Mowing Rossi 5-foot Sickle on BX25 - Video Link

[Wingsy]

Here is a video I just made of a Rossi sickle mower on my BX25, mowing around ponds and cutting cedar saplings on a steep hill. It was my first use of this thing so I'm slow and still getting used to it. It does an excellent job around the ponds, better than anything else I've tried, by far.

I had a New Holland flail mower that I sold to help buy this thing. The flail did a much better job mowing down that hill you see in the video, but was a pain in that every time I got to the bottom of the hill I had to stop it so I could raise the flail (too much angle on the PTO shaft). The sickle does OK down that hill but uneven ground means you have to continuously fiddle with the bar angle to keep it cutting at the same height. The biggest thing I've cut so far are cedar saplings about 1" in diameter and it went through them with ease. It doesn't take much power (RPM) to the PTO to get a good cut. Only thing is, it doesn't mulch, so whatever you cut just lays there waiting for you to rake it or something. Since I need it to mow around the ponds I'm going to also use it to mow everywhere else even though it may not be the best thing for the junk growing on those hills.

Hopefully anyone interested in a sickle will find this video useful. I would have.

Sickle Mower - YouTube

 

[kcender]

Nice looking setup.It looks as though you ran the hydraulic hoses to the loader valve to control the pivot on the mower.If so did it come with hoses that long or did you have to modify them?

 

[Wingsy]

I'm not sure, but I don't think they came that long. Sink Farm Equipment (Lexington, NC) put it on for me and I think they added length or fabricated the entire thing. They didn't charge me for the hoses. And that metallic coupling you see under the foot rest is a flow regulator to keep the bar from jerking when you raise it. Don't know if that was part of the hydraulic kit or not. It came with the deal too. They charged me 3 grand for the sickle and 650 for the hydraulic kit. Installation was free. (I know someone will ask.)

 

[PeterK]

The cutter is nice by why is the ROPS down and no seatbelt ? No too safe IMO.

 

[Wingsy]

Cause I forgot. But I'd never wear a seatbelt anyway when mowing around the pond. I have this fear of drowning and would want to eject myself from the tractor if it goes in. Usually I have the ROPS up and wear the seatbelt when on a slope.

 

[mjcountrybumpkin]

Will the mower not float?seems like you could adjust the shoes and lay the bar on the ground so it would cut better. Sickles are not designed to be held up in the air. I do really like the hydraulic setup you have. Definitely nothing better for mowing around a pond, there great for mowing under fence also

 

[Wingsy]

Will the mower not float?seems like you could adjust the shoes and lay the bar on the ground so it would cut better. Sickles are not designed to be held up in the air. I do really like the hydraulic setup you have. Definitely nothing better for mowing around a pond, there great for mowing under fence also

Yes it will float, but on uneven ground or when trying to get it angled down the pond bank the middle of the bar will sometimes cut into the ground. I don't have much mowing to do on even ground around my place like you would have mowing a field of hay. Most of the place is pretty lumpy.

 

[radioman]

nice seetup. did the dealer install a divertor for the FEL control? any closee up pics of that setup?

 

[Wingsy]

nice seetup. did the dealer install a divertor for the FEL control? any closee up pics of that setup?

Not sure what a diverter is, but I'm pretty sure they didn't. The sickle cylinder is connected to the FEL curl circuit (blue port) and the 2 bucket curl lines are disconnected. They did install a flow regulator inline with the hose to the curl circuit. You can see that as a metallic cylinder in the line, located under my right foot.

Connecting to the blue port means that pushing the curl control to the right raises the bar and pushing it left lowers it. Exactly opposite of what I wanted but they told me they tried doing that but for some reason (which I didn't quite grasp and which I've forgotten now) they decided it was in my best interest to do it the way they did it. Something about how the far right position of the curl control sets up the bucket for a smooth automatic dump interfering in the way the sickle cylinder would work, I think.

 

[Deano]

Very nice...I really like that setup! I cut 42 acres with a Farmall Cub and sickle bar when i was growing up. Love cutting with one of those!