Final cutting of hay. Will the Sicklebar mower do a good job?

It's time to cut the hay field again, but this will be the last time this year. Hopefully our New Holland sicklebar mower does a better job this time.
Our Facebook page: / countryviewacreshomestead
E-mail us at: [e-mail]
Send Mail to:
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.
#cuttinghay
#sicklebarmower
#countryviewacres

[@brandonrichardson6750]

Evan, dollars and cents the sickle bar mower has made you money. Don't go in debt for something that will three acres in 45 minutes and set for 362 day year and cost 10,000 dollars or more and repairs are way more costly and in some cases harder fix. You are doing good for now I would look at add more acres of hay before add more equipment unless a still of a deal comes your way. Good luck.

[@johndowe7003]

yup, biggest mistake small farmers make. if ya dont wanna drive the tractor as much just hire someone for 10$ a hr and call it good, cheaper in the long run

[@lazio7495]

This is why I down sized to a sickle mower.

[@wmffgeorge1589]

I would have made linkade stays, I don't know how much you use mounted equipment but stableizer bars come in handy.

[@jackmargason2594]

The aerial footage is really great.

[@donniechapman5922]

I like the drone shot when your cutting, pretty, when I was younger sickle bars were used to cut grass along the road by the state highway department.

[@arnoldromppai5395]

they are still used today on all country roads a secondart high ways, maine high ways they tar to keep the grass far back..

[@donniechapman5922]

@@arnoldromppai5395 they haven't been used in Georgia for years they use bush hogs on all roads now

[@fazeeti2692]

roadside grass is moved by mulchers in my country

[@Tomhohenadel]

Evan, you must order and operate your farm as you see fit. Mower looks good. Have a great weekend

[@sharonanspach2734]

great job in accomplishing what needed to be done this year, both with the hay field and mower

[@2001joefox]

It looks like the sickle bar mower did a great job! The other 3 acres could allow for more livestock or a potential income stream.

[@patriciabeyer7824]

Good morning. You folks have a blessed day. ☝️👏🥰

[@jansmith8021]

I could watch you this all day! 😊

[@vacone1]

You have done great on learning and fixing that bar. At my age, after a lifetime on equipment, 3 mph is all my back can handle. Lol. Your setup would be fine for me. I have a few tractors capable of 5 mph tillage, we go 3 mph.

[@davidhickenbottom6574]

Most nutritional hay you can make. I remember my cousin working on his in the 70s

[@sherrywilliams1792]

We watch 20 different farmers,you are in the top five of enjoyment to us.

[@SgtGiggs]

Pretty cool to see you getting more comfortable with the machinery. I definitely think the more you use it the more productive you'll get. Don't go buying a bunch of expensive equipment until your production outpaces your means! Love the hay cutting vids.

[@dadasaurusrex5461]

I remember my dad letting that old John Deere sicklebar mower down like that and it terrified me haha. We had it hooked to our 3020 gas. What memories this brings back.

[@kingkong7617]

Evan, the sicklebar mower did really well in the hay field and all the work you did on it has paid off and with no more than you have in the mower, I would keep using it as long as it did as well as today. The farm is looking really good and the pond has cleared up and the pump did a good job. So enjoy your vacation, you earned it.

[@williamshafer1996]

We used to put up 3000 6x6' round bales of Bermuda grass every year for our use. Plus, we custom baled for our neighbors. So I feel your pain, my friend. I would go get a small rotary disc cutter. They are worth their weight in gold.

[@mathiggins4264]

Good morning buddy be safe out there

[@gordonbaker1572]

Thank you for sharing Old technology that is set up and taken care of is still Worth it Best to you and your family Keep sharing

[@DanKlein_1]

Glad you are having a good hay year. Here in Western Pa the dew is so heavy this time of the year that it is very difficult to get it dried. It takes more than half the day just to get the dew dried off. Sicklebar is looking good. You have definitely found all of the difficulties in using one like cutting a wet field or the way cut hay will clump up at the shoe. I can have the same issue though even with a haybine if I am not careful.

[@workhardlivefree3818]

Some great drone footage Evan! At the beginning when You were discussing the 3pt hitch... all I heard was a justification for a newer 50 HP tractor.... with 4x4 and a loader, maybe a cab...

[@wendellharris9065]

You are doing just fine buddy. Looks good. We are small scale farmers, and its easy to get over your head in expensive equipment. Enjoyed your video!!!

[@jaywest4102]

Doing a great job, always amazed by your perseverance. We use sicklebar mostly as a weed eater around ponds, fence and tree lines. You’ve done great getting yours to work smoothly.

[@margaretbedwell58]

Looks good to me. Nice you have a buyer for it. Have a Blessed day.

[@vincent7331]

I know I really enjoy taking care of Gods live carpet! I could see you enjoy this too when you got off the tractor.

[@patwanner1781]

That was so much fun to watch. I’m so glad your equipment worked for you. I’ve been watching you and Rebecca for quite awhile and my husband had to check you out because I was talking about you. He’s a subscriber now and we both enjoy watching your channel and talking about how you guys are doing. Looking forward to the next video, and hello from Wyoming.

[@josephcooksley3219]

Yes i agree the lead changing with the movement causes blockage of cut follage on the cutter bar ... not being able to see your attachment points in detail means i can not easily recomend solution for you lol . But stopping lateral movement of the mounted mower unit will solve cut follage blockages . The answer is also in your cutting speed ... The faster you travel the easier it is to keep the Cutter bar clear ... Lucern/Alf Alfa is usually a very Smooth Paddock surface as it requires a lot of preparation of the soil seed bed to establish a successful high producing stand . I used get five cuts plus two grazings amazingly productive crop ...

[@DLTJR1959]

We made hay in the 60's and 70's with a sicklebar mower, rollbar rake, and square baler. All New Holland and a D17 like you are running. My father sold Allis and New Holland for over 30 years. We later updated to an old haybine and a round baler. Good old equipment that will run a long time if you keep them greased and maintained. The haybine will crimp the stalk and you will cure faster. We only used the rake to roll and dry once cut. Tedder's were not on the scene at that time. Great video. Thank you.

[@TheMachinegunkelly10]

This video is so satisfying to watch. I love it

[@csnanny1882]

So glad everything keeps going fantastic for you and Rebecca.You should be so proud of yourself’s. You have come a long way with the farm. What a wonderful change . It’s about time for more animals don’t you think ? Since you have your own hay for them. Just remember keep the Lord in your life. God bless .

[@chrism.2231]

My first tractor was an old (1941) Allis C that I used to pull a finish mower on our large lawn. I added the 3 point from OK Tractors (I think, been about 10 years) and I was having issues with sway. I added some limiter chains to limit it. You may need to get creative, but I would be surprised if you can not add some. That being said, things did not seem to be swaying a lot for you under load, but maybe the video was not showing it. Ironic you posted this today. I was making a swath board and a stick for a JD Nos 5 mower last night that makes your New Holland look like state of the art. We have even less acreage we are trying to cut for hay to offset goat feed costs, so there is no way I am spending a lot on the equipment to do it. At least you are getting some income from your hay, so good on you. Take care!

[@richardmiller3919]

CHRIS M. Good old Allis Chamber

[@olddawgdreaming5715]

Good job Evan, looks like it’s doing what you want it to do. Thanks for sharing with us and taking us along.

[@AfterTheRains]

It must be really satisfying to see the video from the aerial view afterwards.

[@lazio7495]

Awesome birds eye view of you mowing. Gives a good perspective of how the mower works and the pattern your cutting. You can only go as fast as your equipment will allow you to do without breaking anything. I like selling my hay off the field too, if I can. Sure beats picking it off the field, stacking it, then loading it again to sell it etc etc! Great video, thanks for sharing 👍

[@rockeerockey6941]

Years ago when I was a kid, Dad had a JD, 7' drawer, wheel driven sickle mower. After a rebuild like you did, I could mow the 5 acres of lawn in record time! Never used the rider again! The secret was low & slow! Don't let the weather rust the blades & rock guards, we poured used motor oil on the bar, blades & guards to protect them Great video, reminds me of childhood! TY

[@w056007568]

Your success today is so much better than on your first attempt! Your work on the mower has paid off in spades and you have more understanding about driving your tractor to get better results - well done. I just hope you get some windy dry days to get the crop to the point you can bale it safely but it will take much more time than previously. DON'T beat it death tedding it and lose all the leaf to just leave stalks!

[@elricm13]

Nice corners! Great footage. A semi-mounted sickle mower eliminates the 3 point sway.

[@powrguy1696]

Great drone footage, Evan. That 3-point IS letting the bar drag back, and you might have to break out the welder to add a bar/brace to hold it in position as you cut.

[@davidcharles3313]

If you come down from fender mounts, you will be able to add stabilizer bars. Just priced a new discbine at $26000. Your 451 could have been made in the seventies, it should need some up grading. And you are right, the swath board needs to be repaired, that and tractor wheel spacing are the key to overall performance. Thanks for sharing and glad for your persistence. You’re doing a good job.

[@TomBiggerstaff-gn1ws]

You got it figured out money well spent keep it even if you do some day get a hay bind video done well thank you for taking the time to shair

[@maggiesue4825]

Boy, you've really mastered those turns!

[@michaelbeckingham6220]

He likes getting dizzy going round and round

[@robertbennett6697]

......and he will have material for a video on brakes and tie rod ends too.

[@paulrichards2713]

You are learning, I grew up with mowers like that , we had 3 John Deere mowers running lots of days. None are mowers were 3 point hitch. I had a dad and two older brothers to teach me the Ropes, I think you are doing well since you have no one to guide you, keep up the work.

[@bevnelson3678]

Looks good Even you’ve got it sorted. Well done.

[@ithacacomments4811]

Blessed weekend to you and yours!

[@sheldonglenneferd6537]

Love your videos! We purchased a used sicklebar mower, same as yours, last August and have followed your videos very closely completing the same tweaks. Only completed one small cut with it last September and was somewhat pleased. Like yourself, a few more tweaks and I think we’ll have it. Thank you. 😊

[@donaldthomas5852]

New Holland makes a good sickle bar mower I had a 7ft 451 New Holland. I pulled it behind a 539 IMT 39 hp tractors. Enjoy your video.

[@lewisgardner1660]

Thank you for another video, I look forward to your video each week 😃😃😃😃😃

[@OpunktSchmidt1301]

It gets better and better! 👍🏻😊

[@mountainmike1685]

I have a 7 foot 451 NH. I appreciate your videos. They do help me with getting mine to mow better. The parts are just too dang expensive.

[@jessenunn6995]

Im 24 years old and use much older equipment than most farmers around me. I use a 1983 massey ferguson 270. 7 foot new holland 472 haybine. New holland 848 4x5 round baler both 1990 something's. I just got a 2000 gehl 418 v rake this year. Before that i raked with a 1950 ferguson to20 and a 1950 something new holland 56 hay rake. I mow a little over 2 acres an hour. This year iv made about 850 bales and will be very near 1000 when I finally get done in a week or two. The key to making any money is being willing to work harder for it. All my equipment combined isnt worth what one of some people's tractors is money wise but it's payed for and reliable, that's the key I believe.

[@yasminghani2073]

You are doing very well this is the time good luck

[@billclaussen5255]

Looked pretty good to me also!!! Good job on tweaking the settings and repairs on the mower. Thanks...Peace!!! Bill

[@nicksmith7719]

Have you thought about putting a small wheel on the end of your cutter? To give it the right height and not drag

[@roblong6518]

Looks like mower is doing a good job. We have made stableizer mounts for axles with angle iron, and stub pins to mount the flat bar to the 3 point hitch. Really helps side to side movements on the older tractors. Keep up the good work, and videos! 👍

[@josephbrown-ut9ty]

JudithB Really looks good! We usually only cut twice to let the fields grow for winter graze. Our 20 acres was cross fenced into 4 pastures and most of the hay came off 2 fields. We had 20 cows, and 3 horses and still had to sell hay to empty the barn in the spring. Good problem to have!!! LOL

[@petedavis8701]

I think you have to accept that probably is the best result you’re going to get with the equipment you’ve got. It’s probably not spending thousands on new equipment for the pay back improvement you’d get. Well done again

[@kern123]

Great job! Maybe some chain and turn buckles attached to draw bar to take side to side play out?

[@gabrielfarm7712]

The season is coming quick

[@arlynsmith9196]

Do not let the naysayers get to you. You are doing great! Every forum or video channel has people who cannot stand to let the opportunity to be critical pass by - don't worry about them!

[@silkedavid8876]

Finally! When it did not work at the beginning, I was like NOOO,! Lets see what next year brings.

[@nicksmith7719]

For the sway on the back of your tractor we had a similar issue on a previous tractor, but my father bought International and someone had customized a pain on the bottom right of the tractor to lead back to one of the arms you can put it on the left as well and just got a small bar with two flat sides and put one on the arm side and hook the other one who's constantly stay to the Tractor so you only get so much sway. It helps so much. My bush hog used to Jump Around now it doesn't move. This mower you have here though interest me, might have to look into getting one.

[@ftwtexasstephens9629]

Have you thought about cutting back and clearing the undergrowth around your field? Cutting all the low branches of the trees up to a height your tractor can drive under? My grandpa did this and it added to his hay yield and the grass dried faster. There were 9 of us grandkids (6 boys) so we were all sent out to cut and haul hay in the summer. As teenagers it was quick work and we all have happy memories of hauling hay with grandpa and grandma bringing lunch and eating off the tail gate of the old farm truck.

[@homesteadspirit9209]

I sort of went in reverse of progress and traded up my JD 1209 haybine for a JD model 39 sickle bar lol I run it off my Ford 3000. I'd say it's a match made in heaven

[@lorenmeyer5290]

Great job Evan ! It did a great job this time!

[@larrykluckoutdoors8227]

I use to cut a ton of hay every summer. Used a MM Jet Star with a sickle bar mower as fast as the mower could cut it is what I traveled. Many days I would cut 20-30 acres or more. Then dad added a PTO shaft and hitch to tow a crimper behind the mower to help the hay dry.

[@williamlane9140]

My tractor has turnbuckles on both sway arms. They take out most of the sway plus I can adjust where the implement trails side to side behind the rear wheels. I like what you're doing👍😎

[@mr29southpaw]

May I suggest you keep an eye out for a used haybine. There will be several advantages to it, it'll cut and windrow it, plus the rollers will crush the alfalfa stem to aid in drying, especially in the cooler weather and when you have limited time. Haybines have become very affordable as larger farms move to discbines.

[@batpherlangkharkrang7976]

Hi.... Evan nice to see you and you are great I love watching your videos, thank you for sharing your video homestead chicken farmer garden 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 👕🐔🐓🐥🐕🐖🐈🌱🐐🎥👍👍👍

[@seansysig]

Evan you need sleeve bushing on your 3 point hitch pins to minimize movement.

[@wesolds8875]

Before you said it was cutting pretty good. I said to myself either you are getting better cutting or the sicklebar is cutting better or probably both. Good job

[@jimgarland5555]

I'm in a similar situation myself. I picked-up a Deere #9 7-foot sickle bar mower (semi-mount 3-point). Bought for $350 this spring and finding a lot of poor repairs by previous owner. Broke wooden pitman arm after not even 2 full passes. Cutter bar slides all need adjusted. A couple bad welds need redone. Wrong knife on the outside of the bar. Hoping to get my adjustments made this week so can knock-down my 3-acre field before the 4th of July

[@tmorgan7939]

It will be interesting to see how many bales you will get from all your cuttings this year. You have to be proud after your first year. Good to have a little independence feeding some of the animals. Nice job repairing all the tools you did for the money you spent. Pretty much agree with you when you summed up. You could keep fine tuning all three tools but at a point you just reach the point of diminishing returns on the time you spend . . . and like all growing farms you always have other projects on the list !

[@johnsadler8637]

Good morning from a little north and west of you in MidMo. One observation, and someone else below also commented on this, is that we always let the foot clutch out first on our Allis Chalmers WD-45 (precursor to the D series you have) then started moving with the hand clutch. On ours, the foot clutch stopped the PTO, but the hand clutch just stopped the wheels. If yours does the same, I advise you swap the order. Otherwise, you’re imitating a tractor without independent PTO, meaning forward motion and PTO equipment all has to start at the same time. This probably doesn’t matter for the light PTO load of a sickle bar mower, but would be really noticeable on a heavier tool like a brush hog. I expect that would eventually wear the foot clutch faster. Second observation is that the theoretical maximum forward speed for a modern sickle bar is about 5-6 mph, and that is determined by the need to accelerate that cutter out and back, which is tough physics. For older equipment, I’d say 3 mph isn’t bad. I thought you were a little fast at first, but understand that clog might have been wet hay. But don’t agonize that you’re not going faster - adapt your the conditions of the day. Ok, so the wet shady spot - make your first round excluding that, then go back and pick it up after you finish everything else and it will be dry by then. Regarding sway - you’ve nailed the problem. A number of commenters have suggested ways to work on that. My Ford now has a pin mounted on the flange the fender is bolted to, and I have a rigid bar between it and the lift arm pin on that side. We couldn’t mount the pin in the right place, so my hitch has to move right as is sets down, so I can have only one bar on at a time. If you can put a pin outboard in line with the pivot point for the lift arm, the implement will go straight up and down and you could put on both sides at once. Alternatively, you can chain the right side and solve the problem for the sickle bar mower. On the whole, though, you’re really getting things working; all the above is fine-tuning. Keep it up! By the way, the pond looks really good - the aeration seems to have really helped with your eutrophication problem.

[@andreasputzhuber834]

Always mow with the mower away from the boundry because you are able to see obstacles better Great vid

[@James-lp5]

We cut hay Wednesday and going to bale it tomorrow (Sunday), Dad on the tractor and me on the wagon. The hay didn't grow as much as I would have liked since the last cutting but the weather here In southern Ohio was dry for awhile and by the time we did start getting a decent amount of rain it was getting late in the season, maybe next year will be better.

[@arjenhillenius1917]

According to a google and wikipedia, you should be driving 5.3 to 5.4 mile per hour in order to get a good result for grass.

[@kingfishjrb]

add chain and turnbuckle to right axle side to adjust your lead. my dad back in the seventies traded his 7 ft bar mower for a 5 ft, it worked much better. 7 ft would bow in center.

[@charlesmartin4535]

Yep drop your bar down and back up a little to where you think the bar should be and run a chain around mower then rap it round right side of wheel axel. So it can't sway backwards.

[@vernonvest9927]

The above is a good Idea.

[@randygrider9758]

I used to have a 456 no sickle, 9 ft cut. I cut 100 acres with it in a 10 hour day. Trust me, that mower you have will cut just the same. Stabilize mower on tractor, whatever it takes, and adjust lead to 6” forward of cutter head end of blade. Once you begin cutting it will pull back and be at perfect right angle. Also verify knife is in time with teeth, centering on each stroke..there are plenty of books and videos I’m sure that show how to do this. I learned from a John Deere book that was dated early 1900.s. When horses did the work you had to set it up right or wear your horses out. Modern sickles operate and adjust the same as horse drawn sickles. You will be amazed how good it will cut.

[@bobtuckosh9870]

Very nice old allis chalmers.

[@JamesCouch777]

You might try attaching a chain to the right side of the mower and then running it up to the axle housing to keep the sickle bar straight. My mower is set up like that for tractors that don't have stabilizer bars or turnbuckles.

[@robertingram289]

I think it,'s doing great, sometimes cycle mowers are a little slower but do a good job you do great to be going by yourself ( self sustaining)anyway, love the farm

[@mwnciboo]

If it works, isn't Dangerous and is cheap...Well that is a massive win! I would rachet strap the 3pt up to stop the movement.

[@mikefuhrman458]

Evan, it's easy to eliminate the sway. Take two chains or two pieces of 1/4" x 2" flat stock and attach to the top links and cross over to the bottom links in an "X". If using chains, make sure they are tight and they will work fine. Your sway though does not have much to do with your lead in and keep in mind anything that may be loose in the mower will be exaggerated at the end of the 9 foot bar. Your mower will be just fine, the attack angle may be off. For the amount of hay you have to cut, take it slow and enjoy the experience. Don't sweat the small stuff.

[@andyteohockguan2235]

Awesome video

[@donmacdonald7758]

Great job on mowing, but you can make your own sway bars for that 3pt., hinged at the axle to the lower arms at the pins. That s what I did with 3/8 bar stock, you might need a longer pin. Works great.

[@lindag.l.9493]

Suggestion: first cut of hay , start in middle of field... like a hockey rink (less turning at end row) you’re doing GREAT.. 👌🏽

[@njutarn8381]

amazing tractor

[@raymondj8768]

AS SOON AS IT TOUCHES THE GRASS THE ANGLE LEANS TOWARDS THE BACK DUDE GOTTA FIND A WAY TO CHAIN THAT 3 POINT OVER BROTHER !!!

[@brandonbeckemeyer1579]

The mower seems to be cutting great since you made all your repairs. Have you thought about adapting the mower to fit on the Case? The rigged eagle hitch will help keep the mower at the correct angle. Would make some good videos this winter. Thank you for the videos and knowledge!!!

[@ericleger8158]

I remember cutting alfalfa with a sickle bar mower that was so thick, it wouldn't fall down!

[@crslyrn]

Looks like you've got the old bar mower setup about right. Moving at 3mph is really pretty good. Stay safe.

[@darylsmioth1904]

Looks like it cuts fine despite the movement in the arms. I never have angled mine forward and I can if I wish but it cuts fine without being angled forward.

[@jerryhill681]

A sway bar from the right 3 pt pin to a bracket under the fender will reduce the side sway. this is used a lot on old Ford tractors for 3 pt work.

[@kenhart6330]

If you want to stop the sway you could, using the top link pin. Weld chain to the pin on the head the other you could use a larger chain link and cross them to the opposite arm past the lift brackets. Being crossed the sway will be taken away.

[@stephensaasen8589]

The sickle mower looks like it's doing pretty good. I've heard complaints about discbine mowers. The crusher rollers squeeze out the extra moisture and with it a lot of the nutrients. For optimum nutrient retention people are saying sickle mower is best. Next would be drum mower and then disc mower. You might be able to stay away from any kind of mower that has the conditioner/rollers since it gets pretty warm there in summer. I really enjoy watching that sickle mower.

[@oldtimeengineer26]

That is about all the faster you want to mow with the cycle bar. Growing up the cycle bar mower was my biggest pain in my a$$

[@rbarger71]

My grandpa had a D14 and 80R3 Allis mower with 7 ft. bar. Also had the Allis 3 pt. and the mower was not all beat up like some I've seen. Probably in part to his meticulous upkeep on it. Also that 9 ft. bar puts a lot more drag on things that affect the lead of the bar. Need to find a way to add chains and turnbuckles to the 3 pt. arms to try and mitigate as much of the negative lead as you can and it will cut better. Also if the ledger plates and bar sections match up right it will cut and run like a Singer sewing machine. My grandad would spend hours in the shop straightening all his cutter bars and then adjust all the guards so the ledger plates matched the sections they run against. Even as a young boy I knew what he was doing because I could see the difference in the hay fields between the way his mower cut and the neighbors mowers cut. As my grandpa would always say the other mowers would cut some, pull some, and leave some hay in the field.

[@williamjenkinsiii70]

You could make a sway bar . Make some big U bolts to go around the axle housing and a plate to put a category 1 on and a peace of flat steel to go to the category 1 on your aftermarket three point hitch or just try a heave ratchet strap from the three point hitch to the axle housing to see if it helps with lead on the cutter bar .

[@vinnypinatelli221]

That very last drone shot the tires looked like crop circles lol it was awesome great video man

[@superliner101hobbyfarming]

I use a New Holland 488 haybine and I love it, but the sickle bar does come in handy still for places with harder access

[@MrNickGascoigne]

I'd look at trying to fit some chains to the 3 point lifting arms, wouldn't cost allot, would probably be easy using shackles of some kind and might be useful for other implements. They really make a difference and will definate help you with keeping the leading edge forward. Been going through similar trials here with an international b23 getting it set up, I'm suffering with the cutting bar hanging beyond horizontal when lifted which is probably a simple adjustment but haven't quite got it right yet 😅 🤔 👍👍

[@longcaster]

Your speed mowing is relative. If you go faster you will have to get down and clear the fouling from the bar. The right speed is where you spend your time in the seat not clearing fouling.