Sickle Bar Sickle Mower for rear PTO

[Steelfan]

Thanks for the info. And thanks to everyone who replied. Kent

 

[RoyJackson]

"I think I would go with the 5 ft for safer operation "

I looked into a sickle bar mower for my 670.

With 16 HP at the PTO, the only one I could go for would have been a 5' unit.
What put me off was the cost and that sickle bar mowers can really make your tractor unstable (especially as you pivot from the horizontal to the vertical positions). You really need a counter weight if you going to rig one to your tractor.
Now, I was going for a sickle bar in lieu of a rotary cutter...so I could get double duty (rough areas as well as banks). I was soon convinced the sickle bar wouldn't handle the rough areas and, for the banks, I really needed a bigger one. Those reasons, and the cost (and the fact that the banks could be done with a weed whacker...just more work) made the decision for me.

Also, as some others here mentioned, the sickle bars tend to need more maintenance.

 

[Steelfan]

Thanks Roy, I remembered my Grandfather using a sickle mower to mow banks, and around the electric fence. He had an old ford, and a MF tractor, that he used. I was looking for something to cut along my creek bank, which is about 100 yards of trimming now. I also remember the problems that he had with it. I didn't give the weight thing much thought, but that's also an issue. Thanks for the reply. Kent

 

[DaRube]

You may want to consider a boom mower. There is some overlap in function, depending on the specifics of what you are trying to do.

And the "Thing-a-ma-jig" thread that is up right now addresses that attachment.

 

[Mosey]

I recently bought a Ford 515 sickle mower with a 7' cutter bar for $325. I use it for the same type of stuff you want one for. According to the manual (which I got from the New Holland dealer for about $10) it weighs 506lbs. My New Holland TC29D weights around 2600lbs and handles it easily. It works good for what I bought it for, but it took some work to get it to work on my tractor. It has an "break back" arm that needs to be attached to the tractor and the bracket was missing, so I had to make a bracket and bolt it to the tractor. Also, since it's over 25 years old, it needed some maintenance, minor repairs, and a complete lube job. I still need to adjust the guards to get it to cut right, so I have about and hour of work left on it, but once that’s done I should be all set. It sure beats using a weed wacker! I can mow over ditches, under trees with low branches, etc.

 

[jrlichina]

You may want to try a flail mower instead as these don't require the maintenance that a sickle mower does. They appear to be replacing many of the older sickle mowers used by the state for cutting along side rides, etc. . Here's on e place: http://flailmaster.com/

 

[Steelfan]

Thanks Gentlemen, for all your input. There are a couple of ways, that I can go. I do know I'd love to have something that attaches to the tractor that will mow my creek bank, and ditches. My back not getting any better. Thanks again. Kent

 

[Darren]

FWIW, I've got two sickle bars. One's a NH 451 and other is an Enorossi double action model. I highly recommend the Enorossi. It does a great job. Tall heavy grass is no sweat. The manual tells you to run under 540 rpm at the pto and maintain a tractor speed fast enough to allow the grass to fall back over the bar rather than pitch forward. You'd be surprised at how fast you can operate. It all depends on what you're cutting. Other than that, I adjust the top link so that the trailing edge of the bar is lower than the leading edge to shed the cuttings.

As far as maintenance, you do have quite a few zerk fittings. Removing the entire blade consists of removing one nut and bolt and sliding it out. The guard assembly can be removed just as easily. Rossi does supply an extra blade with the machine. You need at least 20 hp to run the 7' model. The ability to use the tractor hydraulics to raise and lower the blade on the go makes mowing ditches and banks a snap.

The NH 451 is probably the best old style single action sickle bar still being manufactured. It's like a dinosaur compared to the Rossi. It's decent but you'll spend lots of time off and on the seat when it jams. They do make a double tooth section for the last position on the bar which helps some. Raising and lowering is done manually.

The Rossi is also easier to mount than the NH. Guess which one's getting sold.

 

[RoyJackson]

"My New Holland TC29D weights around 2600lbs and handles it easily"

Per New Holland's website for the TC21D (Steelfan's tractor), the machine weighs 1535 lbs.

That's about 200 lbs less then my 670.

When I looked into the sickle bar, the light weight of my machine was the limiting factor.

The 506# sickle bar is about 33% of the weight of the TC21D (about 30% of the 670). Although most of the weight would be directly behind the tractor, there would still be enough offset (especially during the transition from horizontal to vertical) to possibly roll the tractor sideways (not my opinion..the opinion of the dealer I was going to buy from). A counter weight would reduce the potential for a side roll over, of course.

I looked at the Enorossi sickle bars recomended by Darren. These look pretty neat!! Here's the <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.enorossi.it/english/s0/s0f.htm>link</A> for those who want look at them.
However, since my application was to buy the sickle bar instead of a rotary cutter...kind of a moot point for me. I'd need both...can't afford both, and the cutter would be of more value in my situation.

 

[Steelfan]

Yep Roy, Weight is definitely an issue with my tractor. The last thing I want to do is end up in the creek. You are absolutely right about the TC21d being 1535 lbs. I orginally bought it thinking I could still haul it safely on my single axle trailer, but I didn't account for weight of Loader, and MMM. And now I also added 250 lbs to the rear tires. Thanks for sharing you experience in the matter. Kent