hello,
I've seen the northern tractors and was interested also, especially with the price they have on them.
However, I remembered one thing. You get what you pay for!
When out shopping, the only others out there will be kubota, john deere, and new holland, at least for this category tractor.
For example, take a B21 kubota. By the time you get a loader, a backhoe, and whatever else, your at close to 27K. A big difference between the northern, or any other Chinese tractor.
I will say that these tractors seem too good to be true.
I would personally stay away from any of the chinese imports. Maybe someone has had good success with them, and I would be interested in hearing about it. However, until I can see some real proof, I would have to shell out the big $ on a proven tractor before I would by one.
If you really want a tractor, and say to yourself that "well, I'm not going to use it all that much, and therefore can't see spending that much money", I would think of a used machine instead of one of these imports.
If you really have to have new, then there are some cheaper, quality machines out there, such as the termites or the 'Dig It's'. They have a proven track record in the rental industry, and you get a lot for your buck.
I wouldn't want to be the person first in line for one of these to only find out its a piece of junk.
steveair