Thanks Mary. I've gone thru a lot of stuff and have some definite personal opinions, LOL _____ From: elky-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:elky-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Mary McCarthy Sent: Friday, January 15, 2010 11:15 AM To: elky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [elky] Re: update excellent advice Jim. Two things you want are easy steering and a deck that is a manageable size. We went with a slightly smaller one because we cut around so many trees. If you are just doing a large, flat area, larger will be quicker. And you should also look into what attachments are available and how easy they are to connect. Because we have a pair of Craftsman the attachments are interchangeable (many are universal and will hook to other tractors, too). We have a cart (for hauling stuff from here to there), a spreader, and a grass catcher. If you have to clear your driveway of snow, you'll want a plow. We can't burn during the summer so we also have a small wood chipper for brush. Whatever you end up with be sure it will meet all your needs, now and in the future. I think what surprised us was how much equipment we needed going from city to country. We went through several brush cutters before investing in a Stihl. And chain saws. Is your lot wooded or cleared? yeah, we are all living through your move. New is always good. Mary Depending on how level your sod is, will kinda determine just how big a deck you can efficiently use. I use a 54, 60, and 72 decks..and wish I had a 144" (some day) flex wing. I've also got some 40-48". The smaller they are, the less scalping they do, over stating the obvious, eh ? My front decks are the most efficient at mowing and trimming around stuff.. 2X as fast as a tractor belly deck. Money is going to play a big factor in your compromise as it does all of us. I can tell you that a compact tractor will be invaluable if you have an acreage needing mowing, rock and soil moving, tree planting/removal, etc. a 3 pt finish mower on the back will be easy to hook up and quick to use.. mows the big areas fast. Get a smaller front deck for around the house , circling the trees for the trimming, the CUT will let you mount a tiller, etc for all those home improvement dirt related projects as well. log splitter for firewood.. the list is endless and goes on and on. Plus the little diesel will have enough power to run a generator on the pto so you can have power during the ice storm outages.. I agree the JD green paint will be the highest priced.. the Kubota and kioti are good values.. mahinda has a good rep, and the bobcat cut's are built by kioti. I'm big on the hydro trans for ease of use for both you and Dorothy. How many acres with the house ? do you have a hard surface road adjoining ? and hard surface driveway ? city or rural water ? nat gas, propane or elec ? Hey, we're all living vicariously thru your epic move <G> Jim The guy with lots'_0_questions