Ford 501 mower problems

[Haykid]

I recently bought a ford 501 sickle bar mower and adapted it a little bit to fit my diy 3 point on my farmall h and now I am looking to cut my little 2 acre patch of hay with it. Well I took it out to cut my first cut probably a month ago and had a heck of a time with it plugging up. Before I bought it the previous owner had put new guards and sections on it and had only mowed a few acres with it after he did that so the wear parts are next to new. I’m not 100 percent sure what I’m doing wrong and making it plug up so bad but I figured you guys would have some advice. I was keeping the inner shoe in the little spot that the backer board flipped the hay out of but was still having plugging issues. I was running in 3rd gear in fairly thick grass so I’m not sure if I was going too fast and out running the bar or what was going on. Any advice helps I’m just a newbie so even the simple stuff I might have overthought or missed
Thanks in advance
Haykid

 

[Absent Minded Farmer]

I recently bought a ford 501 sickle bar mower and adapted it a little bit to fit my diy 3 point on my farmall h and now I am looking to cut my little 2 acre patch of hay with it. Well I took it out to cut my first cut probably a month ago and had a heck of a time with it plugging up. Before I bought it the previous owner had put new guards and sections on it and had only mowed a few acres with it after he did that so the wear parts are next to new. I’m not 100 percent sure what I’m doing wrong and making it plug up so bad but I figured you guys would have some advice. I was keeping the inner shoe in the little spot that the backer board flipped the hay out of but was still having plugging issues. I was running in 3rd gear in fairly thick grass so I’m not sure if I was going too fast and out running the bar or what was going on. Any advice helps I’m just a newbie so even the simple stuff I might have overthought or missed
Thanks in advance
Haykid

Well, if the guards & sections were replaced & not properly adjusted so the tips of the sections are just touching the ledger plates, that could cause it to plug. Too much clearance in front of the knife tip will cause build up in the guard & plugging can occur. Was the pittman stick replaced? Maybe it's out if register.

You should be ok mowing heavy stuff in 3rd. Second may be too slow & you will have hay falling in front of the bar.

Mike

 

[560Dennis]

Is the sickle bar sections registered with the section, center?

 

[casecollectorsc]

Are you running the engine at pto speed??

 

[DanielW]

Much of this you probably know or may not apply, but this is a reply I wrote not long ago for someone else having Sickle mower problems:

Sickle mowers can cut exceptionally well, but using them effectively is something of an art. We still use Sickle mowers for all our hay at our Northern farm (admittedly never more than 60-70 acres, depending on thge year). You can clip along at 7-8 MPH in good conditions if everything's right. Sickle mowers are a lot less forgiving than disc mowers or even haybines if you don't use them right. Just a few tips I can think of off the top of my head:

For Maintenance:

- Sections need to be kept in good shape. If yours is a 7', buy a new knife. AI makes aftermarket under-serrated ones that'll fit your #39, and it'll pay you back in spades (any dealer can order AI products).

- Make sure your ball socket is tight, well-lubricated (regularly during use), and has no slop (a little bit of slop/play makes a big difference in how it cuts).

- Make sure your ledgers on your guards are sharp, square, and all level with each other.

- Make sure your hold downs are good - holding the knife nice and close to the ledgers.

- Make sure your knife & bar is registered correctly. This is very often overlooked, and if it's not right it won't cut worth a dang.

- Set the lead on your bar - the far end of the bar should be just a tiny bit ahead of the pitman-end when mounted on the tractor.

When Using:

- Don't cut through hay that's already cut - it'll plug instantly. You'll get pretty good at lifting the bar right at the end of a run, and dropping it right at the start.

- Sometimes a little speed helps, sometime it hurts. Play around and see what works.

- Keep your lines straight when possible and watch your turns. Often better to lift and loop around to the left and drop back in square rather than make a sharp right. If you make a sharp right, the end of the bar will be travelling very, very slow (possibly even backwards, if you turn sharp enough). Without decent forward momentum, the end of the bar is more likely to plug.

- Down or lodged hay will often be a nightmare, despite your best efforts. Best to cut before it has chance to get knocked down.

- Don't cut when it's damp (even if only very slightly) - wait until all the dew's off.

- If cutting alfalfa: It's a completely different animal than other types of hay, and modern alfalfa strains are a lot different than your grandfather's alfalfa. The stems of modern varieties are a lot tougher and higher yielding. You can cut it with a sickle mower just dandy, but it'll take forever for the stems to dry down. By the time the stems are ready to rake/bale, the leaves will be bone dry and shattering. You can get around this a little if you rake when a little dew's still on, but it still won't be great. Better to buy a crimper to pull after the mower so it all dries evenly (although crimpers can be a complete PIA). If you are cutting with a sickle mower and no crimper, it helps to cut long before any of it even starts to think about blooming: the stems aren't as tough or waxy. This might even be better for your RFV value needs, depending on what animals you're feeding. Cutting early is perhaps good for cattle (especially dairy/lactating), but probably a little rich for horses (depending on alfalfa percentage)

 

[12251HD]

I ran a 501 for years and found it worked good with 3 factors addressed: guards with good ledger plates, sharp sections, and good hold downs. Guards with sharp sereated ledger plates seemed to be the key to me and I replaced them probably more often than necessary. Follow the advice other presented. Like most machinery, the more you work it, the smarter it becomes. Good luck.

 

[Haykid]

Are you running the engine at pto speed??

Yes running at 540 pto speed

 

[46m]

If you are mowing thick heavy grass in third gear you are going to fast. First gear will be much better i have mowed plenty of tough grass with a sickle mower to know how fast to go. Maybe you could mow alfalfa in third but not grass.

 

[Haykid]

Well, if the guards & sections were replaced & not properly adjusted so the tips of the sections are just touching the ledger plates, that could cause it to plug. Too much clearance in front of the knife tip will cause build up in the guard & plugging can occur. Was the pittman stick replaced? Maybe it's out if register.

You should be ok mowing heavy stuff in 3rd. Second may be too slow & you will have hay falling in front of the bar.

Mike

I think I checked the register but could you guys explain it again. Also if you could guide me on how to adjust the clearance on the knife and gaurd as well. I read it in the manual but I didn’t completely understand

 

[Haykid]

If you are mowing thick heavy grass in third gear you are going to fast. First gear will be much better i have mowed plenty of tough grass with a sickle mower to know how fast to go. Maybe you could mow alfalfa in third but not grass.

After I got it done I was kind of starting to wonder if I was running it too fast and outrunning the cutter

 

[DanielW]

I think I checked the register but could you guys explain it again. Also if you could guide me on how to adjust the clearance on the knife and gaurd as well. I read it in the manual but I didn’t completely understand

Take a look at my replies in this thread - there's a video and description of setting the register. The method for adjusting will be different on the 501, but easy enough to figure out.

Sickle Mower Thread

 

[Haykid]

Take a look at my replies in this thread - there's a video and description of setting the register. The method for adjusting will be different on the 501, but easy enough to figure out.

Sickle Mower Thread

Thank you I will look into this and make sure mine is in register.

 

[paul]

After I got it done I was kind of starting to wonder if I was running it too fast and outrunning the cutter

Sometimes driving too fast causes problems sometimes driving too slow can cause problems it depends on the grass type. Can be different gear needed on opposite sides of the same field….

I would have tried second and see if that helped.

Fine stemmed and dewy grass is the worst for me. Tall straw stemmed grass is the easiest to cut.

With the modified 3pt situation: is the bar still suspended by the spring, very light weight on both sides of the bar - it should just barely be resting on the ground not dragging through heavy? Is the bar far end slightly ahead of the tractor side of the bar? You do t want the bar angled backwards.

Paul

 

[Haykid]

Sometimes driving too fast causes problems sometimes driving too slow can cause problems it depends on the grass type. Can be different gear needed on opposite sides of the same field….

I would have tried second and see if that helped.

Fine stemmed and dewy grass is the worst for me. Tall straw stemmed grass is the easiest to cut.

With the modified 3pt situation: is the bar still suspended by the spring, very light weight on both sides of the bar - it should just barely be resting on the ground not dragging through heavy? Is the bar far end slightly ahead of the tractor side of the bar? You do t want the bar angled backwards.

Paul

Yes I have the spring set so there’s not a lot of pressure on the ground and I believe that I have the angle set slightly forward.

 

[Haykid]

Is there supposed to be a wood board on the end for the backer board I guess I’ll call it. Mine just has a metal piece with 2 round bars that flip the very end of the cut so you have a place to run the shoe for the next pass and it doesn’t seem like it does a very good job of flipping a lot of the time

 

[DanielW]

Is there supposed to be a wood board on the end for the backer board I guess I’ll call it. Mine just has a metal piece with 2 round bars that flip the very end of the cut so you have a place to run the shoe for the next pass and it doesn’t seem like it does a very good job of flipping a lot of the time

You're referring to the 'swath board'. Many were wood, Later ones were the metal rods you describe (which are better in my opinion). Sounds like you have everything you should have. Depending on the hay type/height and how they're set up, they can do a good or poorer job. Maybe post a picture of yours and we can tell you if something seems awry with yours.

 

[MARK ROBKE]

Sometimes old hay, last year's clippings are the problem too. Mark.