They are painted and have a self-sharpening effect. Chrome sections have a much harder than the guards and wear the guards faster and do not stay sharp as long. Also, chrome plating is a very hazardous process and an environmental concern. Now you can transport a sickle bar of any length in a car, pickup or ship it by overnight carrier. The spliced knife assemblies can be packaged in easy to handle nine foot or less lengths to virtually eliminate delays in delivery, damage in transport or injury in handling.
Dealers can make up any length of knife from a minimal amount of segments.
The special knife joint allows the sectional knife to perform in the same way as a one-piece knife and is as strong or stronger than the original knife back. The guard is made out of high quality spring steel with an extremely hard and wear resistant surface. Because the bottom and top of the guard are bolted to the cutterbar, the guards hardly ever bend and never have the top lip break off, a common problem of standard guards. This extraordinary high stability has made the use of croplifters much more reliable, even under extreme working conditions. The cutting forces and therefore the power expended is reduced substantially.