Education, a good sickle mower

Not that anyone would ever take advantage of a un educated consumer....

Shopping sickle mowers, belt drive, 3 point. There is a IH 1300 for sale near me, for a reasonable price, ($500) the belt is broke however the seller claims it is ready to mow!

What do I look for to determine if a sickle is really in good shape beyone the obivous, bearings, paint and signs of impact damage?

L.
 
I have owned a whole lot of sickle mowers in my life and I have yet to buy one that was ready to take to the field.Some times its just a dull blade.If the seller says its ready he's already lied cause you can't mow with a broken belt(LOL).Hard to really check out the bearings without seeing it run.So you know you'll have to buy a belt and a sickle assembly so now you're up to about $700 before you buy it.
 
Yea, that's what I am thinking. Better off buying one that is "really" ready to mow.

Given my lack of knowledge, wondering if i should stick with a dealer, who might help educate me.

L.
 
I would buy a 1300 in a heart beat for $500, IF all it took was a belt. As others said, he already lied to you.
It wouldn't bother me, but I have been running sickle mowers for over 40 years, and have a pretty good idea what I am looking for too.
 
Buy a good book, ask questions online or ask an old neighbor; that will pretty well fill the gap of your knowledge.
 
One major thing in buying one is making sure you can get manual for it. There not a hard machine to work on and keep going but there are things that can cause major problems. I have rebuilt a good many over the years so to me it is easy but it took a good bit of playing and reading before I could take a piece of junk and make it into a good working machine
 
A lot to consider,
why did he not fix the belt, how long has it been setting unused?

A mower blade must be in good to excellent condition to cut heavy hay, you have never been more frustrated than having to stop every few hundred feet, back up to clear a jam or plug up.

A cycle mower can be a dangerous machine, you must keep fingers out of the blade.

How much is a belt, if you are really interested, it might be worth the price of the belt for you to buy it and give the old machine a good try out, before you buy his problem.

Later sell the belt on eBay, if you do not buy the mower.

An old plow or disc you can make do with a less than top condition machine, not so with a mower,

you have a good one in top condition or you have one like mine, great machine to cut weeds or trim around the pond, but would drive you nuts trying to cut heavy hay.
 
If it has no belt, you can turn the pulley as fast as you can to see if the gear box is working and operating the cutter bar as it should. Maybe the belt is conveniently AWOL so you won't realize the gearbox is toast.
 
Thanks everyone! I am studying the sickle mower technology! I guess when I buy one, there will be a test! LOL

I think I will pass on this one. Witn my lack of experience, I will maybe look for one that is operational and cut my teeth on a smaller list of problems,,,, like did I set it up correctly for my tractor.

This site is the best book I have found!

L.
 
A 1300 for $500 may be a bargain. Find a 1300 owner to go look at it with you. The wobble box and shaft is expensive if damaged, but should never need more than bearings. To check, hold the driven pulley in your left hand and the sickle head in your right hand, wiggle the pulley and hold the sickle head. There should be no slack. Store it inside or with the sickle bar down so water drains. Early 1300's have one grease zerk inside the wobble box covered with a plug; later 1300's have two, one above the other. Get the operator manual and be sure you adjust the leade of the sickle bar correctly. Some have never been adjusted. Keep sharp sickles and good guards and ledger plates in the guards. I use a hobble chain between the top link clevis and halfway up the carrier bar so I can control the height of the inside of the sickle bar. My hydraulic cylinder (my replacement for the cable to hitch height control) controls the height of the outside of the sickle bar. Well maintained sickle bar mowers are the most efficient mower yet developed.(IMHO)
 
Given that the balanced head on that mower is a pricey item to fix or replace and that they can be damaged by someone who does not take the time to get a manual and find out how to take care of it properly, I will stand with those who say go buy a belt, lube it to specs, and give it a good run. If the fella doesn't like this idea, it's not such a great price that I would take the risk. If you shop diligently, you will find a very similar mower for a lot less.
 
Send me an e-mail and I'll send you a manual for a A/C sickle mower and by reading ti you may learn a bit about them to as to have a better idea about them
 
Buy the correct belt. Take your tractor to the mower. Install the belt. Hook mower to your tractor. Ask seller for the manual.Ask if he has tool to bend guards. Grease it. Mow something. Listen for "loud clacking noise. Check for real hot sections or guards.
 

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