Just starting my hunt to find the CUT that is right size for me.  Currently have 10 acres with plans for more 5 years down the road.  The tractor will be used for mowing, brush hogging, driveway maintenance, post hole diggger, snow removal, occasional log skidding, and livestock care.  Livestock is a big debate in my household right now.  One other key consideration is ease of use for the wife.  Dealership needs to be within an hour or so drive which shortens the field to Massey, JD, Kubota, and New Holland.  FEL is a given for the tractor as I have plenty of sample jobs for it.  Tractor will mow about 3-4 acres and brush hog the rest.

Based on these criteria I am think a 30-40 hp will be more than I need today but will be perfect as I get more land.  So far I have only looked at Kubotas and JD.  The 3038E vs the L3901 or for more features the 3039R vs the L3560.  Based on the buy once cry once theory the 3039R looks like the best on paper to meet all my requirements. 

Key comparisons:
Treadle pedal on the kubota seems weird
Pto engagement on the L3901 is clutch, lever, clutch instead of just a electronic switch on the fly. 
The quick attach mower deck is great for the wife to put on and off with ease. 
Overall ease of operation appears to be in favor of the JD.
Kubota also appears to have more complaints about their tier 4 emissions equipment, but they do have a recall out to address the issue.  

Couple of questions:
Any one have a mid mount mower like these and have any feedback?  If I decide to go with the mid mount that puts me in the L3560 or 3039R
Any feedback on any of the above tractors?  If so does your wife use it?
Any reason not to get either brand?  Both are offering 0% for 60 months financing.  

Thanks in advanced!

I know everything is green up there in Iowa, but Kubota all the way for a one-tractor farm.

Both are made in GA (except the engines I believe), but I prefer Kubota.

Mechanical PTO engagement is a PLUS, electronic is one more thing that you can't work on if it breaks.

JD offers only hydrostatic on that model, which I don't like, again the can I work on it factor.  Shuttle-shift for me.

I've given my wife numerous tutorials on operating tractors we've owned, but she can never remember.  What she CAN remember is how to operate the riding lawnmower.  My advice would be to not purchase the finish mower on the tractor and put that money in a good riding mower with a wide swath.

The fewer times you have to change an implement on your tractor, the better your life will be.  To the point that a guy that bales hay would rather buy 3 tractors than change out from a mower to a rake to a baler, back to the mower, etc.

Financing:  in farm equipment, they all offer 0%, they just mark up the price.  Most of it will be accounted against income on the farm's income statement in the form of depreciation.  Then they'll trade it in after the 7-year depreciation life hits zero, and start over.  So, in a for-profit operation, the price doesn't hurt so much.  For a hobby farmer, it hits his billfold pretty good.

We bought a 3038e back in late 2010 for use on our NC acreage (20 acres mixed fields & woodland) mainly for bush hogging but later for quite a bit more.

Hydrostatic is a big plus for loader work and maneuvering in tight areas. A big deal fo us as I end up doing a fair bit of work between the trees.  This goes double for FEL work in similar settings.

I use a Carter & Sons EZ Hitch addon to make implement connections easier. Pat's Quick Hitch is a bit more sophistcated equivilant. Both use fittings on the lift arms to engage the implement pins, and  a standard top link attachment. They differ from the Quick Hitch frame in that they can more readily handle varying implement pin spacing. Any of these will make solo implement changes easier, especially on uneven ground.

Dealers vary in how they handle incentives. Ours worked a deal before talking finance. We ended up with about 15% off list price for our package and still got 0% 60 mo financing. A plus for financing with JD is the insurance coverage they offer for the life of the loan.  Very reasonable and provides full coverage to repair or replace the covered items.

The 3038e has done a good job for us, but I must admit to some envy for the new R series.

Nick

As someone else said, forget the mid mount mower.  Everyone buys one and stops using it within a year or two because it's a pain, kills the ground clearance, doesn't mow very well.  Tractors tractor.  Buy a zero turn.  (price should be pretty close, a mid mount is going to be a couple thousand).

I'd move up a class to small utility tractor in the 50hp range  It's not going to be physically much bigger (i.e. will still get into smaller places) but will be TREMENDOUSLY stronger and be much cheaper to run in the long term.  The maintenance intervals are like 3x a compact.  The prices are really pretty similar.  

Hydrostatic drive or power clutch (they all call it something different, works like a backhoe, you just flip it forward and back).   Any of those brands are solid.  The best deal is probably in a Massey and honestly I had fewer problems with my massey than anything else.  Green is overpriced and usually has some poor FEL's.  (really slow).  

Nobody ever wished for less power.