[nb-NO]Object number[nb-NO]
59/159
[nb-NO]Title[nb-NO]
Reversible balance plough,
[nb-NO]Creator[nb-NO]
[nb-NO]Description[nb-NO]
This reversible balance plough was made by Ransome, Sims & Jefferies of Ipswich, and was thought to have been bought originally in about 1900. On a balance plough, each end of the beam has its own share, coulter and mouldboard, facing each other, such that when one end is engaged, the other is lifted into the air. Balance ploughs were specifically designed for use on hillside terrains.
[nb-NO]Physical description[nb-NO]
1 reversible balance plough: metal; good condition
<DIV STYLE="text-align:Justify;font-family:Georgia;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;font-size:16;color:#000000;"><P><SPAN><SPAN>5. <B>Reversible Balance Plough, 1901</B><P> Ploughing on a hillside in the normal way could prove laborious because of the uphill trudging required from the end of one furrow to the start of the next in the adjacent section (see No.1). This problem could be overcome by using a plough with a reversible body, or with two different bodies, so that all the furrows could be laid in the same direction. Thus on reaching the end of one furrow, the bodies were switched over so that on the return run the next furrow was laid directly adjacent to the previous one. A number of different design solutions were developed during the later nineteenth century to make this possible. This one follows the balance principle and has two bodies, one of which will turn furrows to the right and the other to the left. At the end of each furrow, the plough handles were unclipped and swung over to the opposite side, dropping the other body into the soil and raising the first one clear. The whole field could then be ploughed in a single operation with all the furrows facing the same way. This example was made by Ransomes, Sims, & Jefferies in about 1900.<P> 59/159</SPAN></SPAN></P></DIV><DIV STYLE="text-align:Justify;font-family:Georgia;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;font-size:16;color:#000000;"><P><SPAN><SPAN>8. <B>Reversible Balance Plough, 1901</B><P> Ploughing on a hillside in the normal way could prove laborious because of the uphill trudging required from the end of one furrow to the start of the next in the adjacent section (see No.1). This problem could be overcome by using a plough with a reversible body, or with two different bodies, so that all the furrows could be laid in the same direction. Thus on reaching the end of one furrow, the bodies were switched over so that on the return run the next furrow was laid directly adjacent to the previous one. A number of different design solutions were developed during the later nineteenth century to make this possible. This one follows the balance principle and has two bodies, one of which will turn furrows to the right and the other to the left. At the end of each furrow, the plough handles were unclipped and swung over to the opposite side, dropping the other body into the soil and raising the first one clear. The whole field could then be ploughed in a single operation with all the furrows facing the same way. This example was made by Ransomes, Sims, & Jefferies in about 1900.<P> 59/159</SPAN></SPAN></P></DIV>
[nb-NO]Production place[nb-NO]
Ipswich
[nb-NO]Date[nb-NO]
1900 - 1900
[nb-NO]Object name[nb-NO]
[nb-NO]Material[nb-NO]
[nb-NO]Dimensions[nb-NO]
- Length 2060 mm
- Length 540 mm
[nb-NO]External document[nb-NO]
- L:\MERL\Objects\JISC 2012\60 series negatives\60_13364.tif - High resolution image
- L:\MERL\Objects\JISC 2012\60 series negatives\60_13365.tif - High resolution image
