TN Hillbilly

Nice! That is a pretty similar rig to mine...IH 1300 on a Fordson Dexta with the Perkins diesel...maybe the same engine as yours? Its been in the field a few times this years, mowing hay. Just used it this evening, in fact. It rained this afternoon. I wanted to mow hay afterwards, but the haybine was getting plugged up. So I went and got this ol trusty rig. Maybe the wettest hay I've ever mowed with a sickle mower. But, good guards, sharp sickle, set right...got the field mowed anyway.

Parrish. Made in Alabama, I think.

I don't have any idea. It was on there when we got it.

Got a few action shots tonight.

I knew you would enjoy that 4400. Looked like a good one. Glad to hear its doing good for you. They're tough ol' tractors.

That is an 861, recently painted, new clutch, rebuilt injector pump. It is a great tractor, perfect for the baler. The ONLY thing it needs, to make it better, is power steering. We're on the lookout, it will have it eventually.

We started hayin last week, just a few acres to try everything out. Had a few breakdowns, but had everything working good by the end of the week. Thought you all would enjoy the pictures. Three of us put up about 800 bales in the barn, over a couple evenings, with no sweat or hired labor. All gathered with an accumulator behind the baler and loaded and stacked with the grapple. I did load 80 by hand, in a field that was too small and too rough to use the accumulator. And some orchardgrass yet to be mowed. I know some of you are cringing that we let it get that mature before we mow. But we don't have weather to put up dry hay around here until early May most years. So the first cutting gets a little more mature than I'd like.

Nice job! I know skid steers and bulldozers are good at lots of more important jobs, but I've gotten more enjoyment out of building roads and trails in the woods with my dozer than anything else I've used it for. Took these the other night walking to the barn, thinking how much I enjoy my "roads."

Lucas Red n Tacky seems to last pretty well in the sickle head.

Just mowed some thick first cutting orchardgrass with this one. Looks the roughest of my three mowers but it cuts good! You can see my 9' trail type hiding in the shed behind it.

They are great. I have 3 IH balanced head mowers, still mow hay with them. They are pretty reliable if you keep them greased. I've heard that the heads are a booger to rebuild, but I haven't had to rebuild one. Is it a 3 pt, 2 pt, semi-mount, or trailer? I've bought 3 pt machines for $500 in field ready condition. Trailer machines might fetch a little more. Like any sickle machine, check the clearance between guards and knives. It's probably a safe bet to just go ahead and plan to replace all the guards, unless they look pretty new. Grab the pulley on the back side of the head, make sure it rotates smooth, make sure sickle goes back and forth smooth. Check the universal joints in the driveline, and the bearings where the input shaft goes through the mower frame. Check the pivot shaft (connects from cutter bar to the main frame). There are 2 grease fittings that grease where that shaft pivots, make sure there isn't excessive slop there. Make sure trip latch (underneath main frame) isn't siezed up. Thats about all there is to them. I really like balanced head mowers.

Nice job, and good for you for giving that 240 some exercise. I really like that 3 pt adaptor, now I want one!

Looks to me like its based off a 4000. Probably a 3 cylinder. Im gonna say 1970-1970 vintage.

Sorry, pal, I made the shop take them back. You might could have gotten by with using one or two on a truck with otherwise good wheels, but 6 out of round wheels made the truck literally undriveable. And I tried everything to get them to balance. I could see if they could order any more - they sent mine back to the distributor. I think they were...$150 each, something like that. But that was 2 years ago, we know what prices have done since...