6 Best Sickle Bar Mowers For Hobby Farmers That Tackle Overgrown Fields

That back field you’ve been ignoring has turned into a wall of thick grass, weeds, and mystery saplings. A regular mower would choke instantly, and a string trimmer would take a week. This is precisely the moment a sickle bar mower proves its worth, transforming an impassable mess into manageable land.

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Why Choose a Sickle Bar for Overgrown Pastures?

A sickle bar mower works like a giant pair of scissors. It cuts vegetation cleanly at the base, laying it down whole without shredding it into a thick, wet mat. This is a critical difference from a rotary or flail mower, which chops everything up and can bog down in the very density you’re trying to clear. The clean cut is also ideal if you plan to rake and bale the material for hay or mulch.

The gentle, slicing action is also much kinder to the local wildlife. Fast-spinning rotary blades are devastating to ground-nesting birds, rabbits, and other small creatures. A sickle bar moves deliberately, giving them a much better chance to escape ahead of the cutter. This makes it a preferred tool for maintaining wildlife habitats or for anyone farming with an eye toward ecological balance.

Finally, they are remarkably efficient. Sickle bars require significantly less horsepower than other mower types of the same width, making them perfect for walk-behind tractors or smaller compact tractors. Their design allows them to handle steep slopes and uneven ground with a stability that larger, heavier mowers simply can’t match.

BCS 620 Sickle Bar Mower: A Reliable Workhorse

The BCS 620 is a dedicated machine. It’s not a two-wheel tractor with attachments; it is built for one purpose: to be an exceptional sickle bar mower. This focus makes it incredibly reliable and straightforward to operate, a true workhorse for the hobby farmer who needs to mow challenging terrain a few times a year.

Powered by a dependable Honda engine and featuring a low center of gravity, the 620 is famously stable on hillsides and rough ground. Its simple, robust controls mean there’s less to go wrong when you’re far from the workshop. It’s the kind of tool you can count on to start and run season after season with basic maintenance.

Think of the BCS 620 as a specialist. If your primary goal is reclaiming overgrown pastures, cutting firebreaks, or managing pond banks, it’s one of the best investments you can make. It won’t till your garden or blow snow, but it will mow through dense vegetation that would stop other machines in their tracks.

Grillo G55: Nimble Mowing in Confined Areas

The Grillo G55 is the answer for a property with tight corners, numerous trees, and varied tasks. Unlike a dedicated mower, the G55 is a true two-wheel tractor, designed from the ground up to handle multiple implements. This versatility is its greatest strength.

Its lighter frame and nimble handling make it perfect for navigating complex landscapes. You can easily mow between garden beds, along winding fence lines, or in small paddocks where a larger machine would be a constant frustration. When the mowing is done, you can swap the sickle bar for a tiller, furrower, or snowblower, making it a year-round tool.

The tradeoff for this agility is a bit less power than its larger, dedicated cousins. However, for a small, diversified farm, that’s a smart compromise. The G55 represents an excellent value by consolidating several single-purpose machines into one reliable power unit, saving you both money and precious storage space.

DR PRO XL Sickle Mower for All-Terrain Use

DR Power Equipment has a reputation for building tough machines for rural landowners, and their PRO XL Sickle Mower is no exception. This mower is engineered specifically for clearing the roughest parts of your property—think ditch banks, rocky trails, and uneven fields dotted with stumps.

Its key feature is a pivoting mower head that allows the cutter bar to float over the ground’s contours independently of the power unit. This dramatically reduces scalping on uneven terrain and helps the bar avoid impacts that could cause damage. Combined with large, aggressive tires and a powerful self-propelled drive, it has the traction and flexibility to go where other mowers can’t.

The DR PRO XL is less about making pristine hay and more about aggressive vegetation management. If your primary challenge is taming wild, unkempt areas rather than manicuring a pasture, this machine has the rugged build and all-terrain features to get the job done efficiently and safely.

Ferrari 330 PowerSafe for Demanding Tasks

For the hobby farmer who pushes their equipment hard, the Ferrari 330 PowerSafe is a significant step up in performance and durability. This is a professional-grade two-wheel tractor built for long hours and tough conditions. It’s an investment in a machine that will likely outlast you.

The standout feature is the PowerSafe hydraulic clutch. Unlike a standard mechanical clutch, it provides instant and smooth engagement, and more importantly, it stops the implement immediately when you release the handle without shutting off the engine. This is a huge safety feature and makes the machine incredibly durable, as the clutch itself is sealed in an oil bath and designed to last the life of the tractor.

While the upfront cost is higher, the Ferrari’s build quality, power, and advanced features make it a worthwhile choice for serious users. If you rely on your walk-behind tractor for multiple tasks across many acres, the reliability and superior engineering of the 330 PowerSafe will pay dividends for years to come.

Cosmo Bully SFM: For Compact Tractor Owners

If you already have a compact or sub-compact tractor, a 3-point hitch sickle bar mower is the most logical and efficient choice for larger areas. The Cosmo Bully SFM series is a popular and well-regarded option that connects directly to your tractor’s PTO (Power Take-Off).

These mowers are belt-driven, which is a crucial design feature. If you hit a hidden rock or stump, the belt is designed to slip or break, absorbing the shock and protecting the mower’s gearbox and your tractor’s PTO from expensive damage. They also feature a spring-loaded breakaway system that allows the bar to swing back if it hits an immovable object.

The Bully SFM is perfect for mowing larger pastures, hayfields, or long stretches of fence line much faster than you could with a walk-behind unit. It’s a force multiplier for the tractor you already own, turning it into a highly effective tool for managing your acreage.

Earth Tools Custom Mowers with ESM Cutter Bars

Sometimes, the best machine isn’t an off-the-shelf model but a customized unit built for your specific needs. Earth Tools is a US-based dealer renowned for its expertise in two-wheel tractors and, in particular, its use of premium German-made ESM (Ennepetaler Schneid- und Mähtechnik) cutter bars.

ESM bars are widely considered the gold standard. They are built with higher-quality materials and tighter tolerances than most stock cutter bars, resulting in better performance and a longer service life. They are available in various configurations, including "double-action" models where both the upper and lower blades move, resulting in a faster, cleaner cut with far less vibration for the operator.

Choosing this route means you’re getting more than just a machine; you’re getting expert advice. The folks at Earth Tools will help you pair the right tractor (like a BCS or Grillo) with the perfect ESM bar for your soil type, vegetation, and goals. This is the choice for the farmer who wants optimized, top-tier performance tailored precisely to their property.

Choosing Your Cutter Bar: Width and Guard Type

The cutter bar itself is where the work gets done, and two choices are critical: width and guard type. A wider bar, say 53 inches or more, covers ground faster in an open field. However, it can be heavy and difficult to maneuver in tight spaces or on steep side slopes, where a narrower 40- or 45-inch bar will feel much more stable and controllable.

The guards are the teeth that protect the blades. Your choice here should be dictated entirely by your field conditions.

• Single Guards: The standard option, good for relatively clean grass and hay. They can clog in very dense, wet, or viney material.
• Double Guards: These offer superior protection against rocks, stumps, and other debris. Their open, two-pronged design also resists clogging, making them the best all-around choice for clearing unknown, overgrown areas.
• Guardless Bars: Also called "barras falcianti," these have no guards at all. They offer the cleanest possible cut in non-woody vegetation but are extremely vulnerable to damage from any kind of impact. Reserve these for pristine, rock-free hayfields.

Don’t overthink it. If you’re reclaiming overgrown land, start with a double-guard bar. It’s the most forgiving and versatile option. You can always invest in a second, more specialized bar later once the land is cleared and you know what you’re working with.

A sickle bar mower isn’t just for cutting grass; it’s a strategic tool for land management. By understanding how they work and matching the right machine and cutter bar to your specific property, you can tackle the most daunting overgrowth. It’s about choosing the right tool to effectively and sustainably bring your land back into production.