Sickle bar pitman arm. Make or buy?

CTdave · Postby **CTdave** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 10:11 am

Hello all.
I have a sicke bar which has a broken pitman arm. Do people normally make them or just buy a replacement? I was thinking about making one out of oak.

Postby **John *.?-!.* cub owner** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 10:36 am

Ash is the preferred material due to it's ability to give without breaking, but they are pretty reasonable at most farm supply places.

Postby **Jim Becker** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 10:37 am

Buy one. Most of the home made ones I have seen are off a little on length. If the length is wrong, the knife won't be registered properly and the mower won't cut well. Save yourself some grief and just buy the part.

Denny Clayton · Postby **Denny Clayton** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 10:37 am

They are available for about $10 - $12, but I have one cut from a pine 2X4 in an emergency situation and it works fine.

CTdave · Postby **CTdave** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 11:13 am

Oh, for $10 OR $12 I'll buy one or two (spare). I had no idea they were available.
Thanks

Joe Malinowski · Postby **Joe Malinowski** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 11:38 am

As you have been told buy it for sure, TSC has them.

Postby **Rudi** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 11:53 am

Personally, I would buy a couple then I would make a bunch of reproductions. I have an original in almost perfect shape, so I am going to make a bunch of reproductions.

If you have any reasonable woodworking tools, power ones such as jointer, planer and a good table saw these are very easy to make and as accurate as an original. If you do not have any woodworking tools nor even a bit of woodworking experience, I would do as Jim suggested and buy a couple every now and then and build up a small stockpile. From what I understand.. as designed they are the weak link and better to break a Pitman Arm than something more costly.

CTdave · Postby **CTdave** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 12:06 pm

Rudi
I have all the woodworking tools one could nead & oddly enough, the skills to use them & all my fingers :lol:

I think I'll buy a new one & whip out a few spares.

Postby **Rudi** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 12:30 pm

Dave:

Don't forget to ease/break the edges with a trimmer router and a small profile roundover bit. This will keep the slivers out of digits :big smile:

Funny that keeping the fingers thing huh :?:

I have had a few close calls in almost a half century of playing with these tools. But I too have all of my digits, extremities and a few nicks and scars to go along with those 5 decades.

Postby **George Willer** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 12:34 pm

CTdave wrote:Rudi
I have all the woodworking tools one could nead & oddly enough, the skills to use them & all my fingers
I think I'll buy a new one & whip out a few spares.

Oddly enough I've never needed a replacement. I guess it would be easy enough to make a stack of them since my Cubs were all restored in my well equipped cabinet shop. When I find the TUIT I'll have to decide which wood to use... ash, maybe, but I think that well cured pignut hickory would be hard to beat. Maybe not, since it would no longer be the weakest link!

I wouldn't be confident the off-the-shelf one would be the right length for proper register unless someone can anyone confirm that they're really correct?

Postby **Jim Becker** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 1:12 pm

George Willer wrote:I wouldn't be confident the off-the-shelf one would be the right length for proper register unless someone can anyone confirm that they're really correct?

I can't speak for the ones from TSC, but the one I got from CaseIH was dead money on, just like the ones from IH always were.

Postby **BIGHOSS** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 2:13 pm

How do you know when the blade is in register or time? Where should the section cutter be in relation to the guards, when the pitman rod is fully extended?

beaconlight · Postby **beaconlight** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 2:27 pm

If memory serves me it is in this link.

http://www.cleancomputes.com/Cub/Sketch ... index.html

Opps wrong one let me find it

This should be it.

http://www.cleancomputes.com/Cub/Cub%20 ... index.html

charlesellis · Postby **charlesellis** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 3:54 pm

When mine broke, I had an ash log I salvaged when the beavers cut it down. It had aged for several years. I split it out so the grain is nice and straight. It turned out great, but when I assembled it, I knew something was wrong. I discovered the purpose of the hole in one end. A spring that had lived in the hole sprang--to parts unknown. I bought a new one--still carried by our local friendly IH dealer, and it has worked like a charm. Just remember, Ash is pretty prone to decay, so protect the wood with oil, varnish or paint.
Charles :lol:

Postby **Jim Becker** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 5:36 pm

BIGHOSS wrote:How do you know when the blade is in register or time? Where should the section cutter be in relation to the guards, when the pitman rod is fully extended?

At each end of the stroke, the knife sections should be dead center in the guards.

Farmall Cub

Sickle bar pitman arm. Make or buy?

Sickle bar pitman arm. Make or buy?

buy it

Sickle bar pittman arm. Make or buy?

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