B2601 vs L2501

[lthomas24]

Hey! New to the forum here but I have been doing a lot of research on compact kubota tractors. I am stuck between the B2601 and the L2501.
I have 10 acres, 6 acres being flat field, 4 acres being lightly wooded. My main use of the tractor would be to make & maintain a driveway to a future homesite and bush hogging the 6 acres. I would also like to clear off part of the wooded area with my bush hog.
My concerns with the L2501 is that it doesn’t have enough PTO HP to run the larger 5 foot implements.
my concern with the B2601 is that it is not heavy enough to easily make a driveway and has a less capable bucket.
Any and all advice/experience is appreciated!

 

[jimh406]

Although they are nearly the same HP, the L2501 is a much larger tractor with much larger engine. My dealer actually recommended a 6 ft rotary cutter for my L2501. Worse case, you could drive a little slower with a 5 ft rotary cutter, but for sure, it will handle everything including a rotary cutter better than the B2601. The L2501 does not have a midmount mower or mid PTO if you plan to use a midPTO.

If you haven’t, do take a look at Messick’s, GP Outdoors, and My Cluttered Garage on youtube. They each have several videos that feature the B2601 although Messick’s shows a lot of other models and GP Outdoors upgraded to a LX.

 

[lthomas24]

Thanks for you reply! This will be my first tractor I’ve purchased. I have watched every video I can find on those 2 tractors. That actually was one of the concerns. I love the Messick’s videos.. Neil from Messick’s was saying that the L2501 wasn’t a great mowing tractor which concerned me. Then I got to looking at the land pride rotary cutters and a lot of them required 20 PTO HP minimum (L2501 having 19 PTO HP with the HST) I wasn’t sure how that would effect performance.

 

[Roadworthy]

I use a five foot brush hog type mower on my ten acres - none of which is really flat. My l2501 has absolutely no problem with the mower. I would not have wanted a lighter tractor (like the B series) due to my concern for the "tail wagging the dog". I also run a five foot box blade when needed.

 

[edritchey]

I think unless you need a mid pto the B2601 offers for some reason the L2501 would be a better choice for what you want to do because cutting roads is always going to be easier with a bigger heavier machine.

 

[NCL4701]

My concerns with the L2501 is that it doesn’t have enough PTO HP to run the larger 5 foot implements.
my concern with the B2601 is that it is not heavy enough to easily make a driveway and has a less capable bucket.

Looking at specs on TractorData, L2501 with HST is 19.0 HP at PTO. B2601 is 19.5 PTO HP. So to your concern that the L2501 may not have enough HP, if the L2501 doesn’t have enough HP the B2601 won’t have enough either. 0.5 HP is a nominal difference in practice in 20 +/- HP machines.

The difference in performance would be more related to weight. Weight is necessary for pulling implements such as blades, rippers, etc. It also impacts loader capacity.

The advantage of the B is the mid-PTO and lighter weight making it easier on the ground (important for yard type work). The advantage of the L is it weighs more and is overall larger so it will lift and pull more. HP isn’t a technical tie, but it is a practical tie.

 

[Deleted member 47704]

Don't look at the HP numbers look at the torque numbers, the hp numbers may be the same but the engine in the L2501 is larger and has more torque.

 

[jimh406]

As Old Bob said, there is more to engine power than HP when there is a lot more displacement.

 

[trueg50]

B2601 has some nicer creature comforts, the mid-pto, and is quite a bit lighter. Great for your use if you are working on finished property (finish mowing, running mulch around etc..), or want a smaller tractor but for heavier use I think an L series would handle that work better/quicker. I myself would have gone L series, but I needed a tractor that could do everything including potentially mowing and went with a B2601 (that I am quite happy with currently).

As far as for the work you mentioned, an L will do all that, and a B will too (but slower), though on the "road building" I'd vote that you rent a mini-excavator, skid steer or hire out to do the first parts of the road (clear, shape, large rock) and leave the finish bits to the tractor with a box blade. Andrew Camarata has a good bit of some driveway building videos.

 

[Elliott in GA]

While you are looking, you might also want to consider the LX2610SU. You can see what I run on mine in my signature. The LX SU costs a little less (HST, 4WD) (the price spread was about double when I bought mine) than the L2501, but it has the more ergonomic operator's station (completely subjective - but flatter floor, loader stick at your thigh and etc.) The L2501 has a little more lift capacity at the same height and about 800 lbs. of extra weight. They have the same or nearly the same tires.

 

[Freeheeler]

If your looking specifically at lift capacity... at the pins
L2501 max is 1131 lbs with the LA 525 loader
B2650 1407 LA 534
LX2601 1324 LA 535
B2601 948 LA435

Point being the LX, even though a lighter tractor, actually lifts more than the L. Lift capacity has to do with hydraulics and not tractor weight. If you plan on ground engagement work (plowing, etc.) than the heavier tractor wins easily.

 

[Elliott in GA]

If your looking specifically at lift capacity... at the pins
L2501 max is 1131 lbs with the LA 525 loader
B2650 1407 LA 534
LX2601 1324 LA 535
B2601 948 LA435

Point being the LX, even though a lighter tractor, actually lifts more than the L. Lift capacity has to do with hydraulics and not tractor weight. If you plan on ground engagement work (plowing, etc.) than the heavier tractor wins easily.

Messick's has a video on lift capacity comparing the LX and L2501, and the L2501 actually has a little more lift capacity at any given height. The overall number for the L is slightly lower, but that is a result of the L being able to lift a little higher than the LX.

I have been extremely pleased with the capacity and lift height of my LX, but the L does enjoy an advantage in both.

I bought the LX SU over the L2501 due to: the LX SU met all of my needs/tasks, LX SU was about $1,500 less (FEB of 2021), LX SU had the same big tires, liked the LX SU operator's station better and finally LX SU was available for immediate delivery (dealer had 2 in stock with loaders) with everything in my signature.

 

[Freeheeler]

Messick's has a video on lift capacity comparing the LX and L2501, and the L2501 actually has a little more lift capacity at any given height. The overall number for the L is slightly lower, but that is a result of the L being able to lift a little higher than the LX.

I have been extremely pleased with the capacity and lift height of my LX, but the L does enjoy an advantage in both.

I bought the LX SU over the L2501 due to: the LX SU met all of my needs/tasks, LX SU was about $1,500 less (FEB of 2021), LX SU had the same big tires, liked the LX SU operator's station better and finally LX SU was available for immediate delivery (dealer had 2 in stock with loaders) with everything in my signature.

I got those numbers from the Kubota site. Unless it's a typo, at the pins at whatever height they measured it at, the LX out lifts the L. The L does have a physically larger (longer reach loader) and can lift up to 94.3" vs the 84.6" height of the LX and (and the B2650), but as far as max lift weight, the LX wins by a small margin.
Theory says that with the same hydraulic capacity, the shorter reach loader should lift more weight than the longer reach loader. I'll double check the numbers on the site, I don't want to give out false info. I'll also check out the Messick's video.

 

[Freeheeler]

Typed in l2501 vs LX 2601 and the Messick's video was interesting. It did compare the LA525 loader with the LA535. It did not show any lift numbers for at the ground, only at carrying height. Personally I never carry anything that high, I usually keep heavy loads as low to the ground as feasible. I'd be interested to see him compare lift numbers from ground to 10".

I also noted the LA 535 was on the LX2601 while the LA525 was on an L3901. Big difference in hp. I don't know if the 3901 hydraulics has higher capacity than the 2501 or not. If pressure capacity is the same then it was a fair comparison.

Sorry for the thread jack, but interesting stuff I think.

 

[Elliott in GA]

Typed in l2501 vs LX 2601 and the Messick's video was interesting. It did compare the LA525 loader with the LA535. It did not show any lift numbers for at the ground, only at carrying height. Personally I never carry anything that high, I usually keep heavy loads as low to the ground as feasible. I'd be interested to see him compare lift numbers from ground to 10".

I also noted the LA 535 was on the LX2601 while the LA525 was on an L3901. Big difference in hp. I don't know if the 3901 hydraulics has higher capacity than the 2501 or not. If pressure capacity is the same then it was a fair comparison.

Sorry for the thread jack, but interesting stuff I think.

Same hydraulic system/same loader 2501 and 3901.

The L will lift slightly more at every height versus an LX.

 

[Freeheeler]

Same hydraulic system/same loader 2501 and 3901.

The L will lift slightly more at every height versus an LX.

I rechecked numbers. There was a typo. Looking at 3 different sources on the kubotausa site, the first one I found had the 1131 max at pin for the LA525. I kept searching and in 2 other brochures it had the same value listed as 1431, which is in fact more than the LA534 value of 1407 in all 3 sources.

Lesson learned, triple check the spec sheets, they can be wrong.

 

[Rdrcr]

I've owned both the B2601 and L2501. I had the B2601 for around 10 months and I've owned the L2501 for just over a year now.
They're both great options and will be able to do the work you've listed above.

I replaced the B2601 and purchased the L2501 only because there were some jobs on my property (undeveloped 5 acres of forest) where I needed more tractor weight for land engagement jobs and also for some situations where the B2601 couldn't lift an object that I wanted moved.
Plus, I no longer needed a mid-PTO (I purchased a zero-turn mower). The L2501 was perfect for my needs.

If you don't need a mid-PTO or any of the amenities of the deluxe B2601, I would strongly recommend the L2501 for your listed applications.

If you have any specific questions regarding both tractors, please don't hesitate to ask.

Mike

 

[Mossy dell]

I love my B2601 but for your place agree with those who recommend one of the bigger 25s.

I do run a 5' Land Pride cutter with no problems. But I noticed after I got it from my dealer that my manual recommends a 4' for my tractor. The bigger 25s might be okayed for a 5', you'd have to check.

For years, I ran a 6' King Kutter on my 33 hp tractor. It depends on your pasture, If rough and grown up, I might hire it done first and then keep on top of it.

 

[JimmyJazz]

Looking at specs on TractorData, L2501 with HST is 19.0 HP at PTO. B2601 is 19.5 PTO HP. So to your concern that the L2501 may not have enough HP, if the L2501 doesn’t have enough HP the B2601 won’t have enough either. 0.5 HP is a nominal difference in practice in 20 +/- HP machines.

The difference in performance would be more related to weight. Weight is necessary for pulling implements such as blades, rippers, etc. It also impacts loader capacity.

The advantage of the B is the mid-PTO and lighter weight making it easier on the ground (important for yard type work). The advantage of the L is it weighs more and is overall larger so it will lift and pull more. HP isn’t a technical tie, but it is a practical tie.

Look at the engine displacement numbers. The L2501 is considerably larger.

 

[DDCD]

Although they are nearly the same HP, the L2501 is a much larger tractor with much larger engine. My dealer actually recommended a 6 ft rotary cutter for my L2501. Worse case, you could drive a little slower with a 5 ft rotary cutter, but for sure, it will handle everything including a rotary cutter better than the B2601. The L2501 does not have a midmount mower or mid PTO if you plan to use a midPTO.

If you haven’t, do take a look at Messick’s, GP Outdoors, and My Cluttered Garage on youtube. They each have several videos that feature the B2601 although Messick’s shows a lot of other models and GP Outdoors upgraded to a LX.

In no way will the L2501 be able to run a 6' mower. Your dealer is an idiot if he told you that. A 6' mower is almost as long and 1/3 the weight of a 2501. My 45HP tractor struggles sometimes with a 5' mower in heavy 6' grass. I haven't hooked it up to my 2501 but I'm guessing it would suck more.