Sickle Bar Question

[farmerjon]

I have an old Dearborn 3pt sickle bar mower I just picked up last night. Few questions if anyone knows. There is a large spring that I would assume is to keep pulled forward when mowing. Where is the best place to attach that on the tractor? Also when I picked it up it worked really nice. When I went to use it it dug the front of the bar into the ground and would not float level on the ground. Any ideas or tricks to running one would be great! thanks

[Windy in Kansas]

I would like to have a sickle bar mower but don't really have enough need to justify the purchase of one.

I know little about the set up of using one so I suggest you post on Yesterday's Tractors.
http://search.yesterdaystractors.com...in/fastsrch.pl

You might also pose your question in the Singletree forum as I think FarmerBoyBill uses one.

[haypoint]

There is an adjustment that swivels the angle of the bar. Sounds like you have it tipped too far down if it is digging in. I think the spring is to help lift the sickle bar when you go over stumps or for transport.
There is an adjustment that brings the far end of the bar forward. The grass tends to push the mower back, so if adjusted a bit forward it ends up cutting straight when moving.
The pointy things are guards and the thin triangles are sickle sections. There are also hold down clips that press the sickle sections against the guards. Under the sickle sections are wear plates. There are several styles of sickle sections and guards. TSC has several common styles.

[artificer]

What model number is it? For a Dearborn 14-15, here's a link to a manual with assembly instructions.

Michael

More manuals here:

[FarmboyBill]

Youll notice that the rock guards, have a thin lip that goes over the sickle. Take a hammer and tap those lips till there RIGHT up, but not touching the sickle. Youll notice that the sickle itself, the sections on it are beveled on one side only. Take the sickle out and put it in a vice. Take a file and file with the bevel both sides of each section until you can feel a thin wire edge on the opposite side. with your fingernail When done with the beveled side, run a flat file long ways up and down the length of the back side of the sickle to take away this wire and its ready to cut. Theres a special section for the outside end of the sickle. It has 2 or 3 (teeth like smaller sections) on it. This helps with the sickle not plugging the outer shoe. Also, a grass board for the outside might be needed. There is sometimes a spring that holds the sickle bar from going too far if you hit something with the sickle, and pops it backward. That might be what your heavy spring is forThe adjustment to tilt the bar of the mower is around the inner shoe. Also, under each shoe should be a plate that can be adjusted so that you can raise or lower the bar up to say 3in. MAKE SURE< u have a NEW sickle bar, pitman rod on when you start. Saves a world of headaches/ Dont try to cut any saplings bigger than a pincil, or sooner or later youll blow your pitman. Always start in a fenced field with the fence to youre left, and go inward on each successive swath, and when in the center, come b On the first say 4 rounds, cut up till you get to the next cut, bring your bar past the end and raise it, the stop and back up, and go down the next side. After aroound 4 swaths like that, you should be able to come out of the swath at the end, riase the bar while turning a tight circle, lowering the bar right at the edge and heading down the swath . back and finish the outside edge. Good luck, and keep a close watch.

[rambler]

Originally Posted by farmerjon

I have an old Dearborn 3pt sickle bar mower I just picked up last night. Few questions if anyone knows. There is a large spring that I would assume is to keep pulled forward when mowing. Where is the best place to attach that on the tractor? Also when I picked it up it worked really nice. When I went to use it it dug the front of the bar into the ground and would not float level on the ground. Any ideas or tricks to running one would be great! thanks

Is this a 3pt model, or a trailer model, or a bolt-on (semi mounted) style?

On the 3pt model, and likely others, the 'big spring' is likely to help 'float' the mower, and keep it held up in the air, only lightly floating on the ground.

Actually there are 2 springs on a 3pt model. One holds the mower up by connecting to the upper link, allowing the mower frame to float.

There is another spring that is chained to the mower bar, and allows the bar to float.

There are probably 40 different adjustments to a simple little mower to make it all cut right.

Since you really didn't explain the spring very well, and must not have it connected to anything, I suspect you are trying to drag the poor mower across the ground with no suspension at all. That won't work.

If you can add a picture, or describe what type of mower you have and which spring, where it is, we could help more.

--->Paul

[farmerjon]

Originally Posted by artificer

What model number is it? For a Dearborn 14-15, here's a link to a manual with assembly instructions.

Michael

More manuals here:

Thank you so much. Have been looking all over and could not find one. I have a 14-16, looks to be very very close to what you have sent me. Thank you again.