Great thread! All I have at my disposal is an old Ferguson 35 with a dual PTO/Drive clutch. It keeps my leg strength up dealing with turning and stopping. Worst manual brakes ever! I have to literally stand on the brake pedals to keep the thing under control going down a slight hill unless I use the clutch and low gear also. It probably doesn't help the wheels are filled with chalk so the thing weighs a heck of a lot.
Kind of fun working the old bugger, but it gets work done.
If I had the scratch and I didn't just buy a really nice Ferris zero-turn I would be thinking a nice tractor would be in order.
One thing I found out while shopping a few years back is that you can get a used full-sized tractor and implements for FAR less than a compact or medium sized used tractor, even with similar hours on them. There is a lot of private demand for the smaller tractors, so it keeps the price up apparently. If you are not trying to mow a lawn under limbs, or need to turn tightly you may want to take a peak and see if that still holds true.
