New prospective buyer

[Soundguy]

Hello, I am new to the community and really need some help selecting a garden tractor for my acreage. I am not rich so I need something that can take a beating and give me good service. I have 5 acres with rough, flat and some slopes. I have been looking at many different brands and really could use some guidance. I know you get this all the time so I don't want to be a burden, but any help would be greatly appreciated. I am not picky about brand as long as it can hold up and give me years of good service. Thank you for any advice. Thank you

are you looking for new or used?

if used, do you have an arbitrary cutoff date?

do you prefer gas or diesel?

are you handy with a wrench / do you mind doing a few repairs or maintenance?

reason I ask, is if your budget is low, you may be looking at used and / or antiques, plus some 2nd teir new brands, like chinese tractors.

all will require you to be able to spin a wrench now and then and do basic maintenance.. but all should give you years of service at less then the price of a new 1st tier brand.

what will your stated uses be? mowing? or?

for a good lawnmower I'd get a ford 640 / 640 or optionally 660 / 661 to get live pto.. the 8XX are fine too.. but drink more gas. 5' implements on average fro a ford 6xx and 6' implements on average for a 8xx. you can find power steering on some of these old fords.. though depeding on use, it is not a must have.

you can also get limited use laoders on these machines... a laoder with no 4wd and no ps is a bit of work.. but better than a shovel and wheel barrow.

post back with some details.

you can get a good serviceable ford 6xx / 8xx for about 2000-2500$.. and one with a laoder for about 2250-2850$

for just a lil more money you can get into the 65+ 3 cyl models like the 2000/3000 or 2/3 X600 models. some hyd improvements and the 3 cyl engine.. more diesel options.. etc.... not much more money. a good 3 cyl diesel with ps and 8spd trans can be had in the 3000-4500$ range.

soundguy

 

[impdaddy]

Doesn't look like a bad price for a 48" deck and hydrostat trans. As some have said buy that and use it until you can get what you really want. Then you might keep it or sell it and get most of your money back. Good luck.