Sickle mower
Printed From: Unofficial Allis
Category: Allis Chalmers
Forum Name: Farm Equipment
Forum Description: everything about Allis-Chalmers farm equipment
URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=211911
Printed Date: 17 Sep 2026 at 5:47pm Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.10 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Sickle mower
Posted By: john2189
Subject: Sickle mower
Date Posted: 06 Aug 2026 at 8:25pm
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.
------------- '41 Allis B '49 Farmall Cub
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Replies:
Posted By: Travis2766
Date Posted: 06 Aug 2026 at 10:04pm
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.
------------- 190XT Series III, D17 Series IV, D15 Series II, All Crop 66, 1947 Rotobaler, #78 Rake, K2 Gleaner
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Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 06 Aug 2026 at 10:10pm
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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..
------------- Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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Posted By: DrAllis
Date 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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Posted By: Gary Burnett
Date 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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Posted By: john2189
Date Posted: 07 Aug 2026 at 6:10am
Thanks. It’s the weeds along the tree line. It plugs at the end and I back up to clear it
------------- '41 Allis B '49 Farmall Cub
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Posted By: Gary Burnett
Date 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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Posted By: AC720Man
Date Posted: 07 Aug 2026 at 8:01am
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.
------------- 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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Posted By: DSeries4
Date 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.
------------- '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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Posted By: Gary Burnett
Date 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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Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 08 Aug 2026 at 8:00am
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.
------------- Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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