Mud mower planing... Need your input.

I am planing my muddin mower build... My question to y'all is.. How would you build your idea mud mower? I have idea's but i always like hearing what other ppls idea are too...

Well, it really comes down to where you are driving. Of course mine is small and would get stuck in any big mud hole, but where I drive there's only rivers, no mud. So I don't need the huge tires other people have as a example.

Basically this is what you want:
Protection
Performance
Durability
Function

I think you got the general idea from being on the forum.

Either you can get a GT mower, or a regular mower, like a 90's craftsman that arnt as strong but lighter, and more parts available.

Speeding it up, bumpers, stronger axles, front and rear tires, steering upgrades, and gas petal are all things I highly suggest. The rest like exhaust, trailer hitches, lights, and winches are just all personal preferences.

im with red on whats pretty much needed, yet around me there are lots of mud holes that dont look deep, but you will sink in, so i like bigger tires, hence why i run 27x12x12's, id also suggest posilocking the transaxle,....skidplates would come in handy cause you never know whats under the water/mud.
steering upgrade is a must have, and better brakes, and if your like me, a winch, cause i mostly romp alone and need it if i get stuck,
my ideal mower is pretty much the idea's we've been shooting back and forth on facebook, big, 4x4, badass

Thay bout sumed it up but. Where i live its rocks and mountins. Strong chassie and good soft tires are a must. Thats why i run suspintion. Skid plate to keep sticks and stuff from getting in the belt. And as richie said riding alone. You need another way to start it. Pull start  simple and pays for itself when your starter quits. And when and if you do a pulleyswap take your time and make some good belt keepers.

Well I would tell u something but they have basacly told it all

Mowron style end of discussion lol I have seen those tractors do things tractors shouldnt or wouldnt doand I have only been around them a couple times!

another thing is a small storage space on it for tools and such, i use a giant ammo box, but somepeople like rear racks, and lights are also a good thing to have

One thing I miss that richie picked up on. Posi locking. Doug did a good writeup on all the ways of posi locking mower axles. If you ride in difficult terrain locking the axle is the only way to go.

just realized this was supposed to be where we told what our dream build would be if we had all the supplies needed and the tools to do it,
my dream build would be a 80's model craftsman squarebody on a custom frame, with modified honda shaft driven axles with front and rear steering, running abig 31 hp kohler v-twin horizontal engine to a modified tranny out of a small yota truck, and some hi/lo transfer case. for tires id want some super grip mud bitch. posi lock front and rear, a big winch up front, and a alternator to run the electronics, and while im at it, one of those powersteering kits for atv's

LAWN MOWER MUDDER wrote:

Moose wrote:

Mowron style end of discussion lol I have seen those tractors do things tractors shouldnt or wouldnt doand I have only been around them a couple times!

That is what I meant..   

Check these build threads out:
Chaos, Banshee, and Ghost Rider.
The Silver Bullet

Ours aren't really what I would call a mud mower. We do get in the mud some, and they do pretty good, but any kind of a deep hole, and they are done. We run a smaller tire in the rear than most mud machines, to keep our tractors lower to the ground, for handling. So we don't have massive ground clearance. They are more trail, hill, race machines.

Most mud mowers are based on old sears, cub's, wheelhorse's, etc. Cast iron, 1 in axle rears, horizontal engines, and tall ATV tires. These do well for deeper mud, but are very tippy at any kind of speed.

as you can tell, i like the real heavy duty GT's. older bolens tractors are a great base, and dont need much to make a great offroader- look at mine, slap rubber on it and it goes anywhere. older craftsmans are great too. like the new one i just picked up. Opposed, Peerless 633. thing is going to be a tank.

power-weight ratio is a must
speed
tires
frame


look for plenty of power, 15+ ponies
you sell tires, so youre set in that department
a mild pullyswap, probably about 1:1 would be good
build a heavy set of bumpers, and a small toolbox.
stay away from stamped front axles
stay away from MTD in general

Install large wheels / tires front and back. Don't go for the skinny little snowblower tires in front. They will go under and will rob a lot of HP to get out of the mud. Lots of guys take the rears and put them on the front, then go ATV tires in back.

For strictly mud, you will need some HP, but the oppy's and V's do suck fuel at a high rate for how far they will get you down the trail. I'm running a mildly modded 12HP flatty and I love it! Plenty of power and I could go all afternoon on a tank of fuel. So if you want to go for long trail runs, consider a smaller single and gear it correctly.

Also, pay attention to your exhaust placement. It sux when you put a ton of time into building a wicked nice exhaust and then go out and smash it on your first run. Stacks are cool, but you can get the exhaust in your face which becomes a bother on long trail runs. But for short mud runs, you might want to go for a stack.

Keep us posted!

well you got to keep in mind that, your mower is your ideas. but i think your lawn mower reflects on who you are like on how you build it, everybody might have the same ideas but its up to you to figger out how your going to make those ideas work in your own way.