Any ideas on how hard it is to convert a sickle bar mower to belt drive

[Brushhill dave]

I have an old Masey sickle bar mower that I would like to convert to a belt drive. My question is 1 is it worth trying and 2 how hard will it be?? Thanks in advance

 

[whirly]

Replacing the pitman drive with a wobble drive is going to be expensive. The used wobble drives I've seen for sale are in the $600 range and then you will need to "adapt" it to your blade. I think you would be better off selling your pitman and getting a belt drive sickle. It sounds like you have the mechanical ability, so getting one that needs some TLC would probably be the best way to go. I picked up a JD 350 for $50, (yes five zero) a couple of months ago and have another $500 into it. That beats $2500-3000 for an overhauled (read painted) one AND you know what has been done to it.

 

[flusher]

My MF31 sicklebar has two pulleys, two idler wheels and a belt. Pretty simple once you figure out how to mount the idlers.



The photos may help answer your question about difficulty.

Good luck

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Replacing the pitman drive with a wobble drive is going to be expensive. The used wobble drives I've seen for sale are in the $600 range and then you will need to "adapt" it to your blade. I think you would be better off selling your pitman and getting a belt drive sickle. It sounds like you have the mechanical ability, so getting one that needs some TLC would probably be the best way to go. I picked up a JD 350 for $50, (yes five zero) a couple of months ago and have another $500 into it. That beats $2500-3000 for an overhauled (read painted) one AND you know what has been done to it.

$50 is the cheapest I've ever heard of. Great deal.

 

[RickB]

My MF31 sicklebar has two pulleys, two idler wheels and a belt. Pretty simple once you figure out how to mount the idlers.

Good luck

Then of course one must transform the rotary motion of the driven shaft to reciprocal motion to drive the sickle.

I vote for selling the pitman drive mower and buying a pitmanless model.
Unless, of course, the OP has nothing better to do and wants a challenge.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I would vote for replacing the pitman components with all new if available. Nothing wrong with a pitman drive when it isnt all worn out. They worked well for many years and simple design always seems to work well for me.

 

[JDonly]

What's the reason for using a sickle bar mower nowadays? It seems slightly outdated unless you've got a small patch of hay you're going to cut. I see a perfectly good brush hog in the background there, much simpler and less maintenance, seems to me.

 

[OldMcDonald]

I totally agree with Gary Fowler. The pitman drive is perfectly adequate, it is simple, and as Gary says - it works. A big plus for many of us is that a pitman drive is cheaply and easily repairable or replaceable. Absolutely nothing wrong with a sickle bar, particularly if it has a breakaway when you hit an unknown stump or very big rock. They lay the hay in very neat windrows too. Ideal for topping thistles, rushes and other high growing unwantables in the field. Not much use for mulching up heavy scrub I admit, but then nobody in their right mind would attempt to cut scrub with a sickle bar.

 

[whirly]

$50 is the cheapest I've ever heard of. Great deal.

Trust me, there was plenty of sweat equity in getting it out of the middle of the field where it had sat for the better part of 2 years.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Trust me, there was plenty of sweat equity in getting it out of the middle of the field where it had sat for the better part of 2 years.

I know how hard they are to work on. I totally understand.

@JDonly and Old McDonald, I have a pond with 3200 feet of waterline, (2 tributaries). I use my John Deere 350 to trim the edge. It does an awesome job. With the belt drive, it can tilt downward almost 45 degrees and upward too if you want to trim tree limbs up to 1 inch on a trail. I just don't like taking the contraption on and off the 3pt. I do usually cut my 20 acre hay field with it once or twice a year if we have rain. We have up to baseball size rocks which the disc mowers hate.

FWIW, the JD 350 "wobble" crank is like over $2000. So, if that part is bad, which would be caused by lack of grease, be sure to pass on it. I guess I'm saying if you wanted the crankshaft to switch to belt drive, it would probably be cost prohibitive. Unless you find a deal like whirly.