#5 mover cutterbar sag

[CONSERVATIONMAN]

rebuilding a JD #5 sickle mower. The cutterbar has a sag of about 1" in the middle. It also has a bit of a twist.
Should I straighten it? Could I? How?
thanks
Wally

 

[Scott 730]

??? Not sure what the issue is here. If you support a 7' cutter bar on each end it will have a sag.

 

[DeltaRed]

Leave it alone.Sag/bow is normal.

 

[CONSERVATIONMAN]

I guess i should have said there is a bow to the cutterbar, even on edge.
Yes it's only an inch but if the adjustment is only 1inch increments it must make a difference to someone?
No i probably won't strainghten it but how could I if I wanted to ?
Set a 4x4 under the middle and drive across the bar?

 

[jCarroll]

rebuilding a JD #5 sickle mower. The cutterbar has a sag of about 1" in the middle. It also has a bit of a twist.
Should I straighten it? Could I? How?
thanks
Wally

You can use a shop press with a couple helpers and take the bow out of it.
A month later it will be back to (a little) bowed.
The bar has memory.
If you decide to "straighten" it, bend it a little "past" straight to account for this.

Don't bother is a good option.

 

[CONSERVATIONMAN]

I won't bother
Thanks
W

 

[Absent Minded Farmer]

rebuilding a JD #5 sickle mower. The cutterbar has a sag of about 1" in the middle. It also has a bit of a twist.
Should I straighten it? Could I? How?
thanks
Wally

Is it to be used? You really don't want a taco'd slab for that. Adjusting the guards will be a pain in the neck. Already been down that road with my mower.

Mike

 

[CONSERVATIONMAN]

Yes I use it, if only for cutting weeds but it was clogging so often that I decided to rebuild it. Used when I got it, it had 5 diffrent brands of rock guards that would never get set right.
ordered all new guards and sickle set.
Wally

 

[flying belgian]

rebuilding a JD #5 sickle mower. The cutterbar has a sag of about 1" in the middle. It also has a bit of a twist.
Should I straighten it? Could I? How?
thanks
Wally

Clamp it in the vise and bend it back. Now getting the twist out is going to be more of a project. How in the world would a bar get a twist in it? Can't you buy them old number 5's for about 50 bucks? I think I would buy another mower for the bar.

 

[Absent Minded Farmer]

Yes I use it, if only for cutting weeds but it was clogging so often that I decided to rebuild it. Used when I got it, it had 5 diffrent brands of rock guards that would never get set right.
ordered all new guards and sickle set.
Wally

The new guards & knife might help. I'll be curious to see your results. Should be able to cut lawn with it when it runs right.

There wasn't a new anything that was going to get the old bar on my mower to work good. Beat my head on a wall for months trying to figure out why nothing was working in terms of adjustment. Once I stripped it & pulled it off the wobble box, it was easy to see it was bent. Laid it on the floor & it was twisted up like a Frito. Ended up replacing the whole thing.

Can't imagine a used bar off another machine would be much different either & if the bar is really that good, might as well use the whole machine.

Mike

 

[Absent Minded Farmer]

How in the world would a bar get a twist in it?

Probably sprung from smacking the flat, outer end of the bar on something.

Mike

 

[300guy]

I bent one when the outer shoe when under a bunch of dirt and I didn't know it as I went forward. I guy I knew who taught welding at a community college and I took the bar and using wedges and a press, we were able to get 98% of the twist out. Only problem is eventually the twist came back and I ended up getting a used bar to replace the twisted one. After doing all that, I would vote for finding a good used bar.