IH 990 SICKLE BAR

Phil H

Member
I got a 990 mower conditioner from a neighbor that inherited it, and never used it, and I have an owners manual on it. In the manual it tells how to remove the bar, but it seems like a big deal to remove the bar just to replace a tooth or to sharpen one. I know you have to keep the teeth sharp but to remove that bar every time you sharpen this just seems like the wrong way to go. Does anyone have a better idea?????
 
I never sharpen the sections.

I replace the bad ones rather than sharpen.

I also bought a whole new sickle about every 600 acres or so.It might be good for you to start with a sickle with bolt on sections.

Bolt on sections can be replaced while the sickle is still on the mower without to much trouble. I also replaced the rivoted sections while on the mower with a rivoting tool.Sometimes it involed removing a guard to do so.

Gary
 
When we still mowed hay with sickle bar mowers you could take the sickle out in less than a minute. It really is not a big deal. We ran under serrated sections. So you could sharpen the to of the section and it would still cut well.

Plus you would only sharpen the sickle maybe once or twice each year. That was while mowing 40-50 acres of hay. IF just on section was broken then we just use a sickle tool and replaced just the one that was bad.

You sound kind of like my Dad he would figure ways to try to save "time" doing some thing. Most times by the time his time saving device or idea was used, the guy that just jumped to it was already done. LOL HE is a college educated mechanical engineer.

An example of this was cleaning out the small hog house we had. He had it where you could take out one post and the door then you could get the skid steer into the shed to clean it out. You had to be real careful and not turn much while in the building while you where doing it. This would take him most of the morning to do start finish. I would just take the scoop shovel and could have it done in less than an hour. It took too much time removing the post and door verses the time saved using the skid steer.
 
Same here. Serrated sections. I replace the sections and guards every other year,the whole bar 4-6 years.
 
Pulling the sickle is the way to go_Only takes a minute....FIL used to carry an extra sickle or two right on the tractor(H Farmall),change em right out in the field,sometimes it took 2/3 SHARP (smooth section) sickles a day to cut that TOUGH (8000 ft)mountain grass hay.Todays 'over serrated' chrome sections are self sharpening,and last a LOONNGGG time.I supposed you could remove each gaurd and use your angle grinder....Tell us how that works.
 
Thanks guys, the teeth are on with bolts, so replacing one tooth should be no problem. There is a seal at the base of the pin that drives out when you drive out, the pin and that is also the first thing you are supposed to replace when you remove the pin, as this is the seat for the pin when replacing it. There doesn't seem to be much room below the pin either, because it is protected with a steel shield that is not removable.I haven't tried to do this yet so it just maybe like everyone says, not a big deal, I just may be complaining about nothing....thanks again for all your comments......
 
The under serrated sections are the way to go. They are pretty much self sharpening. When mine get worn or have large chips out of them I just put in a new section. Bolts are the only way to go. All you need for tools is a small ratchet or wrench for the nut.
 
You also need to fab up a guard bending bar, and set the section to guard clearnce, on every guard. I think .020 on the 990. Check your manual.
 
my 990 has a place in the upper back frame where i can carry 3 sets of full sickle bars in it.when i bought it the guy said it comes with 3 extra sickles well i got it home and forgot to get the sickles from him three years later i am servicing it and happen to see something had moved here it was a small round door on the upper back frame and inside was three new sickles ready to go.
RICK
 

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