(NAPSA)—A growing number of American families are getting ore == rl waa back to nature and purchasing rural spreads—their own “little pieces of heaven.” And in the beginning, they may feel they can handle all of the related outdoor tasks. But work and school schedules often leave only the evenings and weekends for chores, so it becomes increasingly difficult to keep the property maintained. To that end, many homeowners with acreage to maintain recognize that compact utility tractors are some of the handiest machines available to efficiently tackle chores ranging from mowing and blading to hauling and cultivating. “We thought we could handle all of our outdoor tasks by hand, but our place was starting to look ratty,” explains Mike Hepworth, who, with his wife Nikki, bought a home and three acres in Prine- ville, Ore. “It was then that we decided we wanted one piece of equipment that would do what we needed around our home. That’s when westarted looking at compact utility tractors.” In recent years, the marketplace has exploded with a flood of products from dozens of manufacturers, which can make finding the right tractor a daunting task. Bee oe mine exactly what you need. Not Just A Purchase Skimping on quality to save chances are you won't use it often. money may be more costly in the long run. Makesurethetractoris capable of the work you demand of it. Otherwise, you may put extra strain on the machine, risking expensive repair and downtime. “The upgrade from ourold trac- tor to the John Deere 2210 enabled us to have more powerto do our chores more efficiently your next compact utility tractor more implement options, we were much easier and more enjoyable. Your Acreage Can Have The Answers Before looking at tractors, take a look at your property. What type of work needs to be done? Tougher tasks demand more horsepower and versatility. Other chores, cov- ering more acres, require a larger tractor for greater efficiency. Mak- aes e, Ea ei Snes important to test-drive any tractor. chores you want to tackle around your property can help you deter- However, keeping a few keycrite- can make the buying decision ae PONS ing a list of current and future without causing strain on the tractor,” explains Mike. “And ria top of mind when considering seater When choosing a compact utility tractor, be sure to factor in the amount of land you’re working, machine quality and the chores you want to tackle, as well as ease of use. because the John Deere provided able to cut down on the amountof equipment we hadin our shed and rely more on our tractor as a uni- versal machinefor our chores.” See For Yourself Long hours can seem even longer when you’re working with equipment that doesn’t work with you. What appears to be your perfect match on paper may not live up to the task, which is whyit is Pay attention to comfort and ease of operation. If it’s not easy to use, Go Behind The Scenes When you purchase equipment, you engage in a partnership. Get to know your dealer and their commitment to you. Find out what services they provide from financing, warranties, mainte- nance and hands-on advice. “We rely on our tractor to do almost every heavy-duty outdoor chore, which is why it needed to be durable, dependable andreliable,” says Mike. “We found peace of mind in John Deere’s long his- tory in the tractor business. In addition, our dealer was awesome to work with, and supported us even after the sale was made.” From maintenance issues to finding the right tractor, your nearby John Deere dealer is there to guide you through the decision- making process. To find a dealer, visit www.johndeere.com or call (800) 537-8233. For the latest tuto- rial on tractor-buying tips, visit www.JohnDeere.com/BuyingTips. wenn enn eee ee eee ee ee ee eee ee ee eee pone eee eee eee eee eee Note to Editors: This is the second installment in an ongoing series that provides helpful tips and advice to rural homeowners whoarefirst-time equipment buyers.
