sickle mower

tugb · Aug 24, 2008

Hey Guys I was wondering if anyone could give me some insight....I"m really new to this but I have done some research and haven"t come up w/ any info on the 130 sickle mower capabilities. was there one made for the 130,or for an A or other model that would fit the 130? thanks in advance!
tug

Steven f/AZ · Aug 24, 2008

I'm going to assume your tractor is a Farmall 130...

There are several options for a sickle mower...

You can have a pull type, semi mounted, or fully mounted. I have all three and can say that I definitaly prefer the fully mounted. Then there is the choice between a pitman mower (stick that moves the sickle back and forth) or a pitmanless balanced head mower (modern type). There are many model numbers for each type of mower, as well.

Here are some examples of what I have:
100 trailer mower (newer model is the 1100):

Video of trailer-type 100 mower: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mmi7Yq1Al4

120 semi-mounted:

1110 fully mounted:

Video of 1110 mower: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWLEffYTPBk

Your 130 will have plenty of power for a 5', 6', 7', or 9' bar on any type of mower. If you are mowing very heavy hay, the 9' bar might have enough of a draft to pull the tractor slightly sideways...

If you have some specific questions, I have owner's manuals for the three mowers I own and a shop manual that covers just about every one of the IH balanced-head mowers... and a Blue Ribbon service manual for the balanced head itself.

tugb · Aug 24, 2008

That is some wonderful information that you just gave me, and i LOVE videos!fully mounted is what Im looking for. so w/ a pitman i physically have to move this (stick) back and forth while im mowing (I was always told there is no such thing as a dumb question, you might dissagree) or is this the difference btwn my touch control moving the bar up and down or the pitman...obviously i have NO idea what im talking about, I saw a guy on a cub cutting w/ one and it came out real nice so i decided i wanted one.... it looked like he was raising and lowering it w/ his touch control (this may be a TOTALLY different system) and i wouldn't want to go any bigger than a 6' im just mowing my lawn its about 5 acres I know this 130 is totally overkill but after restoring i have to do something w/ it

Steven f/AZ · Aug 24, 2008

OK, in order to cut a sickle mower has knives that move back and forth through the guards - this cuts the grass somewhat like a scissors. A pitman type mower has a pulley with a pitman stick attached to it that moves the knife back and forth. A pitmanless type does away with this pulley and stick and is able to cut with the bar at more extreme angles. (too much angle with a pitman type mower and the stick breaks)

As far as raising and lowering the bar, you should be able to find one that will work with your touch control for that.

If you are planning on mowing a lawn every week or so, you don't want a sickle mower. Sickle mowers are for when the grass is at least a foot tall for you to cut it off, rake it up, and bale it. For lawn mowing, you'll want a Woods rotary mower...

What kind of look are you going for after mowing? How often do you plan to mow?

tugb · Aug 24, 2008

well I would probably only mow w/ the tractor once a month b/c i just wouldn't have the time, usually someone else does it for me... I run it on the sides of the cane field just to keep it running and of course for fun but I don't have any actual "farming" to do but i wanted her to work b/c im sure she wants to... as far as mowing goes a finished look would be nice and the grass is cut once a week but not by the tractor

Steven f/AZ · Aug 24, 2008

Well, in order to get more use out of your tractor AND cut the lawn yourself (saving $$ I'll bet!) you could get a Woods mower...

Anyways, if you have any more questions feel free to ask!

tugb · Aug 24, 2008

thank you very much Steven! you probably just saved me some heart ache after i got it hooked up and tried to cut some 4" grass w/ the sickle! I guess that guy i saw was just using it wrong.
thanks again
Tug

Steven f/AZ · Aug 24, 2008

(quoted from post at 10:21:11 08/24/08) thank you very much Steven! you probably just saved me some heart ache after i got it hooked up and tried to cut some 4" grass w/ the sickle! I guess that guy i saw was just using it wrong.
thanks again
Tug

Well, a good sharp sickle mower will cut 4" grass, but it won't look nice like using a rotary type mower... should be at least a foot tall to do a decent job with a sickle mower.

tugb · Aug 24, 2008

This is all very good information! Like you said, for the job i will be doing it seems that the best tool would be the belly mower... Im sure its alot less combersome to work with as well

Steven f/AZ · Aug 24, 2008

Here's a 130 with a belly mower that is lifted with the touch control:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--GaMt6XNxw

Here's a Cub with a belly mounted sickle mower - this one is a pitman mower - you can see the pulley moving the stick back and forth. Also shows that you can cut shorter grass with a sickle mower...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSo7IGibnto

Buggy · Aug 24, 2008

Hey Tugb I just recently got a 130 running and will begin to restore.I'm wondering if you could post a picture or two of yours for all the 130 fans out here.thanks Buggy

tugb · Aug 25, 2008

Im trying to get my hands on a digital camera...still spending money on the 130 so ya know how that goes but as soon as i get them i will surely put them up

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