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The Petty Plough was a steerable 
The Plough was fitted with lever and foot controls which operated four straight disc wheels. These were turned in and out of the trees as the operator desired. The wheels would sink into the ground about 2.5 inches, giving good control and preventing side slipping often associated with ploughing uneven surfaces.
The cutting discs were on an extended floating arm, which followed the land they were working. Depth was regulated by two levers and the discs could be reversed to turn soil towards or away from trees. Soil was turned towards the trees in autumn and away from the trees in spring. This facilitated drainage in the wetter months and conserved water in the dryer months.
The plough was manufactured in two types: light and heavy. The light weighed 7 cwt and the heavy 8 cwt 2 qrs.
It could be used as a single furrow, double furrow or triple furrow plough. The single furrow plough had one 23-inch diameter disc, the double furrow had one 23-inch disc and one 20-inch disc, while the triple furrow had three 23-inch discs.
"The Petty Orchard Disc Stripping Plough is the greatest labour saver of all time. It eliminates a lot of back-breaking work in cutting out the strips between trees. The operator is able to ride on the plow seat, thus sitting down and doing the job in comfort."
Frank Petty probably conceived the idea for a steerable plough, although the source of his inspiration is unknown. He invented many useful objects for use on his orchard. He developed and marketed the 'Whirlpool Spray Mix' a device not unlike a giant eggbeater which clamped to the inside of a drum of fruit spray, with a handle which when turned was designed to mix the spray.
On 10 October 1932, Frank made a 'Provisional Application' for a Plough and Cultivator. This lapsed in 1933.
It is thought that he asked his brother Herbert, who had greater mechanical skills, to assist him with the development of the plough. Another application dated 24 July 1933 was lodged in joint names. This resulted in an Australian Patent being advertised on 4 October 1934 and subsequently granted. The plough was also patented in the United States of America.
Experimental versions of the plough went through several iterations. An early version involved the operator walking behind a device on which while all four wheels were steerable, the front and rear wheels turned together. The operator controlled the direction of the device by moving from side to side a long leaver which projected tiller like from the rear of the device.
A subsequent prototype plough was constructed using the front axles from two T Model Fords. All four wheels were steerable. Front and rear wheels turned independently of each other. The tyres were removed, and the plough ran on the rims of the wheels, which had wooden spokes. The main structural members of the plough were made from 4-inch hardwood, joined at each end by specially made steel strips bolted to the timber. The operator sat on the plough and steered using a series of levers and foot controls.
The prototype sat for many years unused and forlorn under a row of pine trees on Frank's property. It was destroyed in a grass fire in the late 1960s.
The ploughs were manufactured by Daniel Harvey,Various D. Harvey bulletins from Daniel Harvey Trade Literature Collection, Museums Victoria Collection https://collections.museumsvictopria.com.au/items/1531905 a machinery maker located in Box Hill, a locality adjoining Doncaster under licence from Frank and Herbert Petty as the patent holders.
The plough was widely used in South Eastern Australia including Tasmania, Western Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and Germany.
Changes in orchard management, specifically a change from cultivation (also referred to as
plough
A plough or plow ( US; both ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses, but in modern farms are drawn by tractors. A plough may have a wooden, iron or ...
developed by brothers Frank and Herbert Petty of Doncaster, Victoria, Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
in the early 1930s.
Frank and Herbert Petty were orchardists, growing apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...
s, pear
Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in the Northern Hemisphere in late summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the family Rosaceae, bearing the p ...
s, lemons, cherries
A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit).
Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The nam ...
and peach
The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fu ...
es. The entire orchard
An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of larg ...
was cultivated. The Petty Plough was designed to plough between and around the fruit trees, working right up to the trees, eliminating the need for slow and tedious manual cultivation between the trees.
The Petty Plough could be pulled by two horses or by a tractor.Collyer, Eric: Doncaster and Templestowe Historical Society Inc, newsletter, December 2009, Doncaster, Victoria.
The Plough was fitted with lever and foot controls which operated four straight disc wheels. These were turned in and out of the trees as the operator desired. The wheels would sink into the ground about 2.5 inches, giving good control and preventing side slipping often associated with ploughing uneven surfaces.
The cutting discs were on an extended floating arm, which followed the land they were working. Depth was regulated by two levers and the discs could be reversed to turn soil towards or away from trees. Soil was turned towards the trees in autumn and away from the trees in spring. This facilitated drainage in the wetter months and conserved water in the dryer months.
The plough was manufactured in two types: light and heavy. The light weighed 7 cwt and the heavy 8 cwt 2 qrs.
It could be used as a single furrow, double furrow or triple furrow plough. The single furrow plough had one 23-inch diameter disc, the double furrow had one 23-inch disc and one 20-inch disc, while the triple furrow had three 23-inch discs.
"The Petty Orchard Disc Stripping Plough is the greatest labour saver of all time. It eliminates a lot of back-breaking work in cutting out the strips between trees. The operator is able to ride on the plow seat, thus sitting down and doing the job in comfort."
Frank Petty probably conceived the idea for a steerable plough, although the source of his inspiration is unknown. He invented many useful objects for use on his orchard. He developed and marketed the 'Whirlpool Spray Mix' a device not unlike a giant eggbeater which clamped to the inside of a drum of fruit spray, with a handle which when turned was designed to mix the spray.
On 10 October 1932, Frank made a 'Provisional Application' for a Plough and Cultivator. This lapsed in 1933.
It is thought that he asked his brother Herbert, who had greater mechanical skills, to assist him with the development of the plough. Another application dated 24 July 1933 was lodged in joint names. This resulted in an Australian Patent being advertised on 4 October 1934 and subsequently granted. The plough was also patented in the United States of America.
Experimental versions of the plough went through several iterations. An early version involved the operator walking behind a device on which while all four wheels were steerable, the front and rear wheels turned together. The operator controlled the direction of the device by moving from side to side a long leaver which projected tiller like from the rear of the device.
A subsequent prototype plough was constructed using the front axles from two T Model Fords. All four wheels were steerable. Front and rear wheels turned independently of each other. The tyres were removed, and the plough ran on the rims of the wheels, which had wooden spokes. The main structural members of the plough were made from 4-inch hardwood, joined at each end by specially made steel strips bolted to the timber. The operator sat on the plough and steered using a series of levers and foot controls.
The prototype sat for many years unused and forlorn under a row of pine trees on Frank's property. It was destroyed in a grass fire in the late 1960s.
The ploughs were manufactured by Daniel Harvey,Various D. Harvey bulletins from Daniel Harvey Trade Literature Collection, Museums Victoria Collection https://collections.museumsvictopria.com.au/items/1531905 a machinery maker located in Box Hill, a locality adjoining Doncaster under licence from Frank and Herbert Petty as the patent holders. The plough was widely used in South Eastern Australia including Tasmania, Western Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and Germany.
Changes in orchard management, specifically a change from cultivation (also referred to as tillage
Tillage is the agricultural preparation of soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shoveling, picking, mattock work, hoein ...
) to mowing, limited the usefulness of the plough from the 1960s onwards.
References
{{reflist Ploughs Inventions