Help with replacing section knives on sickle bar

[Tom in TN]

I'm trying to replace the section knives on a spare sickle bar for my Ford 501 sickle bar mower. I've ground the heads off the rivets (actually both ends of the rivets) and I have hammered, hammered, and hammered on the rivets with a drift punch and a 3 pound hammer, but I can't get the old rivets to budge. Have you any ideas on how I can get the old rivets out of the bar?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm stuck.

Tom in TN

 

[560Dennis]

I would watch the videos on you tube about this subject. I think they will get you going again .good luck take your time ,wear safety glasses

 

[Shetland Sheepdog]

Hi Tom,
Put the knife section in your vise with bar setting on top of jaw of the vise snug vise jaws but do not tighten. Smack heel of the section with BFH shearing rivets! Then drive rivets out of section and bar, from the sheared side, with a punch!
HTH, Dave

 

[jon f mn]

Set the sickle on a socket with the socket on a hard surface so you get a good solid blow. That should take care of the issue. I have had to pop the section off the re-grind to get some out of the sickle. Another way is to put the section in a Vice just loose and whack it with a hammer, the section will shear off clean and make it easier to punch the slug out.

 

[Donald in MN]

i have a tool called a RivetEZE that takes out those rivets and crimps in new ones. try tractor supply they might sell them.

 

[old]

As per the Ford 515 owners manual one take the bar and lays it cross the jaws of a vice with the point down and smack the back off the section with a hammer till the rivets break and the section falls to the floor. You do that with all of the ones you want to replace then lay the bar on the vice with the jaws open just far enough to let the rivet head fall threw the jaw and drive to broken rivet out with a punch

 

[Tom in TN]

Success! You guys are geniuses. It worked perfectly to hammer on the butt end of the section knives to shear off the rivets. I knocked a few of them off just now and hope to do the rest of the bar tomorrow. Thank you to each of you who responded to my post.

Tom in TN

 

[SVcummins]

.
Rivet tool

 

[old]

I've switched all my sickle bar mowers over to bolt on sections. That way one can replace a section as needed and not remove the bar

 

[37 chief]

I remember my Dad doing that. I held one end while he pounded the knives out to cut the rivets. Stan

 

[formerly ny bill]

a short (18- 30) section of old railroad rail, laid on it's side, works well as a dead man to hold the sickle bar when popping the damaged sections off the bar.

 

[MarkB_MI]

My dad always insisted on cutting the rivet heads off with a sharp chisel. He said, and I believe, that this stretched the rivets a bit so they could be easily removed. I expect shearing the rivets using the sickle sections accomplishes the same thing.

 

[n9lhm]

Get a Johnson Sickle Servicer and never look back. https://jfmco.com/farm-machinery/the-sickle-servicer You can often find them at farm or estate sales.

 

[steve_in_mo]

My dad and grandfather did the same. The local blacksmith had a big grinder and
ground the heads off. The right sized drift might make a difference, too.