"There's nothing like it on the market. The mower deck is 72 in. wide yet I can trim around an 8-in. tree," says Richard Snell, Oglesby, Ill., about the riding mower he built from scratch to take care of the 1 1/2 acres of lawn surrounding his farm home.

The first thing you notice when you see Snell's mower is that it only has one front wheel. That wheel turns 180 degrees and is what makes the big mower so maneuverable.

However, it also made the tractor less stable so Snell added dual wheels on back.

"It has hydrostatic transmission (a Bolens hydro rear end), power steering (from an Oldsmobile car), dual wheels and a Ford Pinto 4-cyl. 80 hp engine," says Snell.

A pulley on the engine belt-drives a hydraulic pump that drives the rear end. The power steering consists of a single hydraulic cylinder which is connected to a roller chain that's wrapped around a sprocket on the front spindle. Snell covered the engine with a hood from an Allis Chalmers WD45 and painted the tractor with John Deere green and yellow paint, putting a Deere decal on the hood.

He built the mower deck from scratch as well, equipping it with three belt-driven blades. He says he made the deck "backwards" as compared to most commercial mowers, putting the straight edge of the deck forward and the pointed wedge of the deck to the back. "It totally eliminates windrowing of heavy grass because grass feeds into the deck so much more evenly," says Snell.

He's used the mower two years with no problems. "It's got plenty of power, an infinite variety of speeds, and totally eliminates the need for trim work afterwards because it can cut so close to trees and buildings. I wouldn't trade it even for a brand new mower," says Snell.