Farm Power & Machinery

Accessories of the plough

Accessories of a plough

There are a few accessories, which are used to increase the efficiency of ploughing. The different accessories used are Jointer, Coulter, Gauge wheel, Land wheel and Furrow wheel.
1. Jointer

• It is a small irregular piece of metal having a shape similar to an ordinary plough bottom.
  
• It looks like a miniature plough. Its purpose is to turn over a small ribbon like furrow slice directly in front of the main plough bottom.
  
• This small furrow slice is cut from the left and upper side of the main furrow slice and is inverted so that all trashes on the top of the soil are completely turned down and buried under the right hand corner of the furrow.
2. Coulter

• It is a device used to cut the furrow slice vertically from the land ahead of the plough bottom.
• It cuts the furrow slice from the land and leaves a clear wall. It also cuts trashes which are covered under the soil by the plough.
• The coulter may be (a) Rolling type disc coulter and (b) Sliding type knife coulter.
a. Rolling type disc coulter

• It is a round steel disk which has been sharpened on the edge and suspended on a shank and yoke from the beam.
  
• The edge of the coulter may be either smooth or notched. It is so fitted that it can be adjusted up-down and side ways.
  
• The up-down adjustment takes care of depth and sideways adjustment is meant for taking care of width of cut.
b. Sliding type knife coulter

• It is a stationary knife fixed downward in a vertical position on the beam. The knife does not roll over the ground but slides on the ground.
  
• The knife may be of different shapes and sizes.
3. Gauge wheel

• It is an auxiliary wheel of an implement to maintain an uniform depth of working.
  
• Gauge wheel helps to maintain uniformity in respect of depth of ploughing in different soil conditions.
  
• It is usually placed in hanging position.
4. Land wheel - It is the wheel of the plough which runs on the unploughed land.
5. Furrow wheel – There are two types of furrow wheel.

Front furrow wheel - It is the front wheel of the plough which runs in the furrow.
Rear furrow wheel - It is the rear wheel of the plough which runs in the furrow.