Sickle Bar Ford 501 sickle bar help

[jshwhite]

Looking to do my own hay next year and just picked up this Ford 501 7ft sickle bar for $75 - pretty good deal in my area. The seller said it he used it last year and it worked well. Looks like it needs a couple of teeth, but otherwise in decent shape.

Got it home and unloaded and can't seem to make sense of how it mounts on the tractor. I have a Kubota L3710 with a regular 3 pt hitch. From the looks of it, there are 6 points of attachment on the sickle bar. It looks like maybe something for a stabilizer and something else to raise and lower the bar. Can I just run it without the other attachment points? I've attached a picture of it.

Hope it's not a stupid question, but can anyone tell me how this works/offer suggestions? Thanks!

 

[tude]

You can download the operators manual from ntractorclub website for free. It will have the instructions on how to mount the mower.

 

[strum456]

I have one just like that. It is a really nice mower. It is hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like you are missing the arms that clamp onto your tractors lift arms.

To hook up the mower:
1. Connect lift arms and top link
2. Connect stabilizer arms (one on each lift arm) tighten clamps with a wrench
3. Raise mower and install pin connecting linkage from top link to the big spring.

 

[FF117]

I have one also. It should hook up fine to your 3 pt, but it looks like your missing the top link on the mower. It should have a solid top link that attaches to the main spring.

It looks like you have the left arm clamp that supports the cutter bar, but it looks different than mine. It probably doesn't matter as long as it can attach to the 3pt arm. It's hard to tell from the picture, but the right side clamp is missing. This isn't a big deal as long as your tractor has sway control.

The bar is supposed to be raised and lowered manually, but maybe yours is modified. If you can't find a manual online, I've got one I can post. Take some time going through the user manual and make all of the adjustments. My mower cut like crap until everything was adjusted right.

Hopefully Sweettractors will be along soon. He is a dealer and seems to be an expert on sickle bar mowers. He was a lot of help to me and probably a good source for parts.

 

[jshwhite]

Thanks for the help everyone. I went to ntractorclub and found a manual - that will be a lot of help.

Looks like I'm going to have to find/make that top link, but other than that I think I'll be able to make it work. My tractor has the lower arms with drop pins for stabilizers l so I won't worry about the right stabilizer. I'll make some sort of clamp for the left stabilizer.

Sweet tractor is just down the road from me. I think I'll just run over there and take a look at the mowers he has and ask some questions. Maybe he'll have a top link.

Thanks again - I'll post again once I get it up and running.

 

[jshwhite]

Got the sickle bar going the a couple days ago and thought I'd share the results. I managed to do it without getting any new parts. The end of the push rod on the left side had some contraption that the previous owner had used for his tractor. I took that, cut some things off of it, burnt another hole in it, and now it will bolt onto the lower arm of the 3 pt on my tractor. Works great! When I raise the mower, it multiplies the lift and raises end of the cutter higher. Here are a couple pics.

Now for a question. It's got a lot of bad sections. Almost all of them actually. Is it better to replace each section or just get a whole new blade assembly? Pros and cons of each option? If I do go with a whole new blade, are there any good online sources?

Thanks

 

[KYErik]

It will take a long time to replace all of those sections with rivets.

I replaced the whole moving blade assembly on my old john deer #8 sickle mower 8-9 years ago- I believe that I bought it at Tractor Supply. I'm not sure if they still stock them.

 

[Opti-Mist]

It's not a big job to replace sections using nut & bolts designed for that purpose. You'll find them with the sections at TSC.

 

[sweettractors]

It's not a big job to replace sections using nut & bolts designed for that purpose. You'll find them with the sections at TSC.

Don't forget to put on the special "High Rise" hold downs when you put on the bolt on sections. Ken Sweet

 

[jshwhite]

OK, thanks guys. I think I'll just go ahead and replace the individual sections if the new hold downs aren't too expensive. Thanks again for the help.

 

[sweettractors]

OK, thanks guys. I think I'll just go ahead and replace the individual sections if the new hold downs aren't too expensive. Thanks again for the help.

Hedgepeth Supply here in Canmer may have the sections and high rise hold downs + bolts as a kit. Ken Sweet

 

[FF117]

Bolts are the way to go, but I put all new on with rivets because I would've had to order the high rise hold downs and the farm supply here had rivets in stock. It was a bit of a pain, but wasn't too bad considering I probably won't do it very often. I used an air chisel to knock off the old rivets and it worked pretty good. It was about $40 for the sections and rivets for my 6' bar.

 

[raasd]

I've ordered whole bars with the drive head attached for my JD 7ft sickle for under $100 from webb sickle service. google search it. Bolts are the way to go IMO. Way quicker and easier to replace in the field. I keep a hammer, punch and a 7/16 wrench in my tractor tool box, everything i would need to replace a section in the field.

 

[jshwhite]

Thanks for the webbs sickle site. I checked there and a new bolted assembly with head is $162, without head is $96. With that I would still need to get new hold downs to accommodate bolts. Looks like it will be cheaper just to do the sections - a little more time, but shouldn't take too long. Thanks again.

 

[stowester]

Personally I like the rivets, old school, kinda satisfying beating on them with a hammer.

To take the old ones off I use a vice, almost closed and left loose, put the bad section in the slot with the bar on the solid jaw. 1 or 2 whacks on the back of the bad section will shear the old rivets.

Dean

 

[sweettractors]

Here is a nice sickle tool we sell to remove rivets and install mower sections. Ken Sweet

 

[strum456]

Personally I like the rivets, old school, kinda satisfying beating on them with a hammer.

To take the old ones off I use a vice, almost closed and left loose, put the bad section in the slot with the bar on the solid jaw. 1 or 2 whacks on the back of the bad section will shear the old rivets.

Dean

Me too. Been doing it that way for years.

 

[twlyons1]

Hello, If you want, i can send you 2 PDF files, one of the owners manual and the other is the complete parts cat. for it,,,I scanned the 2 books my self.:drink:

 

[jshwhite]

Hello, If you want, i can send you 2 PDF files, one of the owners manual and the other is the complete parts cat. for it,,,I scanned the 2 books my self.:drink:

That would be great - I'd love to have them. PM me and I'll give you my email address.

Thanks again.

 

[Tindel2]

Hi, I am a new member and still trying to figure out the forum, I found your thread very interesting since I am looking at a Ford 501 sickle bar to do exactly what you want to do. My question is that I have a 2003 Kubota L3430 and I am wondering if it will hook up Ok. Thanks for any help!