John EIA - 7/9/2014 06:05

If I remember correctly IH's first try at a special plow was the "plow chief". It had a replaceable point on it. Then came the "super chief" which had no replaceable point but had a replaceable shin (is that the correct term?). The word chief had nothing to do with indians, it was simply meant to indicate something new and great. These were commonly on the No. 8 plow but could have been on the No. 10 or others as well. I remember the first No. 8 that we had with mechanical lift, my Dad later converted it to hydraulic.

You are correct in that John Deere made the first workable plows for the midwest. My Great-great Grandfather bought one of ten of Deere's plows in 1839 and another one of 40 made in 1840.

John EIA