Converting manual sickle mower to hydraulic lift and position unit

[Boeing]

From a long-time farmboy who tries to find the most efficient path - let me offer another option. Chemical control of that type of vegetation can work long-term for low cost. Any overhanging tree limbs would need to be cut initially, but can be kept back. A good spray rig & wand isn't very expensive (especially compared to cutting equipment). Using a herbicide like Crossbow (basically 2,4-D + triclopyr) is very effective on killing trees, vines, shrubs while NOT KILLING grass. Keeping the grass prevents erosion & will shade out any new overgrowth. After a year or two, you don't have to do very much with it. You can make your own Crossbow much cheaper by buying the 2,4-D & triclopyr separately and mixing yourself. We have a long dozer-cut road with a very steep uphill bank in full sun (very difficult to cut by any method). I spray a little once per year now - usually around May in TN. By the end of the year, there may be a couple of saplings starting that'll get knocked out the following spring. MUCH easier than trying to cut. The grass is unaffected by that. Spraying any limbs nearing the road also will knock back that limb & stop growth on that section while not killing the entire tree.

Bromacil is a cost-effective bare-ground herbicide where you want nothing to grow. Just be sure you have good gravel or rip-rap coverage where you use it. Otherwise, you'll have a hole.

Hope that helps.

Thank you, I do use Glycol(?) (Roundup) on the center of the road but never on tall thorns and vines.... I don't like using that stuff because of expense and cancer reports...... No good answers. Thanks and welcome to this amazing group.

 

[Boeing]

I have one of these. I can run it off my JD F-935, 1435, mowers with a hand fabbed mount or my JD 1070 tractor mounted to the side of the bucket. Double sickles, hydraulic powered, runs in any position.

SABRE SAMURAI CUTTER - Cutthat.com

Sabre Samurai Cutter is the Top Selling hydraulic sickle bar cutter in North America. Versatile across all equipment, skid steers, subcompact, compact tractors, excavators, and more.

www.cutthat.com

That appears to be a wonderful machine. I wish it was longer than 38". I already ordered a used 7' New Holland sickle and am having a machine shop add hydraulics. Though much longer it is limited to 1/2".....
Thanks

 

[Boeing]

Just don't make the mistake I made. I bought a cheap Chinese sickle bar mower on Alibaba. It had a hydraulic lift so I thought it was a winner. I was repeatedly assured by the CS rep that it would mow at 45 deg so I could lay back trail overhang. If I were a tad smarter I would have realized that it was a Pitman style mower and it was not capable of that. I can get about 10 deg. from horizontal, any more and it sounds like it is going to clatter into a hundred pieces. My bad.

I'm sorry that you fell into that trap. I've seen many Chinese machines and after closer examination they are semi-junk. I saw an almost exact replica of a Chinese Jeep Wrangler a few years ago.....it looked great. I opened the thin metal hood and the hinges were rusting, The wiring harness attachments were few and far between. This was a brand new, just imported unit. We learn from our mistakes and help by advising others. Thanks

 

[Boeing]

From a long-time farmboy who tries to find the most efficient path - let me offer another option. Chemical control of that type of vegetation can work long-term for low cost. Any overhanging tree limbs would need to be cut initially, but can be kept back. A good spray rig & wand isn't very expensive (especially compared to cutting equipment). Using a herbicide like Crossbow (basically 2,4-D + triclopyr) is very effective on killing trees, vines, shrubs while NOT KILLING grass. Keeping the grass prevents erosion & will shade out any new overgrowth. After a year or two, you don't have to do very much with it. You can make your own Crossbow much cheaper by buying the 2,4-D & triclopyr separately and mixing yourself. We have a long dozer-cut road with a very steep uphill bank in full sun (very difficult to cut by any method). I spray a little once per year now - usually around May in TN. By the end of the year, there may be a couple of saplings starting that'll get knocked out the following spring. MUCH easier than trying to cut. The grass is unaffected by that. Spraying any limbs nearing the road also will knock back that limb & stop growth on that section while not killing the entire tree.

Bromacil is a cost-effective bare-ground herbicide where you want nothing to grow. Just be sure you have good gravel or rip-rap coverage where you use it. Otherwise, you'll have a hole.
new research shows even brief contact with a common weed killer can cause lasting damage to the brain, which may persist long after direct exposure ends.

A follow up after my first reply.....I did more research on-line and found this.....
In the new study, Arizona State University researcher Ramon Velazquez and his team demonstrate that exposure to an active ingredient in weed and grass killers, called glyphosate, can result in significant brain inflammation, and increase the risk of neurodegenerative disease and Alzheimer’s-like effects.
Just not worth it........or be SUPER careful

 

[kabong57]

Our 3pt hitch mounted IH Sickle mower has a linkage and cable assembly from the factory. If adjusted properly, when you raise the 3pt hitch it will automatically raise the cutter bar to a vertical position.
Not straight up but it also makes it easier to attach the transport lock rod.

 

[Fetch_21]

A follow up after my first reply.....I did more research on-line and found this.....
In the new study, Arizona State University researcher Ramon Velazquez and his team demonstrate that exposure to an active ingredient in weed and grass killers, called glyphosate, can result in significant brain inflammation, and increase the risk of neurodegenerative disease and Alzheimer’s-like effects.
Just not worth it........or be SUPER careful

What I'm talking about DOES NOT have glyphosate (Roundup) in it. Crossbow - composed of 2,4-D & triclopyr - are completely different chemicals with a very different mode of action. They are leaf-active only and very effective. Yes, there have been several things brought out against glyphosate. While glyphosate is certainly common and been in the news a lot, it's not in every herbicide. With any type of work, use reasonable precautions. For me and my safety, I would much rather spray something once a year than use varying types of equipment to regularly cut it & the maintenance associated.

We keep ~10 acres mowed & bush-hog the rest of our place that isn't forested. In east TN, much of our place is simply too steep and dangerous to cut. However, we have a lot of area that needs to remain clear (roadways) but can't be cut with any standard equipment. For those areas (in my experience) it is much safer, cheaper and drastically easier to spray annually versus the effort and cost required to cut it all the time. If I had unlimited access to articulated boom cutters, my opinion might be different. I've had my license on this stuff since I was 20 years old. I understand how they work & the risks associated. Yes, there are many chemicals I don't use because of their dangerous nature. Just trying to offer up some alternatives to spending a fortune on new equipment.