"My granddad bought this machine in the early 80s. To my knowledge, it has never broken down, with the lift arms getting stuck once but were easily brought back down. I know for a fact that it has never broken down since I have been around. This machine is very tough, as my granddad used it extensively in building houses. We now use it around our farm, where it can push large pine logs that we have cut, in addition to moving dirt, clearing land, hauling wood, pulling out stuck large tractors."

"I bought this machine with a backhoe attachment. It's been worth its weight in gold to me. With the bucket, forks, blade, and hoe I will take on anything I need done on the homestead. Other than just normal wear and tear it has never let me down on a job. There are times I wish it was bigger but then that would defeat the purpose I bought it for to start with. I also have an antique all-gear drive garden type tractor with disk and plow. Very good small rig."

"An old machine still performs well. It does break down here and there but can be fixed. It's good value."

"The 743DS was my first tractor, bought it used for $6,000 at 1750 hours and it came with a snow plow, dirt bucket (smooth edged), pallet forks. I added a stump bucket and a hydraulic grapple, box blade, trailer hitch receiver to my set of implements. Some of the stuff I have used it for: - tree uprooting and removal (using stump bucket to break roots) - firewood log handling (grapple) - raw land grading (box blade) - excavated 500 ft of driveway - barn construction (large auger for poles) - building destruction ----------- - The air filled tires are a weak point. Have had to reset them on the rim after running with low air. - The 36HP engine delivers enough power to get plenty of work done. I was amazed at how much I could handle with such a small machine. - The size is perfect for selective work thinning trees in a woods lot. It can squeeze through the trees without damaging the ones I need to leave. - At under 5,000lbs it is easy to haul with a pickup. - The machine sips fuel - very low fuel use. - Auxiliary hydraulics, at 11gpm, are sufficient to run large auger and the grapple that I use with no difficulty. - Parts are cheap and the Bobcat dealer is always helpful in spite of the fact that I do all my own repairs."