Interesting question.
The answer isn't easy to give because the whole industry has changed dramatically since 1962. In essence, Colt, Case and Ingersoll do not have any "competition" because they are the ONLY brands that use hydraulic drive. All other tractors are either gear drive, hydrostatic drive or some form of mechanical variable drive. None of them can power implements that use hydraulic motors unless they add one like Deere does for their hydraulic tiller.
When the 200/400 models were introduced in 1969, they had competition from American brands such as Deere, Cub Cadet, Massey Ferguson, Wheelhorse and so forth. Companies like Yanmar, Kubota, Mahindra, Shubara and Kioti were no where to be found. If it wasn't for those companies, Ford, Deere and Cub Cadet would not have 4 wheel drive CUT's and sub-CUT's in the marketplace. It's my understanding that the current offerings from Case/IH and Case/New Holland are actually off-shore products.
Case and Ingersoll developed their own line of implements to work with their tractors. Implements must be properly matched, not only to the HP of the tractor but also to the weight and dimensions. The three point hitches are divided into four categories and those categories are based on PTO HP and tractor weight but they do overlap with one another to allow the widest possible choices by the end user. This is done because no one can make hard and fast rules due to ground conditions and tractor modification. As an example, a dead stock 60 hp tractor with a CAT-1 hitch could possibly handle a CAT-2 implement if the tires were loaded, wheel weights and front counterweight were added and the farmer had sandy/loam conditions on his farm.
Some sub-CUT's are fitted with a "Limited CAT-1" hitch. That means it will hook up to all the CAT-1 implements but thanks to being too light in operating weight and HP, that sub-CUT may not be able to use some CAT-1 implements effectively.
For these reasons, I don't see the lack of a mechanical PTO to be the problem you think it is. There are very few CAT-0 attachments that require a mechanical PTO and the ones that are out there are often proprietary in some way. In the big tractor world, the common PTO speeds are primarily 540 RPM but the larger machines offer 1000 RPM as well. These garden tractors that do have a mechanical PTO are often 2000 RPM.
When someone asks me what tractor they should buy, I turn it around and ask them how large a property they own, what they want the tractor to do for them (make a list) and how much money they are prepared to tie up in a machine that is not for business purposes. Sometimes, they find out that they need three or more pieces of equipment because a new tractor won't cut the mustard in all areas. That's what you need to think about before you make a jump that you may regret. If your so-called "burning need" only happens once or twice a year, then go and rent the right machine for the day or weekend. Or sub-contract the work out to someone with the right equipment and then think about how you can eliminate that need instead of putting up with it year after year.