How Does an Iron Plow Work?

Basic Parts

• A basic plow is composed of a frame, hitch, moldboard, height regulator, knife, chisel, plowshare, moldboard and handle. The frame holds all the parts together, while the hitch connects the whole assembly to the source of power (a horse or tractor). The height regulator is an adjustable mechanism that can lower the plow's blades to regulate the depth of the soil being turned, while the knife and the chisel are the main parts that vertically slice through the soil. The plowshare, located at the bottom of the plow, is a blade that cuts the soil horizontally, while the moldboard turns over the soil sliced by the knife, chisel and the plowshare. Handles are often added to manually operated plows or those pulled by horses.

Basic Plowing Process

• A farmer usually starts plowing at the edge of the field, regulating the furrow that will be created by the plow by manipulating the height regulator. Once set, the farmer plows the field by either using a tractor, a horse or basic manpower to start turning the topsoil. During this process, the farmer also watches out for solid debris, such as rocks, to avoid damage to the plow.

  The knife and the chisel have sharp blades that cut the soil vertically, while the plowshare has a horizontal blade that further cuts the soil brought up by the chisel and blades. The soil that reaches the moldboard is already soft, allowing the moldboard to turn it over, moving weeds and other remains to the bottom.

The Gang Plow and Sulky Plow

• Some farmers use gang plows, a set of two or more plowshares attached to a single frame or beam, for wider and more-efficient plowing. As technology progressed, farmers used iron plows known as sulky plows, which are plows with wheels that can be attached to horses. The farmer rides on the plow to control the horse and the direction of plowing.

Tractors and Modern Plowing Techniques

• Most plowing methods today use large farming equipment that can plow fields faster and better than iron plows. Although these machines look nothing like regular manual iron plows, they still follow the same basic technique. These machines also have all the basic elements of iron plows, such as height regulators, knives, chisels and plowshares; however, they are larger, faster and pulled by a powerful tractor machine.