(800) 853-2651
SHOP NOW

Plowing terminology

I

IaGary

Well-known Member
After reading the post below I thought I would see what terms are used for the different procedures of plowing in your area.

I started plowing with a 5 bottom behind a 856 at the age of 14. And still plow some today 40 years later. One year dad and I plowed 500 acres.

Dad told me to go out plow the field in 5 lands.The field was about a 1000 foot wide.

I used 3 Headlands. Headlands are the act of plowing the furrows toward each other.One was in the middle of the field and the other 2 were about 100 foot from each edge of the field. I continued plowing on the headlands till they were about 200 foot wide. The headlands were placed about 400 foot apart so when you got each headland plowed 200 foot wide you had 200 foot inbetween them that was unplowed.

I filled in between the headlands with two backlands (the plowing away from two headlands till the ground was all plowed in between the headlands).The last furrow that was left by the backlands was a dead furrow.

The dead furrow was filled in by plowing it shut by going the opposite direction on the already plowed ground at about half the depth the rest of the field was plowed. Guess we just called that part filling the dead furrow.

Hard to describe without showing.

What are your terms for the acts of plowing?
 
To me, headlands are the ends of the field, where you turn. Plowed last, unless you want to beat the snot out of your tractor and plow. (have seen 1 guy do that) Deadfurrow is same as you describe. We never plowed it shut; just disked edges down some. Plowed it shut the next time the field was plowed, makeing the "backfurrow" (two furrows thrown towards eachother, traveling in opposite directions) If a backfurrow is done well, it's very hard to see, even before being disked.
 
To me, headlands are the end rows. First round is marking out, or striking out, a land. Lands are plowed together or plowed apart. Some land sizes are determined by the size and shape of the field, but if large, square, or long, usually had 8-10 rounds per land, no matter the size of the plow. Deadfurrows were closed with 1-2 passes with the nose of the semi-mounted plow low, rear bottom raised to just clear the surface. Much easier to close a furrow with the plow than a field cultivator, or a disc, which I used very little.
 
We used disk plows here 2 or 3 disk. we did a lot of plowing in lands we called them. plow a back furrow what you call a head land. The head land was at the ends a 20 acre field 1/2 of a quarter mile by a 1/4 mile would have about 3 back furrows and 3 dead furrows. we would run the dead furrows with the plow raised some to fill it. The head land would have a 1/2 dead furrow at the plowed side and one at the fence.
 
Farmin sure has come a long way we did it the way you describe. With the old "H"

then sometimes would use a cultipacker and harrow.

then if it wasn't enough we"d cross harrow at an angle. used the old 37 Chevy doodle bug for most of that .
 
The British National Ploughing Championships are being held this coming weekend. They are at a site 5 miles north of Lincoln. Are you going Roy. MJ
 
It never occured to me that we might call the same thing by different names.
When we started we "laid out the lands".
When we plowed two passes towards one another that left a "backfurrow".
When we would plow away or out, then we ended up with a "deadfurrow".
The headlands were the ends.
We plowed round and round sometimes. Always seemed like it went fast. It was easy to plow the field "out" but getting it "laid out" to "plow the field in" was a different story.
We still plow a few acres where the cows run on stalks over winter.
bill
 
I have a neighbor that plows around the field , sides and ends at the same time then plows the corners from the outside corner to the center . I have never tried it but he ends up with a good job .
 
Roy where can one purchase those bright coveralls that all you guys seem to wear over there? Maybe they would last longer than my old clothes that are just too worn to wear into town.
 
I was taught to start at the center, and the second pass, coming back beside the first, you overlapped the first by one bottom so that you got that width that had the sod cast onto it from the first pass. It left a hump but discing easily leveled it. Another point was "Always throw uphill', so that you are countering erosion.
 
Of course if we plowed like Allan does we would start at one side of a field with a two way plow and go across to the other side and use none of this terminolgy.:)>})
 
(quoted from post at 04:46:46 10/05/10) I was taught to start at the center, and the second pass, coming back beside the first, you overlapped the first by one bottom so that you got that width that had the sod cast onto it from the first pass. It left a hump but discing easily leveled it. Another point was "Always throw uphill', so that you are countering erosion.
Click to expand...

You have to plow in opposite directions each year to avoid turning the field into a giant mound, or a salad bowl.

My Dad told me about one little field surrounded by a fence that they were told to plow the same direction every year. Always out, IIRC. It was like a banked race track.
 
That be the product of flood irrigating.

Laid eyes on my first plow in 1948. A two way, one bottom on a '37 JD A and since have never known anything different. :>)

Allan

forward.JPG
 
Back home in central Ohio we also called them "dead furrows", "back furrows" and the ends "head lands". Reasonably confident that is the same terminology that was used in an old IH plowing book and also in a similar JD book covering plowing.
 
My dad never had a square field on any of his farms being located along a river.He sort of plowed in a square.Around and around the outside edges of the field until he got some where close in the center that he could go from side to side on a headland at each end then he would plow out the headland.He would plow back into the dead furrow for about 5-6 rounds and disc all dead furrow depressions out. Some years he would start the plowing on the opposite side of the field and end up with the dead furrow crossing the last one at 180 degrees. Corn fields only got plowed every 4 years as a rule. He followed a corn,oats hay,hay and pasture rotation for many years.Some of the hilly fields were terraced and were farmed around the hill.Corn was never much of a cash crop but was fed mostly to the Dairy Cows,Duroc Hogs and Chickens.Making feed was a twice and some times a three times event every week with the old hammer mill never given much rest. He wore out 4 hammer mills and 2 Artsway feed mills that I can remember.I left home in 1955 and sort of lost track of what went on at the farm but this much I can remember about plowing and such.
 
Yup! that is what we were labeling it in Northern Indiana (Pine TWP, Porter county) We needed to relocate the back and dead furrows each year to avoid humping and ditching with time. We walked off the fence rows of the headlands and tied rags to the fence or bush to be some what straight. (I always hated the dead furrow with a three plow width taper to it). Jim
 
Gary,

The only thing different in my description would be the backland. Dad always called that operation,"hawing it out". I suppose from the days of horses, where I believe "haw" was turn left and "gee" was turn right.

I haven't plowed for twenty years, but can still see the old dead furrows from back when I did.
 
I plow the headland first in my garden so the plow will dig in faster. The garden is 110x90' so I don't have much room. If I would do a something the size of an acre or so I'd do it the other way of course.
 
I am pretty near certain he is wearing Kverneland Overalls ( I see it is a Kverneland plough, the best plough in the world haha ) Can't you guys buy "Coveralls" ( we call them overalls ) over there?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

super99
Plow Day Saturday
Replies
4
Views
272
True Son
T
B
Farmall Fast Hitch Plowing
Replies
10
Views
1K
Absent Minded Farmer
Absent Minded Farmer
E
Grain drill memory
Replies
16
Views
1K
Tony in SD
Tony in SD
J
Corn planting 1993
Replies
3
Views
379
Jeff in ND
J
super99
Wheel spacing for plowing
Replies
16
Views
642
Leroy
L
Tractor Parts Tractor Manuals

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy

Back
Top