How to Measure a Plowshare

Until the advent of mechanized farm equipment during the late 19th Century, the size of a plowshare was fairly constant on fixed blade plows. The plowshare, originally spelled ploughshare, is the sharp steel wedge at the bottom of a plow that furrows, or cuts, through the top layer of soil. While early American farmers had little choice, contemporary farmers with modern equipment can adjust the plowshare to create a furrow with a particular depth and width for specific crops.

Tape measure

Instructions

- 1
  Disconnect the plow from the tractor. Turn the plow over on its side so the frame of the plow lies flat on the ground. Orient the plow so the mouldboard -- the large metal wedge on the front of the plow -- is off the ground.
- 2
  Locate the chisel, the long metal spike-like blade at the rear of the plow that extends at an angle past the bottom of the plowshare.
- 3
  Begin measuring the plowshare by placing a tape measure at the rear of the plowshare --- at the point where the plowshare meets the chisel. Run the tape forward along the plowshare and bend the tape measure over the front corner of the plowshare. Bring the tape up along the forward slope of the plowshare to the bottom of the mouldboard. This is the length of the plowshare.
- 4
  Determine the width of the plowshare. Run the tape measure across the two rear points of the plowshare, where the plowshare connects to the chisel.

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