Jen, sounds like you need a tractor with a working pto for bushhogging, post hole digging, roto tilling, etc. and definitely a 3 point hitch for some attachment you may want from TSC such a a blade or something. If the 3 point hitch will lift a 1200# bale, go for it. For winter starting and easiness of repairs, you definitely want gas and not diesel. Even a loader that won't handle big bales may move some dirt, manure, snow, and general work. I don't know anything about the ford N models but if the 3 point will move your bales then that is the biggest job. They say parts are easy to find at napa and places.
Hours, I'm not an expert on that and will let others anser but some diesels go up to 10,000 hours before overhaul. Not sure of gas engines. If you drove a car down the interstate at 70mph for 6000 hours, you would have 420,000 miles on it. But miles on the engine is different than miles on a car. Tractor engines, transmissions, and rear ends are made much sturdier but they go out. Ask about oil usuage. But look for blue oil smoke coming out the blowby tube and any coming out the dip stick opening when you pull the stick as well as the out the exhaust.
You still have to do all the due diligence such as check for oil burning, pull the plugs to inspect their condition and what the engine is doing to them, compression and leak down tests on the cylinders to see what shape they are in, hook to a disk or something at the sellers to see how it pulls. Listen for noises from engine, tranny, rear end, etc. while trying all gears from low to road gear, listen for engine misses and possible valve problems, if TA equipped make sure it works, check the tires for cuts and treadware as you don't want to get it home and spend up to a grand for tires, make sure the hydraulics work with no leaks cause them pumps get expensive to replace, see how it steers and especially with a bale on the rear and weight in the loader, etc.
If you ever find one you buy, post back with the details. Probably have to start a new thread by then. Find one that makes a weird noise or something or has a repair problem, post back and ask as you found the right forum for that.
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Today's Featured Article - Hydraulics - Cylinder Anatomy - by Curtis von Fange. Let’s make one more addition to our series on hydraulics. I’ve noticed a few questions in the comment section that could pertain to hydraulic cylinders so I thought we could take a short look at this real workhorse of the circuit. Cylinders are the reason for the hydraulic circuit. They take the fluid power delivered from the pump and magically change it into mechanical power. There are many types of cylinders that one might run across on a farm scenario. Each one could take a chapter in
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