Have you ever wondered what a sickle bar mower can do on a 1025r or other subcompact tractor? Today we have another Maschio mower from Agfolks.com. With the help of our friends at Agfolks.com, we hope to answer that question.
What is a Sickle Bar Mower?
A Sickle Bar mower is a reciprocating style of mower that consists of a long (~5 to 9 foot) bar that has triangular shaped blades or sections that move back and forth. The bar has fingers that we always call guards. Those guards prevent rocks and larger items from getting in to the cutter bar. The action of a sickle bar is similar to that of a hair clipper.
As a kid growing up on the farm we used an International Harvester 1300 Sickle Bar mower. As I mentioned in the video linked above, the IH 1300 is a quality sickle mower should a guy want to pick one up on the used equipment market. It might take a bit to get it configured so that a 1025r could pick it up, but it would be a fun adventure!
Uses of a Sickle Bar
A sickle bar is primarily used in the hay making process. Typically the hay is mowed on the 1st day and left to dry. On the 2nd day the hay gets stirred up with what’s called a Tedder and left to dry a bit more. On the 3rd day the hay is pushed into windrows using what’s called a rake. The final step is to then run a baler along the windrows completing the process.
General mowing opportunities also exist for a sickle bar mower. If you’ve got a ditch bank that you need to mow, this unit would be a great option. With its light weight, you can safely cut with the tractor on uneven ground without the feeling of tipping over. It would be very useful at trimming underneath the low hanging branches of pine trees or other such obstacles.
Pros and Cons of a Sickle Bar Mower
After using the Maschio sickle bar mower we got from Agfolks.com, we found there to be a number of pros such as:
- They are simpler, less expensive and lighter weight than a disc mower
- It’s cleaner as it won’t throw grass or other items at the operator
- The operator drives along in an already cut path resulting in fewer bugs flying around
- They are quieter than other types of mowers
Here are a few of the cons we noticed:
- It leaves the grass in one piece and just sort of lays it over
- The look is less desirable to those who are mowing to make something look nice
- There would be more maintenance with a sickle bar mower
Maschio
The Maschio Weekend Warrior Fiore 175 has a 69″ cutting width. As I mentioned in the video, this same company manufactures a sickle bar mower with green paint and sold under the Frontier brand. One unique features of the Maschio mower is that both the sections and guards move increasing the speed this unit will cut.
When you visit Agfolks.com, you will see there are several variations of the Maschio sickle bar mowers. If you go with the unit like the one we showed in our video, don’t forget to visit Discount Hydraulic Hoses in order to pick up the Hydraulic kit that we’ve put together for you. Remember to use coupon code TTWT for 5% off your purchase at checkout! If you’d prefer a simpler option, Maschio does offer a mechanical lift option.
Summary
A sickle bar mower, like this Maschio, is easy on the tractor. It doesn’t come close to maxing out the horsepower of subcompact tractor. It’s a great mower for trimming and cutting underneath things. While a Sickle Bar Mower’s primary use is cutting hay, I hope you’ve seen some of their other uses of this versatile mower. Check out Agfolks.com for this and other Maschio products! Don’t forget that by using coupon code TTWT at checkout, you’ll save 5% off your entire purchase.
Tim, I would like your thoughts on the SABRE SAMURAI CUTTER for the jd1025r. It mounts to the front bucket with brackets. Its used to trim branches, small trees(less then 2″) and hedges. According to manufacture needs 3 to 4.5 gal/min flow. I own a 2014 JD1025r and have a front Diverter valve set up from Antillean that I use for my Grapple. Could this be hooked up to my Power Beyond as I have a Backhoe. Maybe you could do a video?.
Any thoughts on cutting down the length of a 7foot sickle bar mower to a 5 foot for a sub compact tractor?
Would you know if you can use the backhoe hydraulic lines to power rear remotes? I have an MX6000 kubota with a backhoe installed and haven’t found any info for making a simple “hang on the back” remote kit for rear remotes when I’ve got the backhoe off.
Regards,
Art