[Farmall] Sickle Bar Mower Question

[Mike Sloane]

The good news, Carlton, is that all the (wear) parts for virtually all 
of the old IH sickle bar mowers are pretty much the same. The "sections" 
(or 5 sided knife pieces) are standard and can be purchased from any 
farm equipment store, Case IH dealers, or on-line/catalog from 
Valu-Bilt, T.H.E. Company, etc. The confusing part is that they come 
"plain", "under serrated", or "top serrated", and which you use is 
somewhat dependent on the material you are cutting.  (The sections come 
in packages of 10.) I happen to use under serrated on grass and weeds. I 
find that I often needed to replace the original IH guards, as they get 
beaten up when cutting along my stone and stump filled lane. 
Replacements are also available from the same sources and not expensive 
(and they last forever). Be sure to buy new mounting bolts for the 
guards, as the old ones are usually in pretty bad shape. (The 
replacement guards are usually painted green, unfortunately. But if that 
bothers you, that is easy enough to correct.) I was also able to buy a 
complete bar with sections attached from Case IH some years back, but it 
was old stock, and they may not have them any more. The biggest problem 
for most folks is the rivets. You can drill out the old rivets and 
hammer the new ones flat, but I never had good luck with getting a 
really tight fit that way. I bought a portable rivet press that punches 
out the old rivets and "sets" the new ones very nicely. Valu-Bilt item 
T55-0584 it the right item, but there is no image of it on their 
Website. (The price has about doubled since I bought mine!) You can, I 
have heard, convert your riveted sections to bolt-on, but I have never 
done that. Pitman sticks and hold down clips are also and available from 
the same sources. I would give Valu-Bilt (www.valu-bilt.com> and T.H.E. 
Company <www.the-co.com> a call and ask for a copy of their current catalog.

Mike

Carlton Houston wrote:
> Hi All,
> 
> I am wondering about where I should start in trying to find replacement
> teeth/blades for my sickle bar mower.  I know you must be able to find
> pitman arms, etc, but I don't quite know how to even identify the parts
> in a good enough way to actually order them.
> 
> My mower runs on my 52 Super A.  I am planning to work on the thing this
> weekend.  If I dismantle the existing blades, are there numbers or any
> such identification on them, or are they an eyeball replacement part
> from TSC?  I apologize for asking dumb questions with so little
> background information, but I have so little time when I do get to play,
> I want to ask first.  Maybe it'll help me get more done...
> 
> As always, I appreciate you guys offering your wisdom and wit.
> 
> Regards,
> Carlton Houston
> Summerville, GA
> 

> 

-- 
Mike Sloane
Allamuchy NJ
mikesloane at verizon.net
Images: <www.fotki.com/mikesloane>

Every act of conscious learning requires the willingness to suffer an
injury to one's self-esteem. That is why young children, before they are 
aware of their own self-importance, learn so easily; and why older 
persons, especially if vain or important, cannot learn at all. -Thomas 
Szasz, author, professor of psychiatry (1920- )


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