We will sell around 100 new and used sickle mowers a year and here is what our customers are using them for: Mowing Hay fields, road banks, pond dams, trails, under electric fences. trimming down a row of grape vines in a vineyard, trimming outcropping limbs in a orchard, mowing under trees in a orchard to clear the ground before harvest of fruit or nuts by workers. mowing drainage ditches, around ponds, clipping pastures in lieu of a brush hog, mowing road right of ways, drainage ditches or canals. We have 1 on our farm that is dedicated to mowing under electric and high tensile fencing where posts range from 12 ft apart to 45 ft apart. That weed eater just don't fit me like it used to
Compared to a rotary of flail, the sickle mower blade is light enough that a left counter weight is not needed to get a 5-6-7-9 ft offset cut on the right side of the tractor. Comparing to a rotary mower (brush hog) a sickle mower requires a lot less tractor power and weight and they don't have a enclosed gearbox to blowup, in addition to being more user friendly in case repairs or routine maintainence is needed.
Pitman style sickle mowers will mow about 35 degrees above and below horizontal and belt drive type (dynabalance heads) will mow approx 90 degrees vertical or 70 degrees below horizontal. Ken Sweet