in my experiences, both watching my dads purchase, my own, and experience working in a public institution that sold used equipment.( Michigan State University)
-My dad probably 10 years ago bought a massey ferguson 202 work bull industrial tractor. He bought it for 6000 dollars. (its a 1964 model year i believe) He used it for his seed dealership with a set of forks. IT worked. But it was pretty beaten at the point of my dads purchase of it. He used it for about 8 years. It did have some transmission issues where the shifter fork popped out of alignment would be stuck in a certain gear, this happened a few times, but all in all it got easy to fix. Other than that, it needed one new tire, one new alternator, a new battery and just regular maintenance. IT was mainly used for snow removal, forks on the loader, and on occasions to fill in for hay baling. It got to be last year and it needed a new radiator and was starting to smoke and probably had a rebuild in the future. This prompted my dad to decide to sell. He sold it on craigslist fully disclosing the issues and its need for a new radiator for 2000 dollars. He took that and bought a new Kubota mx5200 that meets and exceeds all uses and performs better for hay than our allis chalmers d 15.
- I got about 4.5 acres a few years back and got a couple of horses and other animals and decided my lawn mower wasnt cutting it for maintaining the property. So my dad took note and let me have a older yanmar 1500 that he got a long time ago, he said i could have it, as it didnt run. I put the work in, new starter, new oils, front rim work and new front tires. Had it running good. Then winter came and it absolutely didnt want to start and the ignition switch went out. Needless to say, i sold it for 1000 dollars as is. Looked around end up buying a new kioti ck2610. As i didnt have the cash, i had to finance and got 0 down and 0% interest. For six years with a six year warranty. The lesson learned here, is that if you have the cash sure buy a used one. The older pre 2000 tractors will be cheaper but have more things wrong with them. The post 2000 tractors people ask way to much for a machine with 700 or more hours and alot of wear and tear with no warranty. MY experience people wanted 4 grand less than a new tractor for an equivalent tractor. Which that can be up to you whether its worth it for a used tractor at that price. If you need to finance i would highly recommend new. Especially since buying used and financing you could run into an issue and have to pay a payment on a tractor that needs a new clutch or something, so your paying more for maintenance on the term of the loan. If you want to look at an older pre 80s tractor go for it, for cash you can find good deals in the 5000- to 7000 range for a loader, or 2500- to 4000 without one. They may be perfect, they may need work, but at that price it is affordable to put the work in to getting them running right.
Now, to comment on someone saying buy a used municipal tractor. Run away. I worked at a university ran lots of equipment. You will never see any more poorly maintained equipment. They say they go through regular maintenance, but its half true. Often, i would experience equipment not getting even basic oil changes, (saw a gator go 400 hrs from new without one oil change) Not to mention, students drive them often and literally beat the crap out of the equipment, the philosophy being that they are not responsible for cost of repairs so screw it. I have a buddy who worked for a city, and he said much of the same.
Now, is every municipal tractor or equipment treated this way, not some do a good job. But in my experience, is they are not, because the people who run them dont care. Now a farmer more often than not will take excellent care of his equipment because he depends on it for his lively hood and and expenses come out of his pocket, (there are exceptions to this rule, but generally pretty realistic.) So i cant tell you what to do., But in my mind for a compact tractor, and the high priced used market the way it is. It is worth it to go ahead and go for new. You wont regret it when you pay it off and have a great well maintained tractor that will last you another 20 years.
Also on industrial tires, , The R1 ag tires are best for your described uses, if your going over lawn, or on hay fields, R4 industrials are a great compromise. Industrials can be improved with beet juice weight, This will really help with traction. My friend has turf tires on a kubota b, and has no issues with snow removal or mud for his use. I have R4s and they are not weighed down, so for most occasions i get by fine but when running a plow, i absolutely need four wheel drive. My dad has filled R4s and he never has issues in regards to traction( bigger tire as well(both front and rear and generally a bigger tractor overall. in the end. You just gotta get out there and experience it for yourself. Jump on some used tractors, compare to new, watch people on the side of the road doing tasks with different tire types, and keep asking questions to even people you see in your day to day life that run tractors. It will all culminate into leading you into a decision.
