Trim with Precision The Timeless Charm of Sickle Bar Mowers
If you have tall grass, weeds, or vegetation that needs cutting without running a rotary mower through it, a sickle bar mower is worth a look. These mowers have been used in agriculture for generations, and the basic cutting idea has stuck around because it still works.
Instead of spinning blades underneath a deck, a sickle bar mower uses a long cutter bar with blades moving back and forth. That setup makes it especially useful for hay, pasture edges, roadsides, pond banks, and other places where tall vegetation needs to be cut close to the ground.
Buy a Sickle Bar Mower at Catawba Attachments’ product page.e.
An Introduction to Sickle Bar Mowers
Sickle bar mowers have been around for well over a century. Early versions were pulled by horses, while modern models mount to tractors and use the PTO and hydraulic system to handle the work.
The cutting action is different from what you get with a rotary cutter. Rather than chopping vegetation repeatedly, the sickle bar shears stems between moving knife sections and stationary guards.
That makes it useful when you want to lay tall grass or hay down rather than shred it into smaller pieces.
The long cutter bar also lets the mower reach areas that can be awkward for a conventional mower. Depending on the model and setup, that can include ditch banks, fence lines, slopes, and areas alongside ponds or roads.
Farm-Maxx Enorossi Sickle Bar Mower.
Understanding How it Work
The cutting bar is where most of the action happens.
A row of triangular knife sections moves rapidly from side to side while guards hold the vegetation in place. As stems enter the bar, the moving knives shear them off.
If the mower starts missing strips of grass or plugging up, stop and look closely at the cutter bar. A worn knife section or bent guard is often enough to spoil the cut, and too much play between the parts can make the bar drag instead of slicing cleanly.
Sickle bar mowers are particularly useful in tall grass and hay because they cut the vegetation near the base and leave most of it lying in longer pieces.
They are not meant to replace every rotary cutter. Thick woody brush, saplings, rocks, and other rough material may be better suited to equipment designed for heavier clearing. A sickle bar earns its place when the job calls for cutting grass and similar vegetation rather than pulverizing everything in its path.
Choosing the Right One
Cutting width is one of the first things to consider.
A wider bar covers more ground with each pass, but it also needs enough room to operate and has to match the tractor being used. Narrower models can be easier to handle around smaller properties, tight entrances, and irregular fields.
The tractor matters just as much as the mower. Check PTO requirements, tractor horsepower, hitch category, hydraulic requirements, and mower weight before ordering.
Terrain should also be part of the decision. One of the advantages of a sickle bar design is the ability to cut at angles that would be awkward for a standard mower. That can be useful along banks and other uneven areas, but the tractor still needs to stay on safe, stable ground.
Catawba Attachments Has A sickle bar mower for sale
Catawba Attachments carries the Farm-Maxx Enorossi Sickle Bar Mower. For specifications, available configurations, and ordering information, visit Catawba Attachments’ product page.
Farm-Maxx Enorossi Sickle Bar Mower
The Farm-Maxx Enorossi Sickle Bar Mower includes features such as:
- Manual or hydraulic folding options
- Double-acting cutting bar
- Easy-change bolt-on guards
- +90° to -45° cutting angle
- Heavy-duty safety release
- Extra blade bar included
- Powder-coat finish
Those features are especially useful when the mower needs to move between normal field cutting and angled work along banks or other uneven ground.
Maintenance and Care for Sickle Bar Mowers
A sickle bar mower works best when the cutter bar is kept in good condition.
Check the knife sections regularly. Dull or damaged sections can leave ragged cuts and make the mower work harder than it should.
Guards deserve attention too. Bent or badly worn guards can interfere with the cutting action and contribute to plugging.
Keep the moving points lubricated according to the manufacturer’s instructions and inspect the drive components before heading into the field.
After mowing, remove wrapped grass and buildup from around the cutter bar. It is much easier to spot a damaged section or loose fastener on a clean machine than one packed full of dried vegetation.
If the mower starts leaving strips of uncut grass or repeatedly plugs, stop and inspect it instead of trying to force it through the job. A dull knife section, damaged guard, incorrect adjustment, or heavy buildup may be the real problem.
The Future of Sickle Bar Mowers in Landscaping
A sickle bar mower is not new technology, and that is part of the point.
The design has lasted because there are still jobs where a long reciprocating cutter bar makes more sense than a rotary mower.
Hay fields are an obvious example, but the same mower can be useful for pasture edges, ditches, pond banks, fence lines, and other places where tall vegetation needs to be laid down cleanly.
For property owners who already have a tractor and regularly deal with those kinds of areas, a sickle bar mower can fill a gap that a rotary cutter or finish mower does not always handle as well.
Unemployed Redneck Hillbilly Creations
For another look at the equipment in use, there is a YouTube video on the Enorossi BFT 150H Sickle Bar Mower provided by our friend the Unemployed Redneck.
(check out his channel @unemployedredneckhillbilly2023 )
If you have used a sickle bar mower before, share your experience or questions with us on facebook.
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