What about a sickle bar mower used to cut hay? The pitman arm units wouldn't angle down too far, but the belt drive mowing machines would lay the sickle bar down the dam a great many degrees. We did it all the time when I was a kid.
Tony, I'm shopping for a used sickle mower as we speak. My hay guy said they do angle down farther than most newer disk mowers, and they are easily handled by a smaller tractor. I've got an old John Deere sitting around that would be perfect for pond edge/dam cleaning. And, used sickle mowers with good hydraulics are going for $800 to $1,500 at auction around here.
