The 790 is a great little tractor. Those early models were advertised to have 30 engine HP, but I understand that was a bit exaggerated. More like 27 engine HP and 24 PTO HP.
They'll handle a 5' rotary cutter pretty easily and a 6' rear finish mower.
The tractors are a bit on the light side...about 2200 lbs without the loader. I expect the #70 loader would add about 700 lbs.
The gear box is what is referred to as a collar shift...not only is it a manual box, it's not synchronized with high/low ranges (total 8 speeds forward, 2 reverse). However, there's not much need for shifting...select the gear you need and go. You'll likely get some responses stating loader work is much easier with a hydro transmission...probably is, but you'd only be adding a few seconds to change direction.
The tractor should have a two-stage clutch (push halfway down to shift gears, all the way down to disengage the PTO. That takes a bit of getting used to and you DO NOT want to ride the clutch!
I had a 790 for 6 years and I really liked it...except:
Reverse low is really slow, even at PTO speed. Reverse high range is too fast (again, at PTO speed). That's the only reason I traded the 790 in...
One more thing...during the first 8-10 years of production, there were three engines (all Yanmars) used in the 790. If you go for a service manual, make sure you have the serial number of the tractor (it's on a plate just above the rear PTO guard.
