Description

MOULDBOARD PLOUGH FOR SALE IN KENYA.

Mouldboard plough is an implement that cuts soil, lifts it, and turns it at least partly upside down by means of a curved plate, or moldboard.

The mould-board plough greatly reduced the time needed to prepare a field and so allowed a farmer to work a larger area of land.

In addition, the resulting pattern of low (under the mould board) and high (beside it) ridges in the soil forms water channels, allowing the soil to drain.

In areas where snow build-up causes difficulties, this lets farmers plant the soil earlier, as the snow run-off drains away more quickly.

 

Applications of mouldboard plough.

• It cuts, lifts, breaks up, and loosens soil that has been compacted through machinery traffic or natural causes to a depth of usually 10 to 20 cm below the soil surface..
• It overturns vegetation, buries it, and exposes the top soil surface. This is useful when developing new arable fields in grasslands or burying the crop residues or weeds, and also insect pests.
• It has a flat bottom that covers the entire width of the tillage zone, and thus all soil down to the depth of tillage is cut, lifted, and loosened.

 

Kinds of mouldboard plough.

There are three main types of mouldboard ploughs namely:

• One way mouldboard plough

One-way plough throws the furrow slice to one side of the direction of travel and is commonly used everywhere.

• Two- way mouldboard plough or reversible plough

Reversible mouldboard plough turns furrow slice to the right or left side of direction of travel as required. They have two sets of opposed bottoms.
All furrows can be turned towards the same side of the field by using one
bottom for one direction of travel and the other bottom on the return trip Two sets of bottom are mounted that they can be raised or lowered independently or rotated along an axis.
They have an advantage in that they neither upset the slope of the land nor leave dead furrows or back furrows in the middle of the field.

 

• Turn wrest plough

This is a type of reversible ploughs which have single bottom with an arrangement that the plough bottom is changed from right hand to left hand by rotating the bottom through approximately 180° about a longitudinal axis. The plough throws the soil in one direction and at the return trip the direction of the plough bottom is changed, thus the plough starts throwing the soil in the same direction as before. It may be long beam type or short beam type

 

Components of mouldboard plough.

• Share

It is that part of the plough bottom which penetrates into the soil and makes horizontal cut below the surface.

• Mould board

It is the curved part which lifts turns, and pulverizes the soil slice. It has a fairly long mould board with a gradual twist, the surface being slightly convex.

• Land side:

It is the flat plate which presses against the furrow wall and prevents the plough from lateral swinging. The rear part of land side is called heel which slides on the bottom of the furrow.

• Frog

It is the part to which share, land side and mouldboard are attached. It is that part of the machine bottom to which the other components of the plough bottom are attached.

Tail piece

It is an adjustable extension, which can be fastened to the rear of the mould board to help in turning the furrow slice. This is where share, landside, mouldboard are bolted to the frog which is an irregular piece of cast iron.

Adjustment of mouldboard plough.

• Vertical clearance: It is the maximum clearance under which the land side and the horizontal surface when the plough is resting on a horizontal surface in the working position. It is the vertical distance from the ground, measured at the joining point of share and land side. It helps the plough to penetrate into the soil to a proper depth.it varies according to the size of the plough.
• Horizontal clearance: It is the maximum clearance between the land side and a horizontal plant touching point of share at its gunnel side and heals of land side. This suction helps the plough to cut the proper width of furrow slice. This clearance varies according to the size of the plough. It is also known as side clearance.
• Tightening the bearing: The Bearings and the nuts must be kept tight until the disc binds the hub.
• Scrapper adjustments: Scrappers are set low enough to catch and turn the furrow slice before it falls away from the disc. For deeper ploughing, the scrapper has to be set a little higher. For sticky soils, set them closer to the disc.
• Throat clearance: It is the perpendicular distance between point of share and lower position of the beam of the plough.
• Plough size: The size of the mouldboard plough is expressed by width of cut of the soil.

 

 

Advantages of mouldboard ploughs.

• Mouldboard breaks the heavy clods in the soil and gives it a smooth structure.
• If well-adjusted, the plough automatically finds the required depth.
• The plough enhances the drainage properties in the soil.
• Mouldboard plough is best suitable in areas where weed resurgence is a frequent occurrence.
• The mouldboard plough thoroughly inverts the soil preventing the growth of weeds until the next season.
• The mouldboard plough also protects the farm from the pests by providing plants with a more healthy growth environment .
• The Mouldboard plough buries crop residues deeper into the field and enabling decomposition.

 

 

 

Disadvantages of using mouldboard plough.

• Chisel ploughing reduces soil temperatures.
• It may also lead to high chances of reducing crop stand.
• The pest pressure can be increased especially for weeds.