Hi all â¦

I recently wondered into my friendly john deere dealer for parts for my old Scotts (made by Deere).

I shouldnâÂÂt have done that⦠I started lusting for the smallest JD units which had a front end loader on them (they were physically larger than I need)... Carp - I only went in there for some tire tubes ...

I was wondering if anyone out there has done any kind of conversion to their small rider / tractor which basically converted their riding / tractor to a small scale front loader ?

I donâÂÂt need a machine which is as large as those nice JDâÂÂs / I donâÂÂt have room for a larger machine like that. I donâÂÂt have all that much property (3 acres)⦠I darn well cant swing it financially.

I was wondering of there are any older riders / tractors out there which lend themselves to these types of conversions - or if there are kits out there for this conversion. Were there models available which would easily accept this modification?

I have a Scotts 2046 rider (1998) and was wondering if there was any chance to convert it)⦠I suspect a sturdy frame is a high priority with this type of arrangement, and guess the Scotts 2046 is not ready to deal with this sort of adaptation �" but I am not sureâ¦

I am NOT looking to move mountains, but moving around a little clean fill, top soil and light stone would be really handyâ¦

I guess the perfect candidate would be some type of mid-size riding mower / garden tractor which can power mowing deck (38-42/46 inches)on Thursday, and be moving clean fill on Saturday morning without me killing myself to convert it over...

Does this perfect (small ~ midsize) combination exist? If so - finding one in need of basic repairs might be my preferred route...

Your consideration and advice is greatly appreciated.

PS - If you have any photos of something you created or assembled - Id really like to see them... I am hoping for ideas which I can buy/assemble as I dont have much in the way of fabrication equipment - and little welding skills.

If you built your own and you have any recommended do's (and definitely dont's) please pass them along as well. I don't really want to make it if I dont have to.

Thx - Dave