Hi everyone, New to the forum and looking for some advice. Background: I own 27 wooded acres and have a variety of grading and clearing tasks that I'd like to finish next year. The land is moderately sloped and fairly rocky. In the past, I've rented a couple different CTLs including Bobcat T250/T300 and most recently a Deere 329D. One thing I've observed is that if I get down in the woods (clearing trails, etc) I can do a noticeable amount of damage to the rubber tracks even just over a weekend of use, presumably from all the rocks. I'm looking to do more of that kind of work -- open up some new trails, build a shooting range, clear & level a spot for a barn, etc. I'm thinking that it makes sense to rent something bigger and with steel tracks instead of rubber. But as a newbie with maybe 75hrs total, I want to make sure I don't get in over my head with a bigger machine, and am not sure what would be an appropriate choice. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
Since you have more than a few projects, you might look around for a good used Cat 943 or 953. The prices have slipped to almost absurd lows since most full-time users switched to track hoes. Once you have it on your property, you can play with it at will. It will do a LOT more work than the rubber-tracked loaders. If you finish your stuff, and it is still running, you can get most of your purchase price back in a sale to another rural property owner.