JD 350 Sickle mower clevis workaround?

[CapayMiller]

Hi all,

I bought a near-complete JD 350 7' sickle bar mower at auction a few months back, and finally got around to attaching it to my 4010 (after removing the unhelpful quick-hitches on the swing-arms).

"Nearly complete" meaning a couple of belt guards and grass separators missing, and most importantly, no drawbar clevis. From what I can see, that item is NLA.

I read/saw some workarounds using beefy OTS clevis links through the drawbar and a short length of chain. Is that a feasible workaround? What would you experts advise? I'm tired of not being able to see over the weeds in my back 40.

Thanks!

 

[DanielW]

Definitely an easy work around. One of my 350's was missing the drawbar clevis and I did exactly what you describe. I just used an ordinary shackle from the hardware store - nothing fancy.
And that one's a 9', so it's taking more pull than your 7'. I'll try and grab some pictures tonight.

The 350 is a great mower - I can plug along at 8-9 MPH in decent hay no problem. Just make uber-sure you grease ALL of the wobble head fittings - there are two in particular where the
wobble has to be rotated to a specific spot to access them, and even then they're a little hidden. Keep them greased and it'll last forever. Miss one of them, and it'll burn up the wobble
and be scrap metal. I'm going from memory here, but I think there's 4 grease fittings across the top of the wobble and two at the bottom (not counting the knife head).

 

[CapayMiller]

Thanks for the snappy reply, Daniel.
Great to hear the world won t come to an end if I use a regular shackle. Do send a pic if you re able so I see what worked for you. Did you use a single shackle or 2 (one on the lift bar) connected by chain?

And thanks for the greasing tips. I ll definitely go search those wobble zerks, but remember lubing several around there. I gave the mower a slow test on the PTO yesterday, and it seemed smooth as silk- no untoward noises or rattles. I ll have to replace the sickle teeth at some point, and could use the grass dividers, but otherwise it looks like it will be a valuable piece of equipment.

Thanks!

(quoted from post at 04:23:31 08/17/23) Definitely an easy work around. One of my 350's was missing the drawbar clevis and I did exactly what you describe. I just used an ordinary shackle from the hardware store - nothing fancy.
And that one's a 9', so it's taking more pull than your 7'. I'll try and grab some pictures tonight.

The 350 is a great mower - I can plug along at 8-9 MPH in decent hay no problem. Just make uber-sure you grease ALL of the wobble head fittings - there are two in particular where the
wobble has to be rotated to a specific spot to access them, and even then they're a little hidden. Keep them greased and it'll last forever. Miss one of them, and it'll burn up the wobble
and be scrap metal. I'm going from memory here, but I think there's 4 grease fittings across the top of the wobble and two at the bottom (not counting the knife head).

 

[DanielW]

I used a single shackle on the mower end, and then just bolted through one of the chain links to the drawbar. Had to play around with what link I used (i.e. how short the chain was) until
I got it where I wanted it: The chain pulls the mower linkages such that the far end of the bar lifts more than the rest of the mower when you raise the three-point hitch: Too long a chain
and the end of the bar will drag or delay lifting, too short and it won't sit level because the far end will be always held up. I also have to offset the drawbar on some of my tractors
when using it, because when you drop it fully to park for the night the PTO shaft would have hit it.

Buying a new, under-serrated knife will make things way easier as save some frustration: Buy an aftermarket one from AI or similar - no need to go with the expensive Deere one. Just make
sure all your ledgers are in-line, your wear plates ok, and your hold-downs good before putting the new knife in.

If you're new to sickle mowers, keep in mind that a sickle mower is a great tool but definitely not a bush-hog. They take some skill to use fast/effectively and can't be abused too much.
There are lots of videos on Youtube of folks who have their mower set up incorrectly and cut at a crawling speed with lots of plugging. Around me sickle mowers are bought/sold at a rapid
rate. Usually because someone will buy one thinking it'll be a great tool for pasture maintenance, then find they don't use it because it's not set up properly or they were hoping they
could just drop the bar and go through anything.

Take a look at this thread and scroll down see my response to the OP of tips for setting up/using a sickle mower - might be some useful tidbits in there.
Sickle Mower Tips Scroll Down

 

[wore out]

DEERE actually subs a heavy eyebolt, N140508, and chain links and connectors.

 

[CapayMiller]

I ve learned not to take any equipment performance/application claims on faith. I ll definitely look how others use (or mis-use) their sickle mowers before heading into the field. I m mainly cutting dry straw post-harvest (I grow tall heirloom wheat for seed, and generally harvest high to avoid weeds as much as I m able).

Shackle + bolt sounds simplest. Of course, I didn t measure the holes in my drawbar and am in town now- I ll swing by the Deere dealer and see if they have anything that s not outrageously priced.

Thanks!

(quoted from post at 09:16:09 08/17/23) I used a single shackle on the mower end, and then just bolted through one of the chain links to the drawbar. Had to play around with what link I used (i.e. how short the chain was) until
I got it where I wanted it: The chain pulls the mower linkages such that the far end of the bar lifts more than the rest of the mower when you raise the three-point hitch: Too long a chain
and the end of the bar will drag or delay lifting, too short and it won't sit level because the far end will be always held up. I also have to offset the drawbar on some of my tractors
when using it, because when you drop it fully to park for the night the PTO shaft would have hit it.

Buying a new, under-serrated knife will make things way easier as save some frustration: Buy an aftermarket one from AI or similar - no need to go with the expensive Deere one. Just make
sure all your ledgers are in-line, your wear plates ok, and your hold-downs good before putting the new knife in.

If you're new to sickle mowers, keep in mind that a sickle mower is a great tool but definitely not a bush-hog. They take some skill to use fast/effectively and can't be abused too much.
There are lots of videos on Youtube of folks who have their mower set up incorrectly and cut at a crawling speed with lots of plugging. Around me sickle mowers are bought/sold at a rapid
rate. Usually because someone will buy one thinking it'll be a great tool for pasture maintenance, then find they don't use it because it's not set up properly or they were hoping they
could just drop the bar and go through anything.

Take a look at this thread and scroll down see my response to the OP of tips for setting up/using a sickle mower - might be some useful tidbits in there.
Sickle Mower Tips Scroll Down

 

[CapayMiller]

I ll swing by the local dealer and see what they might have. Thanks for the tip & part No.

David

 

[Dan in North Houston]

I found a shackle where the pin was a close fit to the hole in the draw bar, and it works fine.

 

[CapayMiller]

Heck, your solution is a darn sight simpler than the one I came up with, using shackles but also an adjustable clevis on the lift arm to copy the Deere setup. I'll make matters easier by just finding a big shackle for the drawbar.

A picture is worth 1000 words... or in my case, $50 of hardware.

Thanks!

(quoted from post at 05:21:46 08/24/23) I found a shackle where the pin was a close fit to the hole in the draw bar, and it works fine.

<img src=https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvphotos/cvphoto161635.jpg>