Randy,
Just a few last things.
The rubber tracks on excavators do very little damage, except when turning very tightly. Our excavator tracks leave very little traces that they have been through an area. They leave far less impressions than industrial tractor tires, and nothing compared to what agricultural (bar tread) tires leave. If I drive the excavator near wet areas of the ponds, or across the dams, it leaves almost no trace that it has been through there -- if I'm going relatively straight.
The second thing to consider, and they aren't very expensive, is a "thumb" to help lift things. I use the excavator or backhoe to take out the majority of trees we remove where stumps might become an issue. A little digging around a tree base, and then pushing it over, will take out a pretty big tree, quite effortlessly, with its roots. The thumb is invaluable for grabbing and lifting these logs, roots, etc., so they can be cut up and moved. For smaller trees (less than 3-4 inches) that can be pushed over with the arm, you can use the bucket and thumb to pull these trees and roots without any digging. Our thumbs are "fixed", that is, the angle is set with a pin. You don't need an expensive hydraulic operated thumb. I've found that "out of the way" and "as far down as possible" are the only two positions I ever use.
Lastly, get yourself at least two buckets, three if you can. A narrow bucket is great for removing trees, getting things started, and digging trenches. A wide bucket is invaluable in wet areas for removing muck and just plain digging. I've got buckets from 8-inches to 36 inches. However, the two that get used the most are the 18 and 36 inch buckets, but there are times when the 8-inch bucket is invaluable.
Regards,
(and, I ain't the evil twin!)
Ken
