John Deere sickle bar mower questons

dennis james

New User
I have an old John Deere sickle bar mower that I hope to cut hay with this summer. It may be a Number 5, but I am not certain of that.I suspect I will need parts for it and i am not sure if I will be able to get them.

Can any one tell me if this mower is a number 5 or some other model from the following parts numbers? These numbers are embossed on the parts. Gear box cover: Z1051-H, Gear box body:Z976-H, Sickle yoke/arch: Z971-H+, PTO slip clutch (missing a number or letter in front) _205-H.

My concerns are about the u-joints and the pto drive shaft. The u-joints are of an old style that the left and right sides bolt together. I am concerned that the bearings may be worn out and I do not know if I can get replacements.

Also, the front section of the pto shaft (towards tractor) is a 1 inch by 1 inch square shaft. It appears to be too big for the hole it goes in. Looks very sloppy. The corners do catch when rotated, but it turns pretty far inside and does not look right to me.

Can anyone give any advice if the shaft is the incorrect size and/or how i can get u-joints or other parts for this mower?
 
By your part numbers you have a No. 5 mower. JD still sells many of the parts. I rebuilt mine a few years ago and was able to get bearings, seals and most of the gaskets I needed. You can also try Webb's Sickle Service and ebay. Lots of used parts on ebay. I was only able to get new leather cups for the u joints from JD. The crosses themselves are no longer available and I could not locate a close match at my local tractor supply. I didn't look too hard because mine had minimal wear. I bought 1x1 bar stock from tractor supply and made a new pto shaft for mine. I also had to get a different size end to fit the pto shaft on my tractor. I would start there as there were two size pto shafts years ago. My 1x1 bar does run a far ways down into the slip clutch but when you go up or down an incline you will want the extra so it does not come out of the slip clutch.
 
My # 5 has the z1051h cover. If your pto is that loose, the hole in the cast slip clutch must be worn badly. Mine is also 1"x1". I have seen some crude ways of shimming it up but look around as Deere made many of these mowers starting in the mid 30s to the mid 50s. I grew up on one and it is a fine cutting machine when properly adjusted and maintained. My housing is stamped z1038h? Number change? Deere usually kept the same part # unless there was a reason to change.
 
There's a fella on here from TX who is very knowledgeable about JD mowers in general. He can add whatever info the others may have missed. I used the JD #5 mower to cut hay for several years. It is a pretty cool machine to play around with as long you keep the lubrication on schedule (and there is one that comes to mind that needs greasing every couple hours). Also needs to be set up right and adjusted properly. Nothing wrong with them.

Having said that, a lot is going to depend on how much hay you are going to cut. I have cut up to 15 acres with one and would not do it again. These are really old mowers. They break down. Best source of parts is one or two extra mowers in the fence row. Some parts still sold by JD but can be really pricey. If you want to know the truth, there are parts on the mower that are worth more than the entire mower. Last lift assist spring I bought cost me more than I paid for the two mowers I had. If you are serious about cutting hay, I would look for a better alternative...faster and more reliable. Something without a pitman. Possibly an older mower/conditioner. If you are just playing at 5-10 acres, then have at it and enjoy your trip thru yesteryear.
 
I have several #5 JD mowers for parts and also NOS U-Joints, NOS 7'sickle bar with knifes, good used drive shafts, pitman arm assemblies, rubber and steel tail wheels, all kinds of drawbar mounts, footlift assemblies, Etc... Email is open
 

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