Mower cutting sections

I have the blade out of my haybine and want to put new sections on the blade. How is the best way to take off the old ones and put the new ones on? They are braded on the blade now. Do I need one of those sickle section tools or grind the brads off?

Awesome! I just posted my first question and I might be able to answer one withing the same hour!

If it's riveted, you can use an angle grinder and grind the upper (section) side and punch it out with the knife placed over some chunk of metal with a hole in it (I use a huge nut on top of an anvil). Make sure you punch the centre with a thinner punch (as long as it can take the abuse) and give it a few good whacks to get it started, you don't want to spread it out instead of drive out. A lot of people say it's easier to grind the head off from the lower side of the knife, but this really depends how the rivets were installed. I always grind on the section side (upper) as this way you're not taking material off the knife bar, only the sections.

Alternatively, if you have a larger vise, you can lay the knife with the sections down in the vise, making sure the knife back is in contact with the vise jaws along the entire jaw length. Tighten the jaws only enough to lightly come up on the sections. You'll have have someone else holding the knife up to make sure it gets full contact along the vise. Make sure you're both wearing goggles and slam down on the rear end of the section (facing up in the vise). A little bit of the section sticks back behind the knife bar, so when you whack it it shears the rivets and drives the section off and down through the vise jaws while the knife back is still supported. This technique can be very fast, but you need two people. You also MUST make sure the knife bar is in contact with the vise jaws for the full width of the jaws. Otherwise you'll dent and slightly bend the knife and the section won't shear off.

Should have mentioned: If you opt to grind the rivets from the top of the knife, hold the section on the the bar really tightly with a pair of vise-grips until both rivets are punched out. Otherwise as you're whacking the section will wiggle off and you'll end up with the rivet sticking up from the bar, and you can't punch it out since it'll just spread out and essentially rivet itself to the bar again, though this time with no section attached. If you don't replace the sections that often (in our rocky soil section repair is an almost daily operation) it might just be easier to grind from the bottom since you really do take hardly any material from the bar, as long as you've a steady hand.

Most of the manuals I have looked in said to use a vise and hammer to pop the rivets. Takes two or an inventive way to hold the end of the bar. Lay it in the vise in such a way that the back bar sits on one jaw and the section is between them and held lightly like the other guy said. Now days I have been switching all my sickle type mowers to bolt on sections so as to replace them easy

Easiest and quickest way to do it is to use a vice and a good sledge hammer. Like the other poster said rest the bar itself on top of the jaw and strike the back of the section with a good blow and it will shear the rivet right off. DO yourself a favor and switch to bolts the secure your sections.

Thanks for all the good advice. I will try each way and see what works best for me. Will bolts work on any guard, or do you need special guards when using bolts?

Here is something most people don't know, or only figure out the hard way. On anything that you are trying to drive out with a punch, if it is really tight, use a tapered punch with the correct end diameter to get it started. A straight punch flexes, absorbing some of the power of the plow, and will often actually bend, after which it is about useless.

Some sort of punch handle also makes it more effective, because you can swing away at it without worrying about your knuckles.

However you put the new ones on, do yourself a favor, and invest in the tool for pressing rivets out in the field. It enables you to replace just a single section without removing the knife. Be aware also that you need two different length rivets. I don't know what you mean by brades.

I always just snap the rivet heads off with a cold chisel, and punch them out. Or you can sometimes just whack the tip of the section, toward the back , with the bar held in a vice. Most of the time the rivets will shear off and you can punch out the remnants.

the vise works but if you have a cheaper one it gets hard on the jaws, otherwise lay a length of railroad rail on the side and lay the sickle vertically on the bottom,doing too many with a vice or rail can bow the strap some, sickle servicers can be bought for $5-10 on farm sales and can shear the rivets, punch them out and re-rivet them

Air chisel is faster and doesn't bow the backstrap. Rerivet the same way with the air hammer.

Dad always used the anvil, which most probably don't have today. Just sit sickle bar on edge of good anvil and hit sickle section and shear rivet. It was a good solid object and worked great and chances were less that you would bend the sickle with the long length of the anvil. The only drawback was that it was a 2 man job, or a man and boy.

That's exactly how we used to do it.

Ever consider just buying a new bolted-on section complete knife? You'll get a new knife head as well. If the knife is done, the guards are probably done as well. Get a price on a complete cutter bar. The cost may suprise you and you'll have a new machine as far as the cutting goes....Ron

Using a vise is a simple, easy way to get the sections off. Great time to switch to bolts. As for needing a helper- no......just make yourself a very handy shop tool to hold the other end.... An adjustable pipe stand. Heavy large pulley, or wheel rim, for a base....weld a pipe to it vertically, Drill a hole near the top end, weld a nut over the hole. Bolt is used to secure the second pipe where needed. Second pipe fits inside the first, and has a quarter by one inch flat strap with the ends turned up slightly to cradle the work, welded across one end. Use that tool to support the sickle bar.

I have multiple spots on the workbench where I welded mounts for the upper pipe- very handy when working with various lengths of hyd cyl, bars, etc. At the drill press or chop saw I use the base of the tool to hold the inner pipe.

Replace the rivets with bolts. Best thing since sliced bread. Never had one loosen up and you can change a section in the field in 2 minutes. I carry a small ratchet with me.

I agree with purchasing a new assembly. It's pretty easy for me to just pull a worn sickle out completly and put in my rebuilt whenever I need to. Plus you can replace blades when you have time in your shop.

If you are going to replace all of them buy a new bar complete from a farm and fleet store. Cheaper and you get a straight bar and good head.
Get a new bushing too. Should be able to get serrated section 9 footer for jsut over 100 bucks.

He might have to change the hold down plates also if changing to bolts due to clearance of the nut

They make a special bolt and locking nut for the purpose. Farm stores around here stock them right along side rivets and sections.

On maintenance, they make a field removal tool for about $50 that allows you to remove and install a section in the field.

Otherwise a grinder and punch worked for me. Reinstallation was no problem either with bolts and nuts. Rivets required a 3-4# maul and deadman of equal weight.

Mark