Paul Palmer Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 Looking through some brochures today, it really is amazing what tractors used to pull, this mf 2720, just under a 150 hp,pulling and pushing this plough set up, nowadays its common to see a 7 furrow reversible behind a 250/300 hp tractor 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack390 Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 On a slope too , just not the same these days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbo Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 You also have to remember that in the 70's and 80's most ploughs were either 10 or 12 inch furrows. Today the most common furrow sizes are 16-18 inches. 5 furrow 12 inch plough makes a total of 60 inches. 5 furrow 18 inch bodies makes 90 inches. That is a lot more soil to move and draft force on the tractor. There are also those who will say that hp today is not the same as it was "back in the day". Emission controls have played a huge part in that, if you wanted more power back then you just opened up the fuel pump and watched the black smoke rising, Greta would have had a dicky fit Modern tractors also have far more power loss through their gearboxes and hydraulic systems than a 70's tractor. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Palmer Posted January 15, 2023 Author Share Posted January 15, 2023 1 minute ago, robbo said: You also have to remember that in the 70's and 80's most ploughs were either 10 or 12 inch furrows. Today the most common furrow sizes are 16-18 inches. 5 furrow 12 inch plough makes a total of 60 inches. 5 furrow 18 inch bodies makes 90 inches. That is a lot more soil to move and draft force on the tractor. There are also those who will say that hp today is not the same as it was "back in the day". Emission controls have played a huge part in that, if you wanted more power back then you just opened up the fuel pump and watched the black smoke rising, Greta would have had a dicky fit Modern tractors also have far more power loss through their gearboxes and hydraulic systems than a 70's tractor. True Robbo but just not ploughing, seems to be nowadays big is better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Palmer Posted January 15, 2023 Author Share Posted January 15, 2023 And i was guilty of this mismatched combo 🤪 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbo Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 7 minutes ago, Paul Palmer said: And i was guilty of this mismatched combo 🤪 Yes that is a bit of overkill still, it is a far better place to spend the day that on an MF35 with no cab and a hessian sack around your legs There are also those who will say that a big tractor will do the work of a small tractor but, a small tractor will not do the work of a big tractor. In the late 70's I worked on a farm that had a DB 1200 with a front loader, it puttered around the yard all winter but, when the spring came and it was time to make it work it was a dead as a Dodo, the bores had glazed over and it was completely gutless. After that, the farm went out and bought a SAME Drago and, well, the rest as they say, is history. (and that is where my SAME obsession comes from) 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithy Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 Ford 7610 4wheel drive used to pull 4 furrows and push 2or3 ,probably 12inch furrows and Ransomes push-pull plough 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Palmer Posted January 15, 2023 Author Share Posted January 15, 2023 13 minutes ago, smithy said: Ford 7610 4wheel drive used to pull 4 furrows and push 2or3 ,probably 12inch furrows and Ransomes push-pull plough Remember seeing that set up in brochures Smithy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justy 46 Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 23 hours ago, smithy said: Ford 7610 4wheel drive used to pull 4 furrows and push 2or3 ,probably 12inch furrows and Ransomes push-pull plough Its still alive. In the Hoey Collection. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valley Axe Man Posted January 20, 2023 Share Posted January 20, 2023 A photo off one of my fellow Leyland fanatics, at the time the flagship of the range in the shape of an 804, well weighted with cast rears and a full rack out front but managed to utilize every one of her 82hp pulling 7 furrows, as Mike (Robbo) says above yes furrow widths have changed considerably over the past couple of decades but even at 12" furrows she's a good load on her even in lighter soil types... Funnily enough though another Leyland man re created a similar scene up in mid Scotland with a 465 pulling 6 furrow semi mounted....which would have really dragged the 465 down 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbo Posted January 20, 2023 Share Posted January 20, 2023 Great photo though Paul. I remember reading that at the Long Sutton tractor trials the Leylands performed significantly better than most other tractors in their class, especially on heavy draft work with the lowest wheelslip readings. Whether that was due to the design or the skill of the operator in ballasting them correctly is a matter of conjecture. The only tractor that performed better were the Countys with their equal wheel set up. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil phoenix Posted January 21, 2023 Share Posted January 21, 2023 When I was a boy aged 5 one of our neighbours used to bring home his 2wd Ford 7000 plus a blue 7 furrow plough (Ransomes maybe) at lunchtimes and park it on his drive. I blame him for my subsequent 50 year tractor obsession😆 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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