A couple more thoughts, first, a real heavy duty garden tractor is not a 1/2 tractor, it is a heavily built small tractor with about a 20hp engine and it is capable of far more than you might think. Second, if you are concerned about snow, then get a front mount snow blower. I have a front mount 54" snow blower on my Cub Cadet and a rear mount 60" snow blower on my New Holland TC24D. The Cub will clear my driveway faster that the larger NH. Granted, the Cub would probably do a lousy job with a blade pushing snow compared to the NH, but with a front mount blower it is actually faster.
I own a piece of White equipment, and White and Cub Cadet are both owned by the same parent company, but there is no way you can compare a White lawn tractor (even if it is the same hp) to a Cub garden tractor. They are different machines. Everything is heavier on the Cubs, even the new ones. The drive lines are completely different. Etc.
As for mowing the lawn, something you will spend most of your tractoring time doing, a Cub or JD garden series tractor (not the light weight lawn models from Lowes or Home Depot) will simply cut faster than an 18, 20, or even 25 hp compact tractor. In fact, it will save you a considerable amount of time if you have any landscaping at all. The more you landscape around your yard, the harder it is to use the larger tractors for mowing, especially if you use a rear mower.
As for the other projects you outlined, those are "one time" big events and you will accomplish those much faster with a MUCH LARGER piece of equipment than you are considering buying. In fact, you might want to consider renting a 40+hp TLB for a day or two to do the big projects versus the weeks it would take you to do those things with a 18/20/25hp compact tractor (assuming you do add the FEL to it at a later date).
Now for the final point, you said you want a REAL tractor. OK, now we are talking MAN talk here and I can understand that. . . EVERYTHING I WROTE ABOVE is logical and really makes sence, a good heavy duty garden tractor will do what you want and do a great job and save you time. BUT IF YOU WANT A REAL TRACTOR then you need to realize several things. First, it doesn't necessarily make sence. I have a Cub Cadet. I have a NH TC24D. I have a Kubota
B2910. I have, at various times, various antique Oliver farm tractors. To be totally honest, I could get by with the Cub Cadet on 12 acres! The
B2910 is a good size tractor, way to big for mowing, especially since it has a FEL and BH. The NH TC24D is about the perfect compramise machine, and would mow 95% of my lot IF it had a mid-mount mower. . . but I got a 3pt mower on it because I didn't want to mow 95% of my lot with it. As small as it is, it is too big to work up close to the shrubs, flower beds, etc that my wife has planted all over with the tight curves and radiuses she designed. I use the
B2910 for construction of things. I use the TC24D for maintainence. I use the big antique Olivers to pull kids around in wagons or to scare the bejeezus out of city folks who think they know how to drive anything . . . put them on something that takes a 1/2 acre to make a turn and aim them at a tree line if you really want to have some fun!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Based on your DESIRE for a real tractor, and your NEED for something a lot less, I would strongly suggest you look at a Sub-Compact Diesel. Massey's GC2300 or Kubota's
BX22/23s or New Hollands brand new TZ series. They are not cheap, but they are all REAL tractors, and they will be MUCH MORE practical than what you are considering buying. With their HST transmissions, dealer support, and wide range of implements you will actually be getting a good practical tractor. Then, when you have your one time major project, go rent a large piece of equipment that is designed for that type of work.
JUST MY 2 BITS.
