More Sickle Bar Mower Questions

[Eric_in_Ohio]

I need a belt drive sickle mower to hook up to a NH TC35A. I want to cut around a pond and drop the arm below horizontal, so I do not want a pitman arm.

What models should I look at that are belt drive?

What models do I need to steer clear from that are pitman arm (not belt drive)?

Also, I would like to hook up hydraulics to operate the up/down on the sickle arm. How easy (or hard) are the older mowers to make this modification to? I see the new mowers pretty much all have this option.

Thanks again for all the help!

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Some pitman arm mowers ALSO have a belt drive.

Favorites are Ford 501 or 515, New Holland 451, Massey Ferguson #41 "DynaBalance", and Deere 350.

I like the Deere 350 best of all, but have a New Holland 451. (Very happy with it, none the less)

They don't require much power, but they do require a lot of maint.

Over the last few weeks, I've been reading several comments posted here and on other sites where folks are saying the Ford 501 and the New Holland 451 share a lot of parts. That's simply not true. Totally differet animals. The 451 is a wobble drive. The 501 Ford is a pitman drive. I'm not even sure they share common section part #'s.