We bought a new (to us) sweet XUV to get to the top of the mountain. We looked and looked and looked for the right one. John Deere? Arctic Cat? There are so many to choose from and they’re so dang expensive. We found this one at Ocala Tractor; the dealer demo that had been used for two years but was sold new – so the three year warranty started the day we got it, which was a deal and a steal. This is it when they delivered it on Monday.
We finally settled on a Mahindra 750L and the great thing about it is that the back sides fold down to make a flatbed. It’s also huge – almost 11.5 feet long so it’s as big as a car.
The back of the farm is a mountain that is about 1000 feet high and the terrain is pretty steep and very forest-y with a ton of hardwoods. They are beautiful but dense. I’ve hiked up the ridge a couple of times before it got thick with spring leaves but it was fun to vroom vroom up there and put this machine to the test.
We went straight up through the trees; I was cutting small saplings down as I went with the loppers (can’t wait till the brush cutter comes in). We also tried to pull out a pine tree with the back of the bed, but we own it so now it’s definitely ours. 🙂
The plan will be after we get the brush cutter – some forestry model that Brett wanted – we’ll go up the hill in front of the Mahindra and cut as we go, then mark it with pink tape so we can see our trail. That was the other strange thing – we made such a ruckus coming up the mountain and cutting trees that it was surprising when we turned around and tried to go down that the path had all but vanished.
It was far quicker to come down the mountain than go up, and I was sweat-soaked by the time we got down from up top. But I can’t wait to cut the trail and see it when it’s finished.