Skid Steer or CTL size for stability on soft soil and rough trails

[Aggieforester]

Good point, Walnut Beast. Had some game cams set up, great pics of the local elk, deer and coyotes (hate those buggers, they eat all the rabbits). Got some photos of trespassers but sometimes hard to get good images in the rain and fog of PNW. Will invest in clearing property edges, installing barb wire and signs, better gate at the front (they can't drive past my logging gate but they hop it), and yes, some cameras. Rash of break ins in our area lately (Pe Ell, WA and Rainbow State Park are particularly in the news). The mushroom pickers like to cruise through to get to the 15,000 acre private timber company lands on the plateau behind me. And had people skinning some of my maples down by the creek, looking for music wood, lots of local wood theft for that high value timber. And people steal Western red cedar stumps and logs to sell to shake mills. Plus the normal idjits driving their ATVs.

[421Altered]

I bought a used JD323E CTL a year ago to use on my farm in South Georgia.  I was also concerned about a used machine.  A farmer friend of mine said if I bought a used machine from a dealer most would rent the machine to you and then you could try it out and see if it had any problems.  At end of month, for any reason you don't want it, back it goes. So, when i found the machine I wanted, I rented it for one month, or 160 hours.  I found it's almost impossible to put that many hours on it in a month!!  I found only thing wrong with it was windshield washer tank would not hold fluid, which didn't bother me at all.  At end of month I bought it, and rent minus 20% was taken off purchase price.  I could not be happier with it!!  I have a enclosed cab and highly recommend them.  With an open cab, you wear whatever you are dumping unless you pay a lot of attention to wind direction, and that's not always possible.  Do not even think about buying a machine at an auction!!  Some auction companies will not even let you crank them up, and if they do, you can't drive it!!  Stay away from them!  I'm not saying there are not good machines at auctions, but, you are taking a huge gamble on them.

[Walnut Beast]

Congratulations. What year is it and how many hours were on it. Let's see some pictures 👍

[Aggieforester]

421Altered, I like your way of doing it. Renting and buy is an interesting option. Guess you're running 9000 or so lbs for your loader and 1500 or 2000 for a brush mower, etc.? I like the idea of wide tracks, bogging and getting stuck in the creek or bottom land would be easier to avoid in something like your 323 vs a Kubota MX5400 tractor.. Definitely have to look at a bigger truck to move whatever I buy around. I maxed out my Nissan Frontier with a Kioti CK3510HST, FEL, and implements, learned from that... And hiring someone to move stuff from tree farm to my house when needed would get expensive, the few times a year I'd need to.