Tough mowing

Talk about tough mowing with a sickle bar. Took me over 3 hours to mow 6 acres, and I think I backed up every bit as much as I went
forward. I did get it done though. Don't think the meadow has been bar mowed in 40 years.

That's a quite a mowing setup! You make that, or is it a comercial unit?

As much trouble as I have had keeping 7 foot of cycle bar mowing thru downed grass alfalfa etc I can't imagine the set-up you have. But when it working good 14 foot would be a very nice cut. First time I have ever seen a set up like yours. Creative and innovative thinking. gobble

If hadn't been mowed in 40 years, I would of used a Bush Hog first to remove all unknowns.

That going backwards part was always the downside of using a sickle bar.

That is a cool mowing set up - but not one I would have tried to use on that mess.

I just mowed and baled a couple acres adjacent to a field I hay regularly. This area had been mowed/baled about 8-10 years ago, but just brush chopped once a year or so since. Terrible mowing job, even with a moco. Lots of plugging, even with the reel to help feed. And then there were the wasps... Oh yeah, and the underlying ground had been moldboard plowed and barely finished, and the guys who baled it previously did so in very wet conditions and rutted it up bad in the perpendicular direction to the moldboard ruts- can not stack a wagon five wide or six high, just too rough to keep the bales on the wagon!

Is that a "Kosh" mower from the 1950 s? It looks like it to me. I think they were made in Neb. Never seen one , but had litature on them.clint

The mowers are Kosch. I think you could buy them up into the early 70s new. I had a set of newer Kosch trail mowers but I like the mounted ones better, especially in wet meadows. I tried mowing this same little patch a year ago with them, but gave up and demoed a Kubota disc mower, and MFD tractor. That made short work out of it, including the 3 rolls of barb wire, and 2 feed bunks. GRRRR I kinda thought this year would be easier to mow, since I had cleaned it off last year, but obviously a disc mower doesn't get anywhere near as close to the ground as my sickle bar does.

Kosch is made at Columbus NE.

Kosch is still in business. I ordered new parts for mine last year. It is a 7 foot belly mount sickle bar mounted on my 48 M. They still make them, can buy the same mower new ( 4,800.00 ). Nice folks they don't have any dealers east of the Mississippi , sold to me direct.
JG

Here is a picture of a Kosch mower on my 48 M
JG

Try again

Yes, Kosch is very much still in business. They have a nice hydraulic drive double 9' that a lot of people have, that I will likely get one of these years. Here's my old pull type, double 7', it's about a 2000, old pic. Don't have much issue with plugging (that's not my thickest/tallest ground). Once in a while, sure, but the way people talk about them on here, no, and I mow some really thick stuff/low ground (of course the bad stuff posted in the op would bother). In my pic further back is thick clover. I've got a couple mounted ones around. My main mower was on a 530 JD with power steering. The mounted ones work really well, 530 had no issue. Just stuff got old, mounts wore, things start breaking, rebuilt a few times, ties up one tractor, etc. This way I share my 2510 with the v rake (and it uses less fuel it seems than the 530 since the diesel engine was put in). Used these little 7' ones are often around $1500ish needing a little work, easy to maintain and reliable. I could not find a used double 9' when I was shopping for one, just these, so I got it.




Some listings for stuff, hydraulic one like I'd get is listed. Tractorhouse, search Kosch, hydraulic mower and a mover is listed.

I have been running a sickle mower for 30 years and have never seen a mower like that, we have the double trailed sickles and the singles but never seen a double mounted like that. I feel your pain and probably will be easier cutting the next time. Not too many of these "young" farmers could make that ol' girl work for them. These youngsters don't have the patience to run a sickle, they been spoilt by the disc mowers. If you ever decide to sell that combo I would buy it in a heartbeat JB

I will sell the tractor, but the mowers are going onto a Case, maybe. That 400 is HARD ON GAS!!!!!!!