International 1000 Sickle Mower Bar Repaired | Engels Coach Shop

[@bobvogel9916]

Off topic? It was watching you do your magic. I consider that exactly ON topic!

[@geofham8332]

Hi, my feelings also, great stuff.

[@bertbergers9171]

absolutely!

[@chrispriest5065]

I don't feel for a second that it is anywhere off topic but on the contrary, it is well on topic and not what you may suspect we will think that it may be in any way off-topic. In fact, I believe it is right up there with all you do the best mate.

[@P61guy61]

Preczactly

[@easternwoods4378]

Anything from that time period is on topic. PS Don't know the make or model but I remember my uncle using one ( over 60 years ago )

[@bisonuberti]

Off topic? .... Not in the very least.... right spot on! Awesome work. A $100 sickle mower turned into an $900 working power horse.

[@robertinscoe2379]

Dave you could post a video of the grass growing and I bet most of us would watch. Lol It was still a neat video

[@bythebalticseam693]

You are absolutely right! =)

[@BillB23]

I wouldn't put it past him: he's let us watch paint dry before, lol. And I liked it!

[@steveskouson9620]

I'm torn between watching his videos, at the end of my workweek, or watching them Saturday morning. (After I sleep in late.) I'll let everyone know when I watch a bad episode. (That time when Microsoft hijacked his channel comes to mind.) steve

[@BillB23]

@@steveskouson9620 Dave with Sat. morning coffee does not sound bad at all.

[@steveskouson9620]

@@BillB23, or an early morning Bloody Mary. Irish Coffee? steve

[@johneastman7991]

That was absolutely fascinating. As someone who has never built a thing in my 84 years on this planet, I'm mesmerized by your manner, your skill, and your nonchalant way of stating, "well, the stemblaris was missing, so I made one from a picture". What??? Love your channel.

[@BillB23]

I've made many things in my 69 years and I'm equally mesmerized.

[@ronwhite6719]

I to am always taken back with Dave's skills. I watch his videos at least 4 or 5 times.

[@ralphmills7322]

Dave does more with a picture than I could do with a dimensional drawing.

[@EngelsCoachShop]

Thank you everyone.

[@blackandgus]

John, I share your fascination with the way Dave builds things from scratch. I have never made anything like that life sized, but make miniatures, and I think I have a harder time with and put more hard work into the small items than he does with the real life ones. By the way, if you ever find yourself a need of a good 'stemblaris', I think I can locate one for you. ;)

[@veteranironoutdoors8320]

One of my fondest memories is helping my grandfather rivet new cutting teeth on his sickle bar. This was quite the enjoyable watch for me.

[@dwightl5863]

Those cutting teeth are called sickle sections. FYI

[@tolbaszy8067]

Sickle bar mowers- haystacks and three legged dogs! Great video! I have a four foot belly mower for my Gravely tractor that needs rebuilding. I restored the hayrake that goes on a Gravely walk-behind. This is just the video I needed for inspiration. Thanks!

[@pycoed]

Three legged dogs - that's right! Every farm in West Wales had an old three legged collie - as soon as drum mowers came in in the 1970's all the pups were safe!

[@tolbaszy8067]

@@pycoed Not safe from the vintage tractor collector, like my former neighbor and his Rottweiler! May they frolic peacefully in the un-mown fields of Heaven!

[@suzisaintjames]

I liked today's video, thanks for taking us along... I'm hoping you'll do a short video showing us the mower in action. 💖🌞🌵😷

[@homemadehistory7537]

Oh I love mechanics .... I am a mechanic since 31 years and start with 16 years old.... Now we all waiting sor some fresh green to see the beaty work.. Thank you for the nice video 👍👍👍

[@curtlundgren6867]

Dad had a New Holland mower, rather similar but with a shorter cutter bar. It had a 3-point hitch as this one does, and was powered by the PTO on the Ford 2N tractor. The 'pitman arm' as he called it was wooden, with metal ends. It translated the rotary motion to reciprocal, and we loved to hear the sound as the mower ran. I can remember watching him on the big grinding wheel, foot powered, of course, sharpening each tooth on the sickle bar. Every time he went out to the fields to cut hay the mower was meticulously oiled. Watching this brought back a lot of memories from childhood. Thanks so much for sharing, Dave!

[@EngelsCoachShop]

Nice. Thanks Curt.

[@aleferniuk1752]

Annealing the weld, an example of that old mastery in crafmanship. Excelent, dear mr. Engel

[@thisoldminewithlars5324]

Nothing is ever old, broken and useless, when all it needs is some attention. Very nice rebuild. It almost looks new. But guys like us never want new.

[@patricktillmanns3949]

Doesn't really matter what you're working on, I watch to see an American master craftsman at work. Artists come in an many varieties. Thanks for bringing us along.

[@footplate0]

I think most of us watch to see what you are doing. Not what you are doing it to. Everything that you have thought might be interesting is very interesting. I like to think that you do a proper job and YOU can make a purse from a sows ear. Just carry on doing what ever your doing because you have got it spot on. Thanks for posting

[@EngelsCoachShop]

You're very kind.

[@gordbaker896]

A 9' bar is a very long bar. I used to cut roadside weeds for the Township when a teenager. We carried our own extra bars and changed out and riveted new teeth as required. Likely a 6' long bar at most on a 3PH. No tail wheel. Thanks for the memories.

[@phillipsofthedriver]

I think we all like shop maintenance videos as well, like that one where you did some maintenance on that super fancy table saw. Tool maintenance is important, and should never be ignored.

[@aerialrescuesolutions3277]

Here here.

[@leifjenkinson4039]

tool maintenance = safety; never midn efficiency

[@mergrew0110]

I tune in for.......a day in the life of Dave........so right on topic for me. I’d watch you sitting on the porch, with a beer, watching for the grass to reach mowing height, but can’t ever believe you’d sit still that long!

[@cousinfester4621]

No baling wire? I've never seen one fixed without baling wire before. :)

[@demonknight7965]

That would be farmerizing lol

[@Painless61]

Isn‘t it awesome ? Something is broken and you can fix it by yourself ... that‘s so satisfying. Off Topic? ... na i think all Viewers like it like i like it... Good Job as ever... Hope you show us more from this work ... 👍🏽

[@cheewurz]

Dave...I remember back in the day when your dad came to me for Welding Repairs... LoL He was a Good Soul...I liked him alot!

[@EngelsCoachShop]

I remember that as well. Thanks neighbor.

[@albertjagt5713]

Boy oh boy, what memories!! We had this model of the mower when we were cutting hay for our herd of 25 dairy cows! The option we had was to have a hitch added on and a PTO so then a conditioner, or a crimper as some people call it, was pulled behind this mower. When that happens, you are crimping the row that you are straddling when cutting the next row to your right! And I do remember some neighbours having New Idea mowers as well! Greetings from Ontario, Canada!

[@Mc234Cormick]

Yes, we had that same setup--crimper behind the mower

[@traderjack6151]

My Dad was born 1918 He told me , in 1945 when he got home from service Air Force He purchased a Mcormick Deering W6 tractor and a Lincoln welder. He could make anything,or fix it! Really enjoy your show thanks

[@esseelettronica8507]

Mr. Dave is always a pleasure to watch you at work and see your ingenuity and inventiveness applied. Thanks always for the videos of her a warm greeting from the city of Catania.

[@bertbergers9171]

Mr. Engels, i love watching you working metal, so no problem to me if it's on a more contemporary product! You have such attention to detail and are honest enough to say the guards being cheaper bought then to remake them. Hope the mower works for you when time comes.

[@EngelsCoachShop]

Thanks.

[@ПоследнийИван]

I don't know how to call it correctly in English. In Russia we call such people, "на все руки мастер" (A jack of all trades) or "мастер золотые руки". (Master with the golden hands). 👍👍👍🤝🤝

[@robertdraper7258]

I worked in Parts Department at a CaseIH/Navistar Dealership for 20 years and this is the First time I ever got to see how much goes into assembly a Sickle Bar so it will LAST. I usually just dropped off the Parts and had to move on to the next Customer. I always enjoyed when I could actually take the time to help the Mechanics. Thanks for Posting this Dave!

[@robytzone]

We love you great man!! Roberto & Camilla from Italy!!!

[@danbreyfogle8486]

I'll bet I have seen a hundred mowers of this style as I passed farmers in the field but never been close enough to understand just how much of a mechanical marvel it is. I enjoyed seeing you work on it, now if it would just warm up enough for the grass to grow! My son lives in Philipsburg, MT (70 south of Missoula) and he said there is a winter storm watch out for his area, up to ten inches of snow in the mountains (he lives at 6000 foot). Hope it passes by you so the grass can grow, grin...

[@dianeengel4155]

We had snow here today, but it melted as it fell.

[@RobertFay]

*- Dave, your new mower looks like the one our neighbor Farmer, Elwin Wells, used to cut the fields at home to keep the trees out way back in 1956.* *- I road the frame behind the International Harvester tractor as he mowed.* *- Elwin used a team to pull the hay wagon: one smaller mare, named "Gray", with a stout back end; and a taller gelding, named "Brownie", with a long stride.* *- Each year, when we came to a huge glacial bolder that rose and sloped ever so slightly out of the field's grass line that had never been removed, Brownie would hold the wagon, and Gray would pull the wheel over so we could go on. They knew and remembered the field exactly how it needed to be done, turn by turn.* *- Old man Dalton {great great great cousin of the founder of the town of Dalton, NH lived in a no running water tar-paper shack} and he drove Brownie when raking the fields with a Hay Rake after the mowing had dried. Elwin drove both horses for pulling the hay wagon.* *- Because some of the mowed hay was too far away from the turns that had to be made by the Hay Rake, I used an old wood pronged Hay Fork to rake it under Browny's stomach for the Hay Rake to lift together into a row that then became a lines in the field for the hay baler.* *- **www.google.com/search?q=Horse+Drawn+Hay+Rake* *- **www.google.com/search?q=Antique+Wooden+Hay+Fork*

[@pierrefouchard6593]

Un plaisir de regarder la vidéo et pour moi d'observer votre activité, vous êtes une good personne. Pierre de Vierzon France. A pleasure to watch the video and for me to observe your activity, you are a good person. Pierre de Vierzon France.

[@sassafrasvalley1939]

When I was a kid we’d spend a whole week getting the 9’ mower ready for haying . The thing I remember most was learning how to peen rivets. It was the first time I knew what the peen side of the hammer head was made for! That knowledge has served me well in so many situations. Dave thanks for the visit to my youth... one needs a trip back there from time to time! Nice job putting that old girl back in service!!!!

[@kevingerlach7517]

Dave, it is Always a pleasure to watch a Professional utilizing his tools and experience to do other work. Thanks for taking me along for the ride. Looking forward to you letting us know how it worked out and if you had to change something to get it working as you liked.

[@artszabo1015]

We don't 'utilize' our tools, we just use them. Utilize is for a different sort of people.

[@kevingerlach7517]

@@artszabo1015 Thanks for the correction. I enjoy the fact that I am constantly learning, even at 58. My intent was as a verb to "make practical effective use of" his tools and experience. Did not realize I had used it in the wrong context? But Dave, I believe, would have understood my intent.

[@artszabo1015]

@@kevingerlach7517 It isn't a matter of using it in the wrong context, your context was perfect. And yes, I am certain that Dave and everyone else also understood what you meant, as well as myself. It is the use of the word 'utilize' that rubs some people the wrong way. Now certainly there is a group of people that utilize the word utilize, then there is another group of people that still use the word use. Generally speaking the group that utilizes the word utilize don't have tools in their hands. On the other hand the group of people that use the word use might very likely have a tool in their hand. This is why it is a rare occasion indeed when a man or woman would utilize a tool. You see it is a word utilized by college educated pompous asses that not only do not use tools but look down their presumptuous noses at those of us who do use tools. So you see it is not that we are all too stupid to understand college words, it is the blatant pretentiousness of it that is quite offensive to us. Art

[@kevingerlach7517]

@@artszabo1015 Thank you for the correction but I did not utilize that word because I am highly educated to make others feel less. I grew up as the second youngest of five kids utilizing my siblings hand me downs and working when I was old enough to mow lawns and rake leaves, joined the military after HS and Learned Construction Management on the Job and was successful due to Hard Work. If my run on sentence offends you, Im sorry but you sir, do not know what you are talking about. And should kindly just keep your thoughts to yourself as you have NO idea what I was trying to say or the person I am to judge me. I watch Dave because he just tells you like it is and has No problems figuring problems out and showing ME in video and narrative a natural talent to perform work that we let slip away due to technology. I wish your words could have just stay at the why I was wrong to utilize the word I DID and why. Because that would show me you were Kind enough to correct some errors in my use. But NO, you had to be THAT guy, we all despise, the KNOW IT ALL with a backhanded comment. But I thank you for your attempt to be CIVIL and truly a great person. Sincerely Kevin Gerlach

[@kevingerlach7517]

Art, if it was your intention to be helpful, you have my sincerest apologies. If not, you have my frustrated response for which, I am not proud. I will continue to watch Daves videos and enjoy them. And I will continue to let him know that he and his videos give me great pleasure in seeing his work and narrative. This should inspire others to enjoy their work and take pride in the fact that it touches others in the lives, as it has me. That is why I responded. Good Day sir.

[@markedone9778]

I can’t wait for Dave to show us this thing in action, I bet it will cut great.

[@philipwinnard9149]

I often see myself in your work as I have repaired many pieces of equipment over the years.

[@BobOBob]

It may be slightly off /your/ usual topic, but it's right on one of my favorites -- rescuing and rebuilding antique and classic tools. I follow a bunch of channels already just for this kind of material. Thanks very much! And, oh -- the people with those channels would accept you and your work in a heartbeat.

[@Sourdo1]

"Working from pictures" ... What an amazing Craftsman you are, Dave.

[@DonDegidio]

Hi Dave, Enjoyed watching you repair the mower. Now I know how they work. You and Diane stay safe.

[@EngelsCoachShop]

Thanks Don.

[@schrottmax5099]

Ein sehr guter Handwerker.Da sitzt jeder Handgrif,es macht viel Freude diesem Mann bei der Arbeit zuzuschauen.

[@paulstanding7267]

Very nice repair as you say not your normal work but a change is as good as a rest for someone who repairs builds it is Second nature to a man who has a serious vast knowledge a walk down the street take care all 😀👍

[@TgWags69]

As I watched you weld the bar, I was thinking in my head. "Now heat it up good so it doesn't break again". Then you go overboard and give it a good overnight soak. That's why we like you!

[@johnbero4987]

Never 'Off Topic' when watching a craftsman do their thing. Mixing up the 'thing' is also enjoyable. Keep up the good work.

[@OleNavy]

Watching you rehab the sickle bar mower was a treat. I have spent countless hours in the meadows mowing hay and I expect double that, in the pastures mowing filth to keep the weeds down. We had the side mounted machine on a Ford 8N, as opposed to the draw bar mounted machine, and the bar was only 7 feet long. I started mowing when I was about 13-14 years old. After the hay was down, we used a horse-drawn tedder to stir it up a bit and allow the air to circulate better and dry the hay out. There was also a horse-drawn mowing machine but it didn't get used after Grand-dad was talked into the Ford. I was about 5 years old when that transpired, but the team was kept around for a few years after that. We're talking 1950, in West Virginia. Thanks for the videos to watch!!!

[@HustleMuscleGhias]

I'm glad to see somebody who uses a ratchet and a wrench over an impact wrench any day. I cannot tell you how many nuts and bolts I've seen cross threaded, stripped, or broken as a result of those things over the years.

[@howardschaefer1445]

I think everyone will agree that if you're doing it we enjoy watching and learning.

[@gerardjohnson2106]

You sure put that old mower back in order and tuned it like new. Whoever you bought that mower off of see it now and think they was robbed . Gosh this reminds me how much I DON'T miss those sickle bar mowers. I cut 100s of acres of thick/tough fescue cattle hay every summer with a 7' Oliver s-b mower, raked, baled and put in loft by muscle and sweat. First round back mowing, hang feather board on fence post, trip bar or shear pin in pitman (be lucky if the wooden pitman didn't shatter), get started again, catch rock (lots of rocks) in bar, break section or two and sometimes a guard. Carried a box on tractor with spare parts, section anvil (sledge hammer head), peening hammer, drift punch and "dull" cold chisel. Get off tractor (didn't even have an umbrella) out in the field in the blazing sun (couldn't start mowing till near noon because of the dew) chisel off rivets heads, reset sections, peen new rivets, replace guards if necessary and get back at it. Some days use a whole box of sections. 15-20 acres in a day. Pull blade, tune it up, grease mower and put it all in working order again.. Rake, bale and put that hay up that week and weather permitting do another field next week. One boy, one tractor, only help was high school football team for putting it in the loft. Daddy worked construction so the farm was mine 6am-6pm and the days choirs had to be done by the time he got home. Haying is probably the only thing I don't miss about growing up on the farm. But I can say I've done it. I buy my hay now and I'm happy to pay the going rate even as prices are rising and standard square baled hay's getting harder to come by. Commercial baled hay is either big squares or rounds.

[@calvingreene90]

It is probably better now than it was when it left the factory.

[@heartland96a]

Yes and like how long has that stand been wrong ? Perhaps the original dealer or one of the many previous owners ? If it could talk hahaha , dont want to know

[@RobbieSongwriter]

I think all your fans have no doubt, you could probably fabricate almost anything "from pictures". My Uncle was just like you, and I owe much of my success with cabinet making, carpentry and creative design to him. I always remember him saying, "I just looked at it, and figured it out." No matter what you build, it is a sincere pleasure to watch and learn. We are ALL very grateful for ALL your vids.

[@EngelsCoachShop]

It usually happens in the head first huh. Thanks.

[@rtkville]

Yes! I too like a little spice, variety if you will. Spice is what makes life interesting and it's all shop work... my favorite work! Thanks for another great video!

[@ssnydertrucking1121]

I love it!! So glad to see you restore it back and save it from the scrape pile. Nice touch painting the guards back blue again. I thought i was the only one still using a sickle bar mower. # 35 JOHN DEERE mower NEW IDEA two wheel rake And a # 47 INTERNATIONAL baler. Oops almost forgot 1946 M FARMALL.

[@EngelsCoachShop]

😊 Mine's a 51 M

[@timrauscher3965]

It's always enjoyable to watch someone work who knows what they are doing. Looking forward to seeing using it to mow.

[@deathvalleyalex9485]

There is no doubt the you could make a video of watching paint drying both entertaining and educational . I love watching you put back into use machines and the varied buggies , wagons and the hardware and the tack required to safely use the animal power needed . Thank you for showing the skill ,tools of your trade , how those tools were used and the craftsmanship that brings it all together .

[@tomp538]

Thanks. This repair brought back 50 plus year old memories of summers spent on my aunt & uncle's farm.

[@donniebrown2896]

Can still.remember my grandad using this type of "mower" in the late 50s,,loved to watch him especially when using the rake. He used a matching pair of mules. Thanks for bringing back some memories from many years ago.

[@richardburke8624]

Brought back good memories. we sickle mowed using a horse drawn converted with a tongue to pull behind a 1952 John Deere MT. We hauled our hay loose also . Big hay fork in the very top of the barn would lift hay off the trailer take it up and down a track until dad pulled the rope to release where he wanted it stacked. Lots of fun playing up in those hay lofts.

[@EngelsCoachShop]

Ah the memories.

[@WellRoundedWoodsman]

II would argue that this is absolutely carriage related. Horses and draw/pack animals need hay, and you just gave a great detailed lesson on how hay is harvested. I think my dad quit sickle bar mowing hay years ago when he bent his bar against one of the many rocks in our field. I've got to go have a look for the old mower in the junk pile now. I'm confident it is fixable now from seeing this. Thanks!

[@Grandpa82547]

I think the true nature of your channel is fixing broken stuff. I'll watch you anytime making something useful from junk.

[@pontoonrob7948]

God bless you. Gonna say this before I even watch. When I've had a day, like to day my helper quit because he can get 19 an hour plus tips as a buser at the Cafe. Leaves me high and dry the busiest day of the year with no warning. At least I can still watch some guy build a horse drawn carriage. And I thank you for my sanity. Sincerely. Sir, I thank you. I doubt you really know how much you mean to us. No, that's wrong, I think you do know. I think you get it. And may God bless you over and over for getting it. And for building these wooden things you build every Friday for us, and your customers, but mostly for yourself... Go figure, probably no wood involved. Cherished none the less though.

[@D989501L]

Could not agree with you more. Had days like that myself recently, it's nice to just sit down and watch and forget and re group for the following day, it's always a better day

[@EngelsCoachShop]

Hang in there. And thanks to all of you.

[@Meemanjack]

That saw horse attached to a rim is absolutely genius

[@timziegler9358]

It was a real pleasure watching you methodically repair that mower! Thank you.

[@richardspees841]

Nice to see something that has much history brought back to life for another 50 or 100 years of being useful.

[@lindsayriddick170]

Loved this. Took me back to my 1960 farm childhood days. Can't get over the 9' bar. The one my Dad used was only 6-7'. I gather it challenged the tractor capabilities. I watch your channel not because I am into carriages, I watch to see great innovative and different workmanship.

[@EngelsCoachShop]

Thanks.

[@teddysalad8227]

It’s so nice to see a man who knows what needs to be done and knows how to do it.

[@markthompson8656]

You remind me of my cousin, Bring back a 1915 Waterloo-Boy back to life from the time he pulled it out of the river to better than new. all the peices and parts he had to make, wonderful work.

[@BRI33NOR]

Reminds me somewhat of watching my father sharpening and replacing blades , and now and again one of the pointed guards , on reapers and binders on the machinery in use when I was a kid. Binders before combine harvesters came along of course. The cutting blades etc were riveted on rather than bolted. Reaper was not power driven from the tractor but from one of its wheels as it was drawn forward. If you had to stop for any reason you had to back up then move forward again to make the cutter move before it reached the uncut grass. I did do a few hours on the old green Fordson as a kid mowing grass for hay. Remember sometimes having to use both feet on the clutch lever to make it work, started work young then !.

[@edinstruction2011]

Your kind of spice is nice, makes life savory and enjoyable! Makes me want to come back for "Seconds" and even more! Thanks for your refreshing straight-talking attitude!!

[@ThePalestine2011]

I think this man is born with tools . Always I believe the work must be a team But when I watch him I believe some careers must be individuals. God bless you man I think the new generational must follow your videos to learn the nice & difficulties career

[@LostMountainRestoration]

Personally, I just enjoy watching a craftsman at work. You could be fixing an old jalopy and you would have my attention. Thanks for what you do and best regards.

[@CassiarClan]

Been many years since I used a Sickle mower. Thanks for the pleasant memories Dave.

[@DenmarkRadar]

EngelsCoachShop doing a restauration-video... *mind blown*

[@normankerr9948]

That brought back some sweaty, gritty, knuckle-busting memories. Thanks.

[@TOGunslinger]

Good job Dave, God Bless you friend....

[@johnmetzger7185]

We had a similar Sickle Bar mower on our Ferguson TO30... I identified Instantly with what you were Doing!! Love It!!

[@greghunter426]

When I was a young teen, my dad would buy ( after the last cutting) the cheapest crap he could, and I would spend all winter fixing the mower, rake and bayler up. We would use it all summer then he would sell it all (in great shape), and buy more junk.. I still have the scar on my pinky from first time I pulled the blade out and took it 75% off my hand..that was 30 to 35 years ago and I sure miss those times..

[@tombellus8986]

Great save , Good for many more mowings. I like watching all your repairs, you have multiple crafts. Thanks again for giving us something worth watching.

[@genegoodman5233]

Appears it was welded previously but not properly. It now looks new and will run another 100 years. I love the colors you used, red/blue. Was hoping you would paint the sickle white for a July 4 show off, but you did use white grease so OK. Love watching you work cause I know it will be done right. Stay safe my friend

[@richard16372]

A man of many talents , good job my friend and love your channel. Richard

[@olddawgdreaming5715]

Good morning Dave, excellent job with the mower. Hope to see you use it this summer. Always enjoy watching your videos, everything is farm and blacksmith related and you do the repairs right. Thanks for sharing with us, Fred. 🙏🏻🙏🏻👍👍👏🏻👏🏻👋👋

[@deeparks3112]

I bet your father would put on a huge smile to have seen your excellent restoration of that sickle mower unit. Nice work Dave.

[@2nickles647]

Good morning Sir. Today I learned something new today. I'm 67 and an ole dog. I love to learn new things. Maybe I will never fix a mower. But who cares. It's the Willing to learn that drives me. God bless you Sir.

[@sammyspaniel6054]

Well as luck would have it I was overdue for a good Sickle Mower Bar repair video.

[@simsapot]

Hi Dave and Diane, great video restoring what would have been thrown into the dump. Your skills are boundless! I would watch your video of you fixing a sandwich, Thank you for all your videos!….

[@richardmilliken9377]

Thanks for the “spice.” I’ve been hoping you’d touch on the mower. The repair and replacement of teeth and maintenance of the mowers was a yearly undertaking growing up. In those days the teeth were riveted. So we learned early on how to sharpen and rivet on new teeth. Spent many hours riding the mower or dump rake. In those days I envied the families who had balers :-)

[@EngelsCoachShop]

Oh, those were the days huh.

[@traderjack6151]

I can remember that loud clicking noise from slip clutch when cycle bar was jamed up. Our Gleanere combine would make same noise only louder! lol 😂

[@eastunder55]

This video took me back to 1960's when I helped my grandfather change knives and guard plates on his Ford sickle bar mower.

[@dougberrett8094]

Very interesting. It brings back some memories. My grandfather owned and operated a hay baling business decades ago. I came along at the tail end. That was 60 years ago. I did not ever get to mow. I did get yelled at if I got caught using the special grind stone used for sharpening the sickle. My job was mostly riding the slip pulled behind the baler. That and stacking the bales. 80 pound wire tied. One learns quickly how NOT to move those.

[@jeffhines2895]

When I was a kid, 51 now, we used sickle mowers for all our hay cutting, the one we had used a wood shaft to drive the cutter which rotated on a main flywheel. The wood shaft acting as a safety if you will, broke a few on such hidden things. Such simple designs and heavy duty. Its amazing how very little maintenance they needed compared to the 80s+ equipment. I enjoy your vids and you sharing your knowledge.

[@dadcanufixit]

My grandfather had a finger mower behind his fergie 35. I remember him repairing broken blades on the special table that supported the blade. I have one of the original finger guards that I cleaned up and placed on a nice board last year. It’s going up in my office. Thanks for taking me back 50 years to that magical time.

[@MrBrucester]

I don’t care what you work on I am just delighted to watch you repair and make things. Your craftsmanship just amazes me on every video. Thanks for posting such great videos

[@johnjones4825]

22.38 That ubiquitous "come along"! I have a (seemingly) identical one, here in Cape Town, South Africa. Winter Greetings, Dave, and nice job there!

[@taylormckee9627]

I love the way you repaired the broken cycle bar. I had not seen anyone anneal a weld before, but when you were setting it up and turned out the lights I figured that it would turn out just as good as before. And to my amazement it was. I knew a couple of blacksmiths when I was around 7 to 10 years old that my Grandpa always took his plow shares to, to get sharpened. Thank you for your wonderful show.

[@ellesmerewildwood4858]

Couldn't even see the join after welding it. 100 bucks and some good old fashioned know-how, fantastic. I'd welcome more of these if you were of a mind to share. Always a pleasure watching a craftsman build or fix anything.

[@steveshoemaker6347]

l enjoyed this very much...l guess cause we had one when l was young boy back in the early 1950's....We had a team of Mules that pulled ours....l remember sometimes one or two of the knives would get case harden so we had change them out....Thanks very much my friend...!

[@creepingjesus5106]

I did wonder if the previous weld had failed through it being brittle, so tempering your repair made perfect sense. Hopefully it serves you well, and of course, any more 'off topic' videos will be just as welcome. It's all a pleasure to watch in my book, sometimes you're reminding me of things I used to know, sometimes I'm learning something I didn't know. It's all learning, and that's never wrong.

[@LTVoyager]

The previous weld looked like it was not a very good weld either.

[@creepingjesus5106]

@@LTVoyager Yeah, looked a bit surface-y IYSWIM. Not much penetration there. Did think it might have been a stick welder job, but even so it's no excuse! Bevel the edges, lay in a few beads to be extra sure...💪😉

[@LTVoyager]

@@creepingjesus5106 Stick welding is perfectly fine on metal that heavy … if you know how to weld.

[@creepingjesus5106]

@@LTVoyager Yep, completely agree. Arc and oxyacetylene are so underrated these days, and yet if you watch repair videos from (for example, cos I follow a few) say India, Pakistan, Vietnam, they use little else, and do it perfectly well cos the know how is still there. Mind you, not that I'm bashing MIG/TIG cos it's still possible to do a crap weld with those. As the saying goes 'If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail'.

[@LTVoyager]

@@creepingjesus5106 Absolutely. I am an amateur welder, but have watched a few pros and they can weld almost anything with a stick that is 1/8” or thicker. And there are a lot of 80 year old airplanes flying with gas welded airframes. 😁

[@Fairchildflyer]

My Dad and I mowed for years with one of those and a Famall F-20. we supported 80 dairy cows on a hill side farm in NY.

[@josephkerley363]

You are a man of many skills! Nicely done. When in college at UC Davis I was a member of a club that restored antique farm machinery. What fun it was to bring old farm machinery back to show room quality and “play” with it.

[@jimbagley5387]

I spent my teenage years working on and using a sickle-bar mower in the 1950s. Thanks for the memories.

[@audiotechlabs4650]

When Dave fixes something......he FIXES it! Dave’s abilities are amazing. This is what ranchers, farmers and homeowners who need this equipment either fix it themselves or have it fixed. When you fix it yourself, you either know how or learn how. Either way you know how it works and you can fix it again! I love to watch Dave work! Love from NW Colorado. Thanxz

[@hobbyschrauberundmehr6384]

This is craftsmanship! Fascinating content. Greetings from Germany.

[@tonyn3123]

I enjoyed the video. I have never worked on a sickle mower before. I do remember our maintenance dept had one man that only sharpened these type mowers every day. He was a farmer and worked seasonally. When the crews began mowing, he began sharpening 8 hrs a day, 5 days a week until the mowing season came to an end. His expertise sharpening those things was a delight to watch.

[@duanelundgren7985]

Dad had a New Holland 7' sickle mower we cut hay with... behind a Ford 2N... yeah, it was sort adapted to fit... It didn't 'corner well' but you could still cut cleanly. I remember him sharpening the sickle using the foot-powered whet stone (which had a flat spot on it!!) He appreciated having someone hold the long end of the sickle during sharpening... (it can be hard to get kids to Help at times!!) I recall the sickle sections were riveted to the sickle... There was a long hand lever to raise the bar during operation and there was a rod to hold the bar vertical to travel with. He cautioned to keep your fingers clear when raising the bar, as the sickle would always slide down a bit. We broke a couple wood pitman arms, but we got the hay the whiteface needed. Thanks Mr. Dave!!

[@michaeldougfir9807]

I may not speak up much as a subscriber but I enjoy your work. I'm 71 now and remarried after being widowed 17 years. So my opportunities for shop work are now limited. So I enjoyed watching you. I am weak on welding and forge work. So things like that are good lessons. I do know that a video like this takes a lot of hours to edit. Especially some of the detailed and clever things you did. By the way, young ones watching this can see good work ethic, good follow-through and good attitude. Oh and HEY NO CURSING!! Yes I had heard that good work could be done without a dirty mouth. (Hmph. That must be that "character" we have sometimes heard about!) Thank you for all your hard work on this, and your good explanations. Michael Dougfir Rural NE California Where we grow high country alfalfa.

[@davidadaur5163]

what a magnifican repair Many summers ago, 1961, I spent one summer on a cattle ranch. When haying started I was on a small ford tractor mowing hay and that is mostly what I did through July, August and early September. We bailed about 2,500 for use around the ranch but the rest was put up in loose stacks. Your mower repair brought back pleasant memories, Today that has all changed, swathers and large round bales. The loose hay era is gone. I am pleased to heare you still may put up loose hay. Thanks for sharing. Davuid Adair

[@stever4376]

Very nice. It's good to see someone take something and restore it to original. Things don't have to crumble and and fade away.