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Oh yeah easy if nobody shouts “Oi! Get Off My Land!” it must be either my poles or an electric pole if tractor comes to a sudden stop.But, can you be sure they are YOUR poles?
Oh yeah easy if nobody shouts “Oi! Get Off My Land!” it must be either my poles or an electric pole if tractor comes to a sudden stop.But, can you be sure they are YOUR poles?
Does it matter if his eyes are closed?!But, can you be sure they are YOUR poles?
it could, to the owner of the now shorter poles, not to mention the triangular plot!The latter was not unknown in earlier times, when organisers only put the number on one end of the plot, and also forgot the odd peg!Does it matter if his eyes are closed?!
How do you line the tractor up if the bonnet is sloping?Set the cross shaft for a very wide front furrow, landside crank forward. That way it takes the weight off the landsides. Same for the second to last run to stop breaking the last green furrow off. You will need to find where to drop the plough (as Wuddy says) to avoid a hook on the end.
With weight on the landsides your tractor will tend to run crabbed down the field. You will find it much easier to drive straight once the weight is taken off the landsides.
Make sure you keep your head in exactly the same place. Find a skip and put the marker off the front of the bonnet in it. What and how you line up with is a personal matter - use what you feel comfortable with. Once you can see all the poles you have a bend in it.
Always easier to go straight if you are doing it on a regular basis. I used to drill with 6 metre drills on sidling ground. What I tended to use was the centre of the steering wheel. Do enough of it and it becomes second nature. Think outside the box.
Some will argue that I am wrong but as an international rifle marksman I applied similar principles to those used when shooting with iron, as apposed to telescopic, sights. Everybody has a master eye and that eye should be used even if both eyes are open. Most people have a right master eye and this determines the alignment of the rearsight (steering wheel nut perhaps) an intermediate marker and the target. Being right eyed, I sat slightly to the left to ensure that this eye was giving true guidance. Ask any shotgun shooter and they will tell you that you cannot shoot off your right shoulder with a left master eye without blanking out vision from that eye or using a cross over gun.How do you line the tractor up if the bonnet is sloping?
Even that can put a wiggle in at the start till it finds its line
If you have a sloping bonnet then the greater probability is that you have a windscreen. Put a mark on that using a line of tapeHow do you line the tractor up if the bonnet is sloping?
Many years ago at a County match on a very foggy November day one of my fellow YFC contestants struck out a beautifully straight opening furrow - directly to the next plot’s far headland pole. Whoops!Another thing I have recently done is using a different coloured pole on the far headland, I find it stands out quicker if you do get a little out of line!
I had that happen at a Salopian match on maize stubble, think it the one before lockdown.Many years ago at a County match on a very foggy November day one of my fellow YFC contestants struck out a beautifully straight opening furrow - directly to the next plot’s far headland pole. Whoops!
I was ploughing at Sherwood Forest match where the headlands betwee opposite plots were particularly naerrow. I had horses at the end of my plot and they invariably stopped to be petted, photographed and fed sugar lumps. I had a very frustrating dayPoles or wrong poles can be a problem if there is 2 rows of Ploughing plots side by side, and the plots are not staggered. As your not only hampered on the start but all day long as you both yourself and the guy in the plot opposite are going in and out opposite each other all day, that can get interesting, your poles are in similar place as other row, but will say 99% of matches are staggered
Best thing is to know your own poles, Mark them with a bit of coloured tape / or paint etc, I mentioned this to a new guy years ago, he thought it was so you could tell which was yours if someone picked it up accidentally and put it on his tractor, he had painted the metal bit on bottom that goes in the ground ,
I now find it a lot easier to have 4 poles, and the biggest problem now is narrow short headlands to get it all lined up
My poles are like no others on the field!!!!Make your poles distinctive. It can really only happen if the idiot next door is driving to a single pole. YFC matches are a source of this problem and I once had my far pole removed because the young lad next to me thought that was a spare one and nicked my pole. He learnt a sharp lesson.
A friend was once alloted a reversible plot by mistake. He did no spot what was going on until it was too late.
All things being equal the rules state quite clearly only 3 sighting poles!Poles or wrong poles can be a problem if there is 2 rows of Ploughing plots side by side, and the plots are not staggered. As your not only hampered on the start but all day long as you both yourself and the guy in the plot opposite are going in and out opposite each other all day, that can get interesting, your poles are in similar place as other row, but will say 99% of matches are staggered
Best thing is to know your own poles, Mark them with a bit of coloured tape / or paint etc, I mentioned this to a new guy years ago, he thought it was so you could tell which was yours if someone picked it up accidentally and put it on his tractor, he had painted the metal bit on bottom that goes in the ground ,
I now find it a lot easier to have 4 poles, and the biggest problem now is narrow short headlands to get it all lined up
All things being equal the rules state quite clearly only 3 sighting poles!
I totally agree with in most ploughing classes.
I plough High Cut and different rules and we are rarer than the giant panda, and their protected,