Was in a similar situation about a year and a half ago. Needed to get a tractor to care for my childhood home horse farm, about 13 acres, a bit hilly in NY. Guy who brush hogged the place recommended at least 40 hp. Picked up a Ford 3000 about 48 years old off CL for about $4000 with an FEL. It has I think about 49 hp and 40 hp off the PTO (diesel) and I was concerned at first that it was a bit high in hp, that it was old, and only 2WD - and I am pretty much a newbie about this stuff. I paired it with a 6 foot Mott flail mower and a 6 foot box blade (also found on CL) and I have to say the work that I have been able to do with it is incredible. The property, which was pretty run down, needed better pasture management, so I thought the primary task would be mowing. A year and a half later the grass looks better than it ever has. I discovered all kinds of additional uses for the equipment - removing old fencing, disposing of manure, lifting junk onto the truck to get to the dump, preparing brush fires for burning, yanking out multiflora bushes by the roots (a particular scourge here). The box blade is fantastic for reconditioning old fence line, smoothing the gravel driveway, and taking the teeth out I was able to plow out the barn this winter of about three feet of snow. My total investment so far