After a hellacious New England winter overwhelmed my 60 year old Cub, SWMBO agreed that I could look for a bigger machine. My budget was $20K. I wanted something reliable with 4wd, real backhoe capability, and enough HP to handle 1000 ft. of gravel driveway, as well as some paying side jobs. I spent a couple of months reading, asking questions, and visiting dealers.
I considered new, but given that it's likely I'll only put 100 hours a year or so on the machine, a well-maintained used tractor made more sense. I could get a lot more bang for my buck.
When I found this machine at a local dealer, I knew right away I'd found what I wanted. I paid $18.5K at Woodbury Tractor, in Woodbury, CT. I felt the owner, Bob, was an honest guy who treated me fairly. He's even offered to help me figure out the hydraulics I need to rig to angle a snow plow, and he'll show me where to order the parts online.
So far, I'm loving the machine. I've done one pole building foundation for a friend. That required digging a dozen holes, ripping out an old oak stump that was so big the tractor couldn't lift it once I got it out, and running in about 90 tons of stone. A bigger machine would have been unwieldy on that small site, and a smaller machine wouldn't have gotten the stump out. Additionally, I've done some grading and hoe work around the house. Seems like the perfect machine for me.