Sickle mower recommendations

[crsutton81]

We have been considering getting a small sicklebar mower to put on a small tractor to keep stuff trimmed up around ditch banks and hard to get to places that would otherwise require tying up a big tractor with a boom mower. The choices would be either a 3pt hitch or a single point fast hitch model for a Farmall 140,Farmall 300 with 3pt, or a JD 420. What make and or models are appropriate for this application ? Any brands to try to stay away from ? I really preferred to look for something fairly quick and easy on and off the tractor. Just wanted something to keep stuff beat back until the fall of the year when everything gets mowed back with the long arm mowers.

 

[redforlife]

I'd recommend one with a single point hitch to draw bar (pull type), and something with a belt driven head on it (no pitman stick). They hook up and unhook easy and quick, and are pretty much problem free if you keep the bar up in shape. Only down side is, they require hydraulics to raise and lower the bar (which a 3 point one don't), and it's like backing a trailer up every time you back up because it isn't fixed to the tractor.

I grew up with mounted, semi mounted, and 3 point sickle mowers. I personally would never go back to that. Went to a pull type back in the late 80's, and never looked back or had the desire to have a mounted mower again!

 

[Geo-TH,In]

Just my $.02 worth.
A Sickle mower works great on something like Alfalfa.
Alfalfa has a stem that is brittle and can snap off.
Hedge trimmers are the same way designed to cut small branches.

Try cutting grass with a hedge trimmer. Doesn't do that great of a job..

I bought a cordless grass trimmer. It was like a hedge trimmer.
Worthless.

A sickle bar does a great job of cutting wheat with a hollow brittle stem. Try mowing your lawn with a sickle bar.


I helped a friend get a 3 ft self propelled sickle bar mower working. He wanted to cut the grass under his electric fence.
We spent more time getting it running than he did using it..
Grass doesn't shear off like things with a brittle stem.

Rotary mowers work better on grass.

Again, Just my $.02 worth on sickle mowers..

Everyone is entitled to their opinion.

 

[Blackhole49]

Check out what Pete from Just a Few Acres Farm says about his cycle. He has nothing but good things to say about it.

 

[showcrop]

2X what redforlife posted. They are usually called "balanced Head"

 

[Tony in SD]

Ive been using a 7 foot pull type IH 100 sickle mower (balanced head)for ditches for over 20 years. Keep it sharp and you will have no problem. As a younger man, I mowed many acres of grass hay with an upgraded version, IH 1100. Like others have said, stay away from pitman operated mowers.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

For ditch banks, you are going to want a mower with a "wobble box" instead of a pitman stick. Also called "balanced head" mowers. The bar can be set at any angle to mow. A pitman stick style mower is limited to a few degrees above and below flat.

A pull type mower can be easier to hook up, but it is not maneuverable. They're fine for mowing fields, but for mowing around trees and fence posts, or backing into a tight spot and mowing out, they are a pain. A mower mounted solid to the rear of the tractor works best.

As for a sickle mower being no good for mowing grass, I guess you're "entitled" to your "opinion." Sickle mowers were used to mow grass for a hundred and fifty years before disc mowers came along. They can even do a decent job on a lawn with sharp sections and well adjusted guards.

I've only ever seen one rear-mounted sickle mower for a 1-point fast hitch. In a picture. I've never been able to find it again.

3pt mounted ones are quite common. IH, New Holland, Ford, other brands... If they're in good shape there is nothing wrong with any of them. Be warned they can be challenging to mount as they are quite heavy, but if you can figure out a technique you can speed up the process.

There are also "semi-mounted" mowers which bolt to the U-shaped drawbar on older tractors. They can also be bolted to a 3pt drawbar.

Parts are fairly common and easy to come by. Sickle sections are pretty much universal, as are guards. Entire new cutterbars can be purchased. Webbs Cutting Components has pretty much everything online.

 

[560Dennis]

Well Id recommend you get a mid mount so you can see what your mowing . Looking back all day , your neck and back will thank you.
Such as a Kosch .
International
Ford

 

[Traditional Farmer]

I still use sickle bar mowers to cut all my hay they cut just fine just need to keep a truly sharp sickle in them.I now use NH 456 trailer mowers but for mowing like you want I'd use a 3pt.I'd
suggest either a JD 350 or a NH 451 both are good mowers and parts are easy to come by.The JD will go on and off a tractor easier and has a stronger frame.Couldn't give me another Ford mower and AC Twin Wheel Dive mowers will cut with anything but drive parts are a real problem to find.

 

[Jim in NC]

I will agree with most that has been said. Most of my experience has been with a 3 point hitch MF sickle mower that my Dad had. I'd definitely choose a belt driven unit, and personally l'd prefer a trailer type over one with a 3 point hitch. Some are difficult to hook up to the tractor. A hydraulic setup to raise and lower the sickle would be a must have. The time and difficulty of attaching a mid mount machine would rule one out for me unless one had a dedicated tractor on which it could remain.

 

[Loosehandle]

I cut 25 acres of first crop grass just fine,might depend on the type of grass and how much was spent on cutting parts.....

 

[grandpa Love]

We loved our New Holland 451. Bit of a pain to set up first time, but after that you could unhook and hook it up fairly quickly. Ours was 9'. Bar was a little heavy to lift but not terrible.

 

[NY 986]

The most important thing is for ditch mowing to have a wobble assembly versus a pitman. For parts availability I would look at a JD or NH. Mid mount is nice but harder to find. For straight line cutting even a trailer mower would work and tend to be cheaper. Having cut ditch banks get a 9 foot cut to have the most reach possible. Unless you get lucky you will spend close to 2,000 dollars to get the machine you need.

 

[Destroked 450]

Can t help with the 2 point stuff but I ve owned a New Holland 451 sickle mower with 7 ft bar for over 35 years
They are one of the most popular sickle mowers ever built, with the narrow point double guards it does a good job mowing any type of grass

 

[Dave41A]

If you have a 3 point hitch on the 300, the 100-series IH balanced head mower Tony & the others mentioned works very well. I have one I run on my Farmall H with 7 ft cut. Good combination of equipment. I think the 140 had a side mount mower which is nice for visibility purposes but it will be tough to find one. Install/removal may also be a challenge if it's not a dedicated tractor and you're working alone.

 

[Dave41A]

I think it depends on your grass. I mowed my back yard with the sickle bar (IH 100) and it cut great. The grass was maybe 6 inches tall at the time.

 

[Hay hay hay]

A Massey Ferguson Dynabalance M42 is a great sickle bar mower...if there is such a thing as a great sickle bar mower. They are a pain to hook up with the blade upright, and dangerous to store with the blade on the ground. Runs on a belt, will cut at many angles, parts are available.
Look for a 6 or 7 footer. Guards are no longer available for the 8 ft models.

 

[Dave41A]

Hay hay hay: Based on pictures I've seen, the MF M42 stored upright, but the NH 451 folds over on itself to be nearly flat, and my IH 100 clearly folds over like a jack-knife. I hook up the IH 100 just like any other 3-point equipment with a minimum of risk. Folding over makes storage much easier, too.

I can see the ones that stow upright as being a hassle to store and connect, if not outright dangerous. But not all sickle bar mowers had that limitation.

 

[grayrider]

Check with Grandpa Love, I bought this Cub with sickle mower last year just to keep the edge of my pond mowed .

 

[grayrider]

I highly recommend a Cub for this type of cutting, GP Love might have one in stock with a mower

 

[Jerrycpp]

I just resurrected a 3-point Ford 515 pitmanless mower. I wanted it to trim brush as you can keep the sickle going up to and past 90 degrees. I just finished mowing along my creek, and found one branch more than 1 1/2 thick it had cut with no problem. It is also easy to add a hydraulic lift to the bar.

 

[FarasAutoRepair]

Curious Not trying to hyjack your post but does anyone have a complete working john deere side mount 250 mower they would want to part with?

 

[crsutton81]

Thank you everyone for your thoughts on a mower. We have never had one as long as I can remember here on the farm. My oldest son and his good friend pulled a family members black strip cub out of resting and re-installed the C-22 belly mount sickle mower on it. They have had a great time cleaning up places with it. I can see where it could potentially be handy, but I know another tractor to dedicate to this is not in the cards.