I started out with a 900 and currently have a 950.  I honestly feel they are an excellent planter.

The myth that a cyclo won't space correctly was just some BS started by competing planter builders.  Same BS goes for the guy in Kansas who sells planter attachments and doesn't like the RID tires on a cyclo.  Nothing compares to the row units on a CIH planter for getting a good seed trench.

If you do buy your neighbors 400, make certain you have the hitch set high enough on the planter so that the seed gets to the back of drum.  With the drum on the backside and the hitch running low, only some seed gets to the way back row on the drum and then you have skips.  I've seen it happen more then once.

We run a 955 next to a 1200.......

I wouldn't suggest a cyclo before the 800 series.   900 is better, 955 is just a sniff better than the 900.

Your buying what is commonly referred to as a "blow jobber" planter.   If you decide this is what you want, you have to promise yourself you will every year check ALL items that interact with AIR.    SEALS around the top of the boxes.  SEALS around the seed drums.  ALL HOSES and SEED TUBES down to the trench (we replaced 4 of them this winter due to holes worn in em, our spacing wasn't great last year).    If there is ANY air escapes, you are GUARANTEED to have seed spacing problems.   Look em over, and look em over often.

We hired a crop scout one year, he checked all our corn spacing.    We changed some things with liquid fert on our 1200 series.   He found every acre where the 12-30 955 planted compared to the 1200-24-30 just by spacing......  The 955 was right on, the next year the liquid fert pump that ran off our seed meter shaft on the 1200 got changed to a ground drive....   The crop scout also farmed, he had a new Deere (this was 6 years ago)..... He said the 955 planted better than his..... (he put E-sets in the next year)

Long story short:  Dont be afraid of the Blow jobbers, but promise yourself you will monitor ALL things that air flows through.   They are a good planter.  Don't be afraid, unless you don't want to promise yourself to look over all things containing air flow.

We've had Cyclo's in various forms for ... Well. I someplace have a photo of Dad going to plant beans with a plate planter when I was coming in from Prom in 1973.  I think that was the last season before the air planter arrived. I am currently using a 1770 Deere vac.

I need to explain, Dad ran the planter.  I barely knew how to unfold it until his cancer diagnosis.  I got a crash course in planting and planter operation.

I loved everything about the HRF 900 ... how it folded, how it transported, how it worked, how the markers worked, filling only 2 hoppers for 16 rows ... except seed spacing.  It made it really easy walking across a field because you just weaved back and forth through the gaps in the row.  Knowing what I've learned since then I think I could have made it better by not listening to Dad.  He insisted we had to use large rounds, the larger the better.  I think that contributed as much to our problem as anything.

One thing that affect our decision is we grow seed production.  It's really difficult planting a male every 5th row with a Cyclo. Would I buy a new one today if it were available?  I'd have to think strongly about it. Would I suggest you buy one?  I'd say consider it, but listen closely to the advice you have been given.  The biggest problem with them is they are so simple that when you have a problem it is difficult to figure out.

We run an 800 on one farm and a 900 on another farm due to distance between the farms.  Nice not to have to move the planter over 50 miles.  The 800 had a set of Yetter no till coulters on it when we got it but we removed them as the planter did a better job no tilling for us without them.  

We have been running Cyclo's for many years and the best thing we did was put seed firmers, notched closing disc's and strips on the drums.  They are a simple planter that will do an excellent job planting corn and beans if they are set up and maintained properly.  For the money there is nothing better in my opinion.