Thanks for the kind words and advice!!! Been quite a while since I started this thread so here's an update...
-Closed on the land in mid Dec.
-Knocked up wife in Jan with baby boy #2 (due late Sep) so now I've pushed my tractor timeline to the right till probably this winter or next spring. Want to make sure the little guy gets into this world ok before we make a tractor purchase.
-I rented a JD 4105 with a FEL and 5' cutter for a weekend about 3wks ago and cut the whole thing as well as filled in several holes that were left from downed trees and previous perc tests. As expected the FEL part took a little bit to get the hang of but I got a few hours of experience and was able to get the job done.
-Went ahead and ordered this past week an 81" X 20' car hauler (18 + 2) with 5.2k axles/brakes partly because I need the extra length (vs rentals and a buddy's 18') to lighten the tongue weight on my F150 and partly because you roll the dice with trailers that belong to buddies or rental places as far as quality/reliability/etc plus I'll need it eventually when I purchase a CUT and will add removable sides for more utility. I'll also probably go ahead and order a WD hitch too just to be on the safe side. I've got max tow on my truck but it's still a 1/2 ton when it comes to handling tongue weight so better safe than sorry is my motto. Power was plentiful when hauling the 4105 and cutter but the tongue weight was a little hairy.
-Will plan to just keep renting a tractor every 6-8wks to cut the majority of the land and do some loader work here and there and been using the little mower to keep a few places around the pond accessible for fishing. There are several rental companies near me and I'll be able to rent different sizes and brands to get a better feel for each. It was a JD 4105 the first time and plan to rent a Kubota L3800 next time, and JD 3-Series after that... The 4105 was honestly a little big for my needs. It pretty much laughed at whatever I tried to cut or dig/haul even with empty rear tires and just the cutter for
ballast. A 3038e or L3901 with filled rears would probably be the ticket for me as I wouldn't mind paying the minimal charge to get a few extra ponies over the 3032e and L3301 to get the cutting or tilling done a little faster. Of course I say that having no clue what box blade work is like but that should just be limited to maintaining a driveway once in a while.
-I don't mind paying into the low 20s for a new or newer "3-Series" size machine with HST, FEL, 5' cutter, and box blade which from kicking tires at some local dealers seems very doable. R4 tires should be plenty and heck if not for the softer area near the pond tuff tires would probably even work. This is the first year I believe that JD and Kubota have the DPFs on their machines so another year for them to workout bugs (if there are any) before I buy isn't a bad thing in my mind. Those two by far have the best dealer network in the area with probably TYM being 3rd with possibly two dealers (if Cabelas actually does service) within 50 miles. I'd still rather not have the DPF so I may still look at pre 2016 machines. Although I'll admit I do "like" to buy things new and thus know I've cared for it from the start but I may have to just get over that. LOL!
) that you tried out a 4105. It's a 'bare bones' tractor, less expensive than a 3000 series, with the extra hp (40.5) that is great to have when needed.