Haybine teeth

[crowbar032]

I have an New Holland 472 haybine with stub guards. Last year when mowing for the last time, I noticed that it wasn't cutting as smooth as it did at the beginning of the season. The knife has the standard serrated bolt in teeth sections. My neighbor takes a grinder and sharpens the teeth every time he mows. What does everyone else do? Should I just change all the teeth? Run a grinder over them? Find smooth teeth so they can be sharpened easier? Quit screwing around and just change all the teeth? What's the general consensus?

 

[DJ54]

If you have a sickle sharpener, getting the sickle in and out, is more of a chore than sharpening it. I try and sharpen mine every few years, but, I'm only cutting in a 4 acre field, way less than most make in first cutting. Like any other tool, they work best when sharp. What I have, is not exactly high tech. It's a mandrel, with a sickle stone, powered by a 1/3 hp electric motor, mounted on a approx. 5' 2" X 10". You basically stand it nearly straight up, and clamp it to something, then free hand, sharpening the sickle. Generally 4-5 light passes on the stone gets a pretty sharp edge. And these are bottom serrated knives.

I've replaced the knives on it only once, but had the knives on hand, picking them up at farm auctions over the years. All I had to do was buy the bolt kit.

But, I also have a spare sickle on hand, for just in case. Anymore, by the time you buy the knife sections,and bolts, you can nearly buy a new complete sickle, ready to plug & play. I have bought 2 through Webb Sickle Service, and they seem to be of good quality. I did break one a few years ago, but that was probably my fault for not sharpening it. The first cutting was pretty heavy, and tall, and wet underneath too. It is Rye Grass,and it was as tall, or taller than the fenders on the tractor, and it has 15.5-38's on it, so over 5' tall. I had to put the 656 in first gear to get through it, as it was all the rolls wanted to handle going through them. The sickle broke about 3/4 of the way through that field. Headed for the shop,and put in the spare sickle, and was back in the field in less than a half hour.

I've attached the link to Webb's below, but do what you want. It looks like the sickles for the New Holland are pricier than for the old IH, but, even at that, it looks to be about $70 more, than just a box of 10 knives. and every thing is new, ready to put in. You can put the new one in, then sharpen the old one, or put new sections on, and have it ready to go for a spare.



New Holland M/C: 472, 477, 478, (7'); 479, 488 and 1469 after SN22947 (9'); 49 after SN259714 (12') - Ford New Holland - Sickles by Brand Webb Cutting Components

 

[crowbar032]

I do not have a sickle sharpener, and to my knowledge have never seen one. I used google to find images and they appear to be antiques, but do look intriguing. Maybe I'll run into one at an auction sometime.

I've got 3 knives for it and use bolt on sections. Sounds like I'd just be better off replacing the sections and swapping out knives as needed. If I get caught short, maybe I'll just take the grinder to them and see what happens.

 

[zzvyb6]

I just buy a new knife every few years. Your cross tube should have a storage space in it for holding a spare if knives or the bar breaks during a cut. I keep the spare in good condition, especially watching the rubber encapsulated bushing. Yes you can easily change out the individual blades, but sometimes a broken knife needs new bolts and the old bolts trash the bar so that the new bolts spin in the holes because the serrations have chewed them out. Yes you can change out the bushing for a new one. Yes you can straighten the bar if bent, so each year is a different possibility. When a knife breaks, I usually have also a problem with the corresponding guard. So I always pull the knife.

I also recommend aligning the teeth/pan assembly when the bar is out. I use a long pipe to raise of lower the teeth tips as necessary. This makes the bar easier to install, easier to cut with, and easier to pull out if you need to change it in the field.

When pulling out or installing the knife, you MUST wear thick leather gloves. If the knife is a little bit stuck, the lurch that can occur when it frees up can severely injure your hands.

BTW, I ALWAYS windrow the cut hay. This makes it very easy to spot a skip or a plugged cutter section. The worst that can happen is only 1 bad round. AND, having the reel drive adjusted to have the proper speed is important to eliminate plugs and broken parts. The reel drive is set by PTO speed but the ground speed is set by the operator at the tractor. Do not over-run your reel speed with too fast of a ground speed. OR, reset the reel speed to be slightly faster than the ground speed for whatever ground speed you think you are comfortable with. This another example of "The Faster I Go, the Behinder I Get".

My niece gave me some stickers to put on my haying equipment, including the tractor: "This Machine Wants to Kill You". I see the sticker(s) even before I jump off the seat to address a situation. NO SHORTCUTS for safety reasons. PTO off, brakes on, exit on the left side, gloves on, engine off, park on flat level ground, drink fluids, safety glasses on, work shirts sleeves and body cloth buttoned, or removed, safety boots on, quit when you are beginning to get tired, the weather report can not be changed, so don't be in a hurry and watch the field as you cut to pick up and remove stones, fence wire, baler twine remnants, and even machinery parts. I still have all my parts, other's (friends of mine) inventory is not so complete. All this because of a broken knife !

 

[cat fever]

I keep sharp sections on my NH488 haybine by replacing them.They are not that expensive. Also keep in mind if your guards are worn out the cutting edge will not cut as good as it should.

 

[RustyA]

Dull knives will also prematurely wear the bushing for the sickle bar and put excess strain on the wobble box...that part gets expensive even purchased used...knives are cheap and with a cordless tool easy to change. I have oiled the guards with drain oil and used winch on atv to pull the sickle bar out, way easier on your hands.