This might sound crazy, but I was thinking of an old excavator to have out at our acreage. Don't need high production but rather a reliable old classic from the mid 70's. I was thinking of a John Deere 690-B or maybe a Cat 215. Typical work would be digging out a pond, house excavation, bit of clearing. Is it going to be more trouble than it's worth?
I live in Pennsylvania and have a JD 690B with fixed thumb. Excellent undercarriage, machine operates good and starts in cold weather. Misc. small repairs.