7 foot bar will get broken or bent WAY less than a 9 foot. I would look for any of the IH balanced head mowers. Someone else will have to help with the numbers but I believe 100, 1100, and 1300? Should be able to find them for less than $1000. Throw the old ledger plate guards away and put on the “swather style” double guards! I have 3 of them and left the tail wheels on all but the hitch is on 3 point so I can change the angle of the guards hydraulicly on the go.
In the Sandhills, they are the best thing ever, in the more humid areas, they are a challenge if you have wet gopher mounds.