What kind of mower??

[Mrs.Farmallcub]

This is my dilemma: I have a 1952 Farmall Cub with a Woods belly mower. Both are in good shape and working well. I own a 6 acre 'Mini Farm' of 2 small 3 acre pasture fields. In the past I have mowed them regularly, but this year it pretty well got away from me when I was not able to take care of it due to medical issues. The sage brush is 3 ft. high and very dense. It is almost impossible to mow with the belly mower, just tiny little bites at a time. Would I be better off with a sickle bar mower? How is it powered? How does it attach to the Cub? Where would I find something appropriate? I know I have a lot of questions but I am still pretty new at this. Any help would be appreciated. I am in the Middle TN area, maybe someone around there would be able to advise me on some maintenance issues that are coming up.
Thanks
Ursula

[staninlowerAL]

Your post indicates that you have been able to keep up with the grass cutting with the mower that you have before this year so I would consider hiring someone to cut it with a larger tractor and mower so you can get it back to the point where you can handle it. To answer your question, a sickle mower will cut grass like you described but it will have to be in good condition and sharp blades. A sickle mower is not the easiest equipment to operate and might be a challenge to mount and dismount unless you have some help. At the top of this page you can view and download the operator's manual for the sickle mower. It will probably answer your other questions. JMHO Stan

[Glen]

Hi,
I'm not sure if you need a sickle bar mower or not, but here is an owner's manual you can look at, they are a Cub 22 mower. It shows how it is attached to the Cub.
The manual is for 3 different models of tractors, some info is for all 3, and some for 1 model. Look at the top of the pages and it tells which model the info is for.
Maybe you need someone with a bigger tractor to come in and mow, so the cub can mow there.

http://farmallcub.com/rudi_cub/www.clea ... index.html

[Bob McCarty]

The sickle mower would probably handle it okay, but you need to remember that the sage brush doesn't get chopped up. The cut vegetation just lays down and could cause problems with the underneath grass being smothered. I would second Stan's comment about having someone come in and bush hog it down. Then you might want to consider spraying the sage brush to minimize the same scenario happening again. Are the pastures used for grazing or hay production?

Bob

[Eugene]

I would go with having a neighbor mow the pasture in return for letting the neighbor pasture his cattle. That's what I do.

The other alternative is to purchase a larger tractor with rotary mower. I have two Cubs, a standard and a 154 with belly mowers. Neither will mow pasture when the grass gets to 2 foot tall or so. If the grass gets ahead of me, trailer type rotary mower and tractor with 30 plus HP on the draw bar.

One more thought, let a neighbor use the pasture for hay. This will get the area mowed 2 or perhaps 3 times during the growing season.

[Mrs.Farmallcub]

Thank you for all the answers and suggestions. Sounds like a sickle bar mower may not be the best solution. Getting a neighbor to mow is the best way to go and then keep up with it like before. Thanks for the links to the manuals.