Howdy From Murphy NC

Recently moved up on a mountain, want to build up a Lawn Tractor that can handle my 13-14 degree/22-24% grade switchback
climb up a gravel road to my house and If possible pull a small garden cart up the hill with a rock or two in the thing.
100 -150 pound rock

Gear drives, Hydro static, or rip it out and do a clutch~n~ chain. Hoping to learn what will be best for what I want to do.
Max safe speeds up here are 10 mph so a 5 or 6 mph Lawn tractor should be perfect..

Articulated front ends, raising the chassis, all these things I see In here are really something.

I am very Impressed and hope to contribute In some way

I told my wife she'd love it to go down and get the mail, Little does she know I just want a new project and as you all know
UTV's and such cost so much I'd rather spring for a real jeep.

There's a guy on my mountain just down the road, selling a 2x4 jacked up gas golf cart/utility rig, He weighs 250 and It barely
crawls up these grades. His son Is bigger and It will not get him up the hill.
He wants thousands for this thing and will never get it. I want to show him what a Low cost Lawn tractor can do, hope I'm right.

Welcome Osco! Make yourself at home,

Welcome to the froum! A mountain climbing tractor sounds pretty interesting, haha.

Welcome to all-terrain lawn tractor forum man! Sounds like you need to build something heavy duty like a wheel horse, i’d want to low center of gravity in the mountains so I wouldn’t jack anything up.

my friend has a switchback Logging trail going up a mountain side to his hunting cabin. my John Deere can make it up there in the summer. here’s a video of me trying to make it up that switch back this winter and failing. you can really hear my Kohler motor working hard when I’m going up the steep grade.

Welcome! I've gone up some pretty steep stuff on my tractor.

Soooo are we talking wheelie bars? Haha

Wheelie bars Buwahahaha I hope not !

Naw I laid a 2x4x6 on the steepest section and my phone on the board, the bubble level app
said 12.7 degree's in some places and 13.4 In others.
22-24 % ish and Its all smoothed out gravel except when the Fed ex guy comes up In his box truck.
The truck needs shocks bad and he plow's the road one divot at a time.
These roads are tight when wet and very loose when things get dry.
I go up fine in a front wheel drive mini van with just a bit of trouble when Its real dry and I got some junk in the back.

I figure If I can just make sure I got enough torque with a front engine mower and maybe a little weight on the front end I'll be ok.

Gonna need the right tires,
and maybe lock the diff..
Would like a foot throttle so's It like a pickup.

Found a nice fire break on a hike today, gotta ride that !

Howdy! You mentioned not knowing what trans to go with, for what you want you’ll need a gear drive GT. Sears, wheelhorse, or possibly a heavy duty craftsman. Look around on your daily commute and Craigslist and see what you can find cheap

@CraftsmanQuad19  That's a great place for him to start.

Sounds like you have some good riding room!

Roger That, Tanks