On 14 Apr 2004 21:22:04 GMT, (JMartin957) wrote:

I've got an old Gravely 2-wheel tractor. Walk-behind unless you use a sulky.
Rugged and easy to work on, with all parts available.

With a 30" deck you're set for brush hogging, but the finish cut is a little
rough. 40" or larger multi-blade decks do a good finish mowing job. You
should be able to pick up a tractor and deck in good shape for $500 or less,
and it won't depreciate. You can also use reel mowers for a really fine cut -
a gang of three will give you a 72" swath.

Then you can add a snowblower, snowplow/dirt blade, rotary garden plow, dump
cart, rototiller, stump grinder, sickle bar, chipper/grinder, ditcher, wood
splitter, sprayer, scoop, backhoe, generator, leaf blower, circular saw, chain
saw or about anything else you can think of.

You do have to be willing and able to tinker with them, though.

John Martin
I have an old Sears "Suburban" lawn tractor. My neighbor has a new
Sears tractor. He is envious of mine. That thing is so heavily built
it'll last forever. And, there are people who restore these things.
Maybe, because you posted on this metalworking group, you might be
inclined to buy some used iron that has either been fixed already or
that you fix yourself. If I didn't have the 9N, Surburban, and the
Gibson I'd be looking for a farmall cub. I did need to weld up and
turn down one of the shafts the blade rides on in the Suburban. But it
was bad when I paid $150.00 for it and I didn't know it. After three
years of use the bearings started to make noise on that shaft. And it
was obvious, when opened up, that the bearings had been bad for more
than three years. So I spent two hours fixing it and having a good
time doing it.
ERS