Cutting Hay with a sickle bar mower never goes well.

Today we are going to cut our hay field using the New Holland 451 sickle bar mower. We have rebuilt most of the cutter bar last year. Hopefully it will cut the hay field without too many issues, but with the sickle bar there is always problems.
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Country View Acres
P.O. Box 469
Robinson, IL 62454
We live in southeastern Illinois on a 41 acres homestead. We just finished building our log cabin overlooking our pond. We are trying to grow our own food and raise livestock. Follow us on our journey living the rural life and developing our property and becoming more self sufficient.

[@cleobean8723]

1) Increase ground speed. The hay will "fall-back" more neater and consistent. 2) Improve your swath board. A good set-up will fold-over the hay much better leaving a wider, clear path.

[@barryfreiberg2963]

Travel faster over the bound

[@bradleamon4466]

Dead right drive as fast as you can the falling grass will land behind the knife the new Holland sickle isn't half as good as the equivalent inter mower

[@BRI33NOR]

Experiment, practice until you find the correct forward speed for the correct PTO speed. May require different speed setting for thicker parts of th3e crop. Get a correct PTO shaft guard, length etc.,they will be available. Advise him someone please if you know where he can get one. Have seen accidents where the guard was omitted. Loose clothes will catch and drag you in, your arms, legs are not as strong as the power of the shaft.

[@deepsleep7822]

If you drive to fast, you’re going to clog up the mower.

[@jtelectric9905]

I know its a pricey investment, but get a 8ft. disc mower and it will make your life a lot easier. Save the sickle bar for mowing around your pond and ditch lines.

[@mitchellconant9336]

@G Money Jeez buddy, pull the log out of your ass.

[@Travis-kw3mo]

I've mentioned that like forever ago. Last hay season. You can pick up a good used disc mower at auction for no too much. I mean shit it would be worth the money to not have the aggravation

[@Warthog1976]

@@Travis-kw3mo as much as I like Evan ...but geez he makes either life difficult for himself.... or he pays over the top prices for old stuff where the repairs cost more than the actual machinery or equipment.

[@oxfletch]

@G Money 1. You forget he didn't have enough HP to run a disc mower until very recently. 2. Try not to be an asshole. If you don't like him, don't watch.

[@Travis-kw3mo]

@@Warthog1976 yes I hate it for the dude but I run equipment everyday at a local government. Either your gonna pay a payment and be productive or your gonna pay repairs down time and shop costs one or the other

[@stevehawkins8066]

When you go buy your spare bearings, don't forget to buy a new Spring. Thanks for making these videos.

[@bjenkins803]

I grew up watching my old timer neighbor cut several acres with an old Massey 35 and sickle mower. They got the square bales up the old way too.....by hand. We are all beyond blessed with modern equipment.

[@robinbriggs1517]

So many memories come up watching you cut hay. My family did hay my entire time I lived at home. Learned to drive by driving the hay truck

[@darlaherbst5929]

I did comment, a while ago, how it reminds me of my parents and grandparents baling hay!! Nice memories!!

[@floydblack3038]

U have the wrong end board on that mower. Try a wooden one with a broom handle. That always worked for us on our farm

[@Drew-gj1es]

I admire the amount of patience you have with that sickle bar mower. Keep up the good work!

[@Tonetwisters]

Amen, to that!

[@robinparkes988]

I agree, and to take the time to video it as well. Re positioning the camera for different shots must be a pain when you just want to get the job done.

[@amossnowdaharleyman9179]

Cut thousands of acres with same mower in late 80's and early 90's. Put the stand assemblies back on. When mowing raise them within the frame to the highest carry point. They will then keep the mower from going too low when mowing.Heavy vibration on the frame(scabbed on metal bracing,blowing bearings,blowing drive shaft yokes) is because cutterbar blade to guard clearance is too great and blades more ripping that easily cutting.When making your turns use the right brake HARD and spin with right rear as the axis/pivot point.Or lift mower and make a wide left turn to get back into new hay to cut. Avoid all gear changes: hard on any tractor clutch. Will do a perfect 90 degree turn all day long.Mow at fastest ground speed the mower can handle: too slow causes layover problems etc.You want your bar to be slightly angled up. Level is OK but a slight 5 degree or so up angle worked well for me during my hay making days.Some people hate these mowers but if set correctly they are really pretty good to use.

[@jeffreyhershey5754]

Spot on there I've cut thousands of acres with a sickle bar mower and never had a lot of problems get them set up is the biggest portion

[@joannatudor5125]

Need to operate at least 2500 rpm s increase ground speed to make it fall over keep sickle sharp ! For a PTO guard I use a peace of pipe about 6 " shorter that the PTO. When hooked up just separate PTO slide pipe over PTO reassemble . be safe. Good luck

[@dianesanford6330]

I guess it’s like my quilting, when you have done it for a while, you learn how it’s done. You are smart to know how to do all this!!

[@Tonetwisters]

Evan knows a lot about a LOT!

[@bige.3474]

A sickle bar is an engineering marvel. If everything isn't tuned right, it won't run right. When it's time to upgrade, you will still love it for around your pond, and ditches.

[@foxacresfarm7595]

I bit the bullet and bought a haybine best decision I’ve ever made.

[@stogieltd]

You should watch that more carefully on the grass build up on PTO. It did build up on the first pass in the tall grass, you can see it in the video. That little bit of grass on that PTO shaft can cost thousands of dollars in a short amount of time! It throws the balance out and will knock the pilot shaft seals out real quick so you lucked up with just the u-joint. Hay, it's looking good

[@mrsmith906]

Any work on a PTO and I would have the engine switched off. Chap I was at school with had his hand mangled by an Ag machine. Not good!!!

[@bettyechols6405]

It's just peaceful to watch you....I grew up on a farm in the blistering GA sun...picking cotton.pulling corn, pulling weeds, loading watermelons..I want a farm with barns for a lot of rescue pets, but if there are crop fields, I will lease it out. .lol

[@ivanyoungs504]

glad to see you get some up grades around your place nice new building great new tractor it all comes in time lot of work hope to see more to make it more comfortable a little easyier on the body thanks for sharing your video and have a great day god bless

[@marshallsuber3346]

I grew up on a farm. I must admit that I like looking at you farm more than me farming. I couldn't wait to get away. But looking back I really miss it sometimes.I always recover when I remember the work and all the things that could and did go wrong. I now watch you with my feet up and with a cold brew .

[@valeriedevereux5912]

Very impressive. I always thought it would be fun to have a farm. Definitely, more fun to watch.

[@Tonetwisters]

The work of farming does not seem like something that would be harmful to me, were I a younger man: it is more the joys of being farm mechanic that would send me towards the nearest cliff!

[@brucejans7709]

Brings back memories of long ago. We didn't have a air conditioned cab though on the farmall H.

[@paulveenings6861]

Yeh , bad memories with the old sickle bar .

[@jeffreyhershey5754]

Surprised you got anything at all done with the h Farmall under powered and extremely weak pto had one one time pto went out trying to run a uh square baler had it fixed at the shop and tried it again and it didn't make two rounds of the twenty acre field and went out again after that I never used anything else but the g JOHN Deere for the baler used a A on the sickle bar mower and the B on the rake and the H just pulled bale wagons to and from the field

[@ithacacomments4811]

Making hay while the sun shines!

[@btomlin5764]

A grinder and paint make me the welder I ain’t. Lol. Great to see you back in the hay field Evan. I enjoy your hay field videos.

[@adamencinas6083]

When clogged mower don’t lift up, backup to remove hay by about 4 ft and then lift up and run the mower

[@vprimo0052]

I’ve seen people use a piece of mill belting or a mud flap from a semi under the bottom of the PTO, bolted to the underside of the tractor to keep the grass from coming up and wrapping around the shaft. That way you won’t need a PTO guard for each implement or take it off ever. It’s usually about 4-6” that drag on the ground.

[@duanebolen8359]

Get a Short piece of field tile and put over your PTO shaft that would be a cheap cover

[@jimmymunny]

I attach an old mudflap with wire and bungees from the drawbar mount out along the lift arms, keeps grass from wrapping up.

[@barrybills1449]

Get the right PTO guard on that PTO shaft, Google ‘PTO accidents’ and you’ll see why. ‘it’s old’ is not an excuse for not having one, it had one at one time half of it is still there.

[@zrb30]

Try mowing in straight lines instead of making circles around the field. I always go down the middle of the field and work my way toward the edges going straight down and straight back. With a sickle bar it's almost impossible to cut while making a turn without getting clogged up.

[@trentencaskey7641]

That's pretty much the way way we used to mow/bale. Make one pass around the edge of the field, turn around and make another pass around, going the opposite way...then straight passes from one end to the other. When it came time to rake, your two passes around the edge became a double windrow, with the straight stretches usually being singles. Bale your double windrow first, then you've got plenty of room to turn around and get lined up for the straight sections, without running over any other rows, or having to go back and clean up spots you've missed.

[@Rightwinger1982]

If you do it that way your always cutting where the tires flatten the hay, round and round is better with an offset sickle bar

[@matthewfenton8775]

@@Rightwinger1982 two passes driving on the uncut hay then go the opposite direction and you’ll never be on uncut hay

[@douglasmacarthur8775]

I once had a 456 NH trail type mower and pulled a hay conditioner behind it. I thought the 456/451 was the " Cadillac of mowers" but when I bought the 489 haybine it was the difference of day and night. The reel teeth kept the sickle bar clear and made a HUGE difference.

[@ReevesCattleCo]

We put a piece of corrugated pipe on our sickle to prevent the wrapping. Worked great!

[@teamfun4u]

I have used a piece of PVC or abs pipe to shield the PTO shaft...

[@ReevesCattleCo]

@@teamfun4u the corrugated had a little more give and is what he had on hand. not a bad choice doing pvc.

[@teamfun4u]

@@ReevesCattleCo yep it was on hand... I do that a lot.. stay safe

[@darlaherbst5929]

I'm sure a few "barn words" were said, but I love the way you just deal with the issues and smile!

[@dwaynekoblitz6032]

At least the Tractor wasn’t a factor. Sitting in the A/C I bet was nice. I hate changing U-joints! What a pain. Glad you had the bearing on hand. You got er done!

[@rockinrranch1431]

Started with a sickle mower a couple of years ago. Nothing but trouble for me. Now I have an 8 foot Kuhn disc mower and can run circles around the old 9 foot sickle. Personally, I could never go back.

[@bradleamon4466]

I agree a disc or drum mower is far far superior

[@raypitts4880]

yes lovely and quick what happens to tall crops to much to handle sickle bar on ly cuts a bit dont matter if 3 inchs tall or 6 foot thing is every machine is suited to a job also dont condemn one because you are useing out of the work area it was meant for after all it is a machine.

[@bradleamon4466]

@@raypitts4880 I have found that sickle bar mowers are better than rotary when cutting oats

[@TheHobbyShopFilms]

A lot of critical comments; not everyone can afford better equiptment and you use what you got. There are always better and more efficient ways of doing jobs. As long as you get the job done, that's what counts. I enjoy watching the old sickle bar mower, thanks for recording it.

[@batpherlangkharkrang7976]

Hi..... Country View Acres. Evan nice to see you love watching your videos, thank you for sharing your video homestead chicken farmer garden 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 👕🐔🐓🐥🐕🐩🐈🐖🐐🐄🐠🎥👍👍👍

[@georgedavidson7986]

I have cut hundreds of acres with a. IH mower like that. And we had it working pretty good

[@HillsideAcres]

"crappy looking welds about like mine" LOL my welding skills are about the same but they sure do hold and thats what matters

[@MrBigblueford]

I had a guy on my Instagram crying over welds too, bottom line is both pieces of metal are held together, I don't really care what they look like as long as it functional & if the weld does break then I weld it together again, other than that as I told this person who was crying on my Instagram page, I really don't care what they look like as long as it finctuonal...

[@DieselRamcharger]

@@MrBigblueford im a race car welder. folks pay big money for pretty welds. when i build stuff for myself...you should see the atrocity. youd think id never welded before in my life, and i honestly couldnt care less. lol. If you didnt pay, you got no say! :D

[@ericheise4051]

Your farming now , when you get the hay off you may want to fertilize 50 lb acre N and 1 lb boron also leaf hopper will be in field soon if you thought weevil was bad you haven’t seen anything yet. I got rid of my hay wagons 4 , too much time loading and unloading up keep etc I use a dump trailer 6 x10 low to ground stack 50 from ground ,picking up bales from ground ,never climb up take to barn and dump .

[@Okiefarmer]

Back in the day ran a Farmall H with a 456 Newholland sickle. We always waited till the dew was mostly dried off before starting. That always helped with the cutting. Also keep the sickle sharpe and run the tractor at 540 pto. Sickle mowing in heavy hay is slow going. Best of luck.

[@tworks4378]

Get you an old mud flap mount it on the draw bar or in that area. I use IH 1300 I run fast it . You need to lower the heel out on the end of the bar. You want the back swath to dragging on the ground it hold the hay so it can flap it

[@TomBiggerstaff-gn1ws]

Evan I wish I could help you set your 451 up but that's not possible. There is an art to setting and using a sycle mower you have one of the best ever made . Use a old valve spring on the grass board compress it in a vice tie it with wire to hold it compressed that way you can use a shorter bolt and washer to hold it in place .cut a peace of heavy rubber belting 8 inches wide and as long as possible bolted under your draw bar bolt head underneath let the draw bar out as long as possible hope you get the idea of what I'm talking about

[@kymoonrunner71]

I cut hay all my life and I'm 67 and if you cut long enough you will run into all kind of things . Them old mowers are the worst in tall grass the newer dics mowers are the best .

[@farmall1farmall132]

You're a better man than I cause if I had to cut hay with a sickle bar mower or haybine again ... I wouldn't farm.

[@darrellthompson6252]

I made a pto guard out of a piece of 4in black drain pipe for underground gutters. Get the 10 ft piece that has the flared end. Cut pipe to length. Put flared end at tractor and use a piece of wire on each side to hold in place . Pto is shielded from tall grass. Did this on mower and bush hog

[@royreinders5739]

You need a tarp or an old mudflap on your liftarms or drawbar under the pto shaft so that way you wont bind up gras an distroy it again

[@southernyankeehomestead3230]

Welcome to the joys of farming. We had a statement about tools where I used to work. " if you're not breaking tools it means you're not using them" Same thing with farming in general.

[@harlonlantz4094]

Evan,use some used motor oil on the blades,will last longer than WD-40,helps prevent rust.

[@patwanner1781]

That was a lot of work....another project finished except for bailing. I love the music you played just before the end. It always tells me you’re getting after it.👍🏻

[@csnanny1882]

Good start Evan, I like that smile ,glad things are going pretty good, I’m sure the AC.felt good in your new tractor . God bless

[@HiddenCreekHomestead]

You have more patience than me when it comes to tedious interruptions and problems when Im trying to get a project done. I can work for a 100 hours as long as its going smooth but when I have to keep stopping I get frustrated. Good work staying the course and getting it done. Got my CVA shirt - Thanks - I’ll try and remember to wear it on one of our homestead videos and help out however I can.

[@jamesevans20]

You can wire up a truck mudd flap, or some other heavy rubber flap underneath the 3 point arms, I have done this to keep kudzu from choking my tractor down.

[@marksimonar1550]

Been there ! Done that ! Cutting grass/hay off the PTO shaft.

[@baldbear5609]

Howdy Evan, great explanation and details on mowing with a cycle bar. The drone footage was excellent showing the swathboard rolling back the hay. Have A Day! ;~)

[@michaelbailey2207]

I'am using a sickle bar this yr ,my haybine pitman arm broke. But I'll get the 10 act ok I believe. Like you i'am couple wks behind ,but to rain.

[@garyjohnson4458]

Back years ago when we mowed with a sickle bar rule 1 was wait till the due was off , Find a mower condishener the sickle bar ones are cheaper

[@donwarren767]

Used a sickle mower on a farmall A that my dad bout in early 40's when I was a kid in 70's, it was and an amazing machine,. sitting in the open allows you to hear issues happening more quickly and sometimes prevents serious issues.

[@markbuilt]

I like your outfit works well . I do a small amount of hay work on our old farms in Northern Ontario Canada with a 1972-73 2120 John Deere tractor and a 7 foot Swedish made mower that I used when I was 14 years old now I am 70 . So I know about old broken stuff . I find nothing is harder on equipment than haying , the only other thing is logging or clearing fence lines . Really enjoyed the video . Be safe

[@robinparkes988]

Wow you’ve got some patience. Hats off to you

[@chrisreinke6262]

Started out with a MF 32 mower in the 60's went to a haybine in the 70's and a disc cutter in 2000 and never look back.

[@peteacher52]

In the mid 50s with a Fregie 28 tractor, I would think, looking back, that the sickle bar mower was a 6-footer. It could also be mounted in such a way that it cut the barberry hedges very neatly which was just as well because barberry has case-hardened spines!

[@zackvahlkamp3960]

I make hay with a 52 HP Massey compact tractor and I pull an old Hesston 1090 Mower conditioner with no problem. Sickles work good in standing crop blowed over over grown grass is a nightmare. My advice get you an old moco they are not much more then a sickle. Been there done that. Like your vids.

[@stevemartinez6757]

I really do admire your skill at fixing things. I have always tried to be the same way. Sometimes I'm successful, many times I'm not. I know how frustrating it could be using old equipment, yet I prefer it at times over late model stuff. I've had break downs while in the field with my old tractor which is frustrating, yet there is a certain good feeling of being able to fix it because it's so simple. As an example, while doing some cutting a pin on the linkage for my clutch failed and the linkage got bent. I was able to "straiten" it using part of the tractor as an "anvil/vice". I was able to re-attach it using a lynch pin that I happened to have in my tool box on the tractor. Spending that 30 minutes got me running again to finish my cutting and get the tractor back to the barn to make a correct repair.

[@ellisc.foleyjr9778]

great save on that bearing, glad you had the spare and good idea to get two spares. one for each end if needed. It's hard cutting when the hay gets that high and folds down on you. also leaves a lot uncut but you "Gott er dun" good show. ECF

Nice job! My turn tomorrow, I hope 🤞 always some struggles with the sickle bar😀

[@ronaldlee2376]

When you update to a haybine, consider retaining the sickle bar mower. You will be able to trim weeds, briars, etc. under branches of trees in perimeter of fields halting the loss of ground to sapplings creeping out. Glad i kept mine for that purpose. Also, plugging due to very high lush grass, ground speed needed reduced & swather bar should be at 30 degree angle to guide cut grass tire width away form uncut hay. I have been doing this since 1959 with New Idea 7' pull type, so ihave been where you are. You have a VERY good channel, too bad we can not advise you before as apposed to after the fact on your situations.

[@bernardlively6321]

Bless your heart....the last time I mowed with a sickle bar was with a pair of horses on a motorized forecart. Breakaway would snap open from heavy hay, but couldn't reset repeatedly. Disc mower now...horses watch from pasture.

[@1995jug]

van time for a mower update i know you don't want to spend the money now but your time is worth something.

[@DanKlein_1]

That was impressive.... to have a breakdown like that and still be able to get all of the field cut. We used a sickle bar for years and would follow it up with a crusher that crushed the stems to allow it to dry quicker. now we have a haybine and tedder. Tedder is great as long as you don't get too close the electric fence. (guilty). :-(

[@Tom-mi2eq]

Recommend "Just a few acres farm." Pete has several on just sickle bar mowers, how to adjust, run, tune ect...

[@georgegrieder6089]

Mow in straight lines pick up mower on turns even if you have to back up or make a loop to cut as straight as you can anougher bar higher on swath tip higher helps set lift so you don't get to low and tilt mower slighty back to help tines clear hope some of this will help from 60 yrs ago things we did lol Good luck

[@andyrobinson339]

Here's a tip--Take your brush hog and keep the edge of the field trimmed. That way, your first pass can be clockwise and you won't be driving over the cut grass. You won't be losing a significant amount of hay. And get a disc mower--you'll be a lot happier. Also--you cut grass and are leaving it overnight. You should have at least tedded it up to get it off the ground and then left it.

[@blockededited8280]

Anything else he's doing wrong?

[@andyrobinson339]

@crimsonwizard01 I was trying to be helpful....it took me 30 years to learn how to make good hay so I thought I would try to help him out a bit.

[@mxcatkiller]

@crimsonwizard01 your never too old to start brother. Start you a garden, get some chickens, pigs. That’s a heck of a good start to keep ya busy. Much respect 🤙🏻

[@raypitts4880]

@@blockededited8280 yes lots till he cottons on and reads the suggestions from other farmers one big learning curve.

[@pauldusa]

I use to use a socket and a vice to do that job, no vibration to dislocate the needle bearings while assembly

[@141poolplayer]

That is a really nice tractor.

[@johnsadler8637]

Good morning! Again. A day late watching this one. Not for nothing has the rotary cutter replaced the sickle bar across the industry. Faster, less maintenance, not as complex. I think the cab is going to be appreciated increasingly more as the season goes on. You mentioned quiet, but avoiding dust and heat will be important. I never minded dust in the cutting but all other activities with hay were always dusty. What happened some with mowing was insects coming up out of the hay. Especially bees in ground nests. They don’t appreciate operations overhead. That gets dicey on an open platform tractor. On your first pass, consider cutting toward the field before cutting the outer pass. One, you’ll know what limbs you have to go around, so the return trip will get everything you can get to. Doing outward first and then inward, you will have uncut islands to clean up. Two, if there are downed limbs in the field, you’ll find them with a tractor wheel instead of the sickle bar. Less breakage that way. Three, the wheel tracks you have to cut are now in the outer pass, which is thinner because of the timber, and less likely to bog up the sickle bar. Give this some thought.

[@010dick]

My old man used to tie an old seed bag under the pto shaft to stop the grass wrapping

[@deepsleep7822]

When I’ve rebuilt a u-joint and when installing the new needle bearing caps, I’ll use a socket from a socket wrench set that is a little smaller, in diameter, than the cap to hammer in the cap. Using the socket applies pressure uniformly to the cap versus using the small punch that you used. Finish with the vise like you did. You’re lucky the old caps came out easily. I’ve replaced many a u-joint and have had a few where the cap fights you all the way.

[@formerfarmer1718]

I always carried an old wooden handled linoleum knife with me for when grass wraps on the PTO.

[@ridgedaleredneck]

A beter way to remove riveted section is to put the sickle bar action in a vice with the bar resting on the top of the vice jaw and tighten the cutter section in the vice jaw. Hammer on the back of the section to shear the rivets. You will be amazed how easy it work.

[@philtietje4363]

I'm not sure if this would help much with the plugging up or not, but when I used to use a sickle bar I would put the shoe on the outside end of the bar down a little to hold it a bit more off the ground. It seemed to help and it left a little more stubble for the hay to lay on and allow a little more air circulation.

[@bhensel100]

I haven't been on the farm in 50 years but I remember looking back at the implement as much, if not more than looking forward to see how it is working, doing its job. Mirror is nice but eyes on seems better in my opinion.

[@sheilamclaughlin963]

Run ur finger around the cap with grease to hold the bearings, sockets and urvise will save pounding and fight needles

[@jeffbegley7755]

I smell a contest coming up... guess how many bales off the 3 acre field without going over. My guess 164 80 pound bales.

[@edhuber3557]

I'll use the "Price Is Right" gambit and bit 0 bales. (That also wins if all machinery breaks down.)

[@theburnhams2925]

Evan! It's such "fun" watching your videos in reverse....From ebullince to despair in one video sequence. Welcome to the wonderful world of farmin'

[@OpunktSchmidt1301]

So, don't forget to buy new parts! Or even a new mower...? 😉 Thanks a lot for the video! 😊👍🏻

[@TannerHortonMusic]

Needing to cut mine as well. Wanted to earlier this week when it was supposed to be dry and the rain has just kept coming, and I’m going to be out of town next week when it’s supposed to be perfect weather for making hay.

[@gregj2647]

Sure is nice having the right tools to fix things. You never know when you will need to weld something 👍👍👍. You got lucky with the bearing. You might want to get a spare.

[@mwilliamshs]

Cutter bar has excessive play. Needs guides tightened. Put the stands back on and raise them up. Pick up before backing up Cut the grass before it's too tall That thing you keep calling a bearing is a universal joint. Commonly referred to as a u-joint.

[@bearfootknivesgunforge9183]

Grandpa taught me that sicklebar mowers dont like grass higher than 18" and will clog. Plus increase speed a bit more while cutting. God Bless

[@templehillsawmill1748]

I grew up mowing with this 451 until i was 32 yrs old. Bought a 616 disc mower. Best thing ever happened in my life. It broke yesterday though and had to drag out the 451. I hate it. Thought id look at a video or two while ate my lunch. I laughed at all your sound effects because i can relate so well with them. But any way you need to hook up your drop links. Thats why you have so many problems. Then go buy you a disc mower. Lol

[@templehillsawmill1748]

I think I may of commented on the wrong video. I'm getting old though. Lol

[@olddawgdreaming5715]

Glad you got through your cutting finally. Hope it all dries good so you can get it bailed and in the barn. . Thanks for sharing with us.🙏🏻🙏🏻👍👍👏🏻👏🏻👋👋

[@peonan1]

One thing to consider when you’re thinking about getting a mower conditioner. Sure, if it’s set up good, it’ll cut through the grass , a little easier, but remember, it’s leaving you a window there, which takes a lot longer to dry. You’re a pretty clever guy you’ll get that 451 humming to your satisfaction.

[@Void9961]

Glad to see you back in the hay field... I was waiting to see how your new tractor did! Hopefully the weather holds off enough to get your first cut bailed! Have a good night brother! 🤙

[@arnoackx3962]

Please cut the hay with the case731 the next time, it will look and feel better because you wont have a cabin in the way

[@CountryViewAcres]

Sickle bar doesn't fit on the case tractor. It has a fixed hitch and the sickle mower is too wide.

[@trammel907]

When you cut your grass in always soothe me also if I live close to you I will cut it for free just to look at the blade cutting the grass it's a relaxing

[@marcdavis1728]

Great job Evan and much more calm tempored than I. For me the colorful explitives spew out when things go wrong. 👍

[@genelegear5418]

You did a good job with re cross repair....RTR

[@TheUserid82]

Pickup a rearview camera with screen. You can mount the camera up on the cab looking down at the PTO area with the screen in the cab so you can see what is going on without stopping or getting out. Yes not the best image but then you just need to be able to see what is happening and not 1080 video of it.

[@rockyfjord3753]

A hay crusher or conditioner will take one day off drying time. That is different than a tedder, which is just a rake going backwards. Haybines combine mowing and conditioning in one pass. The stems of the plants are crinkled which reduces drying time by a day.

[@peggysizemore4207]

Hi Evan 👋🏻 good job on that maintenance

[@beerider63915071]

Hi, lad. Just a little suggestion; make a little sacrifice. Consider only using eight feet of the sickle bar, thus keeping the tractor end a little away from the grass to avoid binding. A very handy lad, you are, Evens! Keep faith, good luck and best wishes to the two you!!!

[@kdkracing4746]

With the overgrown condition of your grass, any other cutter wouldn't go through it. Sickle bar is your best bet at this point. With the shape of your hay, its np surprise you haven't had more problems. I grew up with old sickle bars and love to watch them at work. Cut away!

[@1southerncowboy]

I had that wrapping on the PTO shaft once while cutting some over mature stuff for a neighbor. I took and old piece of roofing tin and wired it under the 3-point lift arms and that kept the grass from winding on it. Use a little farmer-engineering.

[@jamesevans20]

We used an 18 Wheeler Mud Flap, Worked well even un Cudzoo

[@woodcutter4670]

Good to see that I am not the only one that has problems with a sickle mower, there has to be a better way to cut hay that doesn't cost a arm and leg to get and maintain.

[@timnash6870]

TIM from Canada if you go to the store and you buy kitchen spray you know the stuff you put on the pants so your food does not stick to it I have herd some of the old farmers use this to spray down the sycamore... and I’ve also heard people use this when you are using your snowblower in the winter time use cooking spray sprayed inside your snowblower every night before you use it and this will deter the snow from sticking to it

[@jimisaacs5292]

Wonder if you sprayed the mower with silicone spray before you start, if that would help the hay slid off better ?