World's Biggest Plow Goes 2M Deep, Requires Three Tractors to Pull It

We owe tractors a lot. Not only have they changed the way our food is made, but they also changed how wars are fought. That's right! Where do you think the British got the idea for the tracks that they put on the first tanks, built during WWI?

Today, we are going to look at a monster. No, it's not the Caterpillar in front or the two that are coming right behind it. It's the plow they are dragging that we are interested in since it's apparently the biggest and the badest. There are certainly longer plows used in America, but this one is so heavy it requires 650 horsepower to pull it through the ground.

The plow is self-built by the administrators of this Dutch company and goes two meters deep into the soil. The top layer of dirt is plowed under, and the lighter sand and peat soil is brought to the surface to make the land more suitable for other crops. It also makes it easier to work on in the future.

They don't need to do this every year, but this operation is required for agriculture on an industrial scale. We're not agricultural experts here, but people who know more than we do tell us that the operation may only be carried out once every 50 years. You can see how the plow is bringing up a sandy layer from below, which may be useful for growing potatoes or better drainage.

This is serious business with a high cost per acre. Just to give you an idea of how serious the equipment is, the D8H bulldozer in front is sometimes used by the US Navy to create makeshift landing areas in the jungle. It weighs about 36 tons, so you can't drive it down to the pub after a hard day's work.