Either one will serve you well, but I would personally want a little more HP than a 3012. The extra ground clearance of a 400/4000 series is good if you're doing snow removal or driving through the woods as well.
CC......... you forgot to tell him about the tractors that are on offer for highly unreasonable prices. Knowing which is which is what matters and this forum can help people figure that out.coalcracker said:Orange63: Check out craigs list in your area, you may find some deals out there but you got be quick to get the deals. I have seen 400 series tractors for reasonable prices and some at what I would call "a steal". If you have some mechanical backround the Kohler engines are alot easier to work on, in my opinion, more so than the Onans.
That goes the other way, too. I bought a 1990 3012 with a 38" deck, snow blade, chains, pto valve and chipper for the grand sum of $800 a couple of years ago. Hour meter said over 1100 hours. The old Kohler runs great, with no smoke. I later found out that the hour meters will continue to run on just if the key is on, not necessarily running. Ended up selling the chipper, I just burn tree debris where I live.Hydriv said:First tip: Never trust an Hour Meter. They fail and get replaced. Owners disconnect them in order to keep the recorded hours lower than they really are...