L2501 for Hilly, rocky ground?

[Hill farmer]

Hi Everyone,

New member here looking at buying a new L2501. I'm drawn to this model because of the lack of DPF emissions device and the sub $20,000 price.
My question is will this be powerful enough for my property - 15 acres of hilly and hard packed rocky soil in North Idaho.
I want to use it for moving snow- 800' long gravel driveway, working a 1/2 acre garden, working about 5 acres of pasture, hauling wood/trees, moving rocks, and misc. hobby farm stuff.
I'm not bothered if it takes longer to get the job done than a more powereful model - I'm just not sure if it will even be powerful enough to accomplish these various tasks on a hilly property.

Thanks for your input,

Hill Farmer

 

[Eray]

I bought a new L2501 about 4 months ago. Mine is HST. I use a 5 ft bush hog on it. It handles tall grass well on fairly level ground in medium range. On steep hills I have to run it in low range to keep rpms up. It will handle it but it is not much faster than walking speed. Too slow for my 30 acres of pasture.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I don't know about a newer model but both my B7100 and my L3450 have no issues with dealing with North Idaho ground!

 

[clay45]

If you're not in a hurry it ought to be ideal. But if really hilly you will want 4wd.

 

[CaveCreekRay]

Hillfarmer,

ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY don't even consider a 2wd model. I am amazed they even sell those.

I live in the foothills here in Arizona and with the small washes and inclines on my property, I find myself getting stuck with my L3800 almost anytime I get pointed downhill -even on a slight hill. And, I have weighted rear tires. Having 4wd to get you in and out of those spots reliably means not having to walk a mile to get your pick-up and wife to come pull your machine 20 feet to get it traction. I hardy ever run in 4wd except when I get stuck. It's amazing how often that is if you are hauling material in -or I imagine mowing going downhill and then trying to turn uphill.

As for the power issue, the only downsides to more power is the cost -and whether your property handle a bigger machine. Guys with smaller lots or overhangs that would limit access by a taller machine are better off with a shorter (smaller) machine. It sounds like you have the room and getting a little more than 25 hp might be a good investment in the overall utility and enjoyment of the machine. I bought my lightly used L3800 (under $20k with three implements) on the recommendation of a buddy who has one and I really like it. Even then, there have been a couple times I coulda used 5hp more giddy-up. For what I do, 38hp is just about perfect -and I don't mow. Having a smaller tractor running at its limit for hours is going to take more out of that machine than a slightly bigger model running at 80%.

Spend the extra $$. I think in the long run, you will be very glad you did.

Also, if there is a chance your wife or any kids might want to operate the machine, HST is a wonderful option to make that happen. My wife loves running my machine and the HST is why.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Ray

 

[Hill farmer]

Thanks for the replys guys. Yes, I was definitley planning on getting a 4wd model.

In regards to it taking me longer to finish a task, I really don't mind it taking me longer than a more powerful unit- just want to know that it would be strong enough to actually get a lot of different kinds of jobs done.

As for the hilly areas - about half of the land if pretty steep and about half is somewhat flat to moderately sloping. I can keep my planting limited to the flatter areas, but it would be good to know that I could drive around on the steeper stuff to plant orchards, haul things, etc.

If I had to, for example, drive up an incline to collect firewood, what are the limits, in degrees, that it would safely handle getting up there or manuevering around on (i.e, 10 to 20 degree slopes) for example.

Would adding weight to the tires help me in my situation or would the extra weight just slow me down more?

Thanks

 

[Eray]

Mine has no problem climbing hills. I had the rear tires filled. It will climb hills with a load that scares me. Has plenty of power to cut new dirt with the front end loader. So far the only thing I haven't been able to do with it is load 1600 pound rolls of hay with the loader. It handles all my work just not as fast as I would like.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

The slope that you can work on would depend on the stability of the ground and the style of tires and weights that you are using in them, Yes get the tires loaded with beet juice (Rim Guard).

 

[Hill farmer]

So it sounds like despite only 25hp, this tractor can handle inclines ok. I guess it's all in the gearing.

This is great stuff to know- nothing better than getting the scoop from others that own one. I've never had a tractor before- I think this L2501 should be just what I'm looking for.

 

[CaveCreekRay]

HillFarmer,

Just keep your loads low (in your bucket) and go up or down a hill directly, not at an angle (cross hill). Getting tippy on a tractor gives you grey hair!

 

[olthumpa]

when you are pulling logs, chain them to the draw bar not the 3pt hitch. If they are chained to the 3pt hitch going down hill they can cause the 3pt to be pushed up to the lifted up position causing your center of gravity to suddenly be changed causing a very interesting ride. Also, going up or down a steep slope put it in 4X4. You do not have breaks on the front wheels. By putting it in 4X4 the front tires are connected to the rear through the front drive shaft thus the breaks.

 

[DocGP]

when you are pulling logs, chain them to the draw bar not the 3pt hitch. If they are chained to the 3pt hitch going down hill they can cause the 3pt to be pushed up to the lifted up position causing your center of gravity to suddenly be changed causing a very interesting ride. Also, going up or down a steep slope put it in 4X4. You do not have breaks on the front wheels. By putting it in 4X4 the front tires are connected to the rear through the front drive shaft thus the breaks.

Good thought, never contemplated that one. (Breaks)

Doc

 

[D2Cat]

When you put your tractor in 4x4 you get many breaks. One of them is you will have better control going down hill, because your front has no brakes!

 

[Hill farmer]

I'm completely new to tractors, so sorry for all the real newbie questions. I remember when researching the Kubota UTV's that it was often stated the hydro trans Kubota offered better control on descents down hill vs other UTV's that relied symply on braking.

Does the HST option on this tractor likewise give better control on steep descents than the gear trans option?

 

[CaveCreekRay]

Funny you should ask. I was driving my tractor (HST) yesterday on hills and smiled when I realized I almost NEVER use the brakes, except for the parking brake, or when I forget to release the parking brake and drive off. ("Why tractor no have power?")

I have a slight grade by my barn and when I get off with it idling, it will roll in super slow motion a foot or so and then stop. I am talking 30 seconds a foot. Probably a small amount of fluid leaking by the FWD-REV valve or it wasn't totally centered. I always marvel at whether it will stop. Sometimes it does. With the engine off, I cannot push the tractor an inch on concrete. The HST is a truly amazing design.

To answer your question. as you roll off FWD or REVERSE the machine slows down proportionally. No need to use the brakes except on the steepest grades. As someone mentioned, 4wd is the only way to get your rear brakes to slow the front tires when the rears get light, as in hauling a load downhill in the FEL. My brakes will probably last forever (if I can remember to release the parking brake when I use it!).

This is why newbies take to it right away, like my wife. One pedal makes it simple.

 

[Hill farmer]

That HST really sounds like it should work grate here. Thanks for the incite.

 

[hitechredneck]

Funny you should ask. I was driving my tractor (HST) yesterday on hills and smiled when I realized I almost NEVER use the brakes, except for the parking brake, or when I forget to release the parking brake and drive off. ("Why tractor no have power?")

I have a slight grade by my barn and when I get off with it idling, it will roll in super slow motion a foot or so and then stop. I am talking 30 seconds a foot. Probably a small amount of fluid leaking by the FWD-REV valve or it wasn't totally centered. I always marvel at whether it will stop. Sometimes it does. With the engine off, I cannot push the tractor an inch on concrete. The HST is a truly amazing design.

To answer your question. as you roll off FWD or REVERSE the machine slows down proportionally. No need to use the brakes except on the steepest grades. As someone mentioned, 4wd is the only way to get your rear brakes to slow the front tires when the rears get light, as in hauling a load downhill in the FEL. My brakes will probably last forever (if I can remember to release the parking brake when I use it!).

This is why newbies take to it right away, like my wife. One pedal makes it simple.

This reminds me of something that happened when I was probably 8 or 10 years old. My Dad used to have me drive in the fields when he was picking up hay (small, square bales 60-80 pounds each). We had an old Allis-Chalmers. I wasn't really tall enough to reach all of the pedals, so he showed me how to make the tractor stop and go using just the clutch and throttle. Worked great because the irrigation rows would stop me pretty quick with the clutch in (back then in Arizona, just about everyone used flood irrigation).

We were picking up hay for one of the local farmers for extra money one day, and at the end of the day I went to park the hay wagon where it belonged.. just at the top of a slight hill not far from the barn.

To make a long story short, Dad really should have showed me where the brake pedals were and what they did. The clutch and throttle don't stop one of those old Chalmers for beans on an incline and I ended up putting her right through the side of the barn. Dad and I spent the next weekend doing barn repairs.