Before making a decision to buy a tractor, there are a number of issues to consider,  how you’ll use a tractor, how often, your skill level, your capacity, whether to buy or lease, or to find a custom operator.

Buying considerations:

•  Guide to Buying a New or Used Tractor: In this Ground Work webinar, Shane LaBrake offers many ideas and tips to help with decision-making around purchasing a tractor.
• This 4-page Used tractor assessment checklist  outlines considerations to help you make a decision about whether to buy or operate a used tractor.
• This 24-page guide on Tractor Buying Basics from John Deere  is full of color photos and useful information for first-time buyers, regardless of what makes and models you’re considering.
• Penn State Extension has a Managing Machinery web page which discusses matching equipment to your needs and how to think about ownership and operating costs with some rule-of-thumb equations on costing and estimating field capacity for a tractor and implement.
• This video on Selecting and Purchasing Equipment based on a 2015 one hour webinar covers the right questions to ask and what alternatives to consider.

Not sure whether to buy or lease a tractor, these guides help you decide:

• Leasing vs. Buying Machinery is an 8-page pdf guide produced by Kansas State.
• This University of Missouri Ext. leasing webpage explains the basics of leasing and points of negotiation and has an Equipment Lease Analyzer downloadable to Excel.
• Replacement Strategies for Farm Machinery, this Iowa State Ext. 17-page pdf explains how real costs change over time,  depreciation values, and the tax implications.

University of Minnesota Ext. produced this four-part video Series on Tractors for Small Farms:  

• Part 1: Introduction to Buying a Used Tractor. What to think about when selecting a used farm tra.ctor that will fit your needs and experience. (2.5 minutes)
• Part 2: Basic Tractor Configuration. How to select a basic tractor configuration for your needs and farm uses (4 mins)
• Part 3: Age of the Tractor. Focus on price and age of the tractor, including safety features and technological advancements to consider. (5.5 mins)
• Part 4: Tractor Maintenance. Tractor maintenance and previous care issues to consider when selecting a used tractor for your small farm. (5 mins)