Sickle Mower Question

[John B.]

Has anyone shortened the sickle bar and sickle that was originally longer?
Can this be done and is it hard to drill the bar?
I'm looking to make one about 3-4 feet long if possible out of a longer one.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Aaron SEIA]

I don't see why it couldn't be done. As far as I know, there is nothing special about the bar steel, should be able to drill it if you need to.
AaronSEIA

 

[jaoneill]

(quoted from post at 22:44:32 04/24/20) Has anyone shortened the sickle bar and sickle that was originally longer?
Can this be done and is it hard to drill the bar?
I'm looking to make one about 3-4 feet long if possible out of a longer one.
Thanks in advance!

The sickle bar on our older hesston 12' hydro-swing snapped a few years back. A new one through the dealer was close to $200 and three weeks away. I bought a length of the right sized mild steel bar stock for $25, set up a jig for the drill press, and 1 1/2 hours later had a new bar that worked fine until I sold the machine four years later.
Jim

 

[jCarroll]

Not to answer your question .........
But the rotating balance of the mower will be affected by the shorter sickle. The reciprocating part will be lighter than as the machine was designed.

Tell us what application you intend to use a 3' bar for.

 

[Bret4207]

(quoted from post at 22:44:32 04/24/20) Has anyone shortened the sickle bar and sickle that was originally longer?
Can this be done and is it hard to drill the bar?
I'm looking to make one about 3-4 feet long if possible out of a longer one.
Thanks in advance!

In know it's been done on horse drawn mowers. It could surely be done on a PTO model. It may throw off the balance a bit in the drive system, but IME they aren't all that well balanced to start with, at least with older pitman stick drive JD and IHC PTO models I've worked with.

 

[Dusty MI]

Maybe one from a garden tractor.
The Allis Chalmers "G" tractor sickle is 5' long.

 

[wore out]

(quoted from post at 18:44:32 04/24/20) Has anyone shortened the sickle bar and sickle that was originally longer?
Can this be done and is it hard to drill the bar?
I'm looking to make one about 3-4 feet long if possible out of a longer one.
Thanks in advance!

There's no reason you couldn't.

The bar is harder than mild steel, but I'm sure it could easily be drilled with cobalt bits.

If possible, it would be nice to cut it off at the "inner" end, as the bar tapers narrower towards the outer end and you don't need the extra weight of the extra wide "inner" end for your shortened version.

As a matter of fact, I have a (formerly 9') "450" DEERE mower that is an odd shortened length.

When the bar snapped off near the inner shoe the P.O. cut it off cleanly, drilled it for the attaching bolts and put it back on and went to work.

As to balance, using a DEERE #5 mower as an example, it was sold in 3.5', 4.5', 5', 6', and 7' versions, all using the SAME counterweighted flywheel, the DEERE #8 mower was sold in 5', 6', 7', and 9' versions, they all used the SAME counterweighted flywheel, as well.

 

[showcrop]

A friend had a 5 foot IH balanced head mower that according to the numbers on it was built as a seven footer.

 

[C.Amick]

Older Farmall Cub sickle bars were 4.5 ft., later ones are 5 ft. Should be able to find one of those. I have a 4.5 ft. one that you could have.

 

[Leroy]

Had a mower, never used that the outr end was cut off usinf a torch. Friend ,Amish, that takes 2 5 foot bars and puts them together to make the 6' bar they prefer. He is in the bussiness or rebuilding horse drawn mowers for use. Have found over years several mowers in my area for him, some good and some only parts for him to use in making usuable mowers for sale, these mowers were last made in I think 1950 So no dealer parts, only aftermarket cutting parts.