L2501 Turbo: A Journey Defined - The tractor, The comparison, The modification, The results...

[Rdrcr]

Thanks, and I figured that the margins were small given the quality of the components and the fabrication costs, combined with your pricing.

Could you realize a reduction in your costs by eliminating many of the welds on the intake and exhaust tubes i.e. having the entire section mandrel bent? I welded up custom exhausts last year for my tractors since none are available, but used mild steel mandrel kits to keep the "R&D" costs down. At some point I might create a 3D model of the exhausts and have a company such as Xometry bend up some stainless steel tubing for me. But like someone said, "it's a prototype unless it works".

Tube Bending Services

Xometry offers precision tube bending services for round metal tube stock to meet your needs.

www.xometry.com

Thanks for the suggestion!
For sure. We’ve talked about it. It’s definitely something we can look at in the future. We just don’t have the volume right now. I’m just hoping we can start getting better pricing on Turbochagers, lol.

I’ve actually worked with Xometry bed on other projects. I do like them and recommend them.


For the EGT Gauge/Probe Kit we use;

IssPro 3” Turbocator Gauge: #R609

The Sensor Connection 316 stainless steel EGT Probe: #EGT-DF-072-0182-SS-N, 6’

Autometer 3” Gauge mount: #2154

We use McMastercarr for the small parts and hardware.

Mike

 

[Rdrcr]

Kitsap Tractor in Marysville WA.
https://www.kitsaptractor.net/

They're a good sized dealership and usually have a pretty good selection.

You/Your dealer are about 3 hours from my location.
…. I was in Seattle twice last week. You’re not far from there.

Do you know what they charge for a dyno session?

Mike

 

[Rodd]

Thank you for the pictures Rodd!

It's nice to see what it's going to look like once I finally get it installed. The fit of those updated pipes look so... professional! They look like they belong on a show car. LOL

I received mine in time for Christmas. It was my Christmas present to myself. LOL

I'm impressed and envious that you got yours installed shortly after receiving it.
Personally, I've been procrastinating. The weather doesn't help. First it rained for a month, now it's freezing. I envision turning the farm into a mud pit with my new turbo tractor. LOL
(Ha - Mud races, hmmm...) LOL

In the meantime, I'm watching the loads of chipper shavings pile up for next year's garden paths. I'll have to get my old carcass in gear here pretty soon. Now that I've posted, maybe that will provide some motivation.

I can't wait to see how this new turbo does - brush hogging that 4ft grass in the back field.

If I had more money, I'd do a before and after dyno. I'm not all that far from where they are made. My local dealer has a dyno getting all lonely in the corner under a tarp. He pointed out to me when I bought my tractor.

I'm really looking forward to it.


Thank you for the pictures Rodd!

It's nice to see what it's going to look like once I finally get it installed. The fit of those updated pipes look so... professional! They look like they belong on a show car. LOL

I received mine in time for Christmas. It was my Christmas present to myself. LOL

I'm impressed and envious that you got yours installed shortly after receiving it.
Personally, I've been procrastinating. The weather doesn't help. First it rained for a month, now it's freezing. I envision turning the farm into a mud pit with my new turbo tractor. LOL
(Ha - Mud races, hmmm...) LOL

In the meantime, I'm watching the loads of chipper shavings pile up for next year's garden paths. I'll have to get my old carcass in gear here pretty soon. Now that I've posted, maybe that will provide some motivation.

I can't wait to see how this new turbo does - brush hogging that 4ft grass in the back field.

If I had more money, I'd do a before and after dyno. I'm not all that far from where they are made. My local dealer has a dyno getting all lonely in the corner under a tarp. He pointed out to me when I bought my tractor.

I'm really looking forward to it.

You’re welcome, glad to share them! I had a heated garage to work in so it was a joy to install. Everything fit together so well; it was a breeze! It took me longer to hook up the gauges than it did to install the turbo kit. I think you will be impressed with the performance, as I am. Best wishes!

 

[X-Pup]

Do you know what they charge for a dyno session?

I don't know, I'll have to find out. I'm not sure what the hourly rate for a tech is these days, plus the machine. If it's not too bad I might find a way to swing it. I was thinking about bringing it in to have the tires filled. I was playing a bit of 3-wheeler last summer. LOL

I plan to at least do a run after the install and tune.

I do know the tractor was expensive. I didn't skimp. 3rd function, 2 remotes, box blade and brush cutter was just shy of 40K. (Ouch!!!)

 

[McMXi]

Thanks for the suggestion!
For sure. We’ve talked about it. It’s definitely something we can look at in the future. We just don’t have the volume right now. I’m just hoping we can start getting better pricing on Turbochagers, lol.

I’ve actually worked with Xometry bed on other projects. I do like them and recommend them.


For the EGT Gauge/Probe Kit we use;

IssPro 3” Turbocator Gauge: #R609

The Sensor Connection 316 stainless steel EGT Probe: #EGT-DF-072-0182-SS-N, 6’

Autometer 3” Gauge mount: #2154

We use McMastercarr for the small parts and hardware.

Mike

Thanks for the part numbers. There are lots of pyrometer/EGT guages and sensors out there so always good to get a recommendation.

In addition to the DP-Tuner programmer in my truck which has an LED display, I have three redundant analog gauges too, one for boost, one for EGT and one for transmission temperature. They came with the truck so I simply moved them off the A-pillar and installed them lower down under the dash so kind of out of the way. Like I said, they're for redundancy.

 

[Rdrcr]

I don't know, I'll have to find out. I'm not sure what the hourly rate for a tech is these days, plus the machine. If it's not too bad I might find a way to swing it. I was thinking about bringing it in to have the tires filled. I was playing a bit of 3-wheeler last summer. LOL

I plan to at least do a run after the install and tune.

I do know the tractor was expensive. I didn't skimp. 3rd function, 2 remotes, box blade and brush cutter was just shy of 40K. (Ouch!!!)

Sounds good. I can always check and see what I was charged for my L2501 dyno session for comparison if you would like. And, having the tires filled, in my opinion, is a good idea.

Yep, even the economical L2501 isn’t cheap when you’re adding/installing implements and accessories. They keep on getting more expensive, year after year.

Mike

 

[1kubotakid]

In what regard? There is an enormous difference in third/high range when operating the tractor. It really really gets up to speed extremely quickly (it’s hilarious) and holds speeds well with the Turbo. However, the performance in high range is limited to the HST pressure limits. Even with all the power available, these limits cannot be exceeded. So, that’s why I state that the Turbo L2501 will behave very similar, almost identical to the L3901 at sea level. In elevation, however, the Turbo L2501 will outperform the L3901 and for PTO performance, there is zero comparison, the Turbo L2501 destroys it.

Mike

I understand what your saying about the limits of hydraulic drive, I had a case-ingersoll 20 hp tractor that limited me often times after I installed bigger tires and more weight. they claim 14 hp was all the factory settings would handle. I thought I'd turn the pressure up a little, but bought a Kubota b7200 instead and I am very happy.

 

[Yotekiller]

I have been following this thread for a long time. I originally looked hard for a 2501 just so I could buy your turbo and install it, but I couldn't find a 2501 and ended up with the 2502. I will some day turbo it just because .
I don't see any point in putting a turbo on a 3301 or 3901. The whole purpose of putting a turbo on the 2501 is having a new, non-emissions tractor with more than 25HP. Once you jump into the emissions tractors, just buy what you need because it doesn't matter, you still have an emissions tractor. That's exactly what many of us are avoiding.

 

[McMXi]

I don't see any point in putting a turbo on a 3301 or 3901. The whole purpose of putting a turbo on the 2501 is having a new, non-emissions tractor with more than 25HP. Once you jump into the emissions tractors, just buy what you need because it doesn't matter, you still have an emissions tractor. That's exactly what many of us are avoiding.

It's more nuanced than that. There are plenty of options for those with tractors with DPF and EGR, and even DEF. Remediation for the bigger tractors costs about the same as adding a turbo kit to a small tractor. Other benefits include more hp, lower fuel consumption and potentially a significant reduction in maintenance costs and an increase in longevity.

 

[Yotekiller]

It's more nuanced than that. There are plenty of options for those with tractors with DPF and EGR, and even DEF. Remediation for the bigger tractors costs about the same as adding a turbo kit to a small tractor. Other benefits include more hp, lower fuel consumption and potentially a significant reduction in maintenance costs and an increase in longevity.

Yes, that's entirely a possibility. The only issue is hoping the custom tunes to make it all work are still available 10-20 years down the road... Not near as slick as jut adding a mechanical device (turbo) to an all mechanical tractor.

But this is most certainly is an option on the table!

 

[Rdrcr]

It's more nuanced than that. There are plenty of options for those with tractors with DPF and EGR, and even DEF. Remediation for the bigger tractors costs about the same as adding a turbo kit to a small tractor. Other benefits include more hp, lower fuel consumption and potentially a significant reduction in maintenance costs and an increase in longevity.

In our case, the L2501 with S2T Turbo Kit is a bit less expensive than the L3901. But, there’s certainly other examples where the costs between the different models is much closer. Especially, if you’re shopping alternative brands.

It’s great that tractor owners have options.

Mike

 

[McMXi]

In our case, the L2501 with S2T Turbo Kit is a bit less expensive than the L3901. But, there’s certainly other examples where the costs between the different models is much closer. Especially, if you’re shopping alternative brands.

It’s great that tractor owners have options.

Mike

I'm all for options.

If I were trying to chose between an L2501, L3301 or L3901 (or the 02 variants) I would almost certainly chose the L2501 with the idea to add a turbo. I absolutely agree with you that it's the best bang for the buck since the tractors are all the same size/weight, and the other models would need some programming done too which would increase cost.

My point about the cost difference wasn't to compare the L series tractors, but to make the point that if you want or need a bigger tractor and have an MX, or L60 or M6060/7060, M4, M5 etc., the cost for a reflash and the elimination of DPF and EGR is similar to the cost of a turbo kit for the L2501. Of course, it's much easier to see what you're buying with a turbo kit, and you get a lot for $3k, but also it's something that could be done by anyone with some skill and some research. The same can't be said of reprogramming the ECU which is a lot more specialized.

 

[McMXi]

Yes, that's entirely a possibility. The only issue is hoping the custom tunes to make it all work are still available 10-20 years down the road...

I'm not sure what you mean here with the "10-20 years down the road" comment.

There are some upsides to having the engine controlled by an ECU since they can be reprogrammed for better performance, in addition to running more efficiently. I have a +20% tune in my M6060 and could have opted for the +30% tune but figured that 80hp was enough for my needs.

 

[Yotekiller]

I'm not sure what you mean here with the "10-20 years down the road" comment.

There are some upsides to having the engine controlled by an ECU since they can be reprogrammed for better performance, in addition to running more efficiently. I have a +20% tune in my M6060 and could have opted for the +30% tune but figured that 80hp was enough for my needs.

Let's say you lose an ECM 20 years down the road. You could go to the dealer and get a new one with factory tune but then you would have to reinstall all of the emissions components to make it work again. Otherwise, you will have to replace the ECM and hope someone out there is still writing custom tunes for your 20 year old tractor. That may not be an issue for tractors like Kubota or JD considering the volume of tractors they sell, but could be less likely for the off brands like Kioti, TYM, LS, etc. Roll of the dice I suppose.

Yup, I use to drive diesel trucks and worked for a diesel shop so very familiar with custom tuning. I ran a tune on my last F250 that gave me an extra 100HP and crap ton of torque. I also stripped my F250 of all the emissions crap.

I certainly appreciate us all having options. I know not everyone can get by with a little 2502 like I can. I wanted a grand L and money wasn't a factor. I just have a sincere dislike for diesels with emissions. I wanted no part of it.

 

[McMXi]

Let's say you lose an ECM 20 years down the road. You could go to the dealer and get a new one with factory tune but then you would have to reinstall all of the emissions components to make it work again. Otherwise, you will have to replace the ECM and hope someone out there is still writing custom tunes for your 20 year old tractor. That may not be an issue for tractors like Kubota or JD considering the volume of tractors they sell, but could be less likely for the off brands like Kioti, TYM, LS, etc. Roll of the dice I suppose.

Yup, I use to drive diesel trucks and worked for a diesel shop so very familiar with custom tuning. I ran a tune on my last F250 that gave me an extra 100HP and crap ton of torque. I also stripped my F250 of all the emissions crap.

I certainly appreciate us all having options. I know not everyone can get by with a little 2502 like I can. I wanted a grand L and money wasn't a factor. I just have a sincere dislike for diesels with emissions. I wanted no part of it.

I see what you're saying, but as even more restrictive policies roll out and the cost of new tractors continues to increase, I would expect more companies like Reimer Tuning to crop up as more owners have to decide between repair or replace. Even now companies are writing tunes for tractors that are 15 or more years old, so there's no evidence to suggest that we won' t be able to buy programmers or get ECUs bench flashed 20 years from now.

This thread is about the L2501 and I get that, and my only contribution is to make the point that I would advise against buying a tractor that's smaller than wanted or needed simply because the model you really want has factory installed computers and ECUs.

 

[Dunbar]

I have been away from OTT too long and missed this thread and kit entirely until today. Now it is on my list of must buy items. I have a Harrop 2650 supercharger sitting in my shop waiting for me to install it on my 200 series Land Cruiser. The instructions for the ST2 kit look far easier. The ST2 is just what is needed. I bog my L2501 down pretty good doing our road with an Armstrong Ag DBG8 Double Blade Grader. It is a beast at 921lb and when loaded it, it can bring me to a stop.