Like Elephants?

Fiction has popularized the myth of the Elephant Graveyard, something that I learned about in ancient Tarzan movies when I was a kid.  We stumbled across just such a graveyard over the weekend; only it's lawnmowers.  Oh; The Humanity!

There are some mighty sad cases scattered all over a block in a little town that I shouldn't mention, just to keep away the trophy hunters.  These sights brought to mind the experiences of a neighbor who thought he could fix up and use an old Allis Chalmers combine, because there were old ones sitting idle all over the Southern Illinois landscape.  He soon learned that the same parts were worn out on every one, and he never did make his old combine work again.  Need a mower? Go buy a new one.

UPDATE: An appeal for information from Danno of Sandcastle Scrolls... a comment to your "like elephants" post...

What wears out on lawnmowers?  I'm think specifically of riding lawnmowers.  I don't need a lawnmower... I already have one.   But I could use a tug for the airplane.  I occasionally come across Craigslist offers for riding lawnmowers at very reasonable prices. A combine would be overkill ;-)

Is it the mower that wears out or is it the drive train?

All I need is a solid rolling platform..  Speed is not important, but torque is (the big plane loaded with fuel is about 4000 lbs). I'm thinking a retired riding mower 10 HP-ish would do the trick.  I have a tow bar and imagine I can figure out/weld a tow hitch arrangement and distribute the forces to the frame.

I'll accept any thoughts/opinions/what to look for/rules of thumb, etc.

Thanks for weighing in...Danno

Opinions?  Answers for Danno can be left in comments, or sent direct to him from the e-mail address provided on his blog, SandCastle Scrolls.  Comment Moderation and Word Verification are turned off now, to encourage you to enter your opinion.  Spam comments are rolling in, so Word Verification is being turned on again.