Go Bottom Go Bottom

sickle bar knife rivits

View my Photos
les
Join Date:
Posts: 1
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2004-11-04          99838

I'm replaceing knives on a sickle bar mower and need some guidence on best way to set solid steel rivits. thanks les

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



sickle bar knife rivits

View my Photos
yooperpete
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1413 Northern Michigan
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2004-11-05          99863

As a kid, we had an anvil and laid the sickle bar upside down with rivet poking through having rivet head directly on anvil. We would place the blade on top also upside down. Make sure the blade is laying flat and is seated correctly. Usually clean the surface with a wire brush. With a small projection of rivet we would peen it over using the round head of a ballpeen hammer. If the rivet was too long we would shorten it accordingly. Occasionally if we had trouble, we would heat up the rivet tip with a torch. It was a 2 person job the way we did it. Its been about 35 years since doing this! Tractor Supply should have blades and rivets as well as you local tractor dealer. When you put it back together make sure you grease the ball knob generously where the pitman shaft connects. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



sickle bar knife rivits

View my Photos
Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2004-11-05          99864

Les, first off, do you have a "rivet set" which is a special little block of very hard steel for riveting.

If not, do yourself a favour and get one, it makes life much easier doing this.

Other than that just do as Yooper said, but be sure you clean everything off well and place the cutter on a stable base, or use a helper or sawhorses, if you start the rivet without having everything flat it will be loose and impossible to tighten, you would have to grind it apart and start over.

Best of luck. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



sickle bar knife rivits

View my Photos
scout180
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 24 Colonial Heights, VA
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2004-11-05          99923

I second the rivet set tool....like others here, I haven't set a rivet for many years, but some things never change! The tool looks like a fat, blunt-end cold chisel with a concave center in the business end to shape the rivet into a neat dome. Just keep striking until it's tight. Short of a good old anvil, a piece of railroad iron works. To get the comfort level for aching backs, mount either the rail or anvil on an oak stump....mine is over 50yrs old and solid as day one! At least a 2# hammer is needed. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



sickle bar knife rivits

View my Photos
Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2004-11-05          99930

We don't mess with the inconveince of the rivets anymore and actually use special bolts and lock nuts. They come as a kit for most cutterbars as well as by the piece. Still do have a rivet tool just been a long time since it has been used. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



sickle bar knife rivits

View my Photos
harvey
Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 1550 Moravia, NY
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2004-11-06          99934

Art they make little bolts for an old JD5? How about something to replace the wooden pitman arm? ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



sickle bar knife rivits

View my Photos
hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2004-11-06          99937

I haven't pounded a sickle rivet in years, but I've still got my rivet tool like has been described. The greatest thing since sliced bread was when they came up with bolt on sections. On combine sickles you sometimes break a section, that used to be a real pain. Now the sections have a tapered hole for the nut that is also the same taper, probably about 45%. All you need is a 7/16ths. wrench a new section and about one minute's time. I remember watching my Dad sharpen sickles on the old tapered sickle stone, he would'nt go to the hay field without a sharp sickle. Frank. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



sickle bar knife rivits

View my Photos
Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2004-11-06          99943

Harvey, most all sections take the same rivet diameter. The difference is the length of the bolts. You also might need some higher arch hold downs to clear the nuts on the cutterbar. For the model 5 they do not offer it up as a kit to change over but most dealers have enough kits and sperate bolts to handle it with a quick look at the cutter bar. Now about that wooden pitman#!&*%. That was used as the shear point on those older mowers before they started using the belts to drive with for a slip on the the drive. The prices of them have sky rocketed in the past three decades just because of the small turn over in them. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



sickle bar knife rivits

View my Photos
hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2004-11-06          99964

Art, now I understand why we had a couple requests for pitmans at the furniture shop this summer. We never have a clue what our next request is going to be, guess that's why it's never been a boring job. We're really not looking to get into the pitman business that's just a bit out of our main line products, but I guess if I'd have been a girl I'd have 23 kids by now, I never could tell anybody no. A piece of straight grain ash and a few basic tools will have you a pitman. The holes got be exact or else your sickle will be out of time with the guards. Frank. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



sickle bar knife rivits

View my Photos
Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2004-11-06          99971

Frank, some of the different models we've had to out source from the manufacturers parts system to find them. When you have the right tools you can build most anything you can figure out. A jig saw, drill and a circular saw wouldn't get you to far on a pitman! ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



sickle bar knife rivits

View my Photos
harvey
Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 1550 Moravia, NY
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2004-11-07          99983

That old JD5 is something my uncle cobbed to work on a 3ph. I weasled it from my cousins 10 or so years ago. I only use it a couple of times a year to trim under my pines and around the banks.

Some day I'll git to a large antique (aka: junk equipment) and find a 30 year old belt driven for a $100 bucks or less.

What would be cool would be a old JD side mount mower... Me thinks to much cobbing to make that work on the little 4400.

The old M is a little much to trim with...

BTW I still do all the rivits the hard way. Ball peen and a set. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



sickle bar knife rivits

View my Photos
hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2004-11-07          99985

Art, yes I did over simplify the making of a pitman a bit, it does take more than a skilsaw, 3/8 drill and a jigsaw. Anyhow our Son who is the boss there now said no more pitmans, he's booked thru next summer with regular work. Sorry for any misunderstanding. Frank. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



sickle bar knife rivits

View my Photos
scout180
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 24 Colonial Heights, VA
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2004-11-07          100002

The last pitman arm we made for the IH mower on the Farmall M, complete with one-way hyd lift....was made mostly with a draw knife and spokeshave - ash from the farm lumber pile up in the haymow....about 1965, probably.

Dave ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



sickle bar knife rivits

View my Photos
Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2004-11-07          100023

Frank there was no misunderstanding as much like the previous post I've see some really different wooden pitmans! I've seen some that a good craftsman has built and some that were cruder just to look at but working just fine. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo


  Go Top Go Top

Share This
Share This







Member Login