I've had subcompacts, small compacts and large compacts. I looked at small ag tractors but they didn't come with a hydrostatic transmission I wanted so everyone in the family can use it. Hard to comment without knowing more:
How much area do you want to finish mow? Do you want a golf course finish or is a more rural cut OK? Lots of tight turns?
How much and what kind of stuff do you want to move? Do you need to load into a truck or trailer?
How big is the garden you want to till?
How much area do you want to brushhog and what is growing there?
So, total 2.5 acres with 1.5 finished?
steep hills? snow? mud?
Some general comments.
Tractors are like Swiss Army knives. The tractor is just a power unit and you change out the front, middle and rear attachments for the job you need to do. Specialized attachments are expensive and difficult to find used. General attachments are less expensive (still not cheap) and much easier to find used. Things like a skid steer quick attach SSQA and cat 1 three point hitch are generally universal and make the tractor more versatile.
Tractor loaders are much weaker than people believe. A Kubota BX subcompact only lifts 400-500 pounds. My Kubota large L is only about 2000 pounds. A subcompact loses a lot of lift capacity with a SSQA. Using the loader means you MUST have rear ballast (weight) on the rear. Lifting without ballast is downright dangerous.
There are 3 types of tires; turf, industrial and ag. Turf is the least aggressive but easiest on lawns. Ags have the best traction off road but tear up the ground. Industrial are a middle of the road compromise. Changing tires is expensive and may not be possible without also changing expensive rims. Choose carefully based on what you need to do most.
If your stuff includes logs, branches, larger stones you will want a grapple to replace the bucket. That means you will also need 3rd function hydraulics to the loader.
Big tractors are harder to maneuver than small tractors. If you need to get into tight places a large tractor may not be the best choice.
The smaller subcompacts have little in the way of electronic controls, mostly safety switches. The larger Tier 4 engines have emission controls that vary by brand. So far my larger Kubotas have had no emission/electrical problems in 1400 hours of combined use. Hope I don't jinx myself
Tractors are fun!
