Let's Talk Rusty Iron
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Wheeled riding plows, whether sulky or gang, typically have one large wheel that runs on the unplowed ground -known as the land wheel - as well as a smaller furrow wheel that runs in the bottom of the plowed furrow. The land wheel is usually placed directly opposite the plow bottom to help counteract side thrust as the share and moldboard slice through the soil. Some riding plows have a smaller rear furrow wheel that runs behind the bottom in the plowed furrow. Most frameless sulky plows have either a long land-side or a rolling landside in place of the rear furrow wheel.
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The low-lift, or frameless sulky plow, is a single-bottom riding plow with wheels and axles attached directly to the beam. The popular McCormick-Deering Little Chief and Oliver No. 11 Sulky Plow, as well as the modern sulkies made by Pioneer and White Horse Machine, are examples of the frameless design. The beam is raised on the land and front furrow wheel axles by a lever, while the rear furrow wheel, if there is one, is mounted directly on the beam and is held in a forward position by a spring that allows it to caster during turns. Many low-lift plows have a long landside or a rolling landside in place of a rear wheel. Some frameless plows are designed to run without a tongue, with steering accomplished by a hand-steered, front-furrow wheel.
The high-lift, or framed sulky plow, has a frame with three attached wheels. The beam is raised and lowered within this frame, usually by means of a foot lift. The height of the bottom can be adjusted in relation to the rear furrow wheel. A tongue is also used, attached to the front furrow wheel and to a steering rod on the rear furrow wheel. This feature allows the action of the tongue to steer the plow in turns. The International Harvester Co.'s Diamond plow and the New Deere plows are examples of hi-lift models.
The two-way riding plow, which turns all furrows in the same direction, is also considered a sulky plow because only one bottom is in use at a time. This ability is ideal when plowing irregular or hilly fields or in irrigated land where dead furrows interfere with the proper water flow. The two-way plow has both a right- and a left-hand bottom on the same carriage or frame, and when used alternately, allows all furrows to be thrown in the same direction. With a two-way plow, the operator can begin at one side of the field and plow back and forth without making a back-furrow ridge or leaving much of a dead furrow. These plows can also be used as regular right- or left-hand sulkies for plowing around a field.