The following is just my opinion after shopping for a similar situation...

In the price range of a JD X7xx ultimate garden tractor you can get a real sub compact Kubota with mid and rear PTO and three point hitch which is a notch above a garden tractor. You can get a real front end loader for the Kubota rather than a Johnny Bucket for the JD and the rear PTO and three point hitch is not an inexpensive option on the X7xx.

Diesel is the choice of many in a real tractor like the Kubota and the JD X7xx series does offer a diesel option.

I'd stay away from the more obscure brands since this is an investment you want to be able to get parts and support for for a long time. Both JD and Kubota aren't going anywhere while Mahindra and the other smaller Asian tractor companies haven't proved they will be around for the long haul.

Choosing between JD and Kubota is a tough choice to make and the rep of your local dealers for flexible machine pricing, good parts inventory, competent service department, and just plain being nice to their customers very important aspects of where you spend your money.

I'm a JD fan but in this instance I'd buy a BX series Kubota with an MMM and an FEL. That orange is awful pretty!

What about one of the Cub/Yanmar offerings?

http://www.cubcadet.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10051_14101_538409_50469_-1_600003_50469