Speaking of sickle mowers

BobReeves · May 29, 2018

I want one.. Last year I mowed my sunflower patch down with my flail mower. Problem was I had sunflower heads hitting me as I was knocking them down with the bucket and still finding sunflower parts in my tractor.

Thinking with a sickle mower I can be off to the side when I mow them down and out of harms way. What should I be looking for in a 3 point mount sickle mower?

grandpa Love · May 29, 2018

Not one in pieces! Lol unless it's
cheap....

jeffcat · May 29, 2018

Actually that is going to be a little hard on a sickle bar mower.
Sunflowers have pretty strong stumps. Just my opinion but I don't
think it is your solution. Brush hog is tougher. A sickle bar mower
is a fine tuned piece of equipment ment to cut a single blade of grass
like a pair of fine sharp scissors. Not ment for cutting tree stumps.
Just my humble.

JD Seller · May 29, 2018

Well I think they would struggle with mature sun flower stalks too. As for good sickle mower I would go with the newer ones that do not use a wooden pitman arm.

Some models of the newer three point mowers to look for: New Holland 450 and 451, JD 350, IH 1000, Massey Ferguson 31 and 238

Bob · May 29, 2018

NO need to mow them down in the spring.

Harrow 'em down on a hot dry day and all that will be left is some pith!

VicS · May 29, 2018

Combined a lot of sunflowers back in the
60's on newly cleared ground. Never had any
trouble cutting them off. But had to put 4
ft chicken wire on the back of the header
to keep them from going over back of
header. And taking reels down to 2 or 3
bats. I think a sickle bar will cut them
off. But there are a lot of mowers that
will do a faster better job.

BobReeves · May 30, 2018

I'm just trying to figure out a way to knock the stalks down without the heads attacking me or getting lodged in every nook and cranny on the tractor. Once they stalks are down I can grind them up with the flail mower.

Maybe the sickle mower isn't the best solution, from what I have seen on Craigslist it's going to cost me around a grand for anything usable. Maybe all I need is an angle iron or pipe arm that sticks out the side of the tractor about 8 feet. Use it to knock the stalks down then run over it with the flail or go ahead and till it in.

The sunflower patch is just for fun, little over an acre planted with an old JD two row planter. Last years crop...

Traditional Farmer · May 30, 2018

With a sickle mower raise the cutter bar skids to the highest position and mow slowly you won't have any problem cutting them down.

Speaking of sickle mowers

BobReeves

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grandpa Love

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jeffcat

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JD Seller

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Bob

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VicS

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BobReeves

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Traditional Farmer

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