Mowing Sickle or rotary cutter?

[ModMech]

From what I understand, a rotary cutter will mow a LOT fater (2x-3x and maybe more) than a sickle but you also need a tractor with 3x to 4x the HP for a rotary cutter.

For 10Ac if "hay", having a B2410, could we get by with a 9' sickle? I see walk-behind, self-propelled 3' sickles with 10HP, so in theory I'd need 30 HP to do the job well. Then again, millions of acres have been cut with fewer than 30 HP tractors and sickle mowers during history.

Thoughts?

TIA.

 

[flusher]

From what I understand, a rotary cutter will mow a LOT fater (2x-3x and maybe more) than a sickle but you also need a tractor with 3x to 4x the HP for a rotary cutter.

For 10Ac if "hay", having a B2410, could we get by with a 9' sickle? I see walk-behind, self-propelled 3' sickles with 10HP, so in theory I'd need 30 HP to do the job well. Then again, millions of acres have been cut with fewer than 30 HP tractors and sickle mowers during history.

Thoughts?

TIA.

Like you I have a 10-acre place with 6-acre hayfield.

You have 18 hp at the pto so you could handle a 7ft sicklebar with no problem. 9ft? Maybe. No way you could handle a disc mower with that lightweight. low power B2410. The smallest rotary mower I'm aware of is CCM Machinery's T153 drum mower (53" wide cut) that required 20 hp pto and a tractor that weighs 2500 lb (min). Your B2410 only weighs around 1500 lb. My first tractor was a little 2005 Kubota B7510HST which I traded for a 2008 Mahindra 5525 (54 hp engine, 45 hp pto) when I decided to become a novice hay farmer.

I just finished rebuilding my old 7-ft Massey Ferguson 41 sicklebar today--it clogged badly last week while mowing some of the native grasses (aka weeds) around the hayfield---one of the guards came loose and the sickle back (the steel bar that carries the triangular sickle segments) was really bent before I could get the pto out of gear. Had to redrill a new back and replace half dozen sickle segments and several guards. Had rain for the past few days so I won't be in the field until Friday. We'll see then if my mower repairs are effective.

If you buy a used sicklebar, be prepared to replace the sickle sections and some or all of the guards as a minimum. The sickle sections normally are riveted to the sickle back. I replaced the rivets with nuts and bolts (Herschel-Adams brand from Tractor Supply).

A new 7 ft sickle bar will cost $3-4K.

 

[ModMech]

Yea, we'd decided on a newer higher HP tractor if the stuff will simply grow!

The advantage to a 9' sickle is that we'd have TWO tractors available to cut and rake with, should there be a real problem. But would still need the "big" tractor for bailing operations.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

If you want to cut and harvest hay, get a sickle
If you just want to mow, get the rotary

 

[schmism]

If you want to cut and harvest hay, get a sickle
If you just want to mow, get the rotary

Im fairly shure your mistakeing this

also known as a flail mower

for this

also known as a disc mower

so to the OP's org question.

there is no disc mower that is going to work behind a 30hp ish tractor.

a 9' cycle might, and if it doesnt take a 2' shorter pass.... just be shure to check the weight of the thing so you dont have to much hanging off the back end.

 

[ModMech]

Thanks all.

Yes, a disc mower will require at least 40+ THP (30+ PTO) and a heavier tractor.

For those that have used both, is a disc *really* that much faster of a cut? Also, most I have spoken with say that a disc takes more maintenance and parts are generally costly, compared to a sickle. Does that match your experience?

 

[Farmerford]

ModMech:

I have a Kubota B2400HSD and it has plenty of PTO horsepower (18, I think) to drive a John Deere 350 9' sickle mower in heavy grass and weeds.

The problem is the weight of the mower, and even more how that weight is distributed. The mower weighs about 700#, which is much less than the maximum TPH lift capacity of 1100# or so, but much more than the recommended maximum implement weight of (I think) 400#. Even worse, because the cutting mechanism is offset, all the 700# is on the right lift arm . Indeed, the center of gravity of the mower with the cutter bar down is quite a bit outside the right lift arm, so the mower weight is pushing the left lift arm up and the right lift arm down. If you draw a force diagram, you will see that the down force on the right lift arm is more than the 700# weight of the mower.

I went through several experiments before I finally built a subframe for the mower (similar to those for a backhoe), and now I am very satisfied. It mows easily at full speed in low range, which I think is about two acres per hour (unless you stop a lot for cold beer). If you are interested, let me know and I will send you some pictures.

 

[ModMech]

ModMech:

I have a Kubota B2400HSD and it has plenty of PTO horsepower (18, I think) to drive a John Deere 350 9' sickle mower in heavy grass and weeds.

That's good to knowm thanks!

I went through several experiments before I finally built a subframe for the mower (similar to those for a backhoe), and now I am very satisfied. It mows easily at full speed in low range, which I think is about two acres per hour (unless you stop a lot for cold beer). If you are interested, let me know and I will send you some pictures.

Eeeeekkkkkk!!!!!!!!!

My neighbor cut the 10Ac field in 30 minutes with his disc cutter!

Then again, it cost him the better part of $60k for the tractor, cutter and baler and my time isn't worth *that* much.

 

[sweettractors]

From what I understand, a rotary cutter will mow a LOT fater (2x-3x and maybe more) than a sickle but you also need a tractor with 3x to 4x the HP for a rotary cutter.

For 10Ac if "hay", having a B2410, could we get by with a 9' sickle? I see walk-behind, self-propelled 3' sickles with 10HP, so in theory I'd need 30 HP to do the job well. Then again, millions of acres have been cut with fewer than 30 HP tractors and sickle mowers during history.

Thoughts?

TIA.

A 7 ft sickle mower is all I would want behind that tractor because of side draft on the tractor. Here is a picture of a 7 ft Ford 501 that we sell for $795. Ken Sweet

 

[Farmerford]

The Ford 501 mower Ken Sweet references is a pittman drive rather than a belt drive like the JD 350. I suspect it is a couple of hundred pounds lighter than the JD 350 and certainly more balanced since it does not have the heavy wobble drive hanging out over the right side of the tractor. It might well be within the B2400/2410 lift capabilities without any modification.

As for cutting speed, sickle mowers (if the sections are sharp, etc) will cut at 8 mph or more. I limit my speed to 4 mph or less because the ground is quite rough and my old back won't tolerate the gyrations of the hard-tired (R4), short wheelbase B2400.

If a 7 foot mower effectively cuts 6 feet of grass, then at 8 mph you cover 5.8 acres per hour. Adjusting for beer breaks, turning at the ends, etc., that's probably 5 acres per hour. So it seems to me that Ken Sweet's machine is a pretty good solution.