auction for 3pt hitch sickle bar mower

[mlinnane]

There is an auction around here on Saturday and I want a sickle bar mower.

Here are the jobs I want to tackle with sickle bar 3 pt hitch.

1) I wish to mow the ditches by my driveway which would reguire I lower the bar by 10 to 25 degrees.
2) I wish to mow close by my ponds and control the angle of the cut for
a close cut.
3) Do a ditch that is choked with Canary grass and is wet most of the time
and can not be cut with brush hog as I would get really really stuck!!

So I guess the big deal here is that I can control the height of the sickle bar from the tractor seat.

I have never used a sickle bar how do you control the height of the bar.

I understand about the PTO but not the height of the bars. I have a MF 165.

What do I need to look for? Will any sickle bar do?

 

[yellowandbeige]

Michelle,
If the auction is still ahead of you, A sickle mower with a belt drive will cut at more positions ( like straight up and anything in between). One with a pitman shaft won't cut straight up. Also a hydraulic cylinder to move blade up and down would be excellent. I think without the hydraulic cylinder you position angle of the blade by raising the 3 pt hitch.
I have heard by others that a new holland 451 is amoung the best to have.
Several others are desirable but I can't give you names.
Maybe someone with more experience will chime in. Good luck
Spencer

 

[npaden]

I know some of the older ones won't cut at more than a 90 degree angle so you need to make sure on that as it sounds like that is primarily what you are wanting to do. (They will cut straight on flat ground but if the ground slopes downward they can't go down more than 90 degrees)

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

A belt driven sickle bar is best for what you want to do. I have a 9 footer and for trimming around the pond, it can't be beat. It doesn't hurt them to run in the water. Just pour a bit of oil on it when your done to keep it lubed. I at first thought the 9 footer would be too long but now that I've used it, I couldn't do with less. It gives me an extra 2 feet to keep the tractor out of the water. Mine is raised and lowered with a set of chains that hook up to the drawbar besides hooked up to the 3pt hitch. It is a bit awkward to get hooked up but I'm getting where I can do it in 10 minutes.

Most old models that have been rusting in a field can be repaired but at a bit of cost. Figure 7-10 bucks a foot for new blades. I spent almost $300 refurbishing mine so I have about $1000 wrapped up in it. Its a JD 350 model which I hear is one of the best. They are kind of rare due to their upfront cost. It still is an eyesore as I haven't painted it. I wouldn't part with it now. I've thought about a pond trimming business where I could go in and clean up around folks' ponds. Many are so overgrown.

 

[5030]

Old style sickle bar mowers won't cut a ditch bank. They are designed for flat plane cutting. Most likely the one at the auction has been run hard and neglected and a sickle bar needs regular attention. Likie the old saying goes-"It never breaks sitting in the barn". It does rust though.

For mowing angles greater than 90 degrees you need a new style pitmanless mower such as a Kuhn, New Holland, First Choice or John Deere with hydraulic angle actuation and double action sickle.

You can probably get a disc mower for the same price, however, a disc mower takes mucho PTO power but you can cut hay with it too and the disc is much more forgiving if you hit any solid objects in the grass like a rock.

My personal choice would be a NH with an SCH double cut knife assembly. JD with the SCH would be second and the Kuhn and then the First Choice in that order.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

NH 451 is a good one. Also, Later Fords without pitmans, and the Deere 350. If you can find one in good shape, Massey Ferguson #41 (Dynabalance) were good too.

There are kits available to convert to a hydraulic lift on the cutter bar. Don't have a link or a name. Seen 'em advertised though.

Most sickle bar mowers have some adjustment on the lift. They can be made to drop down to cut steep banks. The reason I mentioned the #41 MF mower, of all the sickle bar cutters I have any experience with, they had more "range" through the normal lift than any others.

Still, my favorite is the New Holland #451. (Parts are MOSTLY still available through NH.[$$$.$$] Plenty aftermarket wear parts that are available most everywhere.

 

[zapper]

Does anybody know if a New holland 451 sickle bar will work on a compact b2910 kubota?

 

[mlinnane]

Well went to the bank and have a pocket full of cash looking for sickle bar mower and a bigger brush hog. At least 10 or 12 and maybe even a 14 footer tired of mowing grass.
Will let you know if I find something

 

[OrangeGuy]

Zapper,

I don't beleve a NH 451 sickle mower will fit your Kubota 2910. I bought a NH 451 to use on my Kubota L3430 and found it will not fit. The sickle bar lift mechanism will not fit between the upper 3 pt hitch arms. Fortunately, it fits on my AC D14. I cut my road ditches and meadows with this setup. It works well.

OrangeGuy

 

[Dex]

I have a real old sickle bar that was given to my by a farmer that wanted to get it off the farm. I had to replace the pitman arm and it works fine to cut my (and the rest of the neighbors on the street) ditchbank. It has no hydraulics and I control the height and pitch by the three point hitch and top and tilt. I was looking at replacing it with a new model but the $$$$$ stopped me. I will take that $$$$$ and buy a power rake.