s dexta ploughs

[tom lad]

mornin all
I've bin doing more ploughing with my super dexta, which i'm enjoying , i have been using my 2 f 12" fergie plough , which i have very nearly got to a full shine , still has some deep rust pits but i think it,ll take a lot to remove them .

i've entered my first ploughing match and wish to do more .

SO what plough should i have behind her ?
ransomes seems the obvious one but there are lots of models , confusing .
i saw alot of TS 59 at the match, i think a robin was made for the dexta ???
some match ploughs are far to dear for me lots on westlakes web site £1000 's ++

am i more competative with a depth wheel ? my draft control works fine ? ( but she dose'nt like the soil types changing / heavy clay - lights moss ?)

comments plz

[Bensdexta]

SO what plough should i have behind her ?
ransomes seems the obvious one but there are lots of models , confusing .
i saw alot of TS 59 at the match, i think a robin was made for the dexta ???

Yes a Robin - what else I think the early Robins had a depth wheel, but our TS54A doesn't, so you could use either. I've seen both being used at ploughing matches, although prob more folk use a depth wheel.

[Nevis]

I use a David Brown plough which has a depth wheel - it could produce good results if it was behind someone who knew what they were doing. It is a simple plough which although it has all the adjustments required it does take more effort to make them than many match ploughs.
It does sit strangely behind a Dexta with the top link at an angle - having looked at the matching David Brown tractors it seems that their top link attachement is not central to the tractor.
I think it would be very difficult to produce good results using draft control only - a depth wheel is definitely required to allow for the variation in depth required at the start and finish and to cater for the different soil types.
I have found find match ploughing thoroughly addictive and the people who do it incredibly friendly and always ready to offer help to beginners like me.

[tom lad]

i agree the people at my local match (next door farmer ) were v helpful to me , the chap in the next plot won his class! he helped me alot .

i also have a david brown 2 f set at 12" , A type i believe , it doesnt sit square dehind my dexta , and the first furrow is about 16" wide .

in the proses of last few atemps with it before i give it up and try another plough .

prob sell it for the ransomes fund .

[Nevis]

My David Brown plough is set at 10" and sits squarely behind the tractor but with the top link angled to the left (as you sit on the tractor) and I have no trouble getting a 10" furrow.
The cross shaft on mine is perpendicular to the plough but I do know that earlier david Brown ploughs have the cross shaft at an angle to to the plough and this makes it impossible to set the cross shaft angle correctly.

[tom lad]

interesting nevis i saw one at a match other year , that was set at 10 " also . mines always bin set at 12"

so i should check if my cross shaft is 90 * to my plough main frame ,
i've never been happy that its matching shares are the correct ones they dont look correct to me ? i will remove them both wen i get chance and look for any names cast on them ......but if bolt holes fit then does that meen there correct ?

i'll check wen i get chance
i had noticed that with the plough mounted ,parked on flat concrete , main frame leveled both ways using the top link , +winder box,- spirit level that there is a big gap under the rear lind slide , prob 6 " i haven't measured it yet , not done this with my other ploughs so maybe its normal for the rear heal to be off the floor ?
look into it more wen time allows thanx mate
did manage to source more coulter components tho so near complete

[tom lad]

the cross shaft is 90* to the plough frame

[tom lad]

done some ploughin
first furrow about 16 - 18 " wide
the front furrow cant / wont flip a 16" wide furrow , the shares wing is only 8" so it just makes a mess.

just like last time i tryed it
if i fit one of the adjustable staberliser arms on the right hand arm arm ( the one with the winder) it will hold the plough square and im ploughing about the right width ,
but can i plough with a stabalizer arm fitted ???? i alway thought the plough had to be able to float / swing behind the tractor and want to set central ????? not held there on my arm ,
can i damage things doing this ?
the plough was turning furrows very well tho , and getting near good shine on the boards .
photos needed i think and a gas axe

[Nevis]

Is the plough fully over to the right (as you sit on seat) on the cross shaft?

[tom lad]

yes m8 it is fully over
i photoed it but my phone flat now
post it wen i get chance .
if i use the winder , ( front furrow width adjuster ?) fully over narrower then all that happens is the plow sits very crucked and no were near in line .
the landslide is pushed up the furrow wall , tries to jump out .

[tom lad]

photo in the field would prob be better .
sitting central now aint it , but remove the stabalizer and it pulls wide when ploughing .



any ideas as to what this skimmer arm is from ? the short stub is square section , long arm round .
im useing the short holder and the skimer for my d brown .

[Brian]

Skimmer is for Ford-Ransomes PM plough, if you do not want it, I can find it a good home on mine.

Just a thought, you look to be on 56" wheel settings. You need to be on 54" to get the plough straight behind the tractor, especially if you are on 10" work as many DB ploughs and the Ransomes Robin, are.

The Dexta will need 10 X 28" tyres as with the 11 X 28" at 54" they scrape the wings when you get a bit of mud. I tried it and was not happy, that is why I use the PM plough because it is for 12" work and that gives me the chance to use 56" wheel settings.

[tom lad]

hoped the arm was ransomes , i needed the stem for th D B , still want another one , also got some ransomes skimmers on fergie ( i think ) palms / holders think it says dt 10 ?
thought they were all good investments

my front axle is 48"
rear 54" ( does seem nearer 53 " tbh ?? )measuring fom the moulding line in the tyre center.

tyres 12.4/11-28
the plough is set 12"
i have not seen another db set at 12" mainly at 10" but narrowing the furrow would make my first furrow wider wouldn't it ?

the rear tyres were off a mf drill (i think ) so the outer rims r off the drill , the inners came with the tractor got three holes in them ? ( for weights ??? ) dexta came on grassland tyres .
do we think the outer rims are standard ? inner rims both looked the same bar the holes so i swapped them all over rather than take the tyres off.

went back to the dealer today to try and find the other skimmer arm in the nettles , but couldn't find it , ( he didn't know he had it till i showed it him , so prob only ever had a odd one )
i'll take some photo in the field if i get chance .
thanks for help

[Brian]

Grandmother and eggs come to mind but.......

Normally you set the cross shaft in the middle, with the top link in the centre of the tractor and measure your front furrow from the inside of the rear tyre to the outside of the plough point. This should match the distance from the front landslide to the outside of the second furrow point.

Changes to width are then made on the cross shaft, moving to the drivers left should narrow the furrow. As yours is set, you should be ploughing around an 8" furrow. I have the PM set over a little but I am using 56" setting and 12" furrows. I have 56" front and rear because of land conditions here, running the front wheels hard on the furrow wall causes major cuts in the tyres from embedded flints so we tend to run them a bit away.

You seem to have tried everything. Wonder if the DB has narrower wheel settings than the Dexta say, 50".

The rear landslide heel should run on the bottom of the furrow. If you have 6" gap under it then the top link is too short. If you are having difficulty getting the plough into the ground then your points could be worn out.

Just thinking aloud.

[tom lad]

no prob with input mate , i cant figure it out

im told , lol , that my plough is from the 25d 30 d period which had straight lower link arm ( pull straight ), to get around harry fergie patents on his converging link arms . i saw a 25 the other day ,the arms didn't look all that straight to me .
dad agrees that he used to use it on a 30 D and it worked well , when he ploughed with it back then , prob late 1950's the plough came on a db tractor.it has been sat around ever since .

most people say it should not matter about the converging arms but maybe it does ?
i know that the 3 pt. arms on early david browns are odd .

at least now i have it near complete and bright ' ish . before i cut it tiny pieces weight it in . and buy a ramsomes .

our land is soil drifting on to moss as u head north , so no flint , i bet its easyer to clean a plough on ur land .

should i be ignoring 3 furrow ploughs , or do the back furrow and frame just un bolt on a ramsomes ?

[tom lad]

done a bit more with the db plough with the one stablizer fitted .
the plough dose do a nice job i think and turns furrows very well , but cant work with a rigid plough , there supposed to able to swing aint they.
slightest twich , bump on the front of the tractor translates straight to the plough / work , crucked furrows, which is what a guy at the ploughing match said would happen

so i've narrowed the rear right to its narrowest track setting , 2 " less , which should mend it , but i dont think it will .
now the gap between mudgard side and tyres about 1 / 1.5 " which aint good is it .
getting a bit wet now for field work but hopefully i can try again minus the stay bar .

[tom lad]

sorted

ploughing two even ( ish ) furrows .
the right hand rear tyre is on narrowest setting and the plough is happy , would love to know what the propper D B track setting are .
mudgaurd /tyre gap is a bit small tho
fields conditions are far from good , bit wet and the fields bin deep sub soiled opposite way to my ploughing ( big new holland left craters were he was strugglein ) so nothing is too accurate but definatly pulling better .
plough oiled up poss to wet now to do anymore ?? see how weather is , the field will be spuds next year so should get another chance in spring .
thanx for help brian .
still got my bobing lift arms tho , very noticeable even with cold oil.