JWE,
In anwer to your question </font><font color="blue" class="small">( What are your thoughts? )</font>, I thought I'd throw in some of my thoughts.
Here are some lead-in questions for you:
(1) How do you intend to use the tractor?
(2) Is the 42" mower a mid-mower or rear mower?
My thoughts:
(1) The price seems high to me, even if it is in the proper range mentioned in the other post. I would think the price would be okay if the tractor had either 4wd or hydrostatic transmission, and would definitely be a good price if it had both. I have seen several
B7100 4wd/gear drive units for sale in the $3000 range, and the
B7100 has a slightly larger (16hp) engine.
(2) My biggest complaint with my
B7100 (4wd/manual trans) was the lack of live PTO. Mowing with my
B7100's 48" mid-mower was pretty convenient (it operated off of a front mounted PTO), but operating with rear-mounted mowers (or other 3-point PTO equipment) was a royal pain unless operating in wide open areas that didn't require the tractor to change speeds or directions. EXCEPTION: Using a small 3-point hitch Kubota tiller wasn't too bad.
(3) It is my opinion that you will find the 2wd frustrating if you try to do much beyond mowing (plowing snow, etc).
(4) Parts will be generally available for the tractor and mid-mower, but you will not be able to find NEW ATTACHMENTS designed specifically for the
B6100 (mid-mowers, FELs, etc).
(5) Based upon my experience with my
B7100, I would say that the
B6100 is a very good tractor. If you get the tractor, make sure you understand the unique operting requirements associated with its thermo-siphon cooling system. I have heard of (and personally experienced) engines with thermo-siphon cooling systems suffering overheat damage due to greater than 50% antifreeze mix in the coolant fluid. I (as well as others on this board) have made many posts on this subject (search for thermo-siphon).
Good Luck,
Kelvin