Hay Mower

 

Homer Jones seated on his horse-drawn mower – A successor to the scythe, this mower employed a sickle-bar onto which were riveted many sickle blades.  These sickle blades looked like giant sharks teeth and made swift work of any standing vegetation in their path.  In the above picture the sickle-bar is raised for transporting and only five or six of the blades can be seen in front of the nearest horses back right leg.

 

The mower required a fair amount of horse power to operate.  Notice the exterior lugs on the wheel of the mower.  These would ‘bite’ into the ground when the mower was pulled to keep the wheels from slipping and loosing power to the mower.

 

The mower was not limited to mowing hay, of course, although that was its main use.  The mower was also used for cutting grain stubble, mowing weeds, maintaining roadways, and similar applications.

 

This photo also provides a good picture of the horse harness including the neck yoke, the horse collar, hames, and other items pictured on this site.

 

Photo taken about 1945

 

Provided by Dorothy Bayes

 

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