lightweight sickle mower prototype now on YouTube

[Anonymous]

I finally got video of that mower I was building last winter on the Intertubes. The quality is crappy, but you can see that it actually cuts hay. It worked with a five-foot bar, but I switched to a 3-foot to make it more maneuverable and easier on the ponies. The hay is Manitoba August native grass, super thick and wet from rain all the day before, but it still cut good with sharp sickles.

Oh, I am using a 12-inch pulley which reduced vibration, and a 3.5 HP motor which is much quieter but still has enough power. I also threw out the old roto-tiller clutch design, and switched to the Chilean mower design, which moves the whole engine to tighten the belt. The lever may look familiar to those who have used a #7 IHC!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO61T38J2kw&feature=plcp

[Anonymous]

I also posted a vid of the McCormick-Deering conveyor style hayloader I restored last winter. It works great with very light draft and virtually no noise. I’ve never used a beater-type hayloader, but I suspect this kind is better, at least in terms of draft and noise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEZW2omtEE0&feature=plcp

If you ever see one of these things, buy it immediately because you can still get the important parts such as the steel detachable link chain #55 and the special connector links from any farm equipment dealer.

I’ve also posted a vid of the mower taken with an iphone so it might be better quality than the first.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xHocjDhTW8&feature=context-cha

[LongViewFarm]

Do you know who makes them and how/ where to purchase them. That doesn’t look like an antique. Larger versions available with wider bars?
Pretty slick mower.

[Anonymous]

The design is quite simple. You just take the cutter bar assembly off an old cast-iron frame and put it on a lighter weight chassis made from square tubing.

It works with a five-foot bar, too, but the side draft for my small ponies was a bit much, so I put a 3-foot bar on and found it worked better.

If people are interested, I can build them to order from recycled mower parts. The best part is that if you want to go back to the ground drive, you just have to put the bar assembly back on the old mower. So you haven’t destroyed anything.

I’m thinking about a new design that would put a John Deere #8 on the back of a forecart. It has a dolly wheel on behind, so that might eliminate tongue slap and weight.But that depends on how much free time I have this winter.

[Author]

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