Which are less maintenance the old or the new?

I have about an acre to mow. I wanted to know what brand or kind of tractor will cost you the east money in maintenance or repairs. I guess I want a dependenable tractor? On a budget so which one would you choose? Just to used occasionally. Is it better to have a new one or older tractor for depenability? If new what brands are best? If old, what brands are best? Thanks!
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asking that vague of question is like asking a 1000 ppl what is the best food to eat as everyone
has a differant opinion on what's best
you don't say what your plans for it would be.
I see in your other post you have limited repair skills.
nothing wrong there if you want to learn how to fix things on older tractors then great.
even a new tractor will need repairs but you will get a warrenty with them.
depending on what you get will also depend on what dealerships are near you for getting parts.
this site supports most makes of older tractors as well.
most parts for most tractors are out there and most ford tractors have easier parts to find then
most.
john deere are pretty well supported by dealers.
but any part could take days to weeks to get for anything new or old.
if all you plan to use it for is grass cutting get a zero turn or garden tractor.
I cut 8 acres of grass with a cud cadet zero turn and previously with a white garden tractor
if you plan on some light loader work and some gardening, snow removal I would look at the
compacts.
Kabota probably makes the best dependable compacts out there that last for yrs.
JD does as well.
most all makes have them and they are pretty dependable.
with only a 1 acre lot you won't want a larger tractor as they do weigh a lot and WILL leave ruts
on your lawn when damp.
if your plan is to have a tractor to show off at shows or parades then any older tractor will
have a great following and you'll quickly learn it'll take months to yrs rebuilding one and
finding parts.
good luck in your search and let us know what your plans are

Are you talking about a lawn tractor? I'm
assuming with an acre. Go out out and buy a
new cheap riding and take care of it. It
will last for years with what your using it
for.

For the most part brand doesn't matter that much because the few manufactures produce many brands. From these forums there is a lot that we know such as don't get one with the Briggs Courage because they don't last long.

An acre is not much to cut. I use a small Toro zero turn and cut 1.5 acres with it. If other task are in the future then a newer unit with a loader and hydrostatic drive would be nice. I like my old ford but I don't cut the yard with it. As others have said it will leave ruts when turning.

Agree with what's been said above. I have four acres and I cut it with my 54" ZT. I bought an old Ford tractor because I thought I'd get a 6' finish mower and chop my time in half, but unless you have a pasture (no trees), you're not going to save any time and the cost of a tractor with a finish mower is going to be a lot higher than a zero turn.

Now, if you're like me and have two gravel driveways to maintain and can use the tractor for numerous other things, than go for it! After having mine, I know for sure I wouldn't be without one now.

where are you? come test drive

Just one acre. Go to Sears and buy a new lawn tractor.Or TSC for a CubCadet. Under 2000. you cant buy a good uesd older tractor
and mower/brush hog for that

Lets see ya got and acre to mow , Now for me it would be cut down to less then a half acre of mowing and about half acre of garden , Find a nice decent Ford, Kabota , Case I H , John Deere, Yanmar, diesel with 4 wheel drive and a 48-60 inch three point finish mower and a 48 inch roto tiller a 4 foot back blade for leveling and snow removal and a little trailer and call it good , ya want around 18-25 Hp. Now you can eat well in the summer months can and freeze for the winter months and take less time mowing grass in the summer months and you can play mini farmer. You may only have to change Oil twice a year (depending on hours of use) change fuel filter once a year if you have a way of storing maybe 25-50 gallon of fuel If you even use that much and have a filter on your pump one grease gun and a ten pack of good grease a couple spare oil and fuel filters setting on the shelf a good battery in it and charger handy if needed. a couple bottles of 90 weight and a five gallon bucket of hyd, oil and five gallon bucket of engine oil , Your good to go.

Do your homework! Any mower from a big box store is disposable. Sure you can get a thumbs up for any mower. You can also get a tip on a horse race. Brand name really doesn't mean anything. Example: JD from the big box is not the same as the one from JD. You get what you pay for. Caviot Emptor! Or something like that.

If you are wanting a "farm tractor" then here is
something that will help. If you buy brand new you
will pay $15,000-$30,000 for a tractor suitable for
the size land you have. Most come with a warranty
but here is the thing, I owe an old ferguson TO-35,
my father in law has a Ford 8n and a newer Kioti.
The 8n has an air filter and that is it. My Ferguson
has an air filter and an oil filter. The Kioti has air, oil,
hydraulic, and fuel filters. If you go hydro then add
another filter. My Ferguson takes 7 gallons of 80-
90w oil to fill the transmission, the Kioti takes 14!
My Ferguson takes 6 quarts of my oil, Kioti takes 7.
Now the Ferguson has points that can burn up and
a condenser and coil. Those parts do need replaced
from time to time. It is also carbureted so it needs
cleaned and adjusted from time to time. The Kioti is
all electronic, PTO engages with a button, 4wd
engages with a button, things that can short out or
quit working over time. We got the A 2008 Kioti 38
HP 4wd with a loader, finishing mower, and 7ft
sickle bar for $14,500. I traded a hay tedder for my
tractor and I had to drop $200 into electrical and
fuel components to get it started, $200 into a
hydraulic pump, $500 in tires and $100 in fluids.
Plus I spent $200 on various other parts. I have
close to $1500 in the tractor, which I got for free
because the tedder was gave to me and I bought a
hay take and had another tedder thrown in on the
deal. I can go out and fire that tractor up with no
trouble and do what ever I want with it.

Sorry for the long post but I would recommend for
light duty work a Ford 8n with a finish mower and an
over run clutch in the PTO. If you plan on using a
tractor for more than mowing then I recommend a
MF35 or 50. The ford does not have live power or
live hydraulics so your PTO must be engaged to
raise the lift. For a mower tractor I don't like that.
The ferguson or Massey Ferguson 35 is roughly the
same size and the deluxe ferguson which is what I
have has live power and live hydraulics, and all
models of Massey I believe have both. The old
tractors are easy to work on and an 8n Ford can be
picked up for around $1200 on CL and a finish
mower from $300 up to $2000.

Sorry I forgot to add the Ferguson and Ford engage the PTO in the transmission mechanically. There are seals and bearings that have to be replaced on all of them. In my opinion all you are buying is comfort when buying new. My hydraulics are sluggish in the winter on my Ferguson but the Kioti has to warm up for a half hour before the power steering and hydraulics work. I love running an old tractor, they are extremely reliable, easy to maintain, and tough. The new ones are more comfortable to run and easier to operate but with just an acre it won't matter. I would advise sticking with Ford, or Ferguson due to the smaller frame size and the legendary 3 point hitch was invented and perfected by Harry Ferguson. Plus the parts are easy to find for them. Tractor Supply carries a lot of the small parts plus this site has all the main parts as well. Just my $0.02

If you make it past the first year and no assembly line defect wipes it out it will probably last for years if you take care of it. Even if it is a cheap unit from a box store. Usually the only issue you run into on those after they make it past a year or the deck bearings.

from experience id get an old ford, and learn about it, buy the manuals on this site, you can buy a nice already to run one for between 2 and 6 grand depending on what model you choose and what if any equipment comes with the tractor,assuming you pick out something from the N series to the hundred series sometimes a thousand series can be found to the money too , any will do what you want, these are simple to understand, once set up properly the way ol Henry intended they are relatively trouble free, you may have to first go thru it and fix a few items, but these old tractors are fully supported in the aftermarket, making finding parts just about as simple as clicking a mouse, people on this site can talk you thru anything if you get in a jam, tune up parts are in any corner auto parts stores, for example points and condenser were shared by fords car and truck line for decades, oil bath air filters are messy but cost next to nothing to service , oil filters, [ some n series may not have one], cost around 6 bucks, like any farm machine its a good idea to get a grease gun and use it before each running maybe 2, international, john deere and allis chalmers ect also made quality tractors john deere has excellent parts support, but some are getting expensive, others may take more searching to find

Unless you need a tractor, get a zero turn mower, it will cut faster, and your lawn will look nice. READ the owner manual and understand your equipment should last years.

I used an old riding lawn mower from K-mart to mow 3 acres.grease it
before use and keep it serviced.

(quoted from post at 13:38:29 02/15/16)
For the most part brand doesn't matter that much because the few manufactures produce many brands. From these forums there is a lot that we know such as don't get one with the Briggs Courage because they don't last long.

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Briggs Courage? You mean Kohler Courage. The single cylinder Courage has had problems, the twin Courage is as good as any of them out there. You will have problems with any engine if you don't properly maintain it.

To the OP: I've had decent luck with the MTD built and big box store riders and have had B&S and Kohler engines. I mow about 1 1/2 acres. My first one a really cheap MTD 42" mowed for me for 11 years. The engine was still good when I parked it and replaced with a Huskee 46" (MTD made, B&S twin, TSC store brand). Still using it after 13 yrs. and now along with a Husqvarna (not an MTD brand) 54" with a twin Kohler Courage with 550 hrs. on it, for the last couple of years. Maintain them and don't beat them up and they will give good service. And it won't cost you thousands of dollars to get into one.

Often equipment reliability depends most on the guy operating and maintaining it. Get something within your capability to care for and you should be OK.