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Sickle Mowing

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tmays
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Sickle Mowing

Postby tmays » Tue Jul 01, 2014 9:39 pm

Gotta love it!
Thomas

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Bob McCarty
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Re: Sickle Mowing

Postby Bob McCarty » Tue Jul 01, 2014 9:53 pm

Thomas, I had a patch of pasture grass that was above the hood of the Cub, which is very unusual for out here. When the grass fell inward off the moldboard it almost hit the inner shoe. Most fun I've had mowing in a while.

Bob
"We don't need to think more,
we need to think differently."
-Albert Einstein

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tmays
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Tractors Owned: 1969 Farmall Cub
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Location: Raymond, MS

Re: Sickle Mowing

Postby tmays » Tue Jul 01, 2014 10:00 pm

I know what you mean, Bob. I wish I had got video of grass I cut in horse pasture. There are spots out there that, shall we say, gets fertilized highly. It was very thick and tall. Sickle mower handled it easily and was a purty sight to see it fall so uniformly. Would've taken two passes with the loboy to handle it
Thomas

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Re: Sickle Mowing

Postby Hengy » Wed Jul 02, 2014 8:52 am

Just a dumb question for you all. How much throttle do you typically give when you are sickle mowing? Half? Full? It seems that it would shake apart at full throttle. Do you mow in 2nd or 1st?

I've only been on one tractor with a sickle mower down at Yogie's place in WV. It has been so long since I did it that I can't remember! Restoring my sickle mower on my cub is on my list of things to do soon!
Mike (Happy as a Lark in Allison Park, PA)
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Check out my Restoration Thread (1955 Cub, Lewis)

Bob McCarty
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Re: Sickle Mowing

Postby Bob McCarty » Wed Jul 02, 2014 8:54 am

Mike, I usually make the first pass around the outside in 1st gear (to make it easier to dodge fence posts, etc.), then do the rest in 2nd at about 3/4 throttle.

Bob
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John *.?-!.* cub owner
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Re: Sickle Mowing

Postby John *.?-!.* cub owner » Wed Jul 02, 2014 8:59 am

that brings back memories. I never used a sickle mower on a cub, but have many, many hours with a 7 foot one behind an H.
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DickB
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Re: Sickle Mowing

Postby DickB » Wed Jul 02, 2014 9:35 am

I'm always, it seems, in heavy grass and weeds (even thin-?- saplings). Ever late to get at it. So it is 1st gear for me, letting the bar handle all that. The few times I'd managed to come on a nice patch of grass I did try 2nd gear but felt that I'd missed most of the fun--it was over before I realized it.

Recently I cracked the outer shoe right where the grassboard attaches, and thought I'd discuss my error so others won't duplicate it. I ran the sicklebar into thick shrubs and then raised the bar and backed out without realizing that there was a decent sized sapling snug against the inside of the grassboard/outer shoe. Pop! Darn. Boss Hog had an outer shoe and it'll be here soon. Sort of doubted that any welding would have fixed that break since it was at the pivot of the grassboard--lots of stress there. BTW, for the spring on the connector of board to shoe, I use an old rocker spring from an auto engine that I got from a shop -- is there something more appropriate?

Some other comments. IH/Case sells a special end cutter blade that is a tooth and 1/2 and helps clear grass build up on the outer shoe. Instead of rivets they sell a special bolt/nut that I like lots. The outer shoe has a ledger plate that needs riveting (good luck!); it has teeth to it and that 1.5 sized tooth blade runs over it. Having a "new" outer shoe to work on, I'm hopeful there's a better way to rivet with the shoe on a bench vs. working on it at the tip of the bar.

Having the sicklebar where you can see it--as opposed to being behind you as John mentioned on other tractors--it is nice, although I had great luck this year on not missing that iron surveyor's pipe. Hit it dead on...darn. Took out that ledger plate and that 1.5 toothed blade too.

The sicklebar is one of my favorite implements on the Cub and I usually thank McCarthy for sending me the layout of the grassboard -- don't know if I ever thanked him here...but THANKS!. As is I thank him just every day I'm out there. That grass board is fantastic and makes the metal grassboard seem like what it is: junk.

DickB
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Wagner WM-1 bucket loader
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Re: Sickle Mowing

Postby DickB » Wed Jul 02, 2014 9:38 am

Correction of previous post. Not McCarthy, but Bob McCarty. Sorry, Bob.

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Re: Sickle Mowing

Postby ScottyD'sdad » Wed Jul 02, 2014 9:50 am

I have a lo boy with a sickle bar. Used it to cut tall rye cover crop. (5 feet tall), a few years ago. First pass went great. Second pass, the cut rye I drove over, wrapped around the shaft, under the cub, and I came to a "screeching" halt! What a project, unwinding the rye! (F cub shaft rides higher, and shouldn't be an issue) (Beat the rest down, with a disk harrow, and plowed. I now use a disk plow, that would have turned it over, well.
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tmays
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Tractors Owned: 1969 Farmall Cub
1952 Cub
1942 Farmall H
Location: Raymond, MS

Re: Sickle Mowing

Postby tmays » Wed Jul 02, 2014 10:28 am

In a known clear area, I will do second gear but not much more than an idle. Area I'm cutting is still kind of rough, so first is in order. Very important to be set up correctly and that knives are sharp.
Thomas

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Don McCombs
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Re: Sickle Mowing

Postby Don McCombs » Wed Jul 02, 2014 3:52 pm

DickB wrote:IH/Case sells a special end cutter blade that is a tooth and 1/2 and helps clear grass build up on the outer shoe.

So does Tractor Supply.
Don McCombs
MD, Deep Creek Lake

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nic
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Re: Sickle Mowing

Postby nic » Wed Jul 02, 2014 4:52 pm

I mow in first gear. I find it does a neater job, and allows the bar to clear the mown grass. And the best reason is that I have a small pasture and really love to mow it and am in now hurry to finish!
nic

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LeeC
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Re: Sickle Mowing

Postby LeeC » Thu Jul 03, 2014 10:44 am

If at all possible, I mow in second gear as what I am cutting tends to fall off the bar easier. Along the field edges, I use first gear like Bob said to give me more time to avoid obstacles. In really tough stuff, I have to use first gear and (much like what happened to DickB) trashed a grass rod when backing up multiple times. In second gear, I use a throttle setting between 1/2 and 3/4, but I use that setting for most everything. When mowing at 3/4 throttle, I find the hood shakes too much and shakes the hood bolts loose.
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Bezirk
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Re: Sickle Mowing

Postby Bezirk » Thu Jul 03, 2014 12:42 pm

I mow in 1st gear approx 3/4 throttle , that seems to be the correct ground speed for my tractor . Mowing with the mid mounted Cub mower is a pleasure, most of my sickle bar mowing has been done with a rear mounted mower and I have had more than a few fences jump out and tangle with the cutter bar . :lol:

Berlin
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Re: Sickle Mowing

Postby danovercash » Thu Jul 03, 2014 1:38 pm

DickB, Find that iron pipe, drive it in flush and cover it with an old disk wheel to make it easy to find. No more problems. A late friend of mine was sickle mowing for me and snagged an axle used for a marker. He could not get his cub out of gear or pull the axle out to free the mower. Somehow he finally got it free. Haven't sickle mowed since I was a teen, over 50 years ago.
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