We owned a Kubota kx-040 from new to about 700h. Really nice hydraulics; smooth, powerful, really fast. Great dealers here as well.
Just didn’t like the dpf….
So I think a U27-4 would be my pick, no emissions to worry about.
We have owned a couple of 27’s and have done a lot of work with them. Really easy to transport as well.
Takeuchi dealers here are extremely sparse. Have run almost every brand except Takeuchi: seem to hear a lot of really good things about them.
I like my U35-4 for the same reasons, it's also the largest machine Kubota makes without emissions. Big enough to do some meaningful work, small enough to work in tight spots with zero tail swing.
I also really like Takeuchi excavators, but the dealer network just isn't the same as the rest. There is one about an hour away, next closest is 2.5hrs.