Yeah, the thread I linked above was pretty thorough on the limitations and possible dangers of the 2wd FEL combo. It covers exactly what you're saying. Ballasting on the 3pt and rear wheels can help but most wouldn't consider that a replacement for FWA/FWD. My experience with fire apparatus has taught me every machine has it's limitations to work within. As one poster said, if you start sliding down a hill with a bucketfull and don't have the experience to drop the bucket to stop you could get yourself in a heap of hurt!
When it comes time to buy it'll come down to needs and budget. There will be a big difference if I have 5K or 10K to spend, machine including implements. Depends on what the financial department (read wife
) has to say about it when we're ready, although she knows we need a machine to make up for my back. If I had to prioritize today, 4wd is near the top but first I'll need to make sure I can get mower deck, box grader to manage the drive, and FEL. Having FWA/FWD without a loader doesn't help my back much. According to the guys that have them, the good news is that the FEL on a 2wd is still useful. I think I just gotta remember the limitations I'll be trading for cost.