I had never operated a dozer at all when I bought a D3 with a 6 way blade. I had the guy who delivered it to run it out into a field and leave it there. I got on it and started running it, with no instructions from anyone. After I figured out what the controls did, I pushed over a 10" pine and then started clearing land.

I don't think it requires much skill to learn to push over trees and clear land. You mentioned clearing land and making firelanes, and I thought my machine was ideal for a landowner doing such things. I didn't want to tackle trees bigger than about 15", but I could eventually get most anything down if I was willing to dig enough. Angle your blade and cut the roots on 3 sides, then push from the other. If it doesn't come down, dig some more.

I sometimes spent 20 minutes on one big tree when a bigger dozer could have gotten it down in 30 seconds, but you have to ask yourself how much money you are willing to spend on it. The bigger the machine, the more you have to pay for it and keep it up. I also think that something in the D3 or D4 size works well for making firelanes.

The thing that separates a real operator from an amateur is the ability to work dirt well. I am certainly an amateur in that respect. On the other hand, I got all my roads made and crowned and they are just as good as any made by a real operator; it just took me longer. All the fields I cleared are as smooth now as those cleared by a real operator. And I had all the fun of doing it myself. But forget building a pond with a machine like this unless you have a very unusual situation.

Good luck deciding

All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.