Joe, I'm a heavy equipment amateur that bought his first crawler last winter to work on my big wooded lot. I did a bunch of logging and am currently putting in an 800' driveway up and down (and cutting through) hills with four drainage culverts. It's been a job and quite an experience for me, especially considering that I had never owned or operated heavy equipment before I got this machine.Anyway, I might be able to offer a few words of advice based on my experience. If you already have an open road that just needs grading and clearance, a dozer should suit your needs well. But you might want to consider a larger tracked loader with a 4-1 bucket. I opted for a tracked loader (an IH TD9B Drott 150) which runs about 21,500 lbs, 80 hp diesel. It's got a 4-1 bucket on it and it has been a fantastic machine. Very powerful and extremely versatile. You may want to consider a tracked loader instead of a dozer, you can do a lot more with it, especially if it has a 4-1 bucket. I'm really REALLY glad I got this type of machine instead of a dozer, which I also entertained but after chatting with the folks here, they steered me into a loader (and I'm glad they did). But really it depends on what you need to do. If you don't have much logging to do, or pit digging, or have another machine (i.e. your backhoe) to assist, then the dozer might suit your needs fine. But I can say that I've saved a bunch of money on road materials by simply digging clay and gravel out of big pits I dig with my loader. Then I scoop the gravel/clay out of the pit and put in the undercut portions of my road. And then put the soft topsoil I undercut (from the roadway) back into the gravel pit when I'm finished with it. I end up with no hole in the ground and with nice solid material on my road bed. And I don't have to pay the local trucker/gravel pit $150 a load. Plus with my loader I can move topsoil from one area to another easily, scooping it up and transporting around as needed. Plus I can pick up big heavy stumps with my 4-1 and move them around as needed. Plus I can doze and grade with the dozer blade part. Digging basements out, no problem. The 4-1 rocks, I highly recommend it. The only additional thing I wish I also had is a backhoe. There are times when I could really use a backhoe to perform certain functions. Like grading my culvert areas (sloping, shaping and spreading topsoil). Also, for digging tough to get at drainage ditches to keep water off the road and draining to the culvert pipes. But if you already have a backhoe, you're all set. As far as the size of machine, I would definitely recommend a machine of my size or larger. My IH 150 loader would work ok for you, it would just take a bit longer to do what you needed to do when compared to a larger machine. The next step up is a 175 loader. I see these models all the time in decent, fully running condition with 4-1 buckets for $10k-$15k. I would say a machine like that would give you plenty of power and still be reasonably inexpensive. I've also seen the even bigger 250's in good shape go for under $15k. If you prefer Cat machines, consider a 941, 951 or 955 tracked loader with 4-1. (941 is basically equivalent to my 150, 955 equivalent to 175, 250 equivalent to a 963 or so). But as far as brand name is concerned, it really depends on what is most commonly available in your area. Where I live old IH machines are fairly prevalent, along with JD and Case too. IH machines seem to offer the best value by far from what I've seen (in my area anyway). Old Allis Chalmer (AC) machine are around too, but parts are harder to find for these increasingly rare birds. As far as what to look for in each machine, that's for another post after you decide what type is right for you. good luck
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