LD1
Epic Contributor
As much as I wished they had HST tractors bigger than whats currently on the market....I think anything currently with a HST is gonna be too small.Consider at least 60 HP, loader, 4x4, HST and some gnarly woods chains. Wet clay may be slippery. HST should give better traction control.
You may also want to look at a log winch for those areas you cannot access with the trailer.
Some pictures of log gathering equipment.
OP: I'd certainly get a loader. Lots of uses in the woods, making trails, shoving brush out of the way, etc. And a loader makes a great secondary parking brake. But I'd set your sights a little higher. While that mahindra is certainly one of the heavier weight 40hp tractors you will find....set your sights toward 7000-8000 bare tractor then ballast accordingly.
Again, I have a ~7000 pound tractor but it is still only a 3800# bare tractor.
One that already starts off that heavy....has bigger tires, more power, and more ground clearance. Then you can load tires and add a loader and get north of 10,000 pounds pretty easy. Lot less chance of a trailer pushing you around on hills and you can be confident you have the power and traction to go up the hills.
Something like the larger 5000-series deeres, or the smaller 6000-series, the M5 series kubotas, or if you are familiar with the mahindras (since you mentioned one) something like a 6075