I got the QH15 quick hitch with my L2501 in May 2019. It has never been taken off the tractor a single time. I use a box blade, an over sized disc harrow from john deere (frontier brand), and a hay spike. Everything fits it so far. You can check implements to know if they will fit by taking measurements of the left and right pins. If youre at the dealer and happen to be looking at an implement do a quick measurement between the pins. I forget the measurement but basically you can quickly tell if it will fit. Most stuff being made today seems to be quick hitch compatable. Woods and Landpride are both great higher end equipment I wouldnt have any bones about either one so long as it fit my quick hitch.
One thing I wanted to cover in my last post but ran out of time and had to quickly end my post, is that if youre torn between B2601 and L2501, I like to just take a sheet of paper and list out what each model gives you over the other model. Taking this approach is what led me to the L2501. I just found that the B2601 didnt really have any real advantage over the L2501 for me. Its a little smaller, but not drastically so. Having a slightly smaller tractor was of no benefit to me though - I have 13 acres, Im not on a small lot where I need to nit pick turn radius and tractor dimensions. To some the smaller little bit smaller size may carry some weight. Next was the comfort features - which were nice. Digital dash, flat floor board with a nice mat, I thinkthe seat even had arm rests on the one I was looking at. The dash and everything just looked more "up to date" The L2501 looks analog - needles and manual gauges etc. I asked myself though - does that REALLY matter to me? And ultimately I decided it didn't. As I went down the list I just found very few wins for the B series column on my paper. The mid mount PTO is a legitimate plus for the B series for many folks. For me again this was a non issue. I have no desire to run a mid mount mower on a tractor. I have a zero turn mower for all my mowing. I live in Florida, so I'm not doing any snow blowing either.
For the L however I had many wins. The bigger size DID matter to me, because it meant heavier. The L2501 is just over 1,000 LBS heavier than the B2601, this translates into a lot more pulling ability. The disc harrow I got for example which was essentially given to me by a work colleague is a 700+lb harrow that is 76" wide. Some folks on this forum told me I would struggle to pull it - it also exceeds the size limit for disc harrows listed in the L2501 manual in both width and weight. The L2501 pulls it just fine. I bet if I was in a B2601 however I wouldn't not be pulling it. At the most aggressive setting on the harrow my tires begin to spin - Going into 4wd allows me to keep pulling it at this most aggressive setting. Tire spinning - that's the problem you will run into with pulling, and its purely an issue of tractor weight. The B2601 would be half a ton lighter. Weight is a big deal as I'm sure you know, so the fact that the L2501 takes a big jump up in weight over the B series is substantial, so this was an important factor for me. If I'm going to spend 20k on a machine I want it to be able to do some serious work. I already have a lawn mower so I'm not looking for an oversized lawn mower. The L2501 also has bigger tires, which means more room for liquid ballast, further increasing the weight gap. As I listed out all these factors and thought about each item critically, the L2501 suddenly emerged to me as the clear winner for me. The fact that the two were so close in price also won me over. Had the L2501 been like $5,000+ more than the B series It would have made the decision much harder. However, now looking back, after having owned it and pushed it to its limits in the past year, Im so so glad I didnt go with my initial plan which was to get a B series. The weight of the tractor has been a clear issue with me - I wish the L2501 was even heavier, as I feel it is one of the limiting factors to it doing even more. It has plenty of engine power. The 25 horses on the L2501 are worth a lot more than the 25/26 on the B series. The L2501 has a much larger engine, and Ive read that it is essentially the same engine used in some 30-40HP tractors but has simply been tuned down to 25hp.
Given the amount of acreage you own, I would want the most tractor I could fit into my budget. I realize how you have no plan to work or do much with a lot of that acreage but what does the future hold in 3 years, 5 years, 10 years? If you are going to go with a lighter, weaker, slightly smaller tractor, then make sure it is deliberate for a real and important reason. There are legitimate and sound reasons for going smaller, but I think it would have to be very deliberate, and typically this is folks on much smaller acreages. You arent going to save much at all in money going smaller and weaker, so the other advantages have to be substantial - for example the Mid Mount PTO - this could be a game changer for some folks. The L series just flat does not offer this option so that is one of those big things that could force someone into the B series.
Be sure to let us know what you choose and share some pics!
