Thanks everyone for the input. I'm leaning towards the MX cab/loader with a 5 or 6ft rotary. If I can stomach our CAD pricing and of course get permission from the other half, will probably pick it up this week. When we bought the property early summer, there was no real information on the 100 acres of forest other than it had been used as horse trails and for gathering firewood and maple syrup up until about 5-10 years ago. We could see one trail down the center that was barely passable but we've been pushing through the undergrowth bit by bit with an ATV, brush blade and chainsaw so that it's now easily walkable from one end of the forest to the other. We've been using the satellite view on google to try and figure out where other possible trails on the property might have been cut, and just this weekend we were cutting through what vaguely looked like another overgrown section and at about 700ft we stopped in our tracks. We stood there for a moment as we realized we had found a trail that was cut 15-20ft wide going through old hardwoods and sections of spaced cedars and pines (On the satellite, it's a vague line since it was taken in the summer but now it's obvious to me). It's flat, has a high canopy and is easy to navigate even on foot. It was obviously a really stunning trail. It looks to be cut around the entire 100 acres of woods. I think this is the trail we heard rumor from locals that was used 40+ years ago for horse drawn carriage and sleigh rides in the fall and winter when it was a well known horse farm. The previous owner must have kept at least parts of it cleared. A few trees down across the trail now and some thick green undergrowth, but it should be easy to bring back. This will be my first project.
Jon
