great things !

 

[Farma Parma]

Was wearing points out in 5 yes 5 hours last back end.

Turn em round for another 4-5 hours then throw em in the scrap

yeeesssshhh were did you buy the points NETTO or somewhere
easily get 150-200ac out of KV knockon's & on heavy land mostly
& by heck there easily changed in 10mins

 

[2wheels]

Think I have only ever bought one replacement mouldboard and that was when we hit a root and cracked one but they do need changing soon, it is all down to soil type and dryness of soil. As a comparison how long do points last can easily get 600 acre out of mine before turning (4 furrow)

used to be less than 70 acres for a 4 furrow's points.

 

[Drillman]

yeeesssshhh were did you buy the points NETTO or somewhere
easily get 150-200ac out of KV knockon's & on heavy land mostly
& by heck there easily changed in 10mins

You’ve never plowed chalk and flint in a dry time have you??

Wearing parts just dissolve

 

[Andy12345]

You’ve never plowed chalk and flint in a dry time have you??

Wearing parts just dissolve

Many years ago took on a block of land that was clay with flint...... ploughing at night was fab with the light show going on!! Points on the KV plough lasted 10 hours in that ground!!! Was glad to see the back of it after 5 years !!

 

[Drillman]

Many years ago took on a block of land that was clay with flint...... ploughing at night was fab with the light show going on!! Points on the KV plough lasted 10 hours in that ground!!! Was glad to see the back of it after 5 years !!

Yep sounds about right. My tractor has just had new tyres fitted. I’ve banned it off the plough!

Ploughing tractor looks like Edwards scissor hands has had a drunken fight with its tyres....

 

[Farma Parma]

You’ve never plowed chalk and flint in a dry time have you??

Wearing parts just dissolve

Thankfully no i haven't plentry clay up here but flint n chalk unheard of yeeesshh
that's what knocks heck out of tractor tyres in the Lincolnshire belt & in some of Yorkshire also.

 

[Drillman]

Thankfully no i haven't plentry clay up here but flint n chalk unheard of yeeesshh
that's what knocks heck out of tractor tyres in the Lincolnshire belt & in some of Yorkshire also.

Yep we recently had to bin a set of tractor tyres due to constant punctures from sidewall damage. Tractor had only done 2000 hrs on them mostly just on plough, combi drill and round baler.

Wasn’t much tread left on them either

 

[mo!]

Yep we recently had to bin a set of tractor tyres due to constant punctures from sidewall damage. Tractor had only done 2000 hrs on them mostly just on plough, combi drill and round baler.

Wasn’t much tread left on them either

I was chatting to a manager on a big estate last year over your way who said that going to an on-land plough had helped massively with tyre wear. Big boots and GPS will have helped.

 

[mf298]

1 furrow or 10, you'll still change the metal at roughly the same *time* interval, if the ploughs are moving at the same forward speed, depth and width. You'll just have 10 times as many change intervals with the single fur on the same area.

There was a chap who moved to a farm near here who bough a new 300hp Fendt with a new 10 furrow KV for 300 acres, so he could cover a lot of ground ploughing before lunch. And he bought a second large Fendt to pull the drill, so he could sow it in the afternoon.
He no longer farms near here...[/QUOTE
Hmmm, I wonder if he farms anywhere!

 

[Drillman]

I was chatting to a manager on a big estate last year over your way who said that going to an on-land plough had helped massively with tyre wear. Big boots and GPS will have helped.

Yes all my big Fendt owning neighbours plow on land and say the same. Although pulling 6 furrows with a Fendt 1050 won’t cause much wheelslip I wouldn’t have thought!

 

[Farma Parma]

Suppose be better if we answered the OP fairly eh.
IMHO its most likely no cheaper running a bigger plough as you need a bigger tractor etc etc etc
but looking at it from the operators view its a win win win.
And being Boss myself once you change to a bigger plough you really struggle to ever go back.
Time in all our jobs is money somewhere along the line but if spending money buys you time ah well that's a diff matter all together
This is what an upgrade to my New plough did back autumn of 2014, then the bigger tractor 6months later made it so much easier.

 

[dannewhouse]

Suppose be better if we answered the OP fairly eh.
IMHO its most likely no cheaper running a bigger plough as you need a bigger tractor etc etc etc
but looking at it from the operators view its a win win win.
And being Boss myself once you change to a bigger plough you really struggle to ever go back.
Time in all our jobs is money somewhere along the line but if spending money buys you time ah well that's a diff matter all together
This is what an upgrade to my New plough did back autumn of 2014, then the bigger tractor 6months later made it so much easier.

I think the general gist is that same speed ploughing metal work will wear at same rate ie cost/acre ploughed.
some are saying more fuel will be used, I don't know but that needs turning back to L/Ha?
5 furrows will plough a field more than 5x faster than 1 furrow due to less turning etc higher % of time in work.
every additional furrow is less of an improvement ie 2 furrows is 50% the time of 1 but 3 furrows is 66% the time of 2 etc 6 furrows is 83% the time of 5.

lots more factors to consider mainly furrow width and then work down ability after.
12" furrows will be a lot easier to work down than 20" but 4 20" furrows is a lot wider than 5 14"

 

[Farma Parma]

5fr x 16" here on all land types.
only widen or narrow the widths to straighten parts out or when doing headlands.
my 4fr fixed plough is 14" but on No.9's so does leave a slight diff finish over the 28's
If you ran the same 5fr vari width plough fully out all the time there is deffo more strain on the beam as its at a greater angle from centre of the plough to where i run it at.
it might take 1000's of acres to actually tell this in effect, just my own theory.
Think ive now got a cultivation machine to just about tackle any of the land here providing its not too dry or too wet of course.
even the heavier clay can be all ploughed at 16" no bother but just timing of the next job too it is the skill

 

[e3120]

... 5 furrows will plough a field more than 5x faster than 1 furrow due to less turning etc higher % of time in work.

I don't follow this. Surely the proportion of time working:turning is the same in both cases so %age working time and '5x faster' should be same in both scenarios, assuming forward working speed and turning time is the same in both cases, certainly not guaranteed.

My view/experience is that you never see the expected output as one thing or another robs some of it.