Safety Tips for Sickle Bar Mowers

The design of these mowers with their exposed cutting blades make it easy to get hurt. All sickle mowers, includiing the 3 point sickle bar mowers can be very dangerous.

Most accidents happen when the blades get clogged (if the vegetation has thick stalks or is bent over, this happens pretty easily). The first thing you should do is to completely disengage the PTO. Next you need to lift the mower above the vegetation and then back up for a few feet to get out of the area that caused the clog in the first place.

Then set the brake and turn off the tractor engine. Then you can carefully remove the clogs. Be sure to use gloves when removing the clogs, again, the cutters are very sharp.

If you attempt to unclog a sickle mower by hand without disengaging the PTO you will most likely suffer severe cuts, lacerations and yes, amputations too. The blades move really fast once the clog is gone and you will not have the reflexes to protect yourself.

You should always be a cautious as possible.

If one or more of the blades are broken and you must remove one of the bars, be sure to handle it only from the rear, away from the sharp cutters.

Unlike todays rotary mowers, these have exposed blades and are dangerous to anything that gets near them. So be sure to keep safety in mind. Do not operate the sickle mower when people or animals are nearby.