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Massey Ferguson sickle mower, worth and parts

O

OldFarmall450

Member
I found a MF 7' sickle mower, I couldn't see a model #, it's a 3pt, and I have a cpl questions. It's belt driven, doesn't use a Pittman arm, has two idler pulleys. The idler pulleys are frozen, how hard is it to R&R them, can I get replacement parts? The belt is missing also. The bar had grass growing over it, I didn't want to appear to interested until I found out more about it. Can someone who's used one speak about its pros and cons? What's it worth? The belt cover is missing too.

Thanks all.
 
The biggest thing is the Dyna-Balance head any good. If it has problems, then the mower is good for parts. I have a model 41. They are good mowers, but I use it for trimming banks etc.. I have mowed hay with at times, before getting a disc mower.

Idler pulleys should not be a problem. I have even cut them apart replaced bearings and put back together with machine screws and nuts.

Garry
 
The idlers are common parts, The bearings on the crankshaft are the problem. they go bad and ruin the crank. Some then weld the bearings on the crank,
one time fix had one that someone had done that.
 

Sounds like a 41.

Belt can be had from A&I "cheap" idlers I believe are standard off the shelf ones.

I'd be most concerned the dyna balance head turns and works. Mower is junk if it doesn't.....

Mowed for years with a 6 foot one. Still have it, was bought new and served well, but no comparison to a disc mower.
 


Not all had (or still have?) belt cover so no worries. Older ones had MF logo right on the frame, later ones with cover had it on the shield. Ours is approx 1983 and it has the boxy MF logo on the shield.

As far as price? They "ask" $1000 or so here for them. If it's in the shape you say, I'd pay scrap.
 
Cast gear box is a 31, welded gear box is a 41. Gear box is the key. If the gear box is fried the mower is trash. If
the gear box is good, it is the best belt sickle mower ever made.....but it is a sickle mower. The best one ever made
....is not in the same league with a disc or drum mower. Parts are available.
 
(quoted from post at 11:59:05 08/07/16) The biggest thing is the Dyna-Balance head any good. If it has problems, then the mower is good for parts. I have a model 41. They are good mowers, but I use it for trimming banks etc.. I have mowed hay with at times, before getting a disc mower.

Idler pulleys should not be a problem. I have even cut them apart replaced bearings and put back together with machine screws and nuts.

Garry
Click to expand...

Thanks everyone for the help...how would I know if the dyna balance is good? I turned the wheel almost a full turn and the mechanism moved, but the sickle bar wouldn't move...I think because grass was covering it.
 
(quoted from post at 11:59:05 08/07/16) The biggest thing is the Dyna-Balance head any good. If it has problems, then the mower is good for parts. I have a model 41. They are good mowers, but I use it for trimming banks etc.. I have mowed hay with at times, before getting a disc mower.

Idler pulleys should not be a problem. I have even cut them apart replaced bearings and put back together with machine screws and nuts.

Garry
Click to expand...

Thanks everyone for the help...how would I know if the dyna balance is good? I turned the wheel almost a full turn and the mechanism moved, but the sickle bar wouldn't move...I think because grass was covering it.
 

The sickle HAS to move when the pulley is turned, unless the bolt holding the sickle to the gearbox is loose/broken/gone.
 
If it don't move the blade as you rock the pulley, it needs work. I have had 2 of the dyna balance 41 and I forget the other number. They can be expensive.
 

The mower was backed up tight against a barb wire fence so I couldn't see what model it was. It had been parked there a while. I'm almost certain its a cast gearbox. Upon reflection I didn't turn the wheel much more than a half turn, I saw the crank that held the cutter bar move, but the blade was bound up.

Like I said, the blade was laying in the grass, with several years of grass grown over it, I hope that's the main reason the sickle wouldn't move when I hand turned the pulley. But I'm not certain. The owner has a tractor salvage yard, he says he has another at the other end of the property, and expecting another one in a few days.

When I go back ill take a weedeater and trim the grass covering the bar and see if it turns. Can I turn it fast enough by hand to see if its in working order? What should I look out for?

Thanks
 

At this point all you can do is get it for scrap $$$ and see if it can be made to work. If sickle is rusted in place it might not even be salvagable, if just bound with grass, weed whacker might help.

Look at the left hand lift pin, there is a lever that the lower link on the tractor touches, controls the cutter bar pivot... I've seen those broken
 
I've got a 31 that I picked up for very little. Replaced all the sections, the belt, and idler pulleys, and it works great. The only problem I've had was a part inside the box broke at an old, poorly done weld. You can't get that part, the dealer called it "obsolete, and unavailable". Took the whole thing apart, and had a friend who is a great welder fix it. Everything works fine now, but some parts may be hard or impossible to get
 
Speed in that is a no consideration, as slow as you can turn it is better and if there is any play before the knife moves in conjunction to the wheel there is a problem someplace.
 
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