Sickle Mower noise
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=170581
Printed Date: 25 Aug 2025 at 11:06pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.10 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Sickle Mower noise
Posted By: NE GA Allis
Subject: Sickle Mower noise
Date Posted: 26 Apr 2020 at 7:11pm
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Hey all, we have been running a No. 3 sickle mower to cut down our small fields. My question is, how much noise should a sickle mower make while cutting? I realize that the mower is somewhere around 60-70+ years old and does have some wear, but I just want to make sure before something catastrophic happens. Pitman is tight on both ends, hold-down fingers are adjusted to where they should be. Knife blades are old but did sharpen up fairly well. It knocks a little bit when under load but gets really loud under heavy grass loads. Is that normal? Also trying to make sure I don’t run it too fast and shake it apart. Op manual says if it shakes the tractor then your RPMs are too high. What gear should I be able to run this in on a WD or CA? On my WD I know my ground speed is too fast cause I have 16.9x28 tires (taller than 12.4x28) and had to slip the hand clutch in first gear in thick grass but could go full first gear in light grass. On the CA first gear almost seams to slow but cuts good and second gear seams too fast. Anyone have an idea of the RPMs on the PTO that I should be able run the mower at? Thanks in advance for any help. ------------- Keeping Allis alive with: 2 B’s, 1 C, 6 CA’s, 2 WD’s, 1 WD45, 3 D15D’s, 1 D17 |
Replies:
Posted By: MACK
Date Posted: 26 Apr 2020 at 9:19pm
| Are the guards and ledger plates in good shape? If not and hold downs aren't adjusted properly, they will knock. MACK |
Posted By: NE GA Allis
Date Posted: 26 Apr 2020 at 9:43pm
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I believe the guards and ledgers are in good shape. I replaced the bent guards with NOS guards. How can you tell if the ledger plates are bad? ------------- Keeping Allis alive with: 2 B’s, 1 C, 6 CA’s, 2 WD’s, 1 WD45, 3 D15D’s, 1 D17 |
Posted By: HD6GTOM
Date Posted: 26 Apr 2020 at 10:26pm
| Most ledger plates have serrated edges. If you look at a new guard, you can see if they are worn out. Yes in tough grass, a mower with a pitman stick has a tendency to knock a little. |
Posted By: Brian G. NY
Date Posted: 27 Apr 2020 at 9:49am
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I guess the first thing I would do is turn the drive pulley back and forth by hand to determine where there might be some backlash. Do this at different pulley positions. A sickle bar mower is inherently a bit noisy but when everything is adjusted correctly, it should not actually "knock".
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Posted By: Clay
Date Posted: 27 Apr 2020 at 11:35am
| When cutting wire grass, most mowers will knock. SLOW DOWN!!! If not, something on the mower will break. |
Posted By: Gary Burnett
Date Posted: 27 Apr 2020 at 12:40pm
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New sickle sections will make a world of difference,correct pitman length is critical,those mowers are not made to run fast and do make a certain amount of racket. |
Posted By: SteveM C/IL
Date Posted: 27 Apr 2020 at 1:36pm
| ...and ours broke the tube holding the pitman drive... |
Posted By: Brian G. NY
Date Posted: 27 Apr 2020 at 3:51pm
This is a good point.......the "register" of the cut bar is one key to good operation. When the cut bar comes to the end of it's stroke the tip of each knife should be in the exact center of a guard. On Some mowers with pitman bars the register can be adjusted. I have a Twin-Wheel mower so I have not had to deal with this. The other critical measurement when setting up a mower is giving the cut bar a certain amount of "lead". On a typical 7 foot cut bar, the outer end should run between 1-1/2" to 2" ahead of the inner end. This allows for the natural deflection of the bar when it is operating. I still say there should not be a distinct "knock" when mowing. The quietest mower I ever recall seeing was a rear mounted mower on a 2N Ford belonging to my Wife's grandad back in the 50s.
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Gary Burnett wrote:Posted By: NE GA Allis
Date Posted: 27 Apr 2020 at 4:48pm
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The register is correct. I think I found what most of it is. The blade assembly has a little bit of “forward and back” play (forward and back as the direction the tractor is traveling). Is that adjusted with the wear plates? I have some new wear plates on the shelf. ------------- Keeping Allis alive with: 2 B’s, 1 C, 6 CA’s, 2 WD’s, 1 WD45, 3 D15D’s, 1 D17 |
Posted By: NE GA Allis
Date Posted: 27 Apr 2020 at 4:51pm
I’ve got a second No.3 mower with the same problem. ------------- Keeping Allis alive with: 2 B’s, 1 C, 6 CA’s, 2 WD’s, 1 WD45, 3 D15D’s, 1 D17 |
Posted By: Brian G. NY
Date Posted: 27 Apr 2020 at 9:51pm
Yes, that is just one more step in setting up the mower correctly. The wear plates have slotted holes so they can be moved forward to take up the play. However, they also wear out and need to be replaced periodically. You'll have this mower hummin' like a honey bee before you know it. LOL
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Posted By: only AC orange
Date Posted: 28 Apr 2020 at 8:14am
| My best guess would be timing - pitman is too long or too short and sickle sections are not "centering" on guards as mentioned earlier! |
Posted By: Brian G. NY
Date Posted: 28 Apr 2020 at 9:14am
| He says in one of his posts that the register is correct. |
Posted By: ac fleet
Date Posted: 28 Apr 2020 at 8:52pm
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You can't mow grass with a sickle mower---they NOT designed for that abuse!---They are only for weeds and clover , alfalfa ann that sort of cutting!---AND it's a wonder you have not wrecked it already!--your mower---do as you like with it! ------------- http://machinebuildersnetwork.com/ |
Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 28 Apr 2020 at 9:21pm
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everyone uses sickle mowers to cut the sides of the road in the country... and they are 90% grass.. If it is 2 ft tall, YEA, you got to slow down, but i cut 12- 18 inch grass pretty often.. Sometimes it clogs up and you have to stop and backup and "dump a load" then take off again.........if the grass is really thick. I have a side mower on a B... and i normally cut at 2/3 throttle... Im in no hurry. ------------- Like them all, but love the "B"s. |
Posted By: NE GA Allis
Date Posted: 28 Apr 2020 at 11:39pm
If a sickle mower was not designed to cut a field, then what was used before the disc/rotary mower was invented? ------------- Keeping Allis alive with: 2 B’s, 1 C, 6 CA’s, 2 WD’s, 1 WD45, 3 D15D’s, 1 D17 |
Posted By: MACK
Date Posted: 29 Apr 2020 at 7:21am
| Sixth. |
Posted By: MACK
Date Posted: 29 Apr 2020 at 7:22am
| Sizth. |
Posted By: Sugarmaker
Date Posted: 29 Apr 2020 at 7:48am
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If they are tuned up[ good I would think they should cut grass pretty well? We cut 60 acres of grass/ old hay fields every year for 10 years when I was a kid. We used a 5 foot antique horse drawn type sickle bar mower hooked to the Case VAI. I got to ride the mowing machine and try to lift the blade when needed. We plugged it sometimes, or ran into a ant hill once in a while. Grandpa kept new sections in it and it purred along pretty well. We never sharpened sections just replaced them. On clover at my Dads farm we had a 7 foot New Idea pull behind. A field of clover went down in the wind and we had to mow in one direction. About that time Dad bought the New Idea Cut-ditioner (flail chopper) and the sickle bar was never used again. Regards, Chris
------------- D17 1958 (NFE), WD45 1954 (NFE), WD 1952 (NFE), WD 1950 (WFE), Allis F-40 forklift, Allis CA, Allis D14, Ford Jubilee, Many IH Cub Cadets, 32 Ford Dump, 65 Comet. |
Posted By: CrestonM
Date Posted: 29 Apr 2020 at 7:15pm
I guess me, my father, and my grandfather have been doing it all wrong for over 80 years, and never knew it!
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Posted By: JoeM(GA)
Date Posted: 29 Apr 2020 at 8:13pm
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yea, I hate hearing I was doing it all wrong growing up! ------------- Allis Express North Georgia 41 WC,48 UC Cane,7-G's, Ford 345C TLB |
Posted By: NE GA Allis
Date Posted: 29 Apr 2020 at 9:38pm
 ------------- Keeping Allis alive with: 2 B’s, 1 C, 6 CA’s, 2 WD’s, 1 WD45, 3 D15D’s, 1 D17 |
Posted By: NE GA Allis
Date Posted: 29 Apr 2020 at 9:39pm
 ------------- Keeping Allis alive with: 2 B’s, 1 C, 6 CA’s, 2 WD’s, 1 WD45, 3 D15D’s, 1 D17 |
Posted By: NE GA Allis
Date Posted: 29 Apr 2020 at 9:43pm
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My mower works well, just was concerned about how loud it is. Thanks to all for replies. ------------- Keeping Allis alive with: 2 B’s, 1 C, 6 CA’s, 2 WD’s, 1 WD45, 3 D15D’s, 1 D17 |
Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 23 Jul 2021 at 9:14am
  ------------- Like them all, but love the "B"s. |
Posted By: Tbone95
Date Posted: 23 Jul 2021 at 9:41am
Wow, so angry! What the heck did people make hay with back in the day? I know I learned how to cut hay with a sickle mower at age 10, and we certainly didn’t have pure alfalfa. |
Posted By: Tbone95
Date Posted: 23 Jul 2021 at 9:58am
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Yeah, use artificial grass! You can feed artificial cows with it, and sell it to Burger King for Impossible Whoppers!!!
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Posted By: Ray54
Date Posted: 23 Jul 2021 at 11:50am
How about we put a 3 D printer inside a big O'l plastic cow  an Impossible burger can pop out under her tail. End world hungry Bill Gates style.
Dang it how oh how did cutting grass end up solving world hungry.
There be one or two very upset at changing the topic. T you and me got to be more careful of letting new guys get us get us in trouble. |
Posted By: Tbone95
Date Posted: 23 Jul 2021 at 12:09pm
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^^^
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Posted By: JTOOL
Date Posted: 23 Jul 2021 at 8:21pm
| I'm wondering if felicityhu is a spambot. No hyperlink though. |
Posted By: john(MI)
Date Posted: 24 Jul 2021 at 9:07am
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I had a No. 3 mower and all I used it for was cutting the grass on the pond bank and a little roadside cutting. I usually cut in first gear and probably 3/4 throttle. Around the pond I frequently had to pull out and unload it because I was cutting some stuff that was in the water. The only noise I heard was the bar going back and forth. I did notice once that there was a littke smoke puffing off of the tensioner pulley. I discovered it wasn't turning. The bearing is the center was rusted up. There was no zerk and it was one piece. I worked it loose with PB Blaster and then used a needle to repack the bearings. I also had three manuals for it. No two were the same for everything. Whenever you would looks something up in one, I had to go to the other two and they would have different instructions for doing it. As far as I could tell there was no reference to S/N breaks for it. I also discovered that by using the loader and carrying it over by the garage and setting it on the concrete, It was significantly easier to mount. My mount was for the WD/45. ------------- D14, D17, 5020, 612H, CASE 446 |
Posted By: HD6GTOM
Date Posted: 24 Jul 2021 at 8:59pm
| My #3 mower would knock in grass. I filled the sickle with new Chromed sections. They are tougher than mild steel sections. I also put all new guards on the bar. This cut down on the knocking substantially. I have cut hay with Deere mower, a new Idea trailer mower and the #3. They all knocked a little in grass, they all had pitman sticks. My 82 pitmanless doesnt knock in grass. You might check the pin where the pitman stick attaches to the mower. If its worn it will cause knocking. |