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Not so good day in the field... FIXED sickle


simpli-dragon

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Well I got my ag lugs on to solve my traction issue so today I headed out to the field to cut some grass and weeds with the sickle mower. Once I got things figured out it was going great! I couldn't believe how much I was laying down and some of it was taller than my hat while sitting on the tractor!

Then just as I was thinking I how well this is going to work out... BREAK! :o

Disengaged everything and look down to see that the plate that attaches the arm to the cutter bar had come loose. On closer inspection I found that the cutter bar had actually broke beneath one of the sections. I headed back to the trailer. Once there I found that the bearings on the sickle crankshaft, that the pulley is on, were toast! I had checked things over for tightness and greased everything several times before and in between some test cutting that I had done. That was how I found out I need some different tires.

I tore everything down and found the shaft on the crankshaft was nasty. It looked like it had been running with a destructed bearing long before I got it. There were pieces of needles in the housing and that must have been why it felt tight.

So now I need a new sickle mower crank shaft... Does anyone have an extra... lol 8C

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sickle mowers were not meant to run at full throttle.

basically just fast enough so tractor does not stall

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I was only running about 1/3rd throttle, which was lower than the sickle operators manual setup suggested. It looks like the shaft bearings had damage long before I got to it. All new bearings and two rod ends on the way just need to do something about the shaft.

Killer... PM sent ;)

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Well I was able to get a new shaft machined and welded into the crank arm and heat treated. While I had it apart I went through everything and now it runs much quieter and smoother than before. I had to weld up the broken cutter bar and drill and tap the attachment arm holes.

It sure does lay down some grass and weeds too! Now I need to go get some hay picked up before tonight's rain ^

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