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What Made the JD Number 5 sickle mower more popular than the

T

Tyler-MO

Member
I'm working on preparing a seminar for the Gathering of the Green in Davenport, IA next month which covers all JD sickle mowers (tractor powered). Although I've used numerous number 5 mowers, rebuilt one completely, and grew up around them...I can't find one answer as to why they were so popular. What I mean is that it's extremely common to find them used on other competitive brands of tractors...especially AC, Farmall, and Oliver...at least in the MO/IL area.
I've asked several 'Old Timers' and got various answers...so I'm posing the question here to see what folks have to say.
Were other brands less reliable?
Tyler in IL
 
Must have been the dealers in your area. Pretty much a Deere tractor owner thing around here. There just weren't that many of them.
 
I've seen lots of them here in Ohio. And that is a good question I just don't have the answer.
There was also a higher percentage of Deere's sold around here too. All brands had dealers here but Deere took off and sold more for some reason.
 
They were very widely sold around here to many owners of non-Deere tractors as well as Deere owners. A lot of farmers liked the chain drive with the enclosed drive case which allowed for continual oil lubrication. Amount of slip could be set through the slip clutch. No belt to slip if cutting on a dewey damp morning. Grandpa had one though he only had Oliver and IH tractors. Only one neighbor owned a number 5 while having a Deere tractor. The others put them behind Farmalls, Olivers, or Massey Harris tractors. I believe there was a farmer that had one behind a D 2 (the hook-up is illustrated in the manual. I've seen them hooked up to Minneapolis Moline's and Ford N series in this area
 
Because they would out-cut anything else at the time! When I was a kid dad bought a used one, hauled it home in his 50 chev. pickup. put it on an H jd. He was wanting to try it out so he mowed up the county road ditch. He forgot about his 5 wire gate lying in the weeds. Didnt know he cut it to shreds till he looked back. Made him mad but impressed him. Years later I bought one at a farm sale for $50 put it on a CA Allis. I put a set of those spring loaded hold-downs on it- was a real mowing rig. Still wish I had a new one.
 
Was mowing thick fescue one hot day with a number 5 and it came up a heavy thunderstorm. As soon as it quit raining, went right back to mowing and did great.
Richard
 
For one thing John Deere could provide brackets to attach it to any tractor anyone was likely to own. There was a JD dealer in every wide spot in the road, and lots of wear could be adjusted out. And like others have said, they did a good job.
 
Pretty much what Bob said and the fact that some of the other makes did not make implements of the type that would work with all types of tractors. Ford, Ferguson, Silver King and Wards that were in this area did not make a semi mount mower. Other brands the dealers just stuck only to tractors and never got into the machinery end of the line.
 
Ill bet dad went through 5 of them. The first one came wioth a foot lift. From around 53 on I never saw it used. I always wondered why dad, who had the cultivators for his first A or B, Didnt use one of the lift pieces with the ring in it for the pipe, and have a cable from the lift arm on the mower to the cul.tivator lift arm on the tractor.
 
We had an Oliver 22B. There were a few of those around the neighborhood. IH was popular,along with AC. New Idea trailer mower was the Cadillac of'em here. Drop the pin,hook up the PTO and go.
 
The 1 I mowed with seemed to have a greater sickle speed than the compitition, allowing them to mow more stuff. Dad retired his when he Bought an MT johndeere. It had a mounted belly mower under it. That whole system was 1 large piece of JUNK.
 
I was told by a local machanic that a 5 when it was running had a longer stroke than other mowers of the day. The blade passed the centerline of the guards thus they cleaned the blade better in wet hay. In later years IH came out with a short stroke pitmanless mower. New Holland came out with a long stroke 450 -451 mower, I think we know what happened then.
 
The No. 5 did not have that long stroke. That came out with the No. 8 in semi mount, No. 9 in 3 point hitch and No. 11 in a trail type. The No. 5 had the same 3" stroke as all the previous mowers did, the Selling point for the No's 8,9, & 11 was a 3 1/2" stroke but it seams as tho the people did not like them as the way they sell.
 
Bought one years ago and put behind my WD Allis. That was my haying machine. Seemed like there was a adjustment for everything that wore. Was a real solid mower. It was built heavy enough that it hold up.
 
Now you guys have me questioning my memory.
I spent a bunch of time on a horse drawn JD mower
as a kid. I always remembered it being a #5 but maybe not.
Any idea what # it might have been?
 
J D horse drawn mowers were the small frame open gear that was the No. 1, 4' to 5' cutter bar, the large frame was the No. 2 with 5',6' or 7' cutter bars and the open gear mower was the earlier type followed by the No. 3 that is the same size as the No. 1 and both are very scarce and then the Big 4 that was the last and best of the horse drawn mowers in the 5 to 7' bar length and built up to or into the early 1950's. The No. 3 and Big 4 were closed gear mowers. And that mower is still a very desireable and wanted mower for use by the Amish. Then there were what was called the tractor versions of both the No. 2 and the Big 4 , some set just for pulling behind the tractor with a 7' bar, then there was the version that was made to hook in tandem behind the rear mounted mower on the GP tractor or the No. 5 mower mounted on an A tractor to cut a 14' pass. A big 4 with 7' bar in top shape will bring over $1,500, a tractor model with the wide wheels but with a horse toung will bring close to $2,000. The Big 4 was the last of the Deere Horse mowers. Before these they were called a Dain and Deere bought out that company.
 
I remember putting a new one together, I was to little to really help, but I remember it. As I got older I grew to hate it. I got a job mowing over a 1000 acres of soil-bank. I just mowed and mowed carried a spare sickle under the tractor(JD B) and guards in the tool box. Do you-all remember stopping and backing up at least every round! The new rotary mowers are so much better. You are right everybody had one no matter what brand of tractor they had. Maybe they were cheaper. Later on I got a 80R AC mounted, it ran a lot faster and was better. Vic
 
Thanks Leroy.
It was probably a #2 - 5'. Dad had the machine shop make a new bushing for the pitman as it had worn through the bronze and in to the cast iron when we got it. I learned to grab the oil can and lube it if dad was backing up the tractor or there was a lull in the action.
You stood on the lift pedal to raise the blade. Maybe they all did that.
 
Interesting. My dad had one also and hated it. He bought a McCormick Farmall. I don't remember the # but I remember bolting it to the rear draw bar of the H and it had a tail wheel. That one would cut like it all had to be done today. Once and a while it would plug but it was usually caused by the operator. When we got the 841 Ford, He sold the McCormick and got a Ford 501 7 foot. I still use that mower today. Changed the knife a few times but other wise works like a new one.
 
They were all like that. I think you can still find the parts books on Deere web site. Do not know how to link. Got it from a link in a post a few years back.
 
Don't think I have ever seen an AC mower and at 2 of the dealer locations they sold both John Deere and Allis Chalmers
 
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