1) How many hours per year would be considered low-medium-high usage? (obviously, this is only one aspect of value, but it is a quantifiable one)
2) What things can a novice look for on a used vehicle that are signs of misuse or neglect?
3) Are there any bits of sage advice you have for someone looking at a used tractor to reduce the risk a bit?
4) With a car, it is not uncommon to have an independent mechanic look over a vehicle before a sale. Is this a reasonable approach with a used CT?
Thanks in advance for all of your help. Y'all have been outstanding and patient with my questions so far.
1) With reasonable maintenance, tractor hours are not necessarily a primary factor in evaluating a machine. But to your question, I would say under 100h per year is light personal use and 400h would be heavy yearly use. I put about 100h a year on my tractor and over 500 hours per year on my diesel mower.
2) As others have mentioned I would look at filters, grease zirks for recent service, oil stains from leaks, run all gears or transmission ranges, PTO operation, 3 point and fel functioning, oil, hydraulic fluid, coolant, ask to see maintenance records etc...
Cleanliness counts for me personally, and signs of clear abuse are a major red flag. I have personally seen a neighbor totally ruin a John Deere Cut in under 100 hours. I have also seen machines with several thousand hours that were well cared for and maintained that had thousands of hours left in them.
3) I don't know about sage advice, but the honesty of the seller means a lot. It doesn't take much to detect a dishonest seller face to face. Learn a little about the machine and it's MFG maintenance schedule prior to meeting.
4) Certainly reasonable to bring a mechanic or knowledge person with you. Run away from a seller that balks at the idea.
Happy shopping!