Self Sharpening Sickle Sections and Ledgers - Really?????

Reading the manual for my newly acquired Hesston 1110, the manual says to use top serrated sickle sections and that the sickle sections and ledger plates are self sharpening.

Sounds to good to be true.

For your haybine, be it Hesston, New Holland or any other make, are you relying on "self sharpening" sickle sections and ledger plates - or are you frequently pulling out the knife assembly and sharpening it? Also - do you keep spare knife assy's on hand?

Thanks!
Bill

Top serrated do sort of self sharpen, after a fashion, just as serrated ledgers do. No, not like you went after them with grinder, but sort of. You want an extra knife assy for when the bad finally breaks, and they do eventually break. No one I know "frequently" sharpens their knife assy. Guys using sickle bars and horse drawn, yes, but that reel on the haybine and the rollers carrying the hay away cover up am multitude of problems that would stop a sickle bar cold. I've read here of people changing the knife twice a day, etc., but changing a knife means loosening all the hold downs and retourqing the knife head bushing, etc. It's not something anyone around here does in the field.

I have never had the sickle out of my Gehl 2175 since new. If a section breaks, I replace that section, right in the machine. I check the guards for straightness daily, but have never sharpened the sickle. Yes, I do use the top serrated type of sections.

I had my 1120 for 21 years and never sharpened them. I did replace the knives and guards every other year. I ran close to 400 acres a year through it though. I used genuine Hesston parts. The guards didn't have replaceable ledger plates in them. It's been a long time since I've seen a guard with a ledger plate. I think I've still got a box of plates and rivets out in the shop for Dad's old Oliver 22B mower.

I thought ledger plates were a thing of the past in sickle guards. I know my sickle mower has them at the bar ends but none on my Haybine.

With bolt on sections if you got a dull one it can be replaced on the machine.

I keep a couple of boxes of sections,bolts ,and a half dozen guards around. Good Luck.

My junkpile Hesston had a hodgepodge of sickle sections on it when I bought it. It still has a hodge podge of guards but none of them have a replaceable ledger plate.

Over time, I have been replacing the worst ones with Hesston top serrated sections. Real easy to do as I do not even pull the knife to do it. (bolt on sections).

The official Hesston manual recommends using only top serrated sections and strongly recommends against using bottom serrated. Mine had some bottom serrated on it when I bought it. I have slowly weeded them out over time but saw no ill effects of running them until they were used up.

I do like the official Hesston sections best. I also have some TSC brand top serrated on there. Also if you look at the AGCO parts book there are two different part #'s for the sections being top serrated depending on serial #. Oddly the longer part # is cheaper and it is also like 0.015" inches thicker. This is the one I use for the thicker metal. Otherwise they are identical. (my deal stocks both).

Smooth sections: can be and must be sharpened often.

Bottom serrated: These can be sharpened a little if desired (again Hesston recommends not using these).

Top Serrated: Absolutely no way to sharpen these so you run em until they do not cut right.

(quoted from post at 15:34:50 12/13/15) ... I did replace the knives and guards every other year. I ran close to 400 acres a year through it though. ...

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Wow. Once I get all mine all up to a decent condition; then I may not have to replace my sections or guards again in my lifetime. I only cut about 18 acres a year on the machine (a rare year will be 24 acres if the year provides 4 cuts).

Lets just say 20 acres a year to keep my math easy. In 40 years I will have reached 800 acres and it will be due for new parts. Highly doubt I will still be cutting hay at 87 years old.

Just by their design the top/over serated section(especially the chrome ones) tend to be 'self sharpening'.Convert to bolted sections,they can be replaced right on the machine.There is a special 'tool' to help set the bolt,but you can get by without.What works for me is annually(spring),I pull the sickle and replace the bad sections.Then replace the bad(dull/broken) as needed.Your 'mileage will vary'. The newer style 2 point gaurds are hardened at the shear point/edge.They sort of 'self sharpen'. They do wear,eventually get a wide gap worn yet sort of maintain a 'sharp' edge.Some of my gards are WAY past needing replaced.They have a 1/4 to 3/8" gap.Still work,but give a 'fuzzy' cut in second cut grass.They eventially need to be replaced after several thousand acres at a cost of (approx)15 each.. As was said it is the reel that makes it work.The reel forgives the sin of a poor cutter bar.No,there is no 'elf' who continually sharpens with a little file....LOL!

I replace guards and sickles every 1200-1500 acres other than one that rocks get, the guards and sickle bars wear and let the sections move father back letting more material in between the points and causes excessive wear and stress on the drive systems, I never grind or sharpen sections they do sharpen on their own as they wear

My haybine sickles get pulled only once. That is when they are replaced. They will self sharpen to a point but then the cutting edge starts to get flat and blunt. That is when I scrap them. Sickles today are so cheap I just replace the whole works. Gaurds on the other hand last a much longer time.

no such thing, my sections are replaced every 3 years. Will replace all guardsand sections on the mower this spring, gets put down in the maintaince log for all machinery.

Thanks everyone for your replies - very good info.

Bill