I would happily buy a 4430 for my 30 acres if I found a good deal on one. When I bought my tractor for my 30 acres, I thought 50 hp would be plenty. Well, in some cases it is and in others it's not.
Be aware that implements sized to fit a 4430 (140 hp??) will be MUCH more expensive than Cat 1 implements that fit a smaller tractor. That's the only thing that would make me gag on buying a tractor that size. Well, that and the cost to keep diesel in it.
I disagree on the implement cost. Modern farmers use huge implements that a 4430 couldn't dream of pulling. Around here you can find tons of implements appropriate for that sized tractor rusting away on farms and dirt cheap at auctions. I actually think they are often cheaper than the compact implements because there is much less demand for them as they are too big for the compact guys and too small for the real farmers.
My tractor is a 4440 and I love it. I traded a 2006 95 hp case with cab and loader straight across for it. I went backwards 26 years, went from having a FEL to no FEL, and I still think I got the good end of the trade. Those old deeres have tons of parts a available and are simple to work on if needed. I haven't had to do much to mine in nearly three years of having it.
I owned a 4430 about 12 years ago. It was good tractor but not as refined as the 4440. I sold it for more than I paid for it when we sold our acreage and moved to town. Had we not moved to town I would still probably have it.
Don't be afraid of old iron if you have basic mechanical skills. I truly believe they are made stouter and you don't have to be an electrical engineer to work on them. I find it amazing tractor this old are still used daily today. I wonder if you will see a lot of tractors made today still in use 30 years from now.
As to that sized tractor and the acres I say it isn't the acres but what you want to do that matters. I have 25 acres and use my tractor to plow and plant. I don't want to spend a week out there doing these chores on a tiny tractor. I have a skid steer for loader tasks which happen far more often than regular tractor work. I use my loader for one thing or another almost daily and I do all my road maintenance with the skid steer as well. The tractor just gets used for chiseling, discing, planting and shredding. It is the perfect size for me. Now if you want to do a lot of stuff in confined spaces, work around your yard, or have a bunch of trees to work around, etc you might want to look at smaller machines.
Also one thing to consider is older tractors like that have fully depreciated. The value they have is due to their utilitarian value. That is as long as still works like it should it most likely will not go down in value any more and may in fact go up. Newer tractors have a lot of their value in the fact they are new and the value goes down every year.
