first off welcome to the site
and ZekeSkyree, hit on a few things to consider
BUT I thibnk the bigger question I would be asking myself if I was in your shoes is
WHAT do a I need a machine to do?
and on what kind of terrain
skids steers honestly work best and safest on LEVEL ground
as soon s you get into uneven, sloped hilly ground, things get tippy fast and can be dangerous
next is, most all skid steers , do NOT allow a person to exit machine while bucket or boom is in use
where as on a tractor with a front end loader,
you can lift things,hook things up , with you having the option to get off tractor so assist or what ever needed
there are a LOT of pro's and con's top both
but what typically ends the battle on what you need, is being honest with what your going to be needing a machine again for
to you have a lot of acre's? are many of them if so in grass or fields that need mowing, planting or likes
if so
a tractor wins here by a lot IMO
older tractors can be had cheap if your willing to shop around and fix things yourself
and as such can be cheaper machines to own and use
as even smaller HP tractors can do a lot of chores on a farm
brush hogging, back blade leveling, turning ground over, add a loader to it, and you can lift and move things, add forks to either dedicated set of bucket mounted one's and that loader tractor can do a lot more things
and most tractors again are way less tippy, and allow you to get on and off safely with loader/forks and many other implements in use, and on hills and un even ground!
and IMO< a decent sized tractor even two wheel drive ones, will go farther in MUD without getting stuck than your basic wheels skid steer!
draw back to tractors IMO, are they need more room to turn around, not as many implements for other tasks(buty this also depends on what skid steer size and implements it can actually use/run, NOT all skid steers have same abilities, just like tractors, and don't forget skid steers can be had in wheeled versions and tracked ones(commonly called CTL compact tracked loaders, but are basically just a skid steer built to run tracks) , and some wheeled ones can have tracks added, to provide better traction and flotation !
they then add more pro's and con's to things, but thats another topic, !
HP and Hydraulic flow rates and just over all size matters on both.thpe as to what they can do , do well, or better or not at all!
IMO, the best way to decide is do a very honest assessment of what you want a machine to do!
then maybe come back and ask again, if looking for better idea on size machine
from there you can maybe look for what is recommend or, rent some and try them and see what fits your needs better!
lastly also keep in mind and be honest with what your skills are in doing repairs yourself
as if your not the one working on things, labor costs on repairs can add up VERY fast
so an honest evaluation on your skills is a part of what to buy to be honest!
