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john2189 
Silver Level
Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Minerva,Ohio
Points: 430
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 Topic: Sickle mower
Posted: 06 Aug 2026 at 8:25pm |
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What is the proper way to mow weeds?
1/2 throttle and 1st gear? My mower clogs up all the time. I think I have everything adjusted right.
Allis B with mounted mower.
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'41 Allis B
'49 Farmall Cub
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Travis2766
Silver Level
Joined: 26 Aug 2015
Location: Amherst, Wi
Points: 475
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Posted: 06 Aug 2026 at 10:04pm |
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Depends on the weeds, standing tall or laying down and tangled? Down and tangled, good luck with a sickle even with sharp blades. Short weeds under 2’ or so I’d say 3/4 throttle and if it’s plugging your blades may be dull or sickle needs adjustment.
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190XT Series III, D17 Series IV, D15 Series II, All Crop 66, 1947 Rotobaler, #78 Rake, K2 Gleaner
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steve(ill)
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: illinois
Points: 93063
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Posted: 06 Aug 2026 at 10:10pm |
i cut our road side with a B with Sickle.... 1st gear and half throttle.. 2 ft tall or more --heavy grass mixed with clover / crown vetch / milk weed and everything else you can think of..... i can normally cut about 200 ft and it balls up on the outer foot BAD.. I have modified the foot, new blades, changed things around 10 times and it still does it.... This is not wheat or rye... Thick grass and weeds....
i normally cut 200 ft, then raise the bar and backup 20 ft to try to get the ball to fall off... then forward again... doesnt sound real efficient, but not too many ways to cut 6 ft off the road on a slope.. i cut 2 times per year.. if you did it every month it might be easier ... but more time is not part of my plan..
try to cut in the afternoon when things are dryer... wait 2-3 days after a rain.... it is what it is when your cutting WEEDS and not crops..
Edited by steve(ill) - 06 Aug 2026 at 10:13pm
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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DrAllis
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Points: 23482
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Posted: 06 Aug 2026 at 11:40pm |
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Sounds like (it may not be) a very dull sickle and guards and hold downs not keeping the sections against sharp guards. Water grass is the worst for not cutting that I've ever seen. We mowed hay at 5 MPH.
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Gary Burnett
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Virginia
Points: 3267
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Posted: 07 Aug 2026 at 2:14am |
Ground and what you are cutting needs to be dry,new sections on blade does wonders and a B is pretty fast in first gear but we use to mow all our hay with one back in the 50's. If its clogging on the outter end of the cutter bar you need a split section.
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john2189
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Minerva,Ohio
Points: 430
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Posted: 07 Aug 2026 at 6:10am |
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Thanks. It’s the weeds along the tree line. It plugs at the end and I back up to clear it
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'41 Allis B
'49 Farmall Cub
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Gary Burnett
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Virginia
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Posted: 07 Aug 2026 at 6:24am |
 john2189 wrote:
Thanks. It’s the weeds along the tree line. It plugs at the end and I back up to clear it |
Tractor supply has the split end sections replace the one regular section with the split section and that should cure the problem
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AC720Man
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Joined: 10 Oct 2016
Location: Shenandoah, Va
Points: 5690
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Posted: 07 Aug 2026 at 8:01am |
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I mowed thistles, water weed, and other stuff this week with my 82S in 6th gear on my D17. Now I didn’t have a whole field of weeds just sporadic patches. Where it was thick it did just fine unless a water weed stalk went up under a tie down. Only way to free it was to remove it by hand. Otherwise the mower did great. I replaced all guards and sections this past winter. I use Hersel A+ sections and like Gary said a split section at the end. 1st gear on a B should work fine. Since you’re not mowing hay removing the swath board may help. Try that to see if it helps. That would allow it to fall over without being pulled back towards the tractor. If you’re making more than one pass that may not work well. Just an idea to try.
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1968 B-208, 1976 720 (2 of them)Danco brush hog, single bottom plow,52" snow thrower, belly mower,rear tine tiller, rear blade, front blade, 57"sickle bar,1983 917 hydro, 1968 7hp sno-bee, 1968 190XTD
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DSeries4
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Ontario, Canada
Points: 7714
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Posted: 07 Aug 2026 at 8:43pm |
john2189 wrote:
Thanks. It’s the weeds along the tree line. It plugs at the end and I back up to clear it |
You are going too slow in 1st gear. When you cut the weeds, they are accumulating on the cutterbar. Try second gear and a bit more throttle so the weeds fall down after mower passes under them.
As the Dr. mentioned, I would also checkout the knives and guards to see they are sharp.
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'49 G, '54 WD45, '55 CA, '56 WD45D, '57 WD45, '58 D14, '59 D14, '60 D14, '63 D15D, '66 D15II, '66 D21II, '67 D17IV, '67 D17IVD, '67 190XTD, '73 620, '76 185, '77 175, '84 8030, '85 6080
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Gary Burnett
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Virginia
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Posted: 08 Aug 2026 at 7:20am |
DSeries4 wrote:
john2189 wrote:
Thanks. It’s the weeds along the tree line. It plugs at the end and I back up to clear it |
You are going too slow in 1st gear. When you cut the weeds, they are accumulating on the cutterbar. Try second gear and a bit more throttle so the weeds fall down after mower passes under them.
As the Dr. mentioned, I would also checkout the knives and guards to see they are sharp. |
Just curious have you ever actually mowed with a sickle bar on a B?
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steve(ill)
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: illinois
Points: 93063
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Posted: 08 Aug 2026 at 8:00am |
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there is no way i could mow in second gear on my B... I have tried and it only works on very THIN PATCH areas of grass... Road sides are so THICK and full of CROWN VETCH and others , that you you will be PLOWING THRU if you speed up... half the grass wont get cut.
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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