Tips on Operating a Sickle Bar Mower

When to Use a Sickle Bar Mower

• For a small yard, you will not want to use a sickle bar mower. Where this old-fashioned mower type shines is in the cutting of tall grass for hay. Grass mowers chop up grass into smaller bits, but sickle bar mowers cut the grass once and leave the entire stalk on the ground. If you use this in a yard, the grass waste will dry and prevent the grass under it from getting sunlight, eventually killing it. Use a sickle bar mower in a situation when you want large amounts of dried grass, or hay. Sickle bar mowers are ideal for cutting large pastures into hay and leaving the cuttings to dry before baling it.

Maintenance

• The cutting edges of a sickle bar mower resemble a long row of teeth. These cutting parts require frequent maintenance to keep them sharp. Cutting with dull blades will tear at the grass rather than cut it neatly. This leaves behind browned tops to the cut grass and uneven cuttings. Make it a habit to check your cutting blades after each use of the mower to see if they require sharpening.

Hazards

• Walk the area you will be cutting with a sickle bar mower before using it. Check for low fence posts or thick stumps. While a sickle bar mower will cut small brush, tree stumps and other obstacles can damage the cutting surfaces. When the mower hits an immovable object, the safety mechanism will cause it to swing backwards, if it is a side-mounted mower, but you need to replace the mower bar manually if this happens to continue using it.

Speed

• As with mowing grass in a small yard, mowing with a sickle bar mower should be done at a constant speed. Maintaining your speed will ensure that the cut grass is evenly distributed so it all dry at the same time for making hay. The recommended speed by Gaspardo is between 5 and 6.2 miles per hour.