At one time a had a Hein Werner C16. A 42K Lb Detroit 6V71 powered track hoe. Man, I had fun on that machine.
I had to rebuild the rollers under the tracks. Other than being really heavy it was very easy. Welded up some sloppy holes in the levers.
Other than that its pretty much all hydraulics.
Some machines are just not very friendly when it comes to maintenence/repair. Look for easy access to all the hyd lines. You WILL have one break.

I'd ask old mechanics at a rental place around the area. Lots of good info there.

Consider the weight. It cost me $600 to have the track hoe moved just down the road a few miles. Anything a 1 ton dually could tow would be my pick.

Can I drive it at the gathering?