Riding Plow Line of Draft

When a riding plow is hitched correctly, a straight line from the center of draft to the center of power at hame passes through the point of hitch.

To find the line of draft, first find the total cut of the plow. Half the total cut is the center-of-cut. Measure to the left of the center-of-cut, one-fourth the width of one bottom's cut. This point gives you the center of draft, which determines the line of draft when the plow is in motion.

For a 12" sulky plow, the full cut is 12" and the center-of-cut is 6". One-fourth the width of cut is 3", added to the 6" center-of-cut gives you 9" from the furrow wall as the center of draft.

For a 12" two-bottom plow, the full cut is 24" and the center of cut is 12". One forth the width of one-bottom's cut is 3", added to 12" gives you 15" from the furrow wall as the center of draft.

Return to: Setting Riding Plowshares

John Deere published The Operation, Care and Repair of Farm Machinery from which the above was reprinted in The Evener 1998 issue of Rural Heritage.