I had a Kubota L3830 with a hydrostatic trans and FEL used mostly to run a wood chipper.
If you plan to do mostly FEL work get the hydro. Also stay with the 25HP or below models to avoid Tier 4 emissions. Yes, the EPA ruined diesel tractors also. I sold my tractor a few months ago for a nice profit since it was 38hp pre-tier4 low hour unit.Lot people thought the asking price was nuts for a 15 year old tractor but it sold in 2 weeks.