The tractor is home, but not without a struggle. First I put the L2501 into the neutral range. Then I hooked a 6 foot chain through the backstop on my forks on the MX, and then looped back to the welded hook on the bucket of the L2501. 4x4 engaged, low range, rear diff lock engaged...the L started to move but as it came up, the bucket made contact with the ground and tried to dig it.
Since I didn't want to start the 2501 on that angle, I put the bucket into the float position, then used the forks on the MX to raise the bucket about halfway. With the bucket off the ground, I tried again...and the MX spun 3 out of 4 wheels, digging holes into the field.
Next I went back to the truck and got a 20 foot chain. This time I backed up to the 2501, hooked the chain through the drawbar of the MX, and through the front bumper arrangement of the 2501. This time, slowly and still with a little slippage, the MX pulled the 2501 out of the ditch.
Once on semi-flat ground, I let the tractor sit about 5 minutes and check the oil. The oil level looked very normal on the dipstick, so I went ahead and started the 2501. It started and ran normally, no excess smoke. Loaded both on the trailer together - a hefty load for my pickup of about 17,500lbs...and drove home uneventfully.