Mowing with the John Deere Models 38 and Number 5 Mowers with John Deere Model A Tractors

As I mentioned in a pervious video, I have two mowers that, just for fun, I wanted to use to do some cutting.
In this video we cut about five acres with two different sickle mowers, a John Deere Number 5 on a 1938 John Deere Model A, and a John Deere Number 38 mower on a 1951 John Deere Model A. Both the tractors and mowers are talked about in previous videos.
The crop is second-growth grain hay. The second growth is much less than the initial crop (it's really only a one-cutting crop). The first cutting yields between 3.5-4 ton an acre, so it makes a really good rotational crop where I rotate fields out with alfalfa.
Shortly after starting, the 38 lost a section. Where it's such a small amount to cut and we didn't have a lot of time, we didn't replace it. The mowers did an okay job, but compared to our more modern rotary swather/windrowers, the sickle mowers definitely don't leave as clean of a cut as our more modern machines. The field was also sprayed not too long ago, so where the tractor knocked down the crop made it so they didn't cut as well either.
All of those problems aside, using the old mowers and tractors was a lot of fun. It was pretty cool hearing the two old "Johnny Poppers" going, and I'm sure it turned a few eyes and ears as people drove by or could hear it going throughout the town.
Needless to say, I won't be parking the big modern 16' cut rotary windrower any time soon--but taking a little time every now and then to just enjoy the old equipment is an enjoyable thing to do too! :)

[@LuthiRanchWY]

Fun seeing Ed in one of your videos. I’ve never used a sickle mower before looks like they did a good job. Hope you guys got all your farming done before all this rain we got.

[@kellybeckstead2894]

Love to hear the old John Deere tractors. I grew up on a farm with 5 John Deere tractors. We mowed with an A with the model 5, had a hard time making the corners, always seemed to leave some hay standing, no power steering, of course. Dad made me go back after the hay was baled and cut the standing hay.

[@floydrhodesiv5733]

As 12 yrs old kid I spent many a hr in the seat of my uncle's JD A with a 469 New Holland haybine mowing Timothy n alphalpha hay fields .Then I would have to take all that hay with a Ford 8n tractor with JD hayrake. We used a JD 4020 to bale withn hauled wagons back n forth with 2 JD As . Yes I spent many hrs in the seats of these tractors from age 12 to 17 on 3 different uncle's farms ,. They were dairy farms n the equipment we used was all pretty much the same .one uncle had 2 JD 60s n a 6:30. My other uncle had 3 4020s n3020 utilitie n a 7:30 gas . Each one of my uncle's was farming over 500 acres with equipment. We worked out asses off .

[@melvinroes3921]

Nice equipment and weather thanks

[@Snowtruckdriver]

Beautiful area. What part of the country is this in?

[@timnewman1172]

Mowing was one of the best jobs on a 2-Cylinder, I have my Dad's old #5 and I need to get it running and put it on my 1951 A someday...