Sickle Mower noise

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

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

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".

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.

Gary Burnett wrote:

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.

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.

SteveM C/IL wrote:

...and ours broke the tube holding the pitman drive...

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

My best guess would be timing - pitman is too long or too short and sickle sections are not "centering" on guards as mentioned earlier!

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/

ac fleet wrote:

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!

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

Sizth.

ac fleet wrote:

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!

I guess me, my father, and my grandfather have been doing it all wrong for over 80 years, and never knew it!

CrestonM wrote:

ac fleet wrote:

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!

I guess me, my father, and my grandfather have been doing it all wrong for over 80 years, and never knew it!

Keeping Allis alive with:
2 B’s, 1 C, 6 CA’s, 2 WD’s,
1 WD45, 3 D15D’s, 1 D17

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

ac fleet wrote:

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!

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.

How about we put a 3 D printer inside a big O'l plastic cow Big smile

an Impossible burger can pop out under her tail. LOL

End world hungry Bill Gates style.

Dang it how oh how did cutting grass end up solving world hungry. LOL

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. LOL

Edited by Ray54 - 23 Jul 2021 at 11:54am

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