How to keep a sickle bar mower from plugging

Answer 2: The parts book for my mower lists, I think, 2 or 3 different pulley arrangements. [Sadly, I learned this the hard way when the belt broke and the dealer didn't have the correct one.] I must conclude that different speeds were designed for different crops and conditions. Generally, the higher the knife speed the faster the ground speed. Ground speeds vary for different tractors and I don't have an A so I can't help you there. I use different gears depending on the wind, lay of the grass, moisture, and general heaviness of the crop. As F14 stated earlier, the crop falling back over the bar should be your gage.

You probably can find them at this link:

• sloan express

Ground speed is important. Too slow can be as bad as too fast. You need to go fast enough to ensure the cut hay falls behind the bar.

Sickle timing is important. The sections should travel an equal distance on either side of the guard fingers/ledger plate.

Condition of the ledger plates is important. They should be sharp, and the clearance between the sickle section and the ledger plate should be set to spec, usually about the thickness of a business card.

"Lead" is important. At rest, the outer end of the bar should be forward of the inner end, by about 2-3 inches, depending on the length of the bar.

Grass board on the outer end, and deflector rod on the inner end must be in place to keep hay from hanging up on various protrusions.

If the hay is too thick or too wet, nothing you do will prevent occasional plugging.