Let the games begin!
Visit each tractor dealer within reasonable distance keeping in mind that they will need to come to you or the tractor must go to them for future service. Tractors can last a very long time so you may be entering into a long relationship with a dealer.
Explain to each dealer your land, what you would like to do with it and ask them for their equipment recommendation. Same land, same requirements so each recommendation should also be similar. (Our JD dealer came to our property to determine what we needed and demonstrated it on site.)
Come back to TBN and search each manufacturer's forum for repetitive problems about each machine. If there are problems then ask the dealer about them and evaluate them when you test drive that machine. (This is the fun part).
Get to know your new neighbors, what do they use and think of the equipment and dealer?
Consider renting occasional use equipment like post hole augers or hire a local contractor, it's not just the cost of purchase but you have to provide storage for it as well.
This should be a rational decision making process where you are comfortable with your choice before making the purchase.
Enjoy!
Planning on putting in a 4+ car garage on the property. Something like 40 feet wide by 30 feet deep, with a vehicle lift in it. So, storage down the road should not be a problem. In the meantime, I will be using a 2 car garage on the house to store the tractor and/or zero turn mower.
Is it possible to maintain a tractor myself, or will I HAVE to take it to the dealer for maintenance. I hardly ever take my vehicles to the dealer for maintenance. In fact, over the past 10 years I can only think of one instance where I had to take a vehicle to the dealer for maintenance/repair, and that was my F350 when I cross threaded the horizontal fuel filter cap and diesel was leaking all over the place when I tried to remove it. I hate letting other people maintain/repair my stuff, whether it be cars, bikes, guns, boats, or whatever. I just prefer doing the job myself and knowing that I did it right and it got done. My 1998 Taurus has 222,222 miles on it and it has never been to a mechanic for service.
I hate paying people to do anything that I can do myself, with some exceptions. Ultimately, with what my wife makes, I am stuck paying 49.3% in income/FICA/medicare tax on the first dollar I make.
federal - 25%
FICA/Medicare - 15.3%
Maryland - 6%
County - 3%
So, if I hire a contractor to put in the fence and it costs me $10,000, then I would have had to bill $20,000 in fees just to pay the contractor. Might as well spend a couple of weekends doing the work myself. The same can be said about buying equipment too, but I feel like down the road I will get additional use out of the auger, and it doesn't cost all that much anyway. The bigger issue will be the backhoe because that is a significant expense, but if I can put pit blinds in with it, I will be using it at least 4 times a year (i.e., putting the blinds in and then taking them out), so it might end up being worth the expense, along with the chores I have planned around the house.
Ultimately, I think I am going to go with the zero turn mower right now to start mowing the grass, research the tractor issue some more, and then buy something either this fall/winter before it starts snowing, or suck it up this winter and shovel the driveway and wait until next fall/winter when I can pay cash for whatever tractor I decide to buy. I hate financing things and we are a little strapped for cash after the 20% down payment, new washer/drier because the house didn't have them, retirement account contributions, kids' college fund contributions, and wanting to put in a new furnace/AC before fall gets here.
Plus, I don't really have to clear the driveway since I have an F350 and can get in and out without a problem. Only problem would be trying to get the Focus or the Taurus out of the driveway, but my wife hardly drives them when there is snow on the ground because she hates driving in the snow. I usually drive her to work when it snows, and that used to be an hour+ each way. Now, it is 12 minutes from here, so not a big deal. The Mustang doesn't see the light of day when snow is on the ground, so no worries there. Of course, I don't want to be the only guy in the neighborhood with snow on the driveway either.
I guess the rational/reasonable decision is going to be to buy the zero turn right now, evaluate the tractors and my tractor needs over the next year or so, and then revisit this decision making process in a year before spending $15,000+ on a piece of equipment.
Thanks for the advice.
