IH 100 mower (was Re: [Farmall] "new" mower needs ID

[Austin Hurst]

Mike,

    The 3 balanced 100 fast-hitch mowers that I have seen (including the one 
I grew up with on the farm and the one I own now) had a chain that fastened 
to the bottom of  the 350/450 style fast hitch cylinder (there was an ear 
with a hole right on the cylinder).  On that style fast-hitch, the cylinder 
itself actually moves when engaged so its movement would pull the chain and 
raise or lower the sickle bar.  I suspect that the hydraulic cylinder type 
100 that you have was designed for the 300/400 style fast-hitch where the 
rear fast-hitch cylinder did not move and therefore could not be used to 
raise or lower the sickle bar.  Since we had a 300 and we didn't have the 
cylinder type like yours, we had to weld an ear with a hole on the fast 
hitch itself to have a place to fasten that chain.  It really didn't work to 
raise or lower the sickle bar very well, but the 300/400 fast hitch had a 
front cylinder also, so moving that up and down would control the sickle bar 
enough for the kind of level ground we had in Illinois.  There is another 
chain on my mower (and I suspect on yours) which takes the stress off the 
rear f.h. cylinder when the enitre mower is lowered in the mowing position.

    I must say that the 100 pitmanless mower was the best I have ever used. 
I would mow in straight fourth gear on the 300 with the throttle close to 
wide open (that's almost 7 mph) leaving any pitman type mowers in the dust. 
A pitman mower could never handle that high of an rpm which is required with 
that kind of speed.

Austin


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Sloane" <mikesloane at verizon.net>
To: "Farmall/IHC mailing list" <farmall at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: March 2006 4:49 AM
Subject: IH 100 mower (was Re: [Farmall] "new" mower needs ID


>
>
> Austin Hurst wrote:
>> I'm wondering if that hydraulic cylinder on the 100 balanced mower is 
>> original?  I have see a lot of those mowers but never one with a hyd. 
>> cylinder.  Looks like a good idea, however.
> It is not the original IH cylinder (it has a Central Tractor decal on it), 
> but I am pretty sure it originally came with one. I Googled and found an 
> image of another 100 mower, and it has a cylinder. I think the whole point 
> of the "Balanced head" (pitmanless) arrangement is that it can mow in any 
> position from about -15° down to 90° vertical. At least that is what I can 
> see from just looking at it and the seller's comments about using it to 
> maintain ATV trails through his woods. I will know more after I get the 
> manual.
>
> Mike
>>
>> Austin
>
>
> -- 
> Mike Sloane
> Allamuchy NJ
> <mikesloane at verizon.net>
> Website: <www.geocities.com/mikesloane>
> Images: <www.fotki.com/mikesloane>
>
> "If they give you ruled paper, write the other way."
> Juan Ramon Jimenez (1881-1958), Spanish writer
>
>
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