A sickle bar mower "1 armed bandit" is just that. It cuts the hay and it falls down in lengths ultimately suitable to rake and bale. A sickle mower conditioner combines sickle mowing with crimping (conditioning). They take little power (I've used an 18hp Yanmar to run this NH479). Its a 9' cut although they come in 7', 12' and 16' widths. With my 38hp JD I can run in top gear if I need to but you don't want to outrun the reel speed which combs the cut hay into the conditioning rolls. These machines are fairly simple devices and are easy to service in the field if a knife or guard breaks. I have not broken a guard in 10 years but often will crack a knife on a gopher hole stone. This machine stores a spare knife in the suspension frame so its easier for me to swap out the whole knife than to change a section. I converted to bolt on sections from riveted ones just because rivets can be a pita. I use under-serated blades for grassy hay. You can tow these machines down the highway with ease, too, behind a truck.
