There is probably no more useful or versatile machine for a homestead, a small tractor with a front end loader. Ours has already proved of great value for earth moving and driveway maintenance. It's an immense labor-saving device, a force multiplier really, when it comes to a wide variety of digging, leveling, lifting, carrying and pulling chores.
In a show last year I covered the ins and outs of pickup trucks. I do that for small farm tractors in this show. Surprisingly enough, tractors share some of the features of pickups, in particular engine type and drive configuration. But don't expect to climb aboard and drive it off--the operating controls differ greatly from a car or a truck.
In finding and buying a used tractor, I was considerably less qualified than when buying a used pickup, but I made up the difference by enlisting a neighbor and good friend who has spent his whole life using and maintaining them. If you can do that, great, if not, study up and get started.
- - - - - - - - - -Pete Ferron