new mower guards

[Donn Hewes]

I just learned of a new mower guard I am excited to try. They are called the “easy cut system”. They are after market guards for a haybine or a combine but I was told about them from a horse farmer in ontario who uses them on a #7 mower with a six foot bar. It is alittle hard to believe the holes will line up but since I am getting ready to put a new mower together I think I will buy one and see how I like it, then buy the rest. See pictures of them at this web site: http://www.schumacherlc.com/ Click on easy cut.

[416Jonny]

Looks sound in principle. Roller bearings are not a bad idea.

I would take a few things into consideration though.

Roller bearings by design cannot take an impact (direct thrust) load nearly as well as a solid contact bearing, but I don’t believe a cutter bar is put under that type of load very often, so that might be a moot point.

Lubrication? What type and at what intervals?

From the sickle bar mowers I’ve worked on, they are all fairly universal in construction. I think one of the few older pieces of farm equipment that weren’t really much different from one maker to the next. I don’t see why this wouldn’t work on just about any application.

What are you trying to achieve by using this guard system? I’d be interested in finding out what you’d gain by using it. Could lead to more improvement to the design of these mowers.

I really like those guards though. With support on the top, that’ll help resolve the issue that I’ve seen. The old guards tend to bend upwards (am I preaching to the choir yet?). I think matching bolt holes won’t be a big issue. I think they might not be all that forgiving of a bent bar.

Did the gentleman you referred to say anything about using them?

I’d really like to here about how it works out!

Jonny B.

[Plowboy]

I hadn’t seen this roller system yet. The Fort Plain Amish settlement retro fits stub guards “guards with no tops” for the first three at the heel to prevent plugging if you over lap your swath. They then use haybine guards for the rest of the bar. The haybine guards seem to be of better design than the OEM guards. The bolt holes all line up on everything so no modification is necessary. If the roller system is too expensive you may want to try this option. It seems anything you do now with parts or hardware adds up fast. The haybine guards would be available through your local farm machinery dealer as a stock item.

[Lane Linnenkohl]

Some of the Amish in my area are using these. I looked at them a couple of years ago, they are pricey. I asked an Amish equipment dealer and serviceman about them. He said they are better, but for my money, I’d be better off with the haybine guards.

I use the same setup that plowboy is talking about with the 3 stub guards and the rest haybine guards. Works well for me.

Lane

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