Thanks for further feedback. My reasonings are a little on the odd side, but I'll tell anyway.:thumbsup:
I am mildly considering changing the tires and wheels on my MF1010 to turf, and adding a belly mower. The problem is it doesn't have a mid PTO. I can easily add a rear PTO mower, I know that, but I give up a LOT, that I need, in maneuverability with the rear mount. My property is only 3 acres. I just used my brother in laws 16hp Craftsman mower to mow about 90% of it, but it nearly beat it up. His blades were shot to begin with, and I welded re-inforcements on the tips, and even those were shot before it was done.
It's not the rocks, I can move those and keep most of em clear, but it's the hidden 2" oak limb that falls in the tall grass. I've had it mowed by others with a bush hog, and frankly didn't like how it looked afterward. Maybe he was in too big of a hurry, don't know, but at $150 a pop I can't keep doing that forever.
That's part one of the problem.
Part two is I live in a bottom land area, where most of the runoff from rains ends up. last year I had mallards trying to nest 50ft from the house. :licking: The only reason they didn't is cause it scared em every time they saw us come out. I put about 100hrs on the little MF1010 moving dirt and making chanels, that are now running creeks (that will dry up in late summer), and borrowing backhoes to make numerous french drains and a pond.
The good news is, now, it's dry out front, except the newly formed creek, but down at the bottom of the land there is still some standing water. It's not nearly as bad there either, cause I dug a pond for the water to collect. It works as designed, but not big enough. This summer that will be corrected.
But, since it is still soggy elsewhere, no, make that VERY soggy, I cannot use the tractor with any pull behind mower. I tried to move a few soggy bales of straw a couple weeks back and burried the front axle to the pumpkin. That was 50yds from any standing water. Had to use the Tundra in 4Lo to pull er out. That is part of the reason for the turf tires. In order to make (hopefully) this work, I'd have to remove the FEL, the gannon, and add the mid mower and turf tires n wheels. Hopefully that would make it light enough with a big enough foot print to not bog.
The aformentioned Craftsman allowed me to go within inches of standing water for those same reasons. I know the MF1010 will still weigh almost twice the ride on mower, but that's my reasoning.
My other option is to go ahead and buy a ride on mower (used) and proceed to beat it to death, slowly, maybe.
If I made a belly mower, it would be a hybrid of bush hog and finish mower. Not a full stump jumper, per se, but a smaller version, that would be more durable than a finish mower setup.
In fact, if I buy a rider I will most likely make it a hybrid, with blades that "sling" like a bush hog, but at the speed of a finish. The blades would be heavier duty than stock as well. My thoughts there would be even though the blades were heavier duty (thicker) the pivoting action would absorb most of the impact energy, and hopefully not strain the arbors as much.
The other big issue with a ride on mower, is they don't raise high enough to avoid the friggin gopher holes that are all over the place. Now you see why I come up with all these crazy ideas.....