Over or under

Dale c mi · Dec 19, 2014

Rebuilding sickle bar on my ford 14-93 mower. Should I use over serrated or under serrated knifes, bolts or rivits and single or double guards. Thanks Dale

hd6gtom · Dec 19, 2014

Over bolts single use Chrome sections they are stronger

RayP(MI) · Dec 19, 2014

You want the combination that cuts best in your conditions. I have weedy, grassy alfalfa. I prefer single guards with serrated edges, under serrated blades. Under serrated allows for longer life and sharpenings. Bolts are far easier to use than rivets. I have seen a little higher failure rate with bolts, but far easier to repair. Single gards may be easier and cheaper to replace. My fields have a lot of small stones and mole hills with stones in them.murder on knives and guards.

Myself, I got so fed up with poor results with two sickle bar mowers and constant repair and maintenance, that I went out and bought a DRUM mower. Never looked back. Lost my happy home at a neighbors polebarn,and as I moved those sickle mowers into my new polebarn, I wondered what I'll do with them... Just taking up space!

paul · Dec 19, 2014

I would use under.

If you are only in stemmy stuff like alfalfa, over works

In very fine grass, if your ledger plates are new and aggressive tooth, a case could be made for smooth sickles. Tho I find under to work best in most conditions.

Paul

Leroy · Dec 20, 2014

Under serated was designed for hay crops, over is designed for combines in like wheat straw that is already mature and dry. As long as I can remember was always serated guards and underserated sections on mower, this was starting back when only had horse drawn mowers. Combines had over with smooth guards from the earliest AC combines in the 30's.

Lazy WP · Dec 21, 2014

All depends on your conditions, and your experience.

Myself, I run smooth double guards(double hard), and under serrated sickle sections. I mow everything from Rye to fine stemmed short tough cutting meadow grasses, to alfalfa.
I have used sickle bars all my life, and to this point this combination works best for me.
I did have to rent a drum mower for a new meadow that hadn't been hayed in 30 years. To much dead junk, and rat nests in wet ground. Fought with it with my double bar for most of 4 hours to make less then 1 round.

Over or under

Dale c mi

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hd6gtom

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RayP(MI)

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paul

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Leroy

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Lazy WP

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