Kater:
Food for thought...look at my thread of improvements to my NH L220 here:
https://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/showthread.php?35861-User-Improvements-to-New-Holland-L220-SSL-amp-Attachments
Some thoughts...
Backup camera, be sure it's heated, so it sheds ice/snow if you will be plowing snow. I opted for a low tech approach of external rearview mirrors.
I agree that a good minimum size (maybe all you need) is an operating capacity of 2,000 lbs. That will put you about in the 60 hp range.
Vertical lift is really great for augering post holes, you don't have to constantly move machine to auger plumb. Otherwise, it's good for lift & carry (load is closer to machine than radial) & has more reach at maximum height. Also, NH & Case vertical lift feature a unique in-cab boom lock that makes it safe to get out of the machine when the arms are up.
Case & NH are very similar & are made in the same factory in Witchitaw, KS.
JCB side-entry cab is unique & is the most spacious. Among other things, side entry allows getting out when arm is only partially up, or are in any position. Can make working alone much more doable. Side-entry is probably the thing I miss the most using my NH skid steer as compared to working with my Ford/NH 1320 4fwd compact diesel tractor, but I don't miss being COLD when plowing snow, where I don't usually ever have to get out.
All CTL's with solid undercarriages & rubber tracks will ride hard & will tear up turf.
Cat MTL, with a ASV/Terex suspended undercarriage will provide the best ride & do the least damage to turf, & provide the best flotation on wet ground, but there are design problems with balance & maintenance.
Cat has made many good improvements in their D series machines. I think that their hydraulics are probably the strongest, & their E-H joystick control system is the most refined. They also offer unique self-leveling down (as well as up), speed-selectable ride control, & return-to-dig functions.
Cat & JCB both have virtually one-piece sealed cabs.
A SSL or a CTL is a compact, very maneuverable & powerful machine. But, as compared to wheeled tractors or compact articulated loaders, they are very cramped to work on, don't have a lot of ground clearance, & have hard to clean undercarriages & belly pans.
Availability of a rear drawbar, or at least a rear-end design that makes it easy to fabricate one, could be important if you want to tow something or add something on the back (like a receiver hitch & winch, like I did).
There is NO perfect solution...no one makes a machine that combines all the features that I would like in a SSL or CTL. My dream would be a side-entry tracked machine (JCB), with an
improved suspended MTL undercarriage (CAT), with refined E-H controls & strong hydraulics (CAT), with a rear drawbar/double receiver hitch (NH/Case), with vertical lift with in-cab boom lock (NH/Case). And for icing on the cake, throw in a mono-boom that telescopes even a little, like a tele-handler!!