Mowing Sickel Bar Recommendation

[davesalisbury]

Hi all-

I've got a Kubota B2630. We've got about 2-3 acres that's not defined as "yard" that I mainly beat down with a bushhog 2X per year (and the bush hog is useful in making the woods look a little more presentable).

Mainly because it'd make the field look better than running said bush hog without having to increase mowing frequency (and as we speak it's over 4 feet tall), I'd like to track down a sickle bar mower. I might also use it to trim the ditches every now and then, so being able to mow at angles would be nice.

Since it's not much to cut, price is a premium (no new FarmMaxx cutters, sorry).

I've been looking, and came across what appears to be a Massey 41 (no wood Pitman arm and the outer drive box appears to be welded rather than cast). Picture is attached - sorry for odd cropping - didn't realize that daughter's head was in picture until I was back home from looking).

It's apparently been sitting for a few years (inside but on the dirt/mud) and the owner did hook it up and run it a bit for me. The PTO shaft is for a smaller PTO stub but the owner had an adapter (although I'd almost certainly want to change out to a more standard shaft at some point). It does seem to run well and the blades almost all look new. Ask is 575; I intend to see about the mid 400's. Bar is 7 feet long. Looks like a pressure wash and lube away from being quite usable, depending.

A few questions.

1-Does anybody know the weight of the Massey 41 unit? My manual says about 500-550 is the max implement weight, so I'd like to be pretty close on that.

2-Given the manual says 5-foot max cutting length on a sickle bar, how big a deal is the extra two feet? I realize there's probably a safety built into the spec, and there is a difference between violating the spec and VIOLATING the spec. Since the length spec is the same with the B 3030 it might be a tipping/stress on the 3PH issue. It looks like a competent machinist (or perhaps even me) could trim a couple of feet off the bar if it came to that.

3-Am I missing anything (other mower options, perhaps)?

Advice, expertise and poorly-informed opinions welcome .

Best,

Dave

 

[charleyfarmall]

Obviously the longer the cutter bar the more work you get done faster. The nice thing about sickle mowers is that they don't need a lot of hp. Your tractor can probably handle a lightweight sickle. If you have relatively smooth ground and are not trying to mow ditches and embankments, then a pitman arm mower might be exactly what you want. They are much lighter. I bet the 2630 can handle a 7 footer.

The Massey 41 is a good mower, and if you have a MF dealer nearby, they can still get parts. The biggest problem with these is that they sit outside and never get greased.

 

[sweettractors]

In heavy cutting the 7 ft bar may create some side draft pulling the tractor front to the right a little. No a big deal to shorten the blade. Machine is going to max out you capacity on the lift. We ship them at 650 including pallet weight. If you buy it, grease the head bearings about every 30 minutes when first using until you are sure those needle bearings a lubed REAL good. Price is fair. Ken Sweet

 

[flusher]

Hi all-

I've got a Kubota B2630. We've got about 2-3 acres that's not defined as "yard" that I mainly beat down with a bushhog 2X per year (and the bush hog is useful in making the woods look a little more presentable).

Mainly because it'd make the field look better than running said bush hog without having to increase mowing frequency (and as we speak it's over 4 feet tall), I'd like to track down a sickle bar mower. I might also use it to trim the ditches every now and then, so being able to mow at angles would be nice.

Since it's not much to cut, price is a premium (no new FarmMaxx cutters, sorry).

I've been looking, and came across what appears to be a Massey 41 (no wood Pitman arm and the outer drive box appears to be welded rather than cast). Picture is attached - sorry for odd cropping - didn't realize that daughter's head was in picture until I was back home from looking).

It's apparently been sitting for a few years (inside but on the dirt/mud) and the owner did hook it up and run it a bit for me. The PTO shaft is for a smaller PTO stub but the owner had an adapter (although I'd almost certainly want to change out to a more standard shaft at some point). It does seem to run well and the blades almost all look new. Ask is 575; I intend to see about the mid 400's. Bar is 7 feet long. Looks like a pressure wash and lube away from being quite usable, depending.

A few questions.

1-Does anybody know the weight of the Massey 41 unit? My manual says about 500-550 is the max implement weight, so I'd like to be pretty close on that.

2-Given the manual says 5-foot max cutting length on a sickle bar, how big a deal is the extra two feet? I realize there's probably a safety built into the spec, and there is a difference between violating the spec and VIOLATING the spec. Since the length spec is the same with the B 3030 it might be a tipping/stress on the 3PH issue. It looks like a competent machinist (or perhaps even me) could trim a couple of feet off the bar if it came to that.

3-Am I missing anything (other mower options, perhaps)?

Advice, expertise and poorly-informed opinions welcome .

Best,

Dave

The manual says it weighs 540 lb (approximately). I wouldn't worry about overload on your 3pt--it's conservatively rated. The extra 2 ft of sicklebar length is no big deal. The cantilevered weight isn't that much--not like a disc or drum mower that is nearly completely cantilevered off the 3pt hitch and puts a large strain on it.

I have an MF 31 sicklebar mower (550 lb weight) that I run with my Mahindra 5525 (54 hp engine, 45 hp pto, 2WD, gear tranny)--a lot more pto hp than necessary (15-20 hp would do nicely).



I bought it at auction for $550 and invested another $200 or so in replacement parts. Be prepared to replace the sickle sections (the movable triangular blades) and many if not all of the rock guard/ledger plate assemblies. The sickle sections are cheap (~$1 each); the guards are more expensive ($6-8 each). The sections are 3" wide--so for a 7-ft cutter bar there are 28 sections and 27 -28 guards depending on how the outboard end is configured.

Alignment of the sections and guards is critical for getting a good even cut and can be difficult for these old, worn mowers. I've rebuilt my MF31 three times so far and I'm still not satisfied with the cut. I'm switching to a drum mower next season (faster ground speed, cuts any type of crop, no jamming).

Sicklebars are notorious for clogging and jamming--so be prepared to dismount and clear these clogs by hand. You can try shifting into reverse with the mower shut off to remove these clogs, but I that approach doesn't work 100%. So just be very careful when yanking clogged hay out of your mower--those sickle sections are very sharp.

Good luck.

 

[ModMech]

We have a 7' JD #39 that we have used behind our B2410, yup you read that correctly. Your slightly larager tractor should have no problem with one at all. We need to use the AG tires at 20PSI RH and 10 PSI LH or the cutter won't lift evenly and then it is still not perfect.

Why is that? The JD has a lever that lifts the cutter bar between 6" - 18" as you raise the 3PH from the float position to clear ground obsticles or for transportation over short distances. Our CUT is too light in the front and I keep the tires soft for better traction.