I've ran a ford 9N I brought for $1200 for many years now. It's small but will run all day on a 7 gal tank of gas and you can fix almost anything on it with a adjustable wrench and a screwdriver.
I pull logs using the 3 pt hitch and a draw bar. Get a set of chains that connect the ends of the drawbar to the top link, this way you can lift the end of the log then release the hydraulics and the chains hold the weight. I've skidded 16 ft /30 in dia logs without a problem.
If you decide to run a brush hog get a overrunning coupler for the output shaft.
