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How to plough (in a Competition)

Any comments please get in touch.

A big thank you to Mike Holloway for letting me follow him around all day. That is about 6 hours of physical and mental work for him.

Mind it all payed off. Congratulations to Mike for winning his class on both days.

Pre conditions.

These instructions are for use with a 2 furrow plough.
The information is not yet specific to a Ferguson plough.
Ploughing with a Ferguson plough is I am told much harder then with a match plough.
No dimensions where taken when recording this plough information.

Rules
Here are the rules for ploughing using a ferguson plough and ferguson 2 furrow plough

Rules from www.ferguson20rules.co.uk

A PDF of the rules (with pictures)

Opening on Grass a PDF

Picture of a Ferguson plough labeled for Reference

The process can be split into 3 steps The open, The middle and the Finish.

The Open

First Pass

Setup:

Adjust the plough so the front SHARE is as high off the ground as possible. This can be achieved by raising the adjustable (right)lift arm (note Mike has both setup to be adjustable).The plough is also sitting in line with the centre line of the tractor (this plough unlike the Ferguson one can be moved considerably right or left on the CROSS SHAFT).

On the first pass the back SHARE should be 2-3 inches deep in the ground. Barely turning any ground. In front of the tractor are 3 poles in a straight line across the width. These poles can be used to drive in a straight line across the plot. Take them out as you go or even better get someone else to take them out so your driving position does not change. Marks on the bonnet may help. The first pass is so important for straightness. All other furrows will depend on this one.

Note:

From the picture above….on the left of the plough is a large wheel this also has a disk which is marking the ground. This is used as a guide to line the front wheel up with on the return or second pass. This can be seen in the picture below. I’m not sure how you do this with a Ferguson plough as there are not fitted with this wheel. Do the rules allow for some item to be fitted which would make a mark to follow?

Second Pass

Setup:

The plough should now be level/slightly high on the front SHARE.

This show the position of the tractor relative to the first pass. The left (as we look at it)  inner edge of the front wheel is on the line the disk cut on the first pass.

The front share is taking almost no cut as it is running in the hole cut from the first pass. Whilst the back is cutting. In between the pile on the right and the hole on the left. In the ground about 3 inches.

3rd pass

Front share is now up and taking out about 3inches again. Front wheel sits in the furrow bottom of first/ second pass.

Setup

If 10inch cut, then 10x2 +2 ==22inches which is distance from landside to outer cut width.

Forth pass

Two furrows down that will be seen finally (two of the first four)

Fifth Pass

That is the end of the open.

I still have to add the middle and the finish to this page.

Its really hard on Mike and as he got to the end there was quite a crowd watching him.

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