Ploughing

[AdrianNPMajor]

Just started ploughing the field that I worked on last year.
Not the best video. It ends abruptly - I drove out of the furrow.
Best, Adrian.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUrI5GH ... e=youtu.be

[Bensdexta]

That field will keep you busy.
Tidy work

[AdrianNPMajor]

Hi Ben
Yes, it's going to take me a couple of days to finish, I reckon.
Pity you or other members aren't close by. If you were up for it, it would be fun to attack it with two or more tractors.
Doing any ploughing yourself at the moment?
Best, Adrian.

[woodcutter]

I bet she light on the front end when you pull the plough out, nice to see them working I've been looking for a plough on ebay but nothing that I like is close I wanted one with a wheel to make it a bit easier for me

[AdrianNPMajor]

You're quite right. Even with the front weights, if you hit a bump in the road on the way to the field, the front wheels start to come up.
Balance in the field is about right though. The front weights bring the draft control into play but the front is light enough to use the wheel brakes to turn around on the headlands.
Best, Adrian.

[58vintage]

Looking Good there Adrian, looks a couple of days work there. I cannot wait until I get out with my 3 furrow TS59 J.
Woodcutter. If you're happy to buy from photos etc I wouldn't discount a plough that's the other side of the country. My Father has just bought a international B12 2 furrow with Ace boards and pallEx just charged him £65 to pick it up from Derbyshire and bring it to South Wales. Obviously you need a seller able to load his end and you offload your end but otherwise a bargin.

[woodcutter]

Yeah I have used different pallet firms before, all the ones I have used say if it don't fit on one pallet they charge for two so I thought it might be expensive I wanted a two furrow Ransomes with depth wheel I may look into it next time one come up , I wanted to have a go at a couple of ploughing matches , wouldn't have a clue on how to work out the measurement , Adrian will you have a go at any plough match? I don't no much about the rules but our new performance majors are probably to new for vintage

[58vintage]

Woodcutter in my local Ploughing match the vintage has to be a tractor that is built before 31st December 1959. So a new performance would have to go into the classic class which is any tractor pre Q cab and plough pre 1976 which must have skimmers. But that's my local match. They also have a novice class that you can run pretty much anything.
PallEx allow you as long as the plough is safe on a single pallet to over hang a bit. The £65 they charged me was for what they call a pallet and a half.

[AdrianNPMajor]

James. Yes, it's going pretty well, though the land is quite damp compared to last year. You'll have a lot of fun with your three furrow. How are your rear tyres? I splashed out on a new set and they make all the difference when ploughing.
Woodcutter, I've never considered taking part in a ploughing match. I think I would be shown up. I'm still very much learning. I get a kick out of seeing the tractor work. The ploughing is a means to an end, though I do really enjoy it. But I enjoy all of the jobs I use the old girl for, including running my sawbench in winter.
Best, Adrian.

[58vintage]

Hi Adrian,
I'd estimate that they are around 50% worn. The ground with us is no where near as dry as last year so I'll need all the grip the tyres can give. Planning on seeing how she copes before pulling the trigger on new rear tyres. Out of curiosity where did you get yours and were you happy with the service etc?

Regards,

James.

[AdrianNPMajor]

Ploughing came to a halt due to a breakdown.
The unloading valve plug leaked again. The fix in service was to replace the plug with the next size up, but seeing as you can't get the plugs anymore, and I didn't fancy paying £30 (mates' rates) to have a new one made, I have tried a different solution.
I extracted the old plug, which despite the fact that it was leaking, was still a very tight interference fit, cleaned it and the bore thoroughly, then applied a thin film of Loctite 603 to the plug and bore. The very helpful technical team at Henkel explained that 603 is designed for just this purpose.
The hydraulic lid is still off as I wait for the 603 to cure, so I don't know yet if the problem is solved. The ultimate test will be when the oil is up to temperature an hour into ploughing. With the oil hot, the leak was pretty significant - the draft control wouldn't regulate the depth correctly and the hydraulics were only just able to raise the plough at the end of the furrow.
If it does work, and the technician said he would be amazed if it didn't, I am hoping that the unloading valve doesn't stick at any point in the future, as removing the plug won't be an easy option.
On this last point, has anyone tried using a telescopic magnetic retrieval tool of a small enough diameter to pull the stem of the unloading valve if it sticks in the lowering position?
Hoping to get back to the tractor at the weekend to reassemble. Fingers crossed the above approach works.
Best, Adrian.

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[woodcutter]

Hope it goes well, would it be possible to put a couple of o rings in the groove of plug

[AdrianNPMajor]

Thanks. I'll let you know.
Re the O rings, an oil gallery passes across the opening of the unloading valve bore. When the plug is in place it would block this oil gallery. The slot cut in the circumference of the plug allows the oil in the gallery to pass around the plug and continue on its way. Bit of a complicated situation. If the unloading valve bore and this oil gallery did not intersect, the plug that is prone to leaking could have been threaded - couldn't it?
They had their reasons for arriving at this solution. Wonder what it was. To keep the ram cylinder casting as compact as possible?
Best, Adrian.

[AdrianNPMajor]

Fixed!
Ultimate test is when the oil is very hot. If Loctite 603 is as good as it is meant to be, the hot oil shouldn't make any difference.
Best, Adrian.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcdOliZk-Jg

[oehrick]

If you degreased the surfaces in contact with the Loctite (and didn't let it run anywhere it shouldn't) you shouldn't have any trouble Adrian, well nothing that a handful of sawdust in the back end won't cure

[AdrianNPMajor]

Hi Rick
I'm not totally disliking the sawdust option. I've removed the hydraulic lid once too often for my liking. It's going to have to come off at least one more time to fit a new lid gasket, if the fix proves 'permanent'! If it doesn't, then I may well be reaching for trusty sawdust!
Talking of sawdust, my farmer friend and I bag it up when we cut his firewood with the sawbench and then guard it jealously, almost to the point where the firewood is the byproduct in a sawdust manufacturing operation! You can't beat having sawdust around to soak up the inevitable spillages and leaks.
Best, Adrian.

[AdrianNPMajor]

Making good progress.
Unloading valve leak appears to be fixed. No issues under heavy work with the oil hot.
Best, Adrian.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_esK-W ... e=youtu.be

[Bensdexta]

Making good progress.
Unloading valve leak appears to be fixed. No issues under heavy work with the oil hot.
Best, Adrian.

How does the 603 work, and why doesn't it glue up the valve completely??

[AdrianNPMajor]

Hi Ben
Sorry. I left out the word 'plug' in my post above. It's the plug and its bore that I treated with Loctite 603. The unloading valve operates within a bush inserted into the bore. I applied the Loctite 603 to the walls of the bore as far as the shoulder of the bush, but no further, and to the two circumferences (there's a slot in the circumference) of the plug. So no Loctite 603 came into contact with the valve (I pushed it to the other end of the bush) or the walls of the bush.
When talking to the expert at Henkel, he explained that the best press/interference fit only achieves a 30% metal to metal contact. 603 is designed to fill the 70% gap. See page 9 of data sheet below. According to the data sheet this technology was introduced in 1963, just too late for Ford to make use of it with our tractors.
Best, Adrian.

http://datasheet.octopart.com/26221-Loc ... -61062.pdf

[AdrianNPMajor]

Forgot to mention that Loctite 603 works anaerobically, so any 603 escaping the press fit joint would remain liquid and be washed away by the oil.
Best, Adrian.

[AdrianNPMajor]

Finishing up.
Sections of the field were very heavy going this year after the rain we've had. The 4D engine proved how tough it is.
The farmer is going to sow beans this year.
Best, Adrian.

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[Bensdexta]

Working well. Lovely job.
How many acres is that?

[AdrianNPMajor]

Approx 7 acres.
It's a lovely location. Blackberries and damsons growing in the hedges, even a pear tree laden with fruit. That's my annual outing with the plough done for another year!
Have you done any ploughing this year?
Best, Adrian.

[Bensdexta]

Hi, no not done any ploughing yet as with the good weather I'm still topping our rougher areas.

There's not much ploughing done round here in Wales these days, with MinTill increasingly in vogue, not least because it's cheaper! Resowing is usually done with a scratch seeder eg Einboch or a strip/slit seeder, either after hard grazing or spraying off with Roundup.

However I have aspirations to plough up several acres with my Robin, but sadly I doubt there'll be time this year.

[AdrianNPMajor]

Hi Ben
MinTill is widely practised around here too, though this year everyone seems to be ploughing in an effort to stamp out black grass.
Never used a topper. It looks like a fun job. The farmer on the field next to the one I was working on was cutting a last crop of hay, taking advantage of this spell of lovely weather. I'd like to have a go at that job too, but I don't have the necessary gear.
Best, Adrian.