Tell me your thoughts, cant seem to do it on my own.

[sgerksinwi]

Simple question.
Got a L2501 and I can't seem to make up my mind between a 4 or 5 ft.
Rotary Cutter.
4 should be find on all all aspects except size.
5 tractor is a little under powered but should be OK.
Doing wood trails light Briars and foot tall grass.
please tell me your thoughts

 

[ken erickson]

I successfully run a 6 FT light duty Landpride cutter on my HST L2501. Hills, 3.5 miles of trails. 1 1/4 mile of grass along my easement road. Prairie grasses and a variety of woody species ranging up to 1 1/4 dia. all on 57 acres.

I consider myself a decent operator , take my time and in tune with how hard I am pushing the tractor.

If the choice is between a 4 ft and 5ft I would not be considering the 4 ft. Heck , before trading for my 6ft cutter I ran a 4ft KingKutter on the back of my 16hp gross B7100, doing the same chores I am doing now!

While not advocating you go with a 6 footer, my conditions and operating style works for me, I would not consider a four footer. Some may chime in that Kubota/Landpride does not call for a 6 footer on a L2501. Keep in mind that the L3301 and L3901 are. Point being the frame size and 3 pt hitch on the L2501 is just as capable as the higher HP standard L01 series.

 

[jimh406]

I have a 6ft GS1572 for my L2501HST. I don't use it much and what I've cut isn't thick. My dealer suggested the 6 ft to make it easier to get close to fences.

I'd go with a 5 ft instead of the 4 ft.

 

[Shawn T. W]

5' ... If it's really thick and tough going, you can also just slow down the ground speed with the HST ... Or if it's a gear, just don't take a full width pass, if you don't have a lower gear choice ...

 

[skeets]

5 foot if you dont have to get in to tight places

 

[Killer Bee]

5 pto horse per foot is an old rule of thumb. so 4' would be max recommended for 20 pto hp machine.

that said, I would never buy a mower narrower than the machine. track width wider than mower width could prove to be very frustrating running over tall edge brush with tires to keep borders mowed consistently. and if you navigate along any fencing or buildings you'll be leaving more trimming work.

good blade maintenance, taller cutting height and slower ground speed can all help mitigate the horsepower deficit. but be careful overworking small machines regularly or premature failures may be in store.

so if it were me, I would run the 5' cautiously, maybe even rent one first to see how the machine handles it on your ground. run it in a lower range if available to find optimum cutting speed/quality.

very unlikely I would consider a 6' mower on a machine that size. besides the excessive pto hp load, the heavier deck is also more weight for the hydrostat to drag around at the same time.

I run our 6' brush hog on a 30hp 641 and 15' batwing on 90hp 886 or 75hp 706.

good luck!

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I wouldn't do a rotary.
I would do a flail.
Yes I like being the rebel.

 

[mikester]

Ask google AI

 

[Sawburner]

I have a L2501,and have a 5 foot rotory cutter, I cut foot high grass all the time in 4th low range running about 2,000 rpms, every fall I cut my field of golden rod (3 foot tall) mixed with grass, wild rose, briers and weeds that are 3 foot tall the same way, the tractor is not working hard. The only thing I have to do is clean the radiator as the seeds from the golden rod plug it up.

 

[ken erickson]

5 pto horse per foot is an old rule of thumb. so 4' would be max recommended for 20 pto hp machine.

I believe that this often repeated rule of thumb is flawed , especially when it comes to PTO implements with a lot of rotating mass such as flail mowers, rotary mowers.

When doing a bit of reading this rule of thumb originally pertained to ground engaging implements , 2 wheel drive farm tractors, and intended as a way to estimate drawbar HP. Intended speed also plays a huge part in calculating needed HP which was super important for farm tractors pulling all sorts of ground engaging implements.

Even then, if you look at some of the published studies done back in the day you will find recommend drawbar HP was wildly dependent on what ground engaging implement was being pulled , soil conditions from sandy soil to hardpan and intended draft.

It is my thought that this rule of thumb morphed into a easy sales tool for a tractor salesman to match a implement when his customer inquired or a way to sell a larger tractor!

A rotary mower has a large rotating mass much like a fly wheel to carry thru the light and heavy cutting areas.


e1152.pdf

 

[jimh406]

Ask google AI

For grins and giggles ... here's what it said.

Response A

The ideal choice for a Kubota L2501HST is a 5-foot (60-inch) light-duty to medium-duty rotary cutter. [1, 2]
Official Kubota documentation designates a 60-inch rear rotary cutter as the maximum performance-matched width for the L2501. [1]

Why a 5-Foot Cutter is Best

• Tractor Width Coverage: The overall rear width of the Kubota L2501 is roughly 55 inches (4.6 feet) depending on the tire configuration. A 5-foot (60-inch) cutter is slightly wider than the rear wheel track. This allows you to cut your tire tracks and safely mow close to fences, trees, and structures. [1, 2, 3, 4]
• Power and Hydrostatic Advantage: The L2501HST produces 24.8 gross engine horsepower and 19 PTO horsepower. A standard tractor rule of thumb requires roughly 5 horsepower per 1 foot of cutter. At 19 PTO HP, a 5-foot cutter pushes the upper limit. However, because your tractor features a Hydrostatic Transmission (HST), you can easily modulate your ground speed with the foot pedal. If you hit tall, thick brush or heavy grass, you simply slow your travel speed to keep the PTO RPMs high without choking out the engine. [1, 2, 3, 4, 6]

Why Avoid 4-Foot or 6-Foot Alternatives?

No code has to be inserted here.

Critical Purchasing Tips

1. Keep it Light-to-Medium Duty: Stick to a cutter that weighs between 500 and 750 lbs (like a Land Pride RCR1260). Heavy-duty commercial cutters often exceed 1,000 lbs. They sit too far back on the 3-point hitch and will make the tractor's front end dangerously light without a front-end loader or heavy front ballast. [1, 2, 3, 4]
2. Look for a Stump Jumper: Ensure the unit features a round stump-jumper pan under the deck rather than a straight bar. This allows the blades to slide safely over hidden rocks or stumps rather than absorbing a catastrophic impact. [1]

What kind of vegetation (e.g., pasture grass, thick weeds, saplings) are you planning to clear? If you have specific brands in mind, I can help you check their weight specs.

AI can make mistakes, so double-check responses

 

[Killer Bee]

the 5hp/foot 'rule of thumb' for rotary mowers is a widely accepted common sense general guideline, not a sales gimmick.

it takes in consideration for overall implement weight, rotating mass, load % on the engine and powertrain, maneuvering, handling and stability, terrain, vegetation type and density, environmental conditions, etc.

regardless if it was derived from similar hp/foot guidelines for tillage implements, it's still a reasonable balance for most machines for most applications.

my family has been farming this area since the 50's. I started mowing 100+ acres in the early 80's. my folks also owned a commercial lawn mowing business for a few years while I was in high school. several large apartment complexes and hotels. I could weave a rope to the sun with number of blades of grass I've cut.

my 37 year career was large fleet heavy equipment maint/repair. 9600 pieces where I retired as a fleet service manager. hp and implement/attachment sizing guidelines are widely used across all industries.

bottom line is denying the limitations of a machine doesn't change it's capabilities. you can only run a machine at or above it's upper limits for so long until it leads to premature wear and failures. guidelines like these are your friend, embrace them.

as another old saying goes, ymmv.

good luck!

 

[ken erickson]

Would have to agree to disagree. Limiting a L2501 with 19PTO HP to a 4 foot cutter is complete nonsense.

 

[Killer Bee]

read the fourth paragraph of my first post.

 

[jimh406]

I agree 5 HP per foot is the rule of thumb. It's not marketing, but it's not a law of physics.

PTO HP isn't what keeps the cutter cutting ... torque is. Tractors with nearly the same PTO HP can respond entirely differently.

You can get a BX, B, LX, or L with the almost exactly the same PTO HP. However, the engines are remarkably different in displacement and torque.

Summary Table (Approximate Specs for ~25 HP Models)

 

[ken erickson]

Does your 5HP for every foot of implement include what implements? Every implement, whether ground engaging or not? Just PTO implements and if so, all, or just rotary cutters?

Also have to disagree, a rotary mower, or fail mower has a lot of stored kinetic energy. Shut off the pto if it was possible quickly when it is running at a rated 540 PTO and see just how long it takes to wind down. This energy is added to the torque of the PTO durning certain cutting conditions.

I am sure glad I diid not know the 5HP per foot rule when running my 4 foot cutter behind a tractor that has 13PTO HP, not sure where I could have found a 2 2/3 foot brush cutter.

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

Simple question.
Got a L2501 and I can't seem to make up my mind between a 4 or 5 ft.
Rotary Cutter.
4 should be find on all all aspects except size.
5 tractor is a little under powered but should be OK.
Doing wood trails light Briars and foot tall grass.
please tell me your thoughts

From your description, I am not saying this is recommend but I am saying it works…you can do those tasks with a BX or a B and a MMM (which would have a belt and be even less efficient). So from a width of cut and HP, it’s not an issue. What will be an issue is tall wet grass, and trying to go too fast…there will either be a crappy finish or it will struggle. Within reasonable speed it will not be a problem. If it is, either take less of a cut(width) or slow down.

So…

I don’t believe 5’ is any concern, unless wet and too tall grass, or too thick in diameter saplings or too dense stand of saplings might slow things down, but again take less of a bit or slow down to chew.

the L is a very capable machine and can handle a 5’ cutter sized to it IMO. (I don’t actually own an L, but wish I did)