Thank you for the reply....
So I'm looking for something with 45+ horsepower gross
Operating Station cramped - I'm 6'3" around 250 - don't know how I'll fit exactly then...
I assume it'll go in the third car garage to begin - before the outbuilding is built.
So based on some of what Scotty said "So even looking at the used market conservatively, buying a twenty year old tractor with 2000 hours on it should give you at least 20 more years to use it with minimal maintenance"
I could look at a 1998-2000 model
look for local dealers
look for 45 hp
cross compare and see what pops up?
then look for the attachments I'd want.
Is that the normal route?
thanks again for the help.
and for snow?
Yep. That's the idea. You can tell a whole lot about a tractor from it's condition. Expect grease and seepage around hydraulic cylinders or connectors, but deduct for oil leaks on the engine or tranny. A conscienscious owner will keep the radiator clean of dirt and chaff, and will cover the operators station and controls with a tarp at least most of the time. Ask to see some sort of records for oil changes and such. Tires with a small amount of cracking in the sidewalls irk me personally, but they seem to last in spite of the cracks. I know the tires on my JD date back to at least the mid 1980s and they work fine.
Things to be willing to pay lots extra to get would be: 4WD, HST or some sort of powershift tranny, and POWER STEERING for sure. Get PS; steering a tractor with a full loader bucket and no PS is no fun.
Are new tractors better? Yes, of course they are. But nothing at all wrong with gaining experience with a used one.
Unlike a car or machine that tend to be built to a limited lifespan, every make of tractor out there is built to last as long as possible. It's just part of the industry. Some manufacturers get it better than others....and yes, there are a few oddball makes....but not many..... but the intent is still the same: to make one that will last forever.
That makes it nice for the person looking at used ones. If it runs and works for an hour without problems it will most probably run that way for the next decade. And most problems are real obvious. Don't be hung up on having to get a diesel. If you like gas engines - and if you are comfortable with cleaning carburettors every few years - then the industrial engines used on many of the older US tractors are things of beauty, quieter, less smoke, less efficient, but perfectly good in every way.
For Snow? Just Use your loader bucket and a good back blade/box blade for the first season or two. That combo is the same one you use for dirt work anyway....so you not only have it mounted, but it sure does beat shoveling. In a year or two you will know more about what kind of specific attachment that you want to use.. or not.
Chances are good that whatever it is will hook up to your existing tractor. At the worst you may have to buy an adapter or extra hydraulic control.
Good Luck,
rScotty
