Plow Coulters play a vital role when it comes to John Deere moldboard plows! They serve two main functions. The first main function is to cut any crop residue ontop of the ground so that it may be turned under by the plow bottom without hanging up on the bottom or standard. Secondly, the coulter opens a slit in the ground which leaves a clean furrow wall that looks like your plow cut the soil like a knife rather than having torn the ground leaving ragged edges.
Coulter blade/bearing adjustment is fairly simple.
The "GUTS" of a typical JD coulter using an 1-1/2inch shank.
Knowing the part names of your coulter is important when looking for parts. While there are other types of coulters dependent on the model type of JD plow you have, the ones illustrated above are by far the most common. Most often the bearing hubs/cones are usable even when worn so long as they aren't chipped, cracked, or broken.
Adjustment Instructions for High Speed Coulters from the 810 series Operator manual.
Coulter Adjustment Instruction from No. 52 Plow manual. Gives tips depending on field conditions; i.e. Sod versus Stubble.
See the above illustrations on coulter adjustment. This adjustment is VERY important to doing a good job of plowing. If your coulters are pushing trash ahead of the blade either the blade is set too deep or the blade is worn down too small to do good work and needs to be replaces. For top performance, sharpen your coulter blades as the instructions say; but heed caution around sharp blades to avoid being injured.
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