BC Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 The headline on page 10 of the farming news in Saturdays Press and Journal.Its the second year the Grampian Supermatch Ploughing Association have arranged a training event . Last year saw 80 people attend the first event.The training covers competitive ploughing for reversible, multifurrow, double furrow, conventional and vintage lift and trailing sections.The coaches for the day are Dave Carnegie the current Scottish reversible champion, John McRobert from Banff, Robbie Gauld from Alford and Gordon Hepburn (trailing plough) from Elgin.The event starts at 10am and after Dave Carnegie passing on tips on how to set ploughs and what competitors then need to do for matches those attending will get a plot and then be able to put what they have been told into practice. The event is open to all ages but Chairman Gordon MacDonald said they dearly want young folk to come along so they can help preserve the craft and ensure that skills are passed on from one generation to the next. The following day the same farm will be used to host the Central Banffshire Vintage Ploughing Associations annual match but I cannot manage to spectate at it since I have promised the Scottish County Club I will attend their working weekend on the Sunday to take a few photos and some wee videos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerrabbit Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 Nice to hear that the younger generation is being thought of Bill in the skills of ploughing, although there are a number of ploughing events down around here they don't seem to cater for the younger ones or seem to encourage them to participate, it's the ploughmen themselves that bring them on, there are no specific tutorial ploughing. Anyone can be taught to plough, and to a perfectly acceptable level but to actually get to a competitive level can only be developed by the individual doing the ploughing. I would love to be a fly on the wall and listen to instruction being given but ploughing starts before you get into the field, most don't really know that the tractor has first to be set for ploughing before you can set up the plough otherwise you will never get it perfect. Unfortunately now here on Dartmoor there is very little ploughing done on farms as they are mainly sheep and beef/suckler herds and the land is out to permanent pasture and the pastures are not renewed very often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pistol pete Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 bill where about is this is it at keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted October 8, 2013 Author Share Posted October 8, 2013 I'm looking forward to going along to the event Tim and I hope a old dog like myself can even learn some new tricks. I did a google Pete and I think the Postcode is AB55 6SA and is on the road from Keith heading towards Macduff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted October 13, 2013 Author Share Posted October 13, 2013 There was a large turn out at the coaching day which was unfortunately mis described in the papers by saying people would be given a plot to plough. This was not the case but there were top ploughers ploughing in the various classes with top ploughers acting as coach and telling us what the ploughman was doing right or wrong. We were welcomed to the event by Chairman Gordon MacDonald and told lunch was at noon courtesy of the Grampian Supermatch Club. We were provided with a large cup of pea soup or broth or a cheeseburger and a tea or coffee supplied via G Whyte of Keith an excellent out door caterer. Gordon handed us over to world champion ploughman Dave Carnegie who gave a very informative talk on tractor set up and set up of a reversible plough. He said even things like tyre pressure being the same and lift arms being teh same link were crucial.He then went on to the plough and kinda tore it apart since the distances from the plough points to the skims were not all equal. In addition of the the middle board was higher and was probably caused by hitting a stone. At the end of the day he made it sound simple and there were 3 basic rules...straightness, blackness and uniformity. I decided to follow the trailing class were Davie Milton was ploughing with Gordon Hepburn from Elgin coaching. I was speaking to Davi;es friend Neil Cruickshank and he said Davie asked him in 1995 if he would coach him since he wanted to learning to plough with one of his grandfathers old plough. Neilk did and on their first outing they got a third in their class. From then on Davie was hooked and a few years later Neil followed and took up the hobby himself again. He had first had a go with a trailing plough at his grandfathers when he was a young loon. Ian MacDonald's fine looking tractor and heavily modified plough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted October 13, 2013 Author Share Posted October 13, 2013 Neil Cruickhank getting Davie's plough reading for offloading. Davie forking the ends to leave a tidier finish at the ends Not black enough Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted October 13, 2013 Author Share Posted October 13, 2013 Getting blacker First run Getting blacker Ready for second run and from last week I remembered run tractor wheel where the downward plough wheel mark was not in the middle of the first run. Dave Carnegie and Robbie Gauld assessing the opening from the MF175 with early 2 furrow reversible plough...looks fine to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted October 13, 2013 Author Share Posted October 13, 2013 A fine opening by Ian MacDonald and more good than bad was said about this and near top points would have been awarded if in a competition. Not so good by the Dexta and 2 furrow lift Not so much good was said on this one from the MF and reversible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted October 13, 2013 Author Share Posted October 13, 2013 About 1 foot out before the middle bitty gets black but that was nothing according to Gordon. He did stress to me to keep measuring a lot even at this early stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted October 13, 2013 Author Share Posted October 13, 2013 Oh dear Davie hit a stone trip did not work. He broke a point and the rear of plough went 2 foot in air and low and behold he has tisted the leg of his plough. Unfortunately we did not see Davie's finish but enough learning for one day and off to see the County boys at play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted October 13, 2013 Author Share Posted October 13, 2013 A few wee videos of Ian and Davie at work http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2-htyrKgj8&list=PLEKjxYPPL4IRHqtOe-7J0EvDg1bna2OAK http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcErICaS9NA&list=PLEKjxYPPL4IRHqtOe-7J0EvDg1bna2OAK http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJh2kgcqShM&list=PLEKjxYPPL4IRHqtOe-7J0EvDg1bna2OAK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerrabbit Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Looks like it was a good day Bill. When I do any ploughing, ordinarily it's just one-way, starting by following the straightest hedge or the longest run, 'squaring up' the field and finishing with the 'short' work. If ploughing two-way then I usually open with the 'split and gather' method, where you lengthen the top link, shorten the adjustable lift arm and plough out one half depth furrow with the back furrow and then plough another in the opposite direction so that the 'spit' turned each way touches and then with your plough put back to 'normal', top link shortened and lift arm lengthened to level the plough, drop the plough with the front furrow in the half furrow you previously took out and plough on. This then takes the furrows that you previously ploughed out 1/2 depth with the back furrow to full depth and leaves, when you've ploughed up and down on your first pass, a slight ridge in the middle, this method eliminates leaving a gully if things don't go right with the other method. The wheel tracking width of the tractor is the most important thing, if the wheels are too narrow or too wide you'll never plough properly. The problem the Dexta and Fergie had with their openings seem to have Bill was that the Dexta plough was too deep and the Fergie was not deep enough on the back furrow resulting in the middle furrow (one in front the last furrow) 'dragging' and breaking the turf which would of made it impossible to make any sort of job coming back up again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted October 13, 2013 Author Share Posted October 13, 2013 It was a really good day Tim and I hope I can remember what I learnt from the day and put it into practice next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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