Any one using the sicle bar mower?
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LBrown59
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2004
- Messages
- 16,831
- Tractor
- 2003 Kubota BX1500/2004 Kubota Bx23/2005 Kubota BX1500
Here it is the responsibility of the highway departments to mow and maintain ther right aways not the property owners.Wow...in VT we have state contracts to mow the highway sides...and the mowers know which swales to leave...because some farmers will bale right to the road...
UPDATE:
I bought the mower after some research.
OBSERVATIONS:
1:Very well built, works as well as can be expected, have to remember it's not a lawn mower, this thing is designed to mow hay. Wife isn't impressed with the quality of cut for the outer "yard".
2:Takes some getting used to, tilt and such are sometimes hard to control on hills for a close cut.
3:Owners manual is a bit short and assembly can be a problem. I called the customer service rep several times. Not bad since I'm not mechanically inclined. A unit from a local dealer that was set up would have been nice.
4:I'm NOT impressed with the bar raising assembly that requires a 14 pin connector or a "hot connection". I don't have the 14 pin connection and actually rarely need to raise the bar so not a huge deal, (certainly not over $700.00 worth from my local dealer). I will do some modifications to allow manual raise, or simple switch.
All in all the unit is what I expected and after mowing 10 acres of wet grass did as I expected. Much easier to watch to cutter bar out front than with a trail mower.
I bought the mower after some research.
OBSERVATIONS:
1:Very well built, works as well as can be expected, have to remember it's not a lawn mower, this thing is designed to mow hay. Wife isn't impressed with the quality of cut for the outer "yard".
2:Takes some getting used to, tilt and such are sometimes hard to control on hills for a close cut.
3:Owners manual is a bit short and assembly can be a problem. I called the customer service rep several times. Not bad since I'm not mechanically inclined. A unit from a local dealer that was set up would have been nice.
4:I'm NOT impressed with the bar raising assembly that requires a 14 pin connector or a "hot connection". I don't have the 14 pin connection and actually rarely need to raise the bar so not a huge deal, (certainly not over $700.00 worth from my local dealer). I will do some modifications to allow manual raise, or simple switch.
All in all the unit is what I expected and after mowing 10 acres of wet grass did as I expected. Much easier to watch to cutter bar out front than with a trail mower.
flusher
Super Member
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2005
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- 7,555
- Location
- Sacramento
- Tractor
- Getting old. Sold the ranch. Sold the tractors. Moved back to the city.
Wow, $7K+ for a skid steer sicklebar mower. Talk about the high price spread.
Last year I bought a 1951 Farmall Super A tractor with a 7-ft mid-mount sicklebar mower for $1300.
The mower bar raises and lowers hydraulically. This Super A has a geniune 3pt hitch.
This tractor was use by CalTrans to mow weeds along the highways in Lassen County East of my place.
Unless you really, really, really want that particular sicklebar, I'd advise looking for other, less expensive sicklebars, considering you have only 5 acres and associated roadside ditches to take care of (my place is 10 acres of flat pasture with 1/4 mile of fenceline along the roads).
Spudgunner
Gold Member
If you have the 7-pin attachment control at the front of your TC you might can use that in concert with the rocker switches to the rear of the joystick. Your Bobcat dealer can order the mating connector for you. My BC tech looked this up for me awhile ago when I was going to adapt a Q-A snowblower (14-pin) to my TC.
-or-
If you don't have the attachment control electrical stuff you can still have a "factory" look by purchasing an Eaton rocker switch identical to the one that Bobcat used in the TC. You can get them from Newark Electronics and stick one in the dash where the existing switch hole covers are covered with plastic "blanks". One of the wires going to the Fwd/Park/Rev lever on the steering column is "switched 12v" in case you need that. (Personally, I hate "tapping" an existing line where it requires removal of insulation and soldering.)
After some thought I think I can simply buy a cigarette lighter plug and connect that to the cord included to supply 12 volts to raise the bar.
BTW the 5 acres I mowed is a small part of my 1640 acres and 5+ miles of road to maintain.
Nothing wrong with flushers tractor and mower but in my hills it'd be pretty easy to roll that. The toolcat is better adapted for handling those.
BTW the 5 acres I mowed is a small part of my 1640 acres and 5+ miles of road to maintain.
Nothing wrong with flushers tractor and mower but in my hills it'd be pretty easy to roll that. The toolcat is better adapted for handling those.
