Sickle Bar finish mower vs. sickle bar

[MossyDell]

Hi all,

I need to be able to mow my pastures after rotational grazing by my 50 ewes, now with 75 lambs, and sometimes take down the grass that hasn't been grazed when it is getting too tall and shading out clover. I have a base of tall fescue and want to be able to mow it to 2 inches---this allows clover and bluegrass and plantain to grow with the fescue and greatly improves pasture quality. Ideally grass grows no taller than 5 inches and is grazed again.

My brand x rotary cutter won't mow much lower than 4 inches. Even if it did, it has low blade speed and blades better suited to light brush than grass. So . . . I think I want a HD finish mower, but a friend urged me to get a sickle bar because it will cut low (how low, he doesn't know) and grass will regrow better.

I do know grass regrowth seems very rapid when friends cut hay with a haybine on my land. Fast growth is okay, as it will let my stock regraze sooner. But will it cut down to 2 inches or lower?

My second concern is handling it. It seems like it would be harder to maneuver around the fields. Also, when stored it would take up about as much floor space as a regular mower but what about that bar sticking up? It seems you would always be hitting doorways. Guess I'd have to measure all my door openings but would have to be careful because with the mount raised a foot that adds to the height.

So . . . any advice by those who can give me the pros and cons? Oh, i currently have a JD970 33 hp MFWD.

Mossy Dell

 

[tdenny]

Hello,

I don't know anything about sickle bar mowers but I can tell you that a Finish mower will mow down to 2 inches. I don't mow my pastures that low with mine but that's because they are still a little rough and I don't like hitting rocks. Once I regrade the pastures and remove all the rocks I'll adjust my RFM much lower than I currently use it. Perhaps you could find a local dealer who might let you demo one to see if it will mow to your expectations.

 

[rockinmywaypa]

Hi. Have you looked into rotary disc mowers?Different companys have them but Kuhn is one that that you could start looking at. Different sizes are available and you can really scalp the surface if you want to. These are different from a bush hog type in that there is a row of 3 to 5 smaller discs with cutting edges.

 

[MossyDell]

My impression is that the disc mowers need more horsepower than I've got, and that one would be at least as expensive and probably more than a HD finish mower.

 

[Egon]

The sickle bar mower needs lots of bar maintenance. Probably have to sharpen it every day. Every so often the ledger plates need shimming or replacement.

Egon

 

[rambler]

I mow 7 acres of 'ditch hay' (literally - along the road & water rights of way plus the field roads) 2 times a year, 6 acres of pasture, often my 12 acres of alfalfa 3 times a year, and I only sharpen the sickles every few years.....

The sickle mower will do what you want for least cost.

The trade-off is that it is more fussy - it does not like wet grass, fine thin grass, pocket gopher holes, fresh manure piles, or tall grass that has been trampled down.

I very often used the sickle bar mower to mow down weeds in my grazed pastures, but I am used to frustration with machinery and waiting until the dew was off. I'm not sure you would like some parts of the trade off, but it will mow the right height & it will make for quicker regrowth that a flailing cutterhead according to most studies. Any neighbors you could borrow from for 1 time & see if you like it?

--->Paul

 

[Egon]

Times must have changed. I remember using two bars a day when making hay.

Egon

 

[LMTC]

A finish mower will give a better cut than the sickle bar, simply because the vacuum created by the blades makes the grass stand. You will find that the more often you cut, the better the quality of grass. Most weed grasses don't tolerate regular cutting very well. We had 3+ acres of pasture that we stopped using several years ago. I used to cut it with a rotary cutter, 3-4 x year. When we quit trying to play with cattle, I began cutting it monthly, sometimes twice a month. Within two years it looked noticeably better. Now, 5 or so years later, it looks good as long as I keep it clipped. The grass comes up quickly after a cutting, and there is far less garbage plant material in it.
And yes, we carry finish mowers, up to 91".

 

[pruntyc]

Once I was young, but now I am old. We didn't have finish mowers when I was young. My stepdad would sharpen the sickle bar once a year, when he checked it to start the new year, and he would cut up to 30 acres twice a year. Wish I could get by with my bush hog, that I use mostly for grass, sharping only that often. And I believe that it would give you a better cut than the finish mower. As it cuts off the grass, where the finish, if it gets just a little dull, will beat it off. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[Egon]

Guess when I was thinking of mowers I forgot the acres cut in a day.

Egon