I'm coming in kind of late so I'm only quoting one post but I'd like to address several points.
Hmm I definitely have some thinking to do. I'm going to a Kuboda and LS dealer in the morning, they are both an hour away. The Kioti dealer is 10 minutes. Is it worth overpaying a bit (if he doesn't go down) for the luxury of a close dealer? I'll look at options closer to 30hp too.
1) I'm not the type to force a brand so I say go look, test drive, and see what feels good to you (We looked at New Holland & Massey Ferguson but Dad just couldn't get comfortable on them - 6' + w/ leg mobility issues). There is nothing wrong with Kubota & LS. When we were shopping Kubota was just too pricey compared to the others for what you got & LS just didn't have any dealers close enough for us to look at in person (now there's one in our county).
2) The importance of Dealer location is directly proportional to how mechanically inclined you are & what kind of area you have to work. If you're comfortable doing your own work, then having a dealer farther away isn't a big deal. The dealer we purchased from (not the closest one either) is around 100 miles / 2 hours away. Haven't seen him since he delivered the tractor & only talked to him once since then via e-mail but if I need him he's just a phone call or email away. Oh and we have about 170+ problem free hours on the tractor so far. (And just to be fair I will fully admit that Dad & I do all the work on the farm equipment but I take my truck to the dealership for Oil Changes

It's a matter of economics & convenience rather than ability but I do understand the convenience of having a dealer close by..)
3) If for nothing else than your piece of mind - call Reedy Creek Equipment 3729 N NC Hwy 150 Lexington NC 27295 phone

336)787-5241 email:
reedycreekequip@gmail.com and let him give you a quote as well. (No I am not affiliated nor do I get kickbacks - just a good "mom & pop" company I have dealt with) You will then know how close your dealer is in fair pricing.
4) Marking your pastures - We have a CK35 with loaded Ag tires and unless I get really aggressive with the turns, I hardly even notice where it crossed the pasture. Even aggressive tight turns (without split brakes - gear model only) barely leave marks and those usually disappear with-in a couple days.
5) Size - Very seldom do any of us ever come here & say I wish I had bought a smaller tractor. With that in mind consider this:
CK2510 vs CK3510 (Both HST)
The CK is 6" wider, 6" longer wheelbase, and less than 500 lbs heavier. If you have low hanging obstacles (and who doesn't) the 3510 is about 1.5 feet taller
Looking at them sitting side by side I'm sure you could see the differences, actually using them in the field you'd most likely never notice. The other benefit is the higher PTO HP will let you run a larger Cutter.
And with not that much more weight - marking your pastures shouldn't really be that much different between the two.
6) You said you were looking at a 4' cutter. I would suggest 5' even if you stay with the 2510. The actual width will depend on which tires you end up with (Ag vs Industrial) but a 4' cutter will NOT cover the width of a 2510. That means trying to mow near buildings, fences, etc that your tires will be closer than the mower and you'll end up with a wider uncut border. Getting a cutter wider than your tractor will let you mow closer to objects because it gives you the offset needed to get the mower close and the tractor away from the object. We have a 5' Cutter but we also have the Ag tires / wheels and have them set to max width so 5' just barely gets to the tire edge and most of the time I use the sway bars to set the 3pt off to the right a couple inches and do my close work from that side.
7) You said you had some tight places to mow. If you don't already have a cutter, then look into a side shifting flail mower. They stick out behind you way less than a rotary cutter which makes turning in tight quarters much easier and the side shift will let you get much closer to objects you have to mow around. (Another disclaimer - No I don't have a flail mower but we already had 3 rotary cutters when we bought this tractor. If I had to start from nothing, I'd get a flail instead. If I ever hit the lottery, I'm going to get a flail anyway. lol)
I hope this has given you some good fodder for thought & not muddied the waters even further.
Good luck with your purchase.