Yapton and District
Cottage Gardeners Society
Yapton and District
Cottage Gardeners Society
YaptonGardeners Photographic Section
Chichester Ploughing Match At Ford Airfield
Sunday 31st October 2004
Debbie Lawrence
Debbie enjoying a day out at Ford, While only two pairs of horses Debbie still had a great day for taking pictures for next years photographic shows. 
Chichester Ploughing Match At Ford Airfield
Sunday 31st October 2004
Ploughing Team
These two were veterans of ploughing and appearing in front of the cameras. possibly Clysdale or Shire. A good Shire Stallion should stand from 17.0 hands (173 cm's) upwards, and weigh from 18 cwt (900 Kg) to 22 cwt (1100 Kg) when matured
Chichester Ploughing Match At Ford Airfield
Sunday 31st October 2004
Say Focus
The competitors have to concentrate on a straight furrow, turn over correctly. There are classes for conventional, reversible and horse-drawn ploughs, as well as expanding classes for vintage tractors and ploughs which attracts 60 area champions each year; and also vintage horticultural machinery. And the number of women competitors is steadily increasing, too.
Chichester Ploughing Match At Ford Airfield
Sunday 31st October 2004
Working Ploughing Team
The team operates only yards from another redundant technology. If we take a look at plough development over the last 50 years there has been enormous change. Horse ploughs soon became redundant for more efficient steam units with large multi furrow balance ploughs, quietly trundling up and down fields with only the sound of a whistle to indicate a change of ploughing direction.
Chichester Ploughing Match At Ford Airfield
Sunday 31st October 2004
Cats in action
From ploughing to harvest, the years cycle. Caterpillar tractors of all sizes working on tough prairies all over America. All ploughs now feature hydraulic turnover systems for indexing and hydraulic change-over valves for automatic cylinder stroke direction. The old mechanical lever systems would not be able to rotate today's ploughs, as they are very much bigger and heavier and often out of balance. Hydraulic reversal is also assisted further with main frame alignment. This allows the plough frame to swing in line with the tractor to prevent the rear wheel or bodies from hitting the ground. It also improves stability and reduces the high forces imposed on both the plough and tractor.
Chichester Ploughing Match At Ford Airfield
Sunday 31st October 2004
Working Ploughing Team
This lad had the most difficult plot, but still did a good job with his small horticultural size cat. Furrow Width; Over the years, furrow widths have increased from as little as 6in. to over 20in. today. Back in the 1930's, horse and early tractor ploughs operated with furrow widths of 6 to 9in. a) because of limited power to pull them, b) horses were still being used extensively on the land. The average width of a horses foot is around 7in. therefore, when land was ploughed and subsequently sown, often by hand, onto what is termed oat seed furrows, sown seed would roll and lay in the 'V' shaped furrow. The ploughing would then be cross harrowed covering the seeds with soil. Once germinated, the seed would be in rows 7in. apart, just wide enough for the horses foot to pass while walking through the established crop.
Chichester Ploughing Match At Ford Airfield
Sunday 31st October 2004
Friends?
The use of Shires in the modern age is more widespread than would be imagined. They are more cost-effective than lorries and vans particularly in inner-City areas on routes of 10 to 12 miles per day. They are ideal for pulling vehicles in this situation and are therefore used for beer and bread deliveries, street cleaning and rubbish collection. The Society is also aware of promising results from a recent feasibility study to re-introduce Shire horse-power on canals both for commerce and leisure. Shire horses continue to be used in agriculture and timber operations to complement mechanisation.
Chichester Ploughing Match At Ford Airfield
Sunday 31st October 2004
Modern Ploughing
Plough Clearance 85cm (33.5in.) interbody and 70cm (27.5in.) underbeam clearances or above is generally accepted as adequate for UK surface trash conditions, yet thirty years ago we were using ploughs with as little as 20in. between bodies and 17in. underbeam. These early ploughs just would not perform at today's speeds in excess of 6mph and with large amounts of surface residue left over after harvest.
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© Copyright 2004 Kaysare. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Ken Rippengale (aka -kaysare-) (rippengale@hotmail.com)