I love my Massey 1648. Very good, strong tractor. I would say that while the Massey plastics are more rugged, not as luxurious as some I mean, they are still high quality materials, as is the tractor as a whole... and I would rate them as good or better than any CUT on the market. for your uses I would think the 1736 or 42 would be fine. But, one thing to keep in mind, if you decide to jump to the 1749 and up, you get a larger loader than comes on the 42 and down. The loader on the smaller machines is very good, and you might never need more strength than that, but it is something to consider. Otherwise, for your sized property and the work you described, I would think the 36 and 42 would be fine.