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Sickle bar mower clogging, continued

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JHunt

06-13-2002 20:55:51




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The topic is going to slip off the bottom of the page so I stared it over. I got the mower out this evening and after a good 10 or 15 minutes of cussing, got it mounted to the tractor. After giving the bar a good looking over while having the pulley turned, it looks like it is going about 1/4" farther in than it is going out. I didn't see any way of adjusting it so I unbolted the main bar from the housing to see if there was any play there. There wasn't. At one time, the part of the crank where the tapered socket is that the section bar bolts to has been broken off and re-welded. It looks to be a professional job, but I suspect they didn't get it positioned just right and that is the reason for the difference in the movement. I was debating on whether to slot the three holes where the main bar mounts and sliding it in 1/8" or taking out the section bar and welding up the pivot hole and redrilling it 1/8" closer to the end. I am leaning toward the latter as I am worried about having the bar shift around since the holes would no longer be tight to the bolts and there is no doubt alot of stress on them. Do you guys suppose it being off this small amount would cause it to cut that lousy? Is there some adjustment that I am missing to time it? If it isn't this my only other theories are not having the 3 point set right or the high hold downs are causing it to clog. Has anyone ever had trouble with the bigger hold downs causing the mower to clog? Thanks again.

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JMS/MN

06-15-2002 09:59:20




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 Re: Sickle bar mower clogging, continued in reply to JHunt, 06-13-2002 20:55:51  
Your knife register is out of adjustment. The sickle should move from the center of one guard to the center of the next. Do not re-do the holes where the bar bolts to the frame. There has to be an adjustment in the drive system for correct knife register. If you talk about a socket, I assume the mower is a pitman drive- metal or wooden arm connecting the pulley with eccentric, to the sickle. There should be slotted holes in that arm- usually on the end that the socket bolts to. Or the socket part should have slots in rather than just holes. Poor register will certainly result in a shaggy cut. Also, the advice about adjusting the bar so that the guards are level is correct- unless you have small stones in the field and they snag on the guards. If so, adjust the bar to a slightly upward angle.

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JHunt

06-15-2002 20:46:14




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 Re: Re: Sickle bar mower clogging, continued in reply to JMS/MN, 06-15-2002 09:59:20  
I should have gave more info when I restarted the topic so folks wouldn't have to go down and re-read that. It is a Massey Ferguson Model 31 Dynabalance. It has a tapered socket similar to a ball joint where the knuckle with the bearing that attaches to the section bar attaches to the crank. Hopefully there is some easy way to adjust the bar, but I don't see it. Thanks.



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JIMVA

06-16-2002 08:26:34




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 Re: Re: Re: Sickle bar mower clogging, continued in reply to JHunt, 06-15-2002 20:46:14  
Is your mower belt driven or pitman driven



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JHunt

06-16-2002 21:29:50




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 Re: Re: Re: Re: Sickle bar mower clogging, continued in reply to JIMVA, 06-16-2002 08:26:34  
It is a belt driven mower.



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JHunt

06-16-2002 21:29:28




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 Re: Re: Re: Re: Sickle bar mower clogging, continued in reply to JIMVA, 06-16-2002 08:26:34  
It is a belt driven mower.



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Michael Soldan

06-15-2002 04:25:18




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 Re: Sickle bar mower clogging, continued in reply to JHunt, 06-13-2002 20:55:51  
J Hunt, just another thought...my drive belt can appear tight but when you get into heavy cutting you can see the belt distorting and jumping on the pulley which signifies looseness..it can be tricky ...Mike in Exeter Ontario



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JHunt

06-15-2002 00:19:36




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 Re: Sickle bar mower clogging, continued in reply to JHunt, 06-13-2002 20:55:51  
I didn't even try to cut anything with it as I know I won't do anything until I change something. I agree about cutting it wet, and around here it is so hard to get 3 good days in a row, I would never even try to cut it when it's wet. I am also skeptical about the timing being off that small amount making a big difference, but I would like to eliminate it as a problem just for peace of mind. The belt tension idea is another thing I have to check out. I do think the belts may be a little loose, but I don't ever remember having any trouble them slipping, though. I would still like to know if there is an easier way the adjust the timing other than what I stated above. Thanks for the responses.

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JHunt

06-15-2002 00:17:18




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 Re: Sickle bar mower clogging, continued in reply to JHunt, 06-13-2002 20:55:51  
I didn't even try to cut anything with it as I know I won't do anything until I change something. I agree about cutting it wet, and around here it is so hard to get 3 good days in a row, I would never even try to cut it when it's wet. I am also skeptical about the timing being off that small amount making a big difference, but I would like to eliminate it as a problem just for peace of mind. The belt tension idea is another thing I have to check out. I do think the belts may be a little loose, but I don't ever remember having any trouble them slipping, though. I would still like to know if there is an easier way the adjust the timing other than what I stated above. Thanks for the responses.

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Michael Soldan

06-14-2002 17:28:12




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 Re: Sickle bar mower clogging, continued in reply to JHunt, 06-13-2002 20:55:51  
J Hunt, I have a McCormick sickle bar mower mounted on three point hitch, wobble box etc. The belt drive is the key issue to making it either work like a charm or clog up constantly. As mentioned sickle bars won't work well in wet grass and they won't work well in short fine grass, course mature hay cuts well with a sickle mower. ( that is the bigger the stalk the better the cutting) The belt tension must be tight or my mower won't work..when set right it makes perfect cutting and I do about 12-15 acres of hay every year. Yor mower should be tilted so the guards are running horizontal to the ground. You have to play around a bit to find the right ground speed for you mower. Too slow and the hay doesn't clear away properly, too fast and the bar slides over the hay. If you are cutting hay wait till mid day or till the dew has dried off. My 80+year old neighbour says if you cut with dew on the hay it takes an extra day to dry...think he's right too. Good luck from Mike in Exeter Ontario

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LH

06-13-2002 22:37:59




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 Re: Sickle bar mower clogging, continued in reply to JHunt, 06-13-2002 20:55:51  
You say you tried out this evening, was there any dew on the grass you were trying to cut. You can't cut wet grass with a sickle bar and avoid plugging. a quarter inch difference in timing doesn't sound that bad as long as the cutter bar if going all the way over the ledger plates. Make sure the blade is not floating up off the ledger plates when the mower is operating, use the correct hold downs and shims if need be to keep it tight.Another possibility is if your ground speed is too fast for the mowing you are trying to do.

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