I went back and forth on it a lot, but in the end i like to think im a good judge of character and despite all of the incorrect information i started out with i trust the guy who is selling it. He swears that it is a good solid tractor, it ran like a good solid tractor, and he has my deposit and will be delivering it on Wednesday so it better be a good solid tractor!
That's great! And in the end, I like to think that good character shows through. I've bought used equipment all my life and enjoyed good deals throughout. I don't think I've ever bought a lemon from a private party, and if I do tomorrow, well....I'll still be ahead.
Now that owner sounds forgetful, so you be sure to tell him that you want everything that goes with that tractor. Especially any books or manuals that he has as well as cans of nuts & bolts, chains, special wrenches, hitch pins, old repair receipts... you name it.
One of the great things about JDs is the factory put a lot of effort into their original operator and service manuals. They were designed to instruct a person while they explained how to fix it. Plus there are specialized booklets for many models on subsystems like the electrics, power steering, and hydraulics. In fact, JD OEM publications are a world in themselves.... There's an active market in JD literature on eBay and some on AbeBooks.com. Don't be surprised to find that the manuals are surprisingly expensive. Get the original OEM booklets when you can. Search by model number.
You had mentioned that you'll be doing your own maintenance. I know that when I'm wrenching on our own JDs I'm always being pleasantly surprised by the extra effort that JD put into making maintenance and upkeep easy. BTW, I bought both of mine with way more hours on them than you have, and they've been good to us.
Looking forward to some photos. Here's one from 30 years ago....
rScotty