My first piece of advise is don't consider any rebranded tractors. Those agreements tend to come and go and sometimes effect parts availability. Kiote, LS, and TYM all furnish rebranded tractors to various sellers and it's not always easy to know which brands are which. I think even New Holland contracts for some tractors and rebrands them New Holland so do your homework as you are doing here. If you consider a tractor built by one of those companies go ahead and get one with that manufactures brand name on it.
It sounds like you need a good mid sized tractor with a brush mower and grapple to start with. Depending on the ground and grass area you choose to maintain you may later want a good finish mower. For the gravel driveway a landscape rake works great. They are also beneficial for leveling tilled ground. Get one that more than covers the tractors width so you can angle it as needed. If you can afford it I would focus on a 30 to 50 HP tractor with a cab that has good working climate control. For mowing large areas a good working cruise control is a big advantage for reduced fatigue. I prefer having a removable loader for mowing tasks.
I have 7 acres, 5 of which was a 40 year stand of pines I had clear cut 8 years ago. I wanted the stumps dug out as opposed to mulched. One quote was for 10 grand and the guy said I would need a larger tractor than my JD855 I had at the time to clean up after him. The only other quote I got was for 25 grand and that was cleaned, burned, and finish graded. In hindsight that would have been my best deal but I was about to retire and had time on my hands so I put half that much money into a full size backhoe. I am near the finish line but still working on it 7 years later. On the upside the backhoe will probably be worth what I have in it when I'm done.
I own 3 different tractors but when my clearing is done I would like to get down to one mid sized cab tractor.
My backhoe is a New Holland 575E. Most of the repairs I have had were hydraulic hoses and cylinder repairs. The hoses can be built local. I use a Carquest that only uses Gates hose and fittings. Before that I tried another shop that uses various brands and have had to replace some of those that didn't hold up. Hydraulic cylinder parts have been a total PITA to source and way over priced from NH. Being the budget minded (spelled CHEAP) person I am I have pieced together generic kits.
My workhorse is a John Deere 4310. In my opinion it is the near perfect size. If it had a cab and AC I could be perfectly content with it.
My most recent tractor purchase is a Kubota LX3310 cab with a mid mount mower and loader. I got a steal of a deal on it with 200 hours on the clock and 4 years remaining powertrain warranty. It is just used as an overgrown lawn tractor. The loader sits parked for the day I resell it. The AC works great and the mower finish is also great. That's the end of my love for it. It rides rough as hell and the cruise control amplifies the hydro whine beyond OSHA approved sound levels. Kubota says the sound levels are characteristic of this model and nothing can be done to improve it but they supposedly DID improve it on the new LX series.
