Sickle Bar NH 451 Sickle Bar Mower - wanna be prepared

[BCJohn]

I bought a NH 451 sickle mower (3ph,7') and I want to have some spares on hand. I'm thinking: 4 rock guards if they come individual, 2 sickle sections and a drive belt, and any weird fasteners associated with bar fixing. How many sickle sections are there? Are there any internal parts that are cheap and/or break often that I could order at the same time?

Also, I'm going to put a cylinder on it, so any advice on dimensions (bore, stroke, where to attach. I will cut from 30d down to 90d up.

Thanks much for all the help I've been getting here

 

[rbargeron]

On spares for a 451, its good to keep some sections and rivets - nice to have a whole spare knife ready to slip in when some sections get broken or loose. I have a couple new rock guards in stock but have never needed to replace one (they are doubles). There's a special end section with an extra half-width cutter that helps with clogs at the end of the bar. My mower is on its original belt, bearings, etc. The stands are both long gone and the inner foot is worn through, but it keeps cutting. Can't help with the cylinder - mine moves enough with just the 3-point motion if the links are adjusted by the book. I don't trim any vertical hedges

 

[BCJohn]

Thanks very much for the tips. I've looked everything up and got my parts numbers and have a question. I found a full spare knife for a reasonable price but it is bolted and mine is riveted. Will it fit and work and are there major drawbacks? Also, I found the special end knife section, but don;t see it in the NH parts list, it's kind of a double knife the same size as a regular knife section. Does that sound like the right item?
Universal End Section