sickle bar mower help!

[atk_nut]

This is my first time with a sickle mower. Does anybody have a good tip for setting the cant angle? It"s an older ford, not sure which model. It has a great big spring with adjustable tension in the middle of the 3 point.

Should I be tilting the blades backwards a bit? How do I adjust that? The field is a mix of light and heavy grass. What is that big spring adjustment for?

Thanks for the help.

 

[jack harmon]

dont know what model you have either,but ive found that angling the front down works better in grass.the spring generally is on the lift to hold the weight of sycle bar and allow it to float somewhat and to assist in raising the bar to a stored position.if theres not a small lever on side by bar that angles it you may use toplink i would think.

 

[Gene Davis (Ga.)]

One word of caution!! Be sure you keep your fingers out of the blade when you pick up the cutter bar to fasten it in the travel position. The knives move when the bar is raised and they will slice off fingers just as easy as grass!!

 

[brandonh]

if its a 3pt mower then just loosen your top link a inch or so. It should angle it back

 

[atk_nut]

Thanks for the replies.

I"ll have a look. The pain in the but part about the top link is that you have to take it all apart and shorten it by a couple of holes. The big spring joins up to it about halfway.

What"s better in the thick stuff? Angled down, angled up, or flat?

Thanks.

 

[TimPa]

i may be wrong, but i thought all sickles angled up slightly, to skip over rocks, ant hills, etc.

 

[MF#1]

Get rid of that top link and get one that adjusts by turning, you"ll get better results. The blade should have a "slight" angle up at the tip. An owner"s manual tells all the secrets. Heavy grass require you to slow down a little and still run at rated PTO rpm. Sharp sickles and proper register with the guards will make mowing much more pleasant.

 

[atk_nut]

Great!

How do I handle the "big spring" that connects to the top link? Do I just control it with the 3 point instead of floating?

Any ideas on where to get a manual?

 

[Fred Hart]

atk:

proper setup of a old cycle mower is probably a lost art.

what I have learned in life:
some jobs you can do or get by with a poor quality tool, example old junky disc will still disc the garden. old cycle bar mower will cut weeds if they are not too thick.

But if you want to cut hay and thick hay at that, you must have a mower in first class condition.

Question: are all the guard ledger plates and blade sections in (excellent condition)

are they adjusted so they sheer evenly,

is the point of the outer most guard about 1'' forward of the point of the enter most guard.

If you have the manual for the mower it will tell you how to setup the mower.

all of these things plus other adjustments must be right or you will spend more time off the tractor unplugging the cutter bar than you will mowing.

good luck and be very careful,

 

[MF#1]

A manual might still be available from New Holland, they have a manual website, also google "Ford 501 mower manual" and see what pops up. My uncle had a 501 a lonnnggg time ago, not sure about the spring but the top link should control the cutting angle. A pic of the mower would help, does it have a wooden pitman arm?

 

[Leroy]

N-News has manuals avaible for older Ford and Dearborm mowers and some of those mowers are the same as Ferguson except the paint and name tag.

 

[atk_nut]

It must be a 501. It looks identical to this one:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/attachments/8158d1032190187-sickle-mowers-5-194603-ford501_pic1.jpg

Thanks.

 

[Mel in SW Iowa]

Buy or borrow a manual. Adjust accordingly.
Remember, your judgement is the only safety device on this
implement that will prevent your finger amputation or amputating pets legs.
I tie up my dogs before I mow with a sickle bar mower.

In general:
Tip guards up to minimize plugging on gopher mounds in alfalfa, tip guards guards down to
cut grasses efficiently. Build up or replace all
worn pins or bushings. Adjust lead at outer tip
of bar as previously suggested with bar on ground
and preloaded to rear to remove any linkage slop,
not while the bar is suspended in a raised position. Sharpen or replace any dull sickle
sections. Replace any bent, worn, or damaged
guards, hold down clips, or sickle supports.
You should be able to put your sickle back in
the bar by hand using a screw driver to keep your
fingers out of danger. Heavy leather gloves help, but do not guarantee your safety. Once replaced, you should be able to move the sickle through its stroke easily by hand. Always pick up the bar
by the back side to elevate and secure the bar
in transport position.

When your sickle bar mower is in first rate condition, it will very efficiently mow grass and leave it looking like a golf course if you are a careful operator, but it will always plug on damp or wet gopher mounds. You can't mow ditches on gravel roads or cut brush with one and expect it to mow hay efficiently.

Be careful.

 

[jack harmon]

common belief ,but no.in stemmy crops like say wheat straw that fall over easily angling up slightly works better.but in grass where it doesnt fall,or clear, well angling down helps because grass is laying on back of bar and not on the knives where its cut 3-4 times before it clears off ,if that makes sense.

 

[BobH in NH]

I have a couple of 501s and the Ford Manual for the 501. Send me your email and I will email you a pdf scan of some of the adjustment info.

Unfortunately, with this mower design you can't substitute the top link for one which adjusts by turning. You need the additional linkage from this toplink down to the large tension spring to control mower float height and tension.

Cutterbar tilt is adjusted by loosening a couple of bolts down by the inner cutterbar shoe, tilting the cutterbar so the front of the rock guards are either raised or lowered, and retightening the bolts. Kind of archaic and time consuming, especially as compared to the old Oliver and John Deeres that I have had which had a lever to adjust.

The only reason I have mine is to fit my 8N (better than the Oliver or Deere did). But I switched to a NH 477 Haybine so they sit!

Bob in NH