While riding the trails in the Winom-Frazier OHV Complex or in
other locations you may have wondered how some the trail construction was accomplished. Riding down that multi-use trail side hill, but on a cut “shelf” was not done by nature, but probably by a piece of mechanized equipment. Even some single track trails of the system have benefitted from mechanized help. The question in your mind might be “how did they do that?”.
SWECO 480 Trail Dozer or SUTTER 500 Trail Dozer: 
These two machines look very similar and there is a reason, since in 1986 John Mueller, created and designed the Pacific Crawler Trail Maintenance Machine which was then modified per the Forest Service request to become the SWECO 450. John arranged to have the machine built by Sweco corp. In 2008 John terminated the 
relationship with Sweco, brought the manufacturing in-house and called it the Sutter. Improvements in capacity and environmental compliance followed. Like Xerox for copiers, trail dozers are often referred to as a SWECO no matter who manufactures it. The main thing difference than a regular dozer is the ability to rotate the blade clockwise or counter-clockwise, and due to its mass, be able to push big loads with its small footprint. Wallowa-Whitman National Forest has one of these, which is used periodically on Winom-Frazier OHV Complex. Watch what it can do:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikX3GTsd2Pk
Sutter 300 Trail Dozer: Similar to the larger Trail Dozers,
the Sutter 300 is designed for use in under 30” single track trails. This 29.5” wide, 8’ long, 4060 lb machine can be operated on the machine or off with a remote. Watching it work is very impressive:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPH1XFWbgAs
MINI EXCAVATOR OR TRACK-HOE: This small tracked vehicle in some ways is versatile than the Trail
Dozers as it can lift items and dig. Its blade can be utilized for stability and to move material, but it does not move in the angles of the trail dozer, nor can it move the volume. Besides different sizes of shovels, with or without thumb attachments, the mini excavator can attach other tools like packers, jackhammers, post hole diggers, and brush cutters. The Brush Cutters can be bladed, hammer, or chain flail design. These are interesting as a solution to our non-stop growing brush problem on the trails.
At this point the Wallowa-Whitman NF Trail Dozer and the Umatilla NF Mini Excavator are operated and maintained by the respective Forest Service and were purchased utilizing Oregon State Parks and Recreation Motorized trail funds. Umatilla NF is actually on its second unit as UNF wore one completely out a little over 5years ago. WWNF Trail Dozer has also been heavily used.