Ron’s IH Mowers

[Demented Donkey Dame]

Just passing this info on…

I am Ron Henrickson at Polson, Mt. I have a number of mowers, parts and I am in the process of restoring them. I have traveled to Missouri, Arizona, Indiana and places in between to find horse drawn equipment.
I use Lynn Miller’s Book, The Horsedrawn Mower Book, and my personal conversations with Lynn, Kai Christensen of Polson and Pete Weimer of Pablo in the restoring of the equipment.

I have two #7 I-H mowers that are field ready and excellent machines. I have four #9 I-H mowers, one is field ready and the others are ready to reconstruct, depending on the type of mower that the buyer desires. I have three mowers with new rubber tires, the wheels have been sandblasted and power coated to the original color, one set of Beachy Amish wheel that have been adapted to the rubber wheel spokes as well narrow and wide metal wheels. I have truck wheels for the mowers that are steel for 2 or more horses and newer type Amish single wheel, truck wheels. I have new and used poles and hardware, as well as eveners and yokes. I also have bearings, bushings and oil seals for the equipment. One of the #7 and one of the #9 mowers are High Gear.

I also have one very rare #6 Giant I-H Trailer Mower that has been totally reconditioned with new a new pole and stub that is totally intact and working. I also have a three bar New Idea side delivery rake that has been totally reconditioned with a new pole and seat. I also have cultivators, plows and discs,

I can send photos if interested and would welcome a visit from anyone. Could you please forward this to the membership and anyone with an interest in horse drawn equipment. Thanks Ron

Ron Henrickson MD
32318 Bisson Lane
Polson, MT. 59860
406-883-5723
406-250-4417 cell

[Big Horses]

Sounds like he’s got alot of great stuff! He’s only about 50 miles from me, so may have to go visit one day.
I guess I’m different (or dumb), but I never did understand the total fascination with the enclosed gear mowers. Yeah, they’re great, but there’s really nothing wrong with the open gear mowers either… especially with the modern gear lubricants. That being said, I love my Big4 JD’s :p A poorly adjusted mower is a pain to pull and cut with, no matter if it’s enclosed or open geared. Lynn started to address open gears in his book, but never really does. I’d love to hear others’ opinions, especially from an “experience of operations” standpoint.
John

[Demented Donkey Dame]

John, it’s always nice to meet with like minded folks. I hope someday it works out for you both!

[Mac]

John –
I’ve on to my second open-geared #6 IH in 13 years. You can see where I’ve posted on here about it. I really like mine, its easier to work on for me and my limited mechanical facilties. The first one I had was extremely old and one day the main gear blew apart, so I pushed it off back in the fence row and a friend gave me another one that I’ve used thru one hay season with great sucess. I had a chance to use a neighbor’s 7 and 9, and have decided that I just like the way mine runs better, and I think it cuts better myself. I would like to have rubber on mine, but I guess I can do without. I’ll say this for my closing thought: all mowers are good mowers if they’re set properly, the sections sharp, and they’re well taken care of.
Mac

PS – You can see a picture of me using it in the gallery. Its a sure-fine machine!

[jac]

None of the British built mower’s were enclosed until the tractor pulled ones arrived.. or least im pretty sure on that, but as usual i may be wrong.. as Mac says.. well set up mowers of either design work well..
John

[Big Horses]

That’s been my opinion too, guys. I figure they lasted this long, I doubt there’s really any huge problems with them. Sure, the enclosed gears are less to keep up, but for as much as most people use them, with just a little upkeep, they’ll go forever and do a fine job of cutting when adjusted properly, yet it seems that the popular belief is that they’re something to “look down on”. This is reflected in prices at most auctions… it just doesn’t make that much sense to me, and I was wondering if I was totally missing something.
John

[near horse]

I wonder if the benefit of the enclosed gear mowers might be in how well the “survived” being drug around behind tractors at speeds they weren’t designed for. BTW- I have a Big 6 that blew the main gear as well – should have broke the pitman stick but the cast “spokes” just shattered instead. Balster’s had a brand new gear for me but I started using a #9 before I got the 6 back together.

[Big Horses]

I’m sure that the enclosed gears benefited from constant oil bath lubrication, and especially as you said Geoff, when they were being drug around by a tractor! Before the development of the modern lubricants that aren’t attracting dust and abrasives, the enclosed gear would be a big leap ahead! I just smile a bit at the people that think they have to have an enclosed gear or a “high gear” or they don’t figure it’s any good.
I haven’t had any problems with gears blowing, but have heard of that as well. On something that old, anything’s possible, and we don’t know it’s whole life history…who knows.:confused:
Great input guys! I’d love to hear more!
John

[Mac]

@near horse 30290 wrote:

BTW- I have a Big 6 that blew the main gear as well

Geoff, I think my got something bound up between the main gear and the smaller drive gear, like pea gravel maybe, and thats what caused it to bust. I never could find another #6 so I used a Case for about two or three years and then a gentleman here town gave me the #6 you see here. I almost made a one horse mower out of it but decided against the idea. I still believe I can out-cut anybody with a #9 any day of the week, and I have outdone 7’s before. I’d like to ask, do either of you use the crazy wheel on your mowers? I personally do not, mainly because I refuse to give $125 or higher for it and I cant take cutting that good tongue in half!
Mac

[Jay]

I don’t bother with a crazy wheel. I use new england “D” ring harness, so the weight of the pole is on my horses’ backs, not their necks. It also holds the pole right with the horses so if they move 1″ to one side, the pole moves too. Makes accuracy a bit easier. I think the overall condition and level of adjustment of the mower has much more to do with the way it cuts than which # mower it is. “Does your mower hum like a sewing machine?” Jay

[Mac]

I just was thinking… I don’t believe I’ve ever used a mower with my team with a set of breeching on. Hames and chains and backbands and thats about all. If you’re tongue’s mounted right, then your mower should be balanced enough to take the weight off their necks. I’d be interested to hear about what the rest of you do as far as harnessing to mowers and rakes, and also about your routines in the field. I oil everything on the mower twice a day, and the drive shaft and flywheel oil cups every hour and a half or so.
Mac

Oh yea… mine does hum like a sewing machine Jay!

[near horse]

@Mac 30327 wrote:

Geoff, I think my got something bound up between the main gear and the smaller drive gear, like pea gravel maybe, and thats what caused it to bust. I never could find another #6 so I used a Case for about two or three years and then a gentleman here town gave me the #6 you see here. I almost made a one horse mower out of it but decided against the idea. I still believe I can out-cut anybody with a #9 any day of the week, and I have outdone 7’s before. I’d like to ask, do either of you use the crazy wheel on your mowers? I personally do not, mainly because I refuse to give $125 or higher for it and I cant take cutting that good tongue in half!
Mac

No crazy wheel here either. IMO once you have a teamster on the seat, it counter balances much of the tongue’s weight

Mac – funny you mention pea gravel as that’s what caused the gear to bust on mine too. Some got jammed between the knife sections and the guards – should have snapped the pitman stick but didn’t. Lesson – avoid pea gravel.

[Big Horses]

Some of my mowers were ‘converted’ to a crazy wheel setup by previous owners, but none of them are at the right angle/height. I do have one Big4 JD that has factory trucks, and the parts to make another truck setup. I agree that if it’s setup anywhere near correct, the weight comes off the pole.
Mac, we run full harness, as I can’t think of one field we have that doesn’t have some sort of hill to get there or back.
I wonder if the enclosed gear mower would’ve broken if it encountered the gravel like you guys did?
John

[Mac]

Geoff –
Pea gravel’s the only thing I can figure, unless maybe the wheel pitched up something into it or it was already cracked to begin with and I didn’t see it. I had to take it across the drive way to get to the hay field so maybe that was it? My pitman wouldn’t have busted because it was a piece of iron pipe with the fittings welded to it. Lets just say that didn’t get put on the new one. Lesson learned.

John –
I guess I lied, I did use breeching, once here in the picture in the gallery. I usually don’t though. Too much work to get on when you’re in a hurry to get to work. We’ve got some jim-dandy hills here too. The catch on my rig is, I put a modified pole strap on, pretty much just a loop of leather that I slide the belly band thru and then snap to my breast chain. No further than I go up or down hill to the hayfield, it really don’t matter. It rubs them some, but not enough to take the hide off. Have to use breeching on the rake, its an 8′ IHC that I put shaves in, so I have to have something to snap my holdback chains into.

Great discussion guys! Hope everyone had a good thanksgiving!
Mac

[Big Horses]

On my Big6’s, the guard around the bull gear is a flat steel guard, and you can actually see the teeth (on both of them) yet on the #6 that I have, the guard is built up on the sides, and keeps the gear teeth covered on both sides… It even fits fairly tight. I was going to go even a step further, and bring it up and over the edge, just a bit on the Big6’s. Just a thought.
The #6 and Big six’s also have the poles in the opposite notch in the frames…??? They all have about the same length of knife on them now, but I wondered if it wasn’t from a different knife length originally?
Mac, I’d like to know just how many mowers have been damaged by a steel pitman! I saw one on a PTO powered JD5 once and it had quite the bow to it…I asked the guy how it worked and he said something about getting it in a bind and it never quite worked like it used to, after that! haha

[Author]

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