Thank you for all the insightful responses. Some clarifications; the CAT Challenger MT265B appears to be more similar to the MF 1533 than the 1531. In light of that, the CAT package is $1100 less!!! In addition, the MF dealer has not been very responsive... for over a week I've been waiting for lease terms. I e-mailed 'em Thursday as a reminder & called the owner today...no response. As some of your mentioned, makes me question if I ever need service or support.
I'll keep you posted.
Also, the 16x16 tranny is the PowerShuttle on the CAT per their brochure specs.