(800) 853-2651
SHOP NOW

David Bradly mower I broke it could use some help

1

1939farmall

Member
Let me say first off I believe the problem is 70 percent my own
ignorance and 30 percent worn or out of adjustment machine. This is
a 1950s? David Bradly sickle mower. Looks like model number 917
5821.
cvphoto114415.jpg


cvphoto114416.jpg

Id love to get this back in working condition but if nothing else I have
to learn how to properly maintain a sickle mower. Heres the issue. I
was using it at the end of summer to mow our pasture. It kept
plugging up. I kept clearing it and trying again. I thought I had it ready
to go. Obviously not! I quit when the clutch was just free spinning. I
was pulling it with a Farmall M in 1st gear open throttle.
cvphoto114417.jpg

Now that I have it in the shop I can turn the PTO by hand and
everything appears to be working. Could I have just gotten the belt
hot and it slipped? The clutch appears to use 4 keys that it engages
on but without disassembly they appear to be intact. Also it appears
the bar is out of adjustment.
cvphoto114418.jpg

There should not be a gap under the bar right? The hold downs are
not in contact with the bar and now I see I have one that is broke off.
How do I adjust them? I havent had much luck finding a book for
this and Im hoping other manufacturers use a similar design. As
always any help or advice you can give me is greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
 
tighten the slip clutch. as the clutch wears you need to tighten periodically. just done overtighten as then it will not slip when needed and will break something. think its that nut on the spring to tighten. and yes those guards are worn out.
 
Rustled,
Thanks. Ill give that a try. I having trouble finding parts. Are parts like Ledger plates, hold downs, and rock guards the same across brands?
 
Does the sickle,center on the guards,meaning when the points on the sickle stop, and go the other direction? If it doesn't center on the guards, it wont cut good!
 
No they aren't. Some interchange, some won't. Most likely there's a number and maybe a brand logo cast into the guard somewhere. Gravely used IH guards, could be yours does too. I recently replaced a bunch of old ones with new updated ones. Most likely a number of different guards would work. I've seen a mix big mix and match old sickles. If you replace them all, one that's close will do. The blades are more critical on match-up, since the size and hole pattern must match the bar they're riveted (or bolted) to.
 
MKinON
Thanks. I guess my best bet is to take some parts off of it and take them with me when ever I can go look and match them up.
 
I cant see the profile of the section to the ledger plate ?
I copied this from my new idea 30 A to hopefully help you out ! Critical to have the cutter and center to the center of rock guard , if I explained it right t( the registration center)
cvphoto114453.jpg


cvphoto114454.jpg


cvphoto114455.jpg


cvphoto114456.jpg


cvphoto114457.jpg
 
From my experience if a belt is slipping you would see a lot of smoke real quick, and you would be heading to the store to buy more belts, I see you have a large spring that is probably for adjusting the slip clutch. Might tighten it up a little. Stan
 
If you can get the clearance for the nut go to bolt on sections much easier to change on if it breaks or is dull. The big problem is the clearance for the nut under the hold downs. As the hold downs wear they need to be changed along with the wear plates that go behind the cutter bar in front of the heavy bar that carries the whole deal. Wear plates are adjust able to a point once the lip is worn off they are junk. Look at some parts places like Shoup for cutting parts and you will see some of what I'm talking about for the pieces including the bolt on sections. They should be able to help solve part or all of you parts problem do check prices with other places . I've found Shoup is getting high on some things they sell now days not just the current high price but high compared to some dealer parts.
 
37 chief
Your right. I would have smelled the belt burning and I didnt. I took the clutch apart this afternoon and found some broken parts inside. Ill try to show them in an update once I figure out what Im gonna do. I may have to do some fabrication. Thank you
 
third gear not first and then only 2/3 throttle. Open throttle you are overspeeding it as you are running way over the 540 RPM for PTO implememts and what you are doing does not even require full throtle. Only mower we ever ran at full throtle was an Oliver and it was only because we pullred a hay conditioner behind that required the 540 PTO. That mower was last sold in Sears farm catalog in 1956 and by 1970 they had done away with any parts for any machinery.
 
This may or may not help you but Let me say first off I believe the problem is 70 percent my own ignorance....... I have been down that road numerous times and paid the price....sometimes as bad as 4-5 figures. You're not alone brother.
 
I agree with Leroy on this one. Full throttle is not necessary and is probably working against you.

You definitely need to get the hold downs doing their job at the very least. Not sure if there are any old books on sickle mowers, but there should be. It was just something everyone knew how to do back in the day, that has been lost to time.
 
There was a Sears Farm Store close to me but never actually saw a mower, very scarce around here. Only ever saw 3 David Bradley mowers and they were called sears instead and they were horse drawn mowers and we had one of them. It left in 1960 when I was 26 years old. I know that had a sheat of parts for them but it was only like 2 pages with poor printing. For guards and section and hold downs just a try and see if you can find any to fit. I do know they were a 3 wide section not like a larn mower type of mower for a walking tractor.
 
Barnyard engineering
Ill be taking Leroys advice. Im trying to learn as much as I can from
people who have been there done that! Feels good to keep some of
this old stuff alive and working when possible!
 
yep lost art, when i was young had to cut hay with an ihc #9 horse mower ground drive, with shortened pole and pulled with W6 mccormick. it
was low gear 2/3 throttle in heavy hay , in light hay could use 2nd gear. plus remember how fast the horses walked. i remember my dad cutting
hay with the horses using the same mower. lots of times i saw the wheels skid because that slew grass was just too thick. he would say woow ,then backup and they would backup , then he would clean out the sickle. this was before i
was even going to school, as i used to walk to the far end of the farm and take him lunch and coffee mother boiled on the old wood cook
stove. even when i was playing out side in the yard i could smell that coffee brewing. even used to watch him rake the same hay with the
horses. the good old days.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
Farmall A Sickle Mower
Replies
4
Views
546
Boomerang1955
B
H
JD 38 Sickle Bar Mower mounting brackets
Replies
5
Views
398
tomstractorsandtoys
tomstractorsandtoys
1
Sickle mower update David Bradly and a John Deere
Replies
11
Views
1K
Leroy
L
H
Cub Steering Housing Gasket Repair
Replies
4
Views
276
Hotflashjr
H
D
2C-F21 sickle bar mower parts for Super C
Replies
11
Views
525
Don Mountain
D
Tractor Parts Tractor Manuals

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy

Back
Top