Ok maybe I am the contrarian here, but I would dismiss all the tractors on your list as too big for the LONG RUN. So you may want to stop reading my post at this point, but if I was you, with 5.5 acres, I would look at a SMALL FRAME tractor in and around 25 HP (I am NOT talking about a Sub-CUT, I am talking about a small frame CUT). You are looking at medium frame machines, the Kioti is the only one I would consider, but I still think it is too big for your long term use.
Consider that you will be using this to mow, dig, grade, etc. Also consider that much of your heavy work is going to be done in a year or two and then you will have a big tractor to mow the lawn with and that is less than ideal. A nice middle weight small frame tractor with enough power to run a 5' mower will suit you very well in the short term and in the long term.
Of the 5.5 acres, I am going to guess a couple acres is going to be bush hogged, and a couple is going to be finish mowed, there is not much land left after that. As this is your first tractor, you might seriously want to consider a Hydrostatic transmission, it will mow faster than a gear tractor. HST is also faster for front loader work than gear. But gear will do the job, if you go gear, then realize that not all gear machines are equal. Some are strict mechanical gears. Some are synronized gears. Some are shuttle. Some are syncro shuttle with e-reversers. The more advance the gear, the easier, faster and more efficient to use, but the costs go up a bit with each step.
As for the size/hp of the tractor. With 5.5 acres, I'm going to guess that you will be putting in some landscaping that you will have to mow around, the larger the tractor, the slower it is to mow around the trees, shrubs, house, deck, pool, etc. A larger tractor will mow an open field faster, but most of your real mowing time will come in when you are trying to avoid obsticals and a slightly smaller tractor can actually speed up your mowing.
Also consider that some of the tasks you outlined offer no real disadvantage when downsizing a bit. You can just as easily, quickly, effieciently dig a post hole with a fairly small JD 4115, Farmall DX26 or a New Holland TC26DA as you can with a 35hp tractor of any make or style.
Front end loader work is only marginally improved when going up in size. I own a New Holland TC24 and a Kubota
B2910. The TC24 has roughly the same capacity as the larger, more powerful
B2910. And because the
B2910 has a 60" front bucket on it, it actually doesn't dig as well as the smaller bucket on the TC24. Also, the added visibilty of the TC's curved loader is vastly superior to the
B2910's view so I find it faster to use in real terms.
FEL loader view comparison photo
Again, I may be out of step with the other folks who replied, and I am not endorsing any particular machine, I'm just saying the size you are looking at might be too large for long term use. Smaller frame with lots of power might be a better choice. Just a thought.
