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Implement Alley Discussion Forum

Sickle bar Knives, self sharpening?

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Dennis34

04-25-2005 16:21:55




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Help, I have got a sickle bar mower and the blades need replacing, I am sick of sharpening the blades, are there any self sharpening blades or long life blades around? i was thinking of using serrated combine knives as these are supposed to be self sharpening but i am told these will not work in grass? Thanks for your help.




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R. John Johnson

04-25-2005 21:29:49




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 Re: Sickle bar Knives, self sharpening? in reply to Dennis34, 04-25-2005 16:21:55  
We have been using underserrated sections with double guards on our IH 1100 mowers for three years now. We cut mainly wild hay, which can be very hard to cut. These sections cut until they are wore out and we simply replace them. Used to use heavy smooth sections with the single rock guards. they would not stay sharp all day. We had to have a second knife with sharp sections and change knives mid-afternoon. Big chore changing knives in two mowers twice a day and having 4 sharp knives ready at the start of the day. Now we just lube the mowers and start cutting.

Just about any section will cut alfalfa.

John

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kyhayman

04-25-2005 19:11:52




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 Re: Sickle bar Knives, self sharpening? in reply to Dennis34, 04-25-2005 16:21:55  
I put a set of over serrated sections on my NH 474 haybine (I dont use it much). Big mistake, they may be self sharpening but wont cut alfalfa mix hardly at all. Wet back to under serrated and kept this set for coarse stemmy stuff like soybeans.



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WyoDave

04-25-2005 20:34:47




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 Re: Sickle bar Knives, self sharpening? in reply to kyhayman, 04-25-2005 19:11:52  
Kyhayman. I don't doubt what you're saying here I just have a question. Why do you think that was? Our new Newholland has overserrated sections and will cut alfalfa/grass mix hay at 7 mph all day with no problems. Do you think it has anything to do with stroke length or speed, or just the machines. Ours is 1475 mower-conditioner. Just picking your brain a little.
David



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kyhayman

04-26-2005 03:48:47




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 Re: Sickle bar Knives, self sharpening? in reply to WyoDave, 04-25-2005 20:34:47  
My guess would be the guards. I could be wrong. What kind are you running? I dont use the mower that much any more but would like to have the option.



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WyoDave

04-26-2005 06:47:00




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 Re: Sickle bar Knives, self sharpening? in reply to kyhayman, 04-26-2005 03:48:47  
Well its their new HS header they put on their self propelled models, but ours is on a pivot-tongue frame. The guards are the double-tine new holland guards. This machine came frome the factory that way, and I'm sure that is why it works. I just assumed you could retrofit about any sickle to use the overserrated type sections. But you probably are right about it being the guards.
David



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paul

04-26-2005 08:57:23




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 Re: Sickle bar Knives, self sharpening? in reply to WyoDave, 04-26-2005 06:47:00  
But, you have a reel to pull away the cuttings.... This thread started out with a sickle mower I think, no reel, the cuttings just fall.....

Alfalfa will cut with about anything, stemmy.

Finer stem and/or dewy grass is the real problem with a bare sickle mower, top serrated sections are often miserable on such a setup. It wants to hold & chew on the stems, rather than release them & cut new stuff, and balls up horribly.

I've had real good luck with underserrated, and many mower bars have serrated ledger plates & these work real well with unserrated sections. Tho unserrated sections do seem to dull up real quick.

For a bare sickle mower I would go for underserrated sections 80-90% of the time, as they hold their edge & work quite well in the widest set of conditions.

Now, a machine with a reel is a whole different game, top serrated & aggressive cutting is a good thing, the reel will clear away the cut material.

--->Paul

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WyoDave

04-26-2005 11:22:40




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 Re: Sickle bar Knives, self sharpening? in reply to paul, 04-26-2005 08:57:23  
Paul, I'm sure you're right about a straight sickle. I know our sickle mower has over-serrated section on it because we have those around for the mower conditioner and just use them on the sickle mower too. We only use our sickle to mow about 8-10 miles of roadsides and ditch banks so there is no harm with poorer cutting. I don't know anything about cutting hay with a sickle mower. What I was really interested in is when kyhayman said he didn't like them in his 474 haybine. I've told several neighbors that own simmilar machines that we use over-serrated sections in our haybine and really like them and am a little worried I gave them advice they won't enjoy. David

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kyhayman

04-26-2005 14:44:40




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 Re: Sickle bar Knives, self sharpening? in reply to WyoDave, 04-26-2005 11:22:40  
I think all three of us may be onto something (the two Davids and Paul). Most of the fields where I had the problem had a lot of orchard grass, and I tend to cut WET. It may be the orchard grass balling up the bar made worse with guards for underserrated. I've been putting some brain cells to it, planning on using the conditioner a lot more this year. In the past few years Ive been almost all disc mower but for round bale silage I like the swath from the haybine. Getting ready to deal with my wet hay now, soon as the rain stops got 80 acres of triticale that will be ready.

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WyoDave

04-26-2005 15:10:36




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 Re: Sickle bar Knives, self sharpening? in reply to kyhayman, 04-26-2005 14:44:40  
That could be a lot of the problem. I can't tell you anything about cutting wet hay. It just doesn't happen around here. We have to wait for the dew in the morning just to have enough moisture to bale. Then we cut all afternoon and its bone dry than. All I know is our haybine will cut alfala/grass and even straight grass like there is no tomorrow. It leaves the field looking like a mowed lawn. In fact we stole a couple fields of hay from a custom operater with a disc mower because the owner didn't like the way the disc mower left the field looking, but he really liked the way it looked cut with the sickle type haybine. Semi-retired farmers compete here for the "better-looking" farm. David

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