Opening Split

[wuddy]

I have ploughed an opening straight until the last 10 yards. Thats the side the hook is on.

By the sound of this you are loosing your sight aiming for the the last single pole! If you put the last pole out on the far headland you are sighting at least two poles for the whole of your plot bar the last 2-3 meters.

 

[wuddy]

And as an aside to the OP's post, how do I avoid a high crown.........!!! wider split (limited by furrow width to a degree), take more width with the chip or shallower chip and run a shallower front when folding in. I was fine last season but seemed to struggle the last 3 matches, not sure why.

I know score sheet says opening should be shallow but if you are struggling to get it back in try going slightly deeper with the opening. Also have the crosshaft cranked as to give a wider furr meaning the boards push the soil further making opening slightly wider ( every little helps) there is a sweet spot between depth and width of chip but it changes in different soil conditions and that is only gained with experience! I have been at it 20 years and can still get it wrong now and again!

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

I set 3 poles out, 1 on each headland scratch, and 1 @ 15 meters beyond the far headland scratch,
get well back and drive up straight the first pole, remove and continue, using 3 eyes
I drive with left hand leaning comfortably back in the seat, casting my eye on the steering wheel, sit lined up with the nut in the center, comfortably, as you will hold that position easier, and a quick glance as you go up the plot to see your sitting right,
and while doing the first run, you can feel the movement of the tractor through your ass on the seat to correct it going through tramlines etc, ,
now for the 3 eye to watch the plough, I put my right hand on 1 of the plough leavers, yes i Know you cannot see the plough, but if anything untoward should happen like a stone in a disc that upsets the plough, it will be felt through the handle your holding with your right hand, it dont happen often, but seen ploughmen doing the second half of the 1st run with it not doing as it should, right hand on a leaver may alert the driver sooner,

as for the first time round of the crown, if you split is wide you will have lots of soil to get back in, and this can make it high,
if it 2 narrow, you will have nowhere to put your first furrows in, but it is what works for you,
in vintage hyd, I leave the front furrow where it is, and increase the pitch on rear body, also pull the front board back a little,
front furrow needs to be 7/8 of the width you are ploughing at, and 4" deep + the soil on the top from the split, rear furrow needs to be a good 5" deep, front disc with under cut on and remove the skim, this will help it fold together better, rear disc as it should be,and cross shaft 1 turn narrower than normal ploughing, the above will keep the plough more level and pack the furs as it should, alone with keeping the start more level for the first time around,
on the second time around i reset front disc to normal, replace front skim, and reduce the pitch on rear body to nearly where it ploughs the plot at, turn cross shaft hand 1 turn wider to normal ploughing, and slid the ploug on the cross shaft to normal ploughing position , front body ploughs 5.5" deep, and 6" with rear on this lap,
on third time round and last on the crown, return rear body pitch to normal ploughing position and away you go

 

[Ley253]

I know score sheet says opening should be shallow but if you are struggling to get it back in try going slightly deeper with the opening. Also have the crosshaft cranked as to give a wider furr meaning the boards push the soil further making opening slightly wider ( every little helps) there is a sweet spot between depth and width of chip but it changes in different soil conditions and that is only gained with experience! I have been at it 20 years and can still get it wrong now and again!

MMMMM, the rule book, at least the one I read states that the split can be deep or shallow, makes no difference regarding scoring.

 

[Dealer]

Needs to be clean and trash free tho so deep enough to achieve this.

 

[wuddy]

Needs to be clean and trash free tho so deep enough to achieve this.

I think you need a bit of depth on an opening these days with deep wide tramlines and wheel marks I feel it holds the plough better and gives a more uniform opening

 

[Ley253]

Ah, yes of course, must get below the bottom of the tram lines.

 

[Dealer]

The more trash on the top I tend to go a bit deeper.

Go swallow with a lot of trash and I find it tends to show on top of the crown

Lighter land I tend to go deeper also

 

[Fergie Ploughman]

disagree on the bonnet marker, I use it as a reference point when I first line everything up at the headland, when I'm in the plot I tend to ignore it, unless I stop/get off, I then use it as a reference again. I think its key to get yourself sat correctly on the tractor, especially if you get off. I also spend a good deal of time getting the tractor correctly positioned on the headland and ensure the plough pulls into the plot squarely, that's probably the most difficult bit I find... I personally think deep is better, certainly the second run should be pretty much ploughing depth shouldn't it ? after all, it is supposed to be actual ploughing ie turning the soil. I find deeper helps keep you straight as well...

 

[arcobob]

Correct and consistent positioning of the head is the key. In a match rifle rifle shooting analogy, using aperture sights the aperture rearsight positions the master eye. This equates to the line down the bonnet, the steering wheel nut or any other reference point. You don`t look at it once the head and eye are positioned. The eye focuses on the foresight (not the rearsight) or nearest pole and makes alignment or reference to the furthest pole (the target). In practice the two furthest poles are both similarly in focus for normal sighted people whereas in shooting the eye cannot focus on both a foresight two feet away and a target a great distance away therefore a choice has to be made and the foresight is accepted practice..

 

[Ley253]

I wonder how many ploughmen know which is their master eye? It usually goes with the hand, IE right hand, right eye, but, for some of us it doesnt, I am right handed but have a left master eye! To complicate matters, if for any reason I have to blink rapidly, the right eye will assume the master eye duties for a short while! I also have times when ocular migraine causes the right eye to shut down altogether, only thing to do then is stop, and wait for things to return to normal!
Been known to cause consternation when explaining to the steward why you have stopped, telling them that you have gone blind in one eye seems to be outside the rule book!

 

[arcobob]

I wonder how many ploughmen know which is their master eye? It usually goes with the hand, IE right hand, right eye, but, for some of us it doesnt, I am right handed but have a left master eye! To complicate matters, if for any reason I have to blink rapidly, the right eye will assume the master eye duties for a short while! I also have times when ocular migraine causes the right eye to shut down altogether, only thing to do then is stop, and wait for things to return to normal!
Been known to cause consternation when explaining to the steward why you have stopped, telling them that you have gone blind in one eye seems to be outside the rule book!

You are quite right Harry and I am so far one of the lucky ones. The disparity between eye and hand is common in juveniles of both sexes and also common in women. Old age sight defects such as cataracts cause dominance to switch but with ploughing it need not be a problem unless you are hell bent on keeping both eyes open--just shut one eye. With shooting, handedness is important in relation to the master eye because the gun fits left or right handed and it is best that the eye also fits the gun, especially in shotgun where both eyes open is the advised technique.

 

[MrNoo]

So, someone I know who is right handed assumed he was right eye dominant and used his right eye, be straight as a die for the first 2/3rds of the run then would always curve one way or the other, had his eyes checked and reckoned that his left eye was dominant. I would have thought regardless of which one is dominant you should still be able to go straight as long as you keep using the same eye? As long as you shut the other. I do wonder if he had both eyes open and the dominant one took over. Interesting subject.

 

[Ley253]

You can check it yourself. stretch an arm to full length, and point a finger upwards, sight the finger onto an object, close one eye, if the finger stays where it is, thats the master eye, if it moves....its not! I am pretty sure that if they change over half way down the plot your in trouble! I had some dust blow into my eyes years ago, and when I had cleared them my pegs were no longer in line! Before moving, I wiped my eyes as it was like looking through a waterfall, and, pegs were back in line !
Bob, that may explain why I could score possibles one day, and nothing the next, when I was 16 or so. Rifle was a 22 Martini Henry, if my memory is correct.

 

[arcobob]

So, someone I know who is right handed assumed he was right eye dominant and used his right eye, be straight as a die for the first 2/3rds of the run then would always curve one way or the other, had his eyes checked and reckoned that his left eye was dominant. I would have thought regardless of which one is dominant you should still be able to go straight as long as you keep using the same eye? As long as you shut the other. I do wonder if he had both eyes open and the dominant one took over. Interesting subject.

If you use just one pole and drive to it with both eyes open you must adjust your head/body position to ensure that you are looking straight down the middle of the tractor with your master eye otherwise you will end up with a bend. With two poles the poles will gradually move out of alignment. If you close one eye and adjust your head position to look down the middle of the tractor with the chosen eye there is no problem. Generally in the latter case you will automatically tend to do this
I normally sit about 2-3" to the left and use my right eye and slightly dim my left eye with a partial squint..

 

[Ley253]

AS I have to steer to keep the red pole in line with the yellow, the steering is active, if you are waiting for one pole to appear from behind the other, its reactive, and will have a time lag.I dont, as far as I know, do anything special, just make sure the tractor is lined up and drive down to the far pole, using both eyes.

 

[arcobob]

You can check it yourself. stretch an arm to full length, and point a finger upwards, sight the finger onto an object, close one eye, if the finger stays where it is, thats the master eye, if it moves....its not! I am pretty sure that if they change over half way down the plot your in trouble! I had some dust blow into my eyes years ago, and when I had cleared them my pegs were no longer in line! Before moving, I wiped my eyes as it was like looking through a waterfall, and, pegs were back in line !
Bob, that may explain why I could score possibles one day, and nothing the next, when I was 16 or so. Rifle was a 22 Martini Henry, if my memory is correct.

Right handed target shooter invariably have a left eye shield of translucent material either attached to the rear sight or headband or hat. Translucent because totally excluding light affects the size of pupil and as both adjust in unison it is best to keep light levels similar. This reinforces natural dominance. Closing one eye has the same effect as a black eye patch but not only that it causes the open eye to distress and flicker in some people.

 

[Ley253]

We had to rely on closing the eye! Did have a telescope so that we could see how much we missed by, this was on a 25 yard range.

 

[Lurker]

I just close my eyes and hope for the best and stop when I hear the poles hit the front of the tractor

 

[Ley253]

I just close my eyes and hope for the best and stop when I hear the poles hit the front of the tractor

But, can you be sure they are YOUR poles?