Mayfield Scythe

[vhgmcbuddy]

I am rebuilding the mayfield that I got out of a hedge last year, Question, Is there a reason that they had a double belt pulley driving the scythe? it is the only machine with a sythe that I have seen that uses two belts, does anyone know why? and did all models of the scythe cutter for the mayfields have this double belt?

[will-haggle]

My 1953 Mk12 with a series 4 cutter certainly did, There’s quite a loading on the scythe unit, so two belts would prevent slippage.Having said that my Merry Tiller has only one belt and it cuts OK….

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[vhgmcbuddy]

Same here Alan, I have got a belt driven Barford Atom as well as a Merry Tiller, and as you say, they work well with driving the scythe with one belt, just wondered why Mayfield thought it needed two!

[littlerascel]

I have got A Mayfield and it also has got two belts on to Drive the cutter Bar

[wristpin]

Presumably the design engineers did the calculations and decided that, to give reliable performance under the most adverse conditions likely to be encountered, two belts would be necessary. Even in those pre cadcam days they wouldn’t have incurred the extra costs involved just for the fun of it!

However it’s interesting to note that a single A25 cogged belt was specified as the replacement for the twin plain A25 belt drive used on one of the early Mountfield cultivators. The Mounfield belt chart of the time notes the change just as a running substitution with no other engineering changes; so presumably the designers had either over-estimated the power requirement, or the advent of a belt with increased power handling allowed them to make a cost saving. Also, by using a single belt they avoided the “matched pair” requirement.

[vhgmcbuddy]

Very Interesting, I did not know the Mountfield also had two belts, when we have some grass, I will try this Mayfield out.

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