howard paraplow

[MJB1]

ok here we have a howard paraplow . i've use one of these many times albeit a modified one to inject sludge, but what was the idea behind them , as to a subsoiler ? i'm counting on you for this answer jdc 

i've seen plenty working behind big tractors, indeed i was operating a county 1174 fc to pull a four leg version .

i've often seen these used to undercut old pasture & stubble fields , i'm guessing it's to lift the soil structure at the pan ?  much like the now common flat lift subsoilers  

the legs are cast at a 45 degree angle & take some pulling 

[jdc]

Typical - any antique machinery, jdc will know about it! 

I don't know why they didn't catch on as they were quite good at giving a certain amount of subsoiling whilst breaking up the surface and partially mixing the trash, without bringing up subsoil. In fact I think the idea was to leave the trash on top. They did have a high HP requirement and metal wore relatively quickly.

Maybe they were introduced at the wrong time when the first round of min-till in late 60s early 70s was proving to be problematical with the equipment/herbicides/drills available at the time.

Nice restoration job for you Marcus 

[MJB1]

thanks john & as for restoration , it's a wee bit bulky to just throw into the boot of the escort  \

ok john hows about this one ?

[rich.new holland]

ok here we have a howard paraplow . i've use one of these many times albeit a modified one to inject sludge, but what was the idea behind them , as to a subsoiler ? i'm counting on you for this answer jdc 

i've seen plenty working behind big tractors, indeed i was operating a county 1174 fc to pull a four leg version .

i've often seen these used to undercut old pasture & stubble fields , i'm guessing it's to lift the soil structure at the pan ?  much like the now common flat lift subsoilers  

the legs are cast at a 45 degree angle & take some pulling 

we got one of those round the back 

[Eurodeere]

The thing with the paraplow was you could use it in the spring or in a wet autumn to subsoil and hence break the plough pan without just drawing lines. A classic subsoiler works on the principal of shattering the soil between the legs. For this to be achieved a very dry soil is required. Hence subsoiling in a wt summer just compounds yor compaction problems rather than removing them. Yes I suppose they are power hungry but then you have four legs on 120hp tractor, A four leg subsoiler takes some pulling but it works a wider pass. Look at a lot of continental multifnction pan bsters/cultivators and they have similar angled legs.

The second picture looks like an SKH crumbler thingy, used on ploughed ground to prepare the land for the drill.

[Tellarian]

Like many things the Howard Paraplow was licensed from the developer.

its is still widely used in the USA:

http://www.bighambrothers.com/ptillshr.htm  with lots of juicy variants,

and of course Tye now AGCO owned:

http://www.tye.agcocorp.com/default.cfm/PID=1.7.7

[Lord Ferguson]

Interesting Marcus and thanks for the info as well Mr JDC .... so what's the second mystery implement Mr Oracle 

[jdc]

I go with Eurodeere on that one - maybe not SKH but similar with two crumblers rotating at different speeds via chain drive between them. Brackets on front for rigid tines?

[Eurodeere]

Mr Ferguson, the second item is an SKH crumble cultivator as I hinted in my previous reply, please read all replys before writing, thankyou.

The one in MJB's photo is missing the tines, a complete version is shown below:

[Eurodeere]

Thanks JDC, I did not mention the rear rotor was driven slightly faster than the rear like the Bomford Dynadrive, another forgotten gem in the world of cultivation.

[Lord Ferguson]

Sorry Mr Eurodeere... I will consider myself ticked off  

And thanks for the reply.... looks like another heavy duty piece of kit as well  

[Kris]

Sorry Mr Eurodeere... I will consider myself ticked off  

And thanks for the reply.... looks like another heavy duty piece of kit as well  

hahaha get told  :D :D :D :D

[archbarch]

i think one of the reasons the paraplow didnt take off was because it was marketed at the time as a replacement to the plough 30 yrs too early really

[Light Land]

Mr Ferguson, the second item is an SKH crumble cultivator as I hinted in my previous reply, please read all replys before writing, thankyou.

The one in MJB's photo is missing the tines, a complete version is shown below:

Thats not all that diffrante of an idea to the dyna drive thing-a-me with it's 2 spiked rollers turning at diffrante speeds realy is it. \ \

[Eurodeere]

the skh and the dyna-drive are of the same principle as you state fendt power.

[britainswomble]

Scuse me for noking my pose in, but as I remember it, the paraplow was intended for use on pasture for soil aeration which is why it has discs fitted. The idea was that the discs cut the turf allowing the leg to lift and crumble the soil, and lower it down with the minimum of surface disturbance, leaving the soil better able to absorb moisture and allow air to the roots of the plants

    I have seen them used for "Pan" breaking on arable ground, but only because they did a better job and covered more area than a subsoiler.

    The other machine which was quite popular down here and did the same job, was the Mc Connell Shakerator. They didn't need quite so much power to pull them as the PTO vibrator did a lot of work breaking up the soil above the tines. They often had a ribbed roller on the back to flatten the peaks left behind the legs. Neither machine was intended for cultivation work.