Where To Find Sickle Parts (And More!)

Where To Find Sickle Parts (And More!) MOWERS Mowers (31H) 31-4-37 Looking for cutterbar replacement parts? You don't have to look any farther than Webb's Sickle Service, Grand Island, Neb. John Webb carries parts for 20 different major manufacturers and 10 to 12 short line companies. "We carry all the major wear components from stationary items to moving sickle components," says Webb. "A majority of parts are custom made, including sickles for horse drawn mowers. With enough lead time, we can make almost any component." Webb bought the business from a couple who started it in their barn. Today the company sells through dealers across the country, as well as direct from the company's mail order catalog and over the internet. Sales methods aren't all that has changed since the company was started in 1992. "The biggest change in the industry is the decreased number of farmers, but the biggest change in equipment is the increased size of machines," says Webb. What hasn't changed, he says, is quality of parts. "We use cold rolled, high carbon steel on most components. We use the best grade we can. I believe parts should be hard and sharp." Webb says the best way to save money on sickle mowers is to adjust hold-downs to maintain the scissors action. That also helps keep cutting edges sharp longer and requires less horsepower. Anybody who's ever cut with a sicklebar knows what a hassle it is to sharpen section knives. Webb has an answer with his roll frame sickle sharpener. It lets the operator sharpen up to a 9-ft. sickle with just one setup. The sharpener attaches to the sickle, and the operator swings the sharpening stone over the knife to be sharpened. Another time-saving tool offered by Webb is the sickle bolt tool for removing and replacing section bolts while the guard remains in place. Parts prices range from under a dollar to nearly $1,000 for the full size sickle bar sharpener. Reproduction work is priced by the piece, and all prices are subject to increases in steel prices. "We get people sending us an old part they need reproduced," says Webb. "We can do it, but that work gets done fastest during the off season." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Webb's Sickle Service, Inc., 204 South Claude Road, Grand Island, Neb. 68803 (ph 308 381-7090; toll free 800 578-1480; fax 308 398-1966; john @sickleservice.com; www.sickle service.com).

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