Pitch adjustment

MrNoo

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Cirencester
plough laid to the right have a strong tendency for some very crooked ploughing. .
I have noticed that when I started to run mine into work, lower board edges and a bit of lead to land soon sorted it, I find it a completely different way to plough but very rewarding when you get it right, firmness scores arent always what they should be but I put that down to the judges as I know it often is some of the firmest work in our class, we tend to walk all our plots in class after judging to see.
I showed a friend how to plough with it led into work with a long toplink and initially he struggled but has just about got to grips with it now and is producing some very nice work, he even beat me the other day...!!
 

Cordiale

Member
We have all been caught out by our senior moments when we forget to drop the front body after the start, resulting in frantic adjustment in order to level the furrows. If the penny does not drop the final result can be anything from pleasing to disgusting depending on how hard the conditions are but the results of running a plough laid to the right have a strong tendency for some very crooked ploughing. The experts know how to push the boundaries and that is what separates the men from the boys.
Talking of senior moments, I totally agree. I failed to win my class by 3 points once. I forgot to raise the depth wheel extension before the final run. I couldn't understand why the plough would not penetrate properly, manage to adjust it to leave an earth furrow but couldn't understand what was wrong. I got 9 for the finish, bloke next door got 14. When cleaning the plough at the end, I noticed the depth wheel still extended, The air turned blue. I really must make up some checklists for the settings. Knowing my luck I would forget to look at them, too.
 
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MrNoo

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Cirencester
I watched Jon Cole, do his first run of the split with the leg lifted and then do the 2nd with it up, he even put the Crown together and did his 6 times round, still with the front leg up. He then realised and changed it back, still won mind!
Think it happens to us all at some time or another.
Like when I used to do a lot of gliding, they always say "there's those that have landed wheels up and those that will" and yes, I have landed wheels up (on grass fortunately) but have seen them land wheels up on Tarmac runways, makes a bit of a mess as the underside of the glider/winch hook grinds itself away on the Tarmac
 
Did the second run of my split with my dummy share on the front furrow, funnily enough it never made any difference, just shined the share up nice!!

At the Hereford National, did my split, put my plough already to go, went for a brew....Started ploughing the first run, couldn't work out what the heck was going on, then realised some helpful tw*t had wound my furrow adjuster all the way sending the plough really wide! Some nice people about....
 

TrickyT

Member
Did the second run of my split with my dummy share on the front furrow, funnily enough it never made any difference, just shined the share up nice!!

At the Hereford National, did my split, put my plough already to go, went for a brew....Started ploughing the first run, couldn't work out what the heck was going on, then realised some helpful tw*t had wound my furrow adjuster all the way sending the plough really wide! Some nice people about....

When discussing 'ins/outs' with judges before and they have told me that they would mark down a plot that looked obvious that the ends had been driven over by a tractor to make them look neater.

I have then seen ploughmen drive down other plots seemingly looking at them, when it now looks like they are trying to get points docked by driving on the ends of the plots. Or maybe I am just clinical? :)

Trevor
 

TrickyT

Member
I always go to drive over your in's/out's but youve always used your feet already! Think I'll just reverse on your plot and give you 2 wheels marks instead!!

Can't be classed as handling if I use my feet! :) Reversing on my plot would leave 4 wheel marks if I have ploughed to my usual standard! :)
 

Howard150

Member
Location
Yorkshire
With regards to ins and outs, I like the scratch mark about 3"deep thrown in the way not out, seems most matches throw them out, don't know why that is,
If thrown in, this leave extra soil on the entry to plot when plough is not at full depth at leaves a better furrow end,
All the old commercial manuals used to advocate turning the headland furrow in toward land regardless of which way the headland was to be ploughed.
Probably turned out now more in order to leave a straight and tidy cut edge to work to.
Always a bone of contention, both in the way it’s ploughed and marks received for them, which usually bear no resemblance to that which is writ by the plough. Seldom in vintage matches are ins and outs worth 5 or more. Many times scores awarded are in the teens.
 

Ley253

Member
Location
Bath
Talking of senior moments, I totally agree. I failed to win my class by 3 points once. I forgot to raise the depth wheel extension before the final run. I couldn't understand why the plough would not penetrate properly, manage to adjust it to leave an earth furrow but couldn't understand what was wrong. I got 9 for the finish, bloke next door got 14. When cleaning the plough at the end, I noticed the depth wheel still extended, The air turned blue. I really must make up some checklists for the settings. Knowing my luck I would forget to look at them, too.
Check lists are essential for me! They are on A4, large print and laminated. I can tick off every item as I do them with a chinagraph pencil.
 

Cordiale

Member
Check lists are essential for me! They are on A4, large print and laminated. I can tick off every item as I do them with a chinagraph pencil.
You can see the problems I have. When I wrote the post I wanted to say I needed them laminated, but I couldn't recall the machine, a laminator Right where's my Viking direct book before I forget what they're called again!!!
 

Ley253

Member
Location
Bath
You can see the problems I have. When I wrote the post I wanted to say I needed them laminated, but I couldn't recall the machine, a laminator Right where's my Viking direct book before I forget what they're called again!!!
Next job will be to go to the practise field, and spend a couple of days establishing the correct settings, and there will be more than you expect! Have one page for each discipline, IE split run one, run two, then crown one and two, three and four, then work etc etc.
 

Ley253

Member
Location
Bath
Always thought I should have a list of notes, however I thought I needed to get it right before making some notes, as bad notes just seem to create bad work, and each field is so different, even the plot can be different from one end to the other,
Quite so John, but they are most useful as starting points, Hard to forget the leg position or LH disk, if you tick it off when its done. A man who used to plough in your class had a habit of forgetting the skittle share and did many odd starts! Check sheet cured that!
 

Howard150

Member
Location
Yorkshire
Well I remember a long time ago, mentioning notes on paper to one of the late greats oft talked of on here......

NOTES?....

ON PAPER?..
Red faced and incredulous whilst pointing to his head.....

IN ‘ERE.
IN ‘ERE, NE’ER MIND ON PAPER...
IN ‘ERES WEER IT WANTS TER BEE!

Used that as a mantra since. Well worth considering.

The biggest single aspect in this is not engaging with headland ploughmen whilst making adjustments. Be polite but tell them ‘too much going on here. Need to give it 100% attention’
 

Ley253

Member
Location
Bath
Well I remember a long time ago, mentioning notes on paper to one of the late greats oft talked of on here......

NOTES?....

ON PAPER?..
Red faced and incredulous whilst pointing to his head.....

IN ‘ERE.
IN ‘ERE, NE’ER MIND ON PAPER...
IN ‘ERES WEER IT WANTS TER BEE!

Used that as a mantra since. Well worth considering.

The biggest single aspect in this is not engaging with headland ploughmen whilst making adjustments. Be polite but tell them ‘too much going on here. Need to give it 100% attention’
Well, Dave,
it were , years ago but with the rot induced by age, much has fallen out, or has been buried! That being so, some method of extraction is a great help!
 

MrNoo

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Cirencester
The biggest single aspect in this is not engaging with headland ploughmen whilst making adjustments. Be polite but tell them ‘too much going on here. Need to give it 100% attention’
So very true, there is one well known chap in our class who always makes a B line for you as you're normally about to take a single off or do the finish. I have fallen for it twice but now I'm just bloody rude to him and tell him to feck off. He no longer comes to chat to me, cant think why??!!
 

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