After looking at used tractors for several months, and going back and forth between the idea of buying an older Massey 135 tractor or some other smaller tractor, I am starting to believe that a smaller tractor is what I want to ultimately buy.
However, most smaller used tractors seem to cost nearly as much as new ones, which means, at least to me, that buying a new one makes much more sense. Financing is not an option and I simply don't have the cash to buy a new tractor right now so it's looking like it might be best for me to put my tractor shopping on hold for now.
My primary reason for wanting a tractor is to maintain my gravel driveway which badly needs new gravel to be added to it. I had planned on paying to have the gravel hauled from a nearby local supplier a few miles away as I have always done in the past but it gets very expensive in a hurry, mainly due to the ever increasing cost of diesel fuel. I also occasionally have manure, fill dirt, mulch, and other materials hauled, which only adds to the cost of any given project.
That said, I have been thinking about buying a tandem axle dump trailer so I can haul everything myself. I do have an 18' carhauler trailer, but it's not designed for those sorts of tasks and unloading it takes forever by hand.
Given my situation, would you...
A. Get a tandem axle dump trailer now and a new tractor later.
B. Get a used tractor now and continue to pay to have material hauled.