Wanting to buy a small machine, unsure of what to get

[Stevemo]

Yep, that is how I ended up here. I share a beach with 4 other homes on Lake Ontario that I want to buy a machine to maintain. Any guidance would be appreciated on what you think could be the right machine for this. The beach is about 45 feet deep and 220 feet wide. The goal is to cut half of it by about 12" to make a flat plateau on the top and then slope it out towards the water. After that is done I want to be able to get out on it a few times a year to drag it and remove any weeds that may show up on shore. The material is actually Zebra Muscles which is kind of like a coarse sand after the waves break it up. It's fluffy when you dig it up but binds up pretty good when you pack it.
My main concern is the size of the machine and not getting stuck. I would prefer to get something with a width of 48" or less. It would also need to fit through a 7' tall garage door. I have considered baby tractors, mini excavators, and mini skid steer but do not know what would work best with this material.






As for background, in the past I was a labourer on a crew that dug basements and installed utilities so I'm familiar with "running" stuff like skid steers and back hoes but by no means would I say I am proficient with them.

 

[Coaldust]

Maybe a 35-40hp compact tractor. Maybe, R4 tires. A myriad of attachments to mix and match.

 

[mg2361]

Welcome to HEF Stevemo!

 

[Vetech63]

It will be a shame when a machine loses a hydraulic hose and drops 20+ gallons on that beach in 10 seconds. How about hiring it done?

 

[Coaldust]

Oh’ boy. The HOA Karen’s would be pissed.

 

[Stevemo]

The machine would need to be in decent shape, putting it under full load for the first time on the beach probably would not be a good idea. If I barged in a drag line that would definitely cause a ruckus.

I have considered hiring it out but it requires regular upkeep. I have only been here for 2 years but I can see that the storms in December push up the beach and bring in a fresh crop of dead zebra mussels. The shells are also fertile so the beach needs to be torn up a couple times a year to keep weeds from growing.
We all do what we can but it isn't really practical to keep up with manual labour. The wind can ruin 10 hours of shoveling in a couple minutes.

 

[Coaldust]

Stevemo,

Welcome to the HEF, BTW. What else do you do on the North Shore when you are not shoveling your beach? Do any fishing?