Another John Lane, a son of the first, patented in 1868 a "soft-center" steel plough.
The hard but brittle surface was backed by softer and more tenacious metal, to reduce the breakage.

The same year James Oliver, a Scotch immigrant who had settled at South Bend, Indiana, received a patent for the "chilled plough." By an ingenious method the wearing surfaces of the casting were cooled more quickly than the back.

The surfaces which came in contact with the soil had a hard, glassy surface, while the body of the plough was of tough iron.

From small beginnings Oliver's establishment grew great, and the Oliver Chilled Plow Works at South Bend is today one of the largest and most favorably known privately owned industries in the United States.
From the single plough it was only a step to two or more ploughs fastened together, doing more work with approximately the same man power.

The sulky plough, on which the ploughman rode, made his work easier, and gave him great control.