Sickle Mower Converted To Front Mount

Sickle mower converted to front mount HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Mowers (38) 16-3-6 "It lets me see exactly where I'm mowing without having to look back all the time," says Charles Johnson, Bridgeport, W. Va., about the 6-ft. long, hydraulically-operated mower he mounted on front of his 1980 Massey Ferguson 4-WD tractor. Johnson used the cutterbar and drive mechanism off an old Massey Ferguson 72 side-mounted mower that he bought from a neighbor for $200. He used angle iron to build a steel frame and mounted the cutterbar on it. The mower was equipped with a pitman-type drive system that was pto-operated. Johnson re-placed the pto and driveshaft with a hydraulic motor. The hydraulic motor worked too slow so Johnson used a pair of sprockets and a chain to speed it up. He mounted a large drive sprocket on the motor and welded a smaller sprocket to the mower's driveshaft. "It makes it easier to mow along fencelines because now when I turn the tractor one way, the cutterbar goes in the same direction," says Johnson. "The weight of the mower also keeps the tractor's front end from coming off the ground when mowing up hill. Another advantage is that in the mowing position it's narrow enough to fit through a 10-ft wide gate." A one-way hydraulic cylinder is used to raise and lower the mower. A 2-way control valve on the operator platform is used to start and stop the hydraulic motor and to reverse its direction. Contact FARM SHOW Followup, Charles T. Johnson, Rt. 2, Box 133, Bridgeport, W. Va. 26330 (ph 304 592-3628).

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