Mouldboard ploughs

The plough is amongst the earliest types, of tillage implements invented to be drawn by animal power. Wooden sticks tied or spiked together, or tree forks were used first; later a metal point was added. It was not until the eighteenth century that the single-furrow plough, as we known it today, was evolved. Modern ploughs are lighter and stronger as a result of the use of improved materials. Also, they range from a single furrow to eight and ten furrows. The larger types are mostly found in wheat-growing areas.

Of late years various means have been evolved to couple the plough directly to the tractor, either by the use of mechanically or hydraulically controlled attachments.

To get useful and long life out of a plough, it is essential to keep it in good order. All nuts and bolts should be checked for tightness at fairly frequent intervals, because a loose or lost bolt places extra strain on other section, causing them to get out of alignment or break.

The mould board plough is designed to cut and lift the soil, turn it over and bury the surface growth. (1) If it is to do this efficiently the mould board plough must have –

Sharp and correctly set shares, a level plough frame a correctly adjusted

hitch and ploughing speed best suited to the conditions.

The frame.The frame of a multiple-furrow plough should be level both vertically and laterally. If each foot is to plough at an equal depth and width, the frame members to which the feet are attached should run parallel to the line of draught and be an equal distance apart. (2) Twisted frame members cause an excessive strain on the plough, increasing the draught and the tractor fuel consumption.

The foot.The foot of a plough should be perfectly tip-right and run true to the direction of travel.

The share.Plough shares should be kept sharp; blunt shares do poor work and require more power and fuel to draw the plough along. It is a good plan to have two sets of shares on hand so that when one is being sharpened the other does the work.

The coulter.The purpose of a coulter is to belt penetration by cutting the hard soil surface, grass roots and other surface covering and to prevent the surface trash (3) packing around the plough foot. The coulter should not cut any deeper than 3 in. to 4 in. To lessen the draught and prevent excess wear, a rolling coulter should be kept oiled.

The mould board.The mould board’s chief functions are to turn the soil over and bury the surface growth at the same time exposing the grass roots to the air so that they will die.

Mould boards and shares should never be allowed to become rusty. Rusty mould boards will not turn the soil cleanly, they tend to cake up (4) and increase the draught. It can be seen from this that rusty mould boards increase the tractor fuel consumption and the cost of operation.

NOTES:

(1) turn it over and bury the surface growth – переворачивать пласты

(2) be an equal distance apart – быть на равном расстоянии друг от друга

(3) surface trash – пожнивные остатки, трава и т.п. (зд.)

(4) tend to cake up – притупляются и с трудом проникают в почву (зд.)

Equipment maintenance to prevent field fires

Farmers can greatly reduce the risk of starting field fires with proper, regular maintenance of combines and other equipment used to harvest crops, according to a Purdue Extension farm safety expert.

Combines are especially vulnerable to fires, because of the many hours they operate at a time and the dry crop fodder that can collect on them, Gail Deboy said.

"During hot, dry weather, very dry fodder provides an excellent source to fuel a flame whenever a fire is ignited," he said.

Combine fires can easily spread to crops or remaining corn stover, rapidly igniting acres of farmland. Field fires can spread to nearby farm equipment, trees and buildings, including homes. Smoke from fires can create health problems for nearby residents and reduce visibility on roads.

Much of what causes machinery fires are overheated bearings and belts, exhaust components, clutches and brakes, electrical malfunctions and sparks caused by damaged or improperly adjusted components, and foreign material entering the processing path. Drive components clogged with crop material also can get hot enough to catch fire.

"As combines have become larger, they carry much larger quantities of fuel, lubricants and hydraulic oil," Deboy said. "Even small leaks in any of the systems using flammable liquids can result in a large fire in seconds."

Deboy suggested the following ways farmers can minimize the potential for combine and field fires and better react in the event of a fire:

• Perform regular maintenance on machinery. Keep combines clean, free of crop residue, and free of fuel and oil leaks. Regular inspection and maintenance of bearings, seals, potential crop wrap points and exhaust systems minimizes possible ignition points. Service equipment at the end of the day, rather than at the beginning, to detect overheating components or smoldering material that could burst into flames overnight.

• Maintain the electrical system. Keep a close eye on components that draw heavy electrical loads, such as starter motors, remote actuators, and heating and cooling systems. Consider fuses that blow regularly a warning sign that a circuit is overheating.

• Install portable fire extinguishers on every large piece of machinery. Extinguishers should be approved for fire types A, B and C and be of suitable size for the potential fires that could occur. They also should be inspected and serviced regularly.

• Keep a cell phone handy. Small field or machinery fires can be contained if emergency personnel can respond quickly.

"Be removing any one of those elements, a fire is prevented," he said. "As farmers examine combines or other agricultural machinery, they should consider the potential for each of those elements and where they are likely to come together to form a fire."

More information on preventing combine fires is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Ag Safety Database at http://www.nasdonline.org/

http://deltafarmpress.com/equipment/equipment-maintenance-prevent-field-fires