The shaft angle can be an issue. I wonder if you could get around it with a large hydraulic pump on the pto and a hydraulic motor on the tool? I've seen hydraulic mowers and wood chippers, so if you can't route a rear pto shaft through the chassis perhaps a large pump on the rear pto could be an option? You could then have a vertical lift (same sort of thing as a pick up hitch) with the tool fitted. That would also solve the issue of having to reverse your front PTO as the motor would just have to be connected in reverse which is no bother at all.