[AT] Help--sickle grinders

[Larry D. Goss]

I've got those too, Ralph.  I use them on my every day mower that I keep
mounted year around on one of my tractors.   But for restoration work, I
like to see the old riveted sections.  I also prefer seeing riveted
straps on the ends of pitman bars.  Some pitmans use 1/4" rivets, but a
lot of the older models (the one's we're interested in restoring) use
5/16" rivets in 2" and 2 1/2" lengths.  Those are becoming very hard to
find.  There may be a fastener house out there somewhere that can supply
those, but none I have contacted on line had that diameter of rivet in
the lengths that are needed.

When I found out that Johnson Hardware in Orrville (the same town as
Smucker's) had to purchase theirs from a second-hand supplier nearly 50
years ago, I bought all that they still had in stock.  It was about six
dozen rivets of the 2" length.  Just today I got word that a friend on
another list has picked up the inventory from another old hardware store
of 5/16" by 2 1/2" rivets for me.  I'm not intending to corner the
market on this size of rivet, but I want you all to know that I have
them when you get around to restoring that old sickle bar mower.
Personally, I think a sickle bar mower hanging on the side or rear of an
antique tractor is neat.  That's the way I remember the tractors always
being outfitted on the farm when I was growing up and something about
that combination really sets off my sense of nostalgia.

For bolt-on sections, I have a couple boxes of section bolts of
differing lengths for regular sections and for those at the head joint.
I also bought a Hershel-Adams section bolt installation tool that makes
putting a bolt onto the knife really simple.  It's one of those tools
that you can learn to live without, but it does the job really nicely
and lets you install the interference nut just once instead of having to
partially install it, back it off, and reinstall it again with the
section in place.  

I have found however that section bolts don't solve all the problems of
section replacement.  The bolts will pull in two without too much torque
having to be applied, so be careful in installing them.

Larry 

-----Original Message-----
From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
[mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of Ralph Goff
Sent: Saturday, September 03, 2005 10:37 AM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: Re: [AT] Help--sickle grinders


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ernie Thackeray" <cchopper at mchsi.com>
To: "'Antique tractor email discussion group'" 
<at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Saturday, September 03, 2005 6:51 AM
Subject: RE: [AT] Help--sickle grinders


> I don't ever plan to own a sickle mower, if that tells you the
memories
> I have.  The new serrated sections are a vast improvement.
> Have fun.
> Ernie
One thing I am surprised nobody has mentioned is the new style of "bolt
on" 
sickle sections. I have gradually converted most of the cutting machines
on 
this farm to the bolt ons which sure speeds up sickle replacement when
one 
breaks. No need to carry the riveting tool along any more. Just a few
spare 
bolts. These are quite a strong bolt with a self locking nut. The bolt
has a 
serrated or knurled shoulder that really locks into the knife back as it
is 
tightened up. The bolts are more expensive than rivets of course but can

last a lot longer since I don't have to replace them every time a sickle

breaks.

Ralph in Sask.
http://lgoff.sasktelwebsite.net/


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