machinery choice

[Jasperfield]

Alexis,

I suppose you've already decided; However:

I'd say:

Get a large mini-excavater...Like a Bobcat 337, 442, etc.

With such, you can lift, drag, pull, dig, scrape, push, etc.

You can attach the Farmi, Valby, Etc. log/wood handling implements.

I've got a  95hp Kubota low profile tractor and use it almost daily. But, when the cards are down...I go for the Bobcat 337 excavator with the boom thumb, Valby log grapple, chipper, or Farmi forest winch.

Jasperfield

[Alexis]

The problem with a mini excavator is that it's not very good to plow snow... it's great for everything else though

[Raphael]

Plowing is a big consideration for me as well, our combined driveway is over 1/4 mile long.
Last year I was forking over $75 for every 6" of snow that fell.   :-[

My neighbour has a mini excavator, it's pretty impressive what he's able to do in the woods with it.
But, I'd be a bit leary of using it to drag logs off the steeper slopes.