My cousin has a 655, and we have one as well. He uses his for rototillling, snowblowing with a 59", and spraying along the fence lines. We use ours almost strictly for mowing. With 4wd they will go virtually anywhere with ease. Wheelbase is very close to a 318-332, but they sit up at least 6" higher, plus the height of the ROP. Power is not bountiful but is ample. You just can not run as fast mowing as you would have with the 430. They share the same driveline as the 755 and 855, so with only 16hp are very unlikely to ever break anything...they are very heavily made - overbuilt. The lighting system is unbelievable compared to the 430. We have a pair of 430's, and while I love both of them they are not built nearly as heavy underneath as the 655. IS is just a whole different - heavy set up. My understanding is that they were built for one year, dealers were intitally limited to a max of two units per store. Every store did not order them, so left over production was sold off the subsequent year and a half. Most opted for the 755-855 and 955, 755's being the most plentiful and most well rounded power vs size package. Couple things that really are not a big deal, but be aware of: The fuel tank is in the front...use a funnel and try to avoid spilling as the spillage can get onto the radiator and then blown onto the engine. The paint on the metal is from the first attempts at powder coating and some peel. Sue the headlamp switch periodically so it does not sieze up...they can and are expensive to replace. The foot pedal hydraulics are awesome and easy for mowing! All in all it's a tractor that will be hard to wear out with some basic servicing, and I think down the road may be somewhat collectible as there just are not a whole lot of them around. While the engine is different than the 755, 855, and 955 many of the bottom parts are shared, so parts could be worse. IF you are going to repaint the metal parts be aware many of the decals are NLA. The loader should not be a issue if you add later...the frame and weight of these little compacts as heavy. Do not quote me on this but I believe most had the pockets welded on the sides of the frame for the rear mounts from day one. Both of the ones we have are pocketed, and to my knowledge have not had loaders.
