antique horse drawn sickle bar mower

chickim · Jun 7, 2017

I am having a hard time finding out what model our mower is. I cannot find a name and the only identifying mark is 4875E. We would like to use it to cut hay but am having a hard time getting it to work. It will cut grass but binds up when cutting hay. Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Bret4207 · Jun 8, 2017

A horse drawn mower, or any sickle bar mower, is a precision cutting instrument. If you have, say, 20 knife sections and guards, that's 40 knife and ledger plate interfaces that have to meet near perfectly. It's like having 40 sets of scissors in a row all having to work perfectly. And, the angle of the bar to the hay has to be right too. The bar tends to drag back a bit, so there is lead that has to be built into the machine and adjusted over time. Then there's the horizontal angle of attack of the guard into the hay. That also wears or has to be changed depending on the type of hay or conditions and pole length. There's a book out called "The Horse Drawn Mower" by Lynn Miller that outlines and addresses all this. Might be worth looking at. Of course if the mower has been dragged behind a tractor for years and bunged up, it may not be repairable at all. That book also has pics of a lot of different brands IIRC. A photo here might get you a possible ID as to make, but be advised there were hundreds of makers of mowers over the years. If it's not a common brand (Deere, IHC, Case, etc) you might not ever ID it.

Farmallb · Jun 10, 2017

I take it you got this mower cheap. NOW, your going to have to spend some money on it to make it work. I have a book $25 also by L R Miller titled Haying with Horses, or something like that. It also tells some about mowers.
#1 Check to see that the upper lips on the rock guards DONT TOUCH the top of the sickle, BUT are REALLY close.
#2 Take out the sickle and take it to a professional sharpener in some town that has one. Just look under sharpeners in ?????????? town. Mine cost $35, But boy was it worth it.
#3 Sight along the pitman rod down the length of the bar. IF the bar is slanted back then you have to reset it forward. That is done at the inside end of the bar.
Frankly, Im supprised that it will cut grass but not alfalfa/clover/ect. Should be the other way around.

antique horse drawn sickle bar mower

chickim

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Bret4207

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Farmallb

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