LOL, I love it when people call these "SCOUT's" Glorified Lawn mowers. I defy anyone to put even a JD 700 series next to a SCUT, (And a 700 i think we can all agree is more then just a lawn mower) and make such a comment without reservation. JMER, don't put a lot of stock in such comments. SCOUT's are what they are. There are PLENTIFUL stories of people doing things that would shock you with these SCUT's. Are they meant for "Big" work? Nope. But they will do things you never thought possible. I am in the EXACT same place you are. Been looking for over a year and a half now. I have logged many hours at dealerships and talked to actual owners of some of these SCUT's. All of them are supremely happy with them. As a general rule of thumb, the people I talked to always want more tractor then they have. But for small land owners, it's always a game of balancing. If 90-95% of the time a SCUT will work perfectly for you, then you have to consider that. Bigger does not come without disadvantages. In the end, everyone needs to weigh the options and make a well reasoned decision. But to say that a SCUT is a glorified lawn mower is just silly, and it is not an accurate account of what they are capable of.
I have been going out of my mind trying to figure out what the best balance will be. Currently I am looking very closely at an LS J. It is slightly larger then most SCUT's, but its roughly the same weight. It's not nearly as heavily built as true "CUTs". But,,, it is not without it's own set of issues.