My neighbor has a favorite saying - "no substitute for American cast iron". He has two New Holland compacts, with as much or more horsepower than my old IH farm tractor. But mine weighs twice what his does, and I have had to pull him out more than a couple of times. So I am on board with the weight being the most important factor. In snow and ice, chains of course are significant. We use my tractor to skid firewood logs, as he can't really accomplish much with his new machines in the woods, even with chains.
Tim