L2501 Review

[zladig]

Hello All,
I normally just troll forums leeching information and never contribute. However I have been compelled to share my recent tractor buying experience to help others.
To start with.. I am 27. Wife, 1 kid, dogs, couple hay burners. I own 60 acres in NW IN. 20 acres leased to local farmer, the other 40 wetlands, food plots, woods, set aside. I have had an old WD for a year or so and decided I HAD to upgrade. I looked at every brand. It finally came down to JD E series vs Kubota L series. The sole reason I went with Kubota was because the JD E series come from overseas completely assembled. I am not a hardcore made in America guy but that was just too much for me. So I decided on Kubota. At this point I was torn between the 2501 and 3301. If you ask most guys on this forum the 3301 would be too small for my 60 acres.... Unless you are really farming or making hay these tractors are purely hobby maintenance machines. So yeah I'm calling out you guys that have wayyyyyyy more tractor than you need...
After a ton of back of forth I went with the 2501. And man was I nervous i was going to regret it. Turns out I LOVE this tractor. It has more than enough power than I NEED. Can I bush hog tall wet grass? Absolutely! Can I do it much faster than mid mid range. No. But if I went any faster I would be bounced to death. The loader has tons of power and moves dirt with ease. I got the tires loaded and pull my 6' disc with no problem. Actually I was pulling through some deep black dirt and the tractor actually ran out of power before it lost traction. R4 tires.. I am shocked how well this tractor does pulling the disk and running PTO implements. I am very glad I saved myself thousands of dollars over the 3301. I honestly cannot see why I would need more power.
Just my 2 cents here. I hope this helps ease others minds who are on the fence about the L2501.

 

[Forvols]

Nice to hear me being a L2501/HST owner also. But from the ridges and hills of East TN 20acres 5-6 of which is cleared the rest is mature woods. The tractor gets around in the woods really well. Tows my 5ft cutter well and cuts great. I'm really happy with mine also so far, just got it in FEB-MAR 17 timeframe. I didn't want a large tractor or cab because of all my work is mostly in the woods.

 

[D2Cat]

Zladig, it's nice when a troll jump on board!

Everyone has different situations and circumstances, so all the information (including opinions) has value to someone not sure of their next purchase when it comes to tractors.

This forum is very helpful, and civil, in how folks treat each other. Welcome, and stick around.

 

[Sabaton617]

By coincidence like the OP, I have been lurking on this site for a few months now and earlier today I registered as a member. Next week I will be signing the paperwork on new L2501 also. After watching every known YouTube video on Kubota tractors and visiting sites like this, I'm confident in my decision getting the L2501.

 

[Repair]

I love mine!

 

[REL1]

Got my 2501 a couple months ago, 112 hours so far and no problems.

 

[KennedyFarmer]

Trolling would be delibertly posting to get a rise out of the fourm users. Lerking would be a better word to use.

Glad you love your L2501.

 

[OC3]

I purchased my L2501DT in June of 2016 and it has been a wonderful tractor so far. I sold my L3710HST to buy this one. The 2501 does the same work in the same time running a 5ft mower as the 3710 did. It seems to do everything I use it for in the same amount of time never lacking for power.
I like gear trans it does not get near as hot operating in the summer as the 3710 hydro did. When I used to mow with the 3710 I usually ran the engine at slightly less rpm than optimum pto speed because it wasn't as noisy and smoother operating. With the 2501 pto speed is only about 1940rpm and the the engine is direct injection, while operating at pto speed the 2501 is so quiet I actually hear more noise from the mower gearbox than the tractor, plus no whining from a hydro trans. So I am actually getting a nicer cut at pto speed on the 2501 cause of higher blade speed. I would recommend this tractor without hesitation.

 

[Cathy Liebchen]

The size of the L2501 is perfect. You made a great choice, and no one ever goes wrong buying a Kubota. People can easily get into a size and horsepower race and end up with a too big machine. We started with the L2501 DT and within a year sold it and bought an L3901 HST. For our needs, we needed more power, particularly on the PTO when bush hogging uphill. HST is just awesome. We have lots of bush hogging, and miles of game trails, openings and SXS trails, so lots of grading, ditching, water bars, seeding, etc. Acres of pine plantation so clearing between rows of trees telephone pole sized . We have to transport it between 2 properties that are 200 miles apart. So ease of trailering was a factor. I wanted something I could loan and unload myself instead of constantly calling my son for help. And the price difference (base L2501 was $14,000; L3901 was $17,300- no cash back on 2501) was not a factor- like any sunk cost, you get all the difference back on any resale. And around here, resale on anything under 30 HP is tough due to being in the mountains.

 

[Tunaslayer]

Another happy customer. I really think the L2501's secret to success is the larger displacement and high torque numbers. It pulls so strong in low, I can't imagine any extra power making a difference, and for most "hobby" farmers, these are not production machines. I find myself often doing a certain task only once, and the tractor has never let me down.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mjrwood]

I also just bought a L2501 and so far have been very pleased with it. I had a 47 horse I'd tried to keep up 100 acres with and the 47 was just a little small for the job, but was also too large to work around my barns and house. I rented 85 acres and kept 15, so decided to get a smaller tractor and after a lot of back and forth went with the 2501.

For me it's perfect, small enough to get in my barns and around my yard, but on a frame that's just large and heavy enough. The test for me was using it to cut a field that was very overgrown. It handled it very well and never bogged down. I'm convinced I made the right choice and am glad I saved a little money not going with a larger tractor.

I still had a little more left to finish when I snapped these pics, but this gives an idea of the job it did, most of it in 4th gear low.

BEFORE

AFTER

 

[Big Rick]

I too have a L2501DT. I now have 350 hrs on mine with no issues. I also considered the L3301 but after seeing both had the same 1.7L motor, I saved some money. I assumed the difference in the two motors since they are diesels, must be the injectors. The toughest job mine has had was pulling a 4’ tiller. Typically, use is 85% mowing an 8ac pasture and occasional light bus-hogging. The boom lets me lift and carry items too heavy for my one-man operation. Equipment of course is purchased based on the job it is expected to do first, then the best “value” not necessasarly price.

 

[millsrv]

I've owned my L2501 HST now for 2 years and it has been a fantastic machine so far. I bought a used, old school Gannon Roll Over Box Scraper with ripper teeth a year ago. I was concerned that it would be too heavy for the 2501, not the case. The 2501 handles it with ease here in the rocky Sierra Foothills. My friend bought the Land Pride scraper for his L series and it simply bounces along as it is too light for our terrain. I will say that 4WD is absolutely necessary, I constantly loose traction when not using it.
I have the Kubota Backhoe also and also am very pleased with it. A hole cannot be dug here without hitting rocks and the BH powers right through them.

 

[KTM2615]

Hello everyone,
I just registered and am looking for some advice on the L2501DT. I’m thinking about buying one, just yard work, dirt road maintenance and snow removal. I only have 1.5 acres in southern Maine, would this be a good machine for snow removal?

 

[PaulL]

You're probably best making your own thread to get best responses. What sort of snow removal? With a bucket or blade you'd be fine, it has no mid-PTO so cannot drive a front snow blower, it might be a little under powered for a rear blower than can cover it's width.

 

[Cathy Liebchen]

Hello everyone,
I just registered and am looking for some advice on the L2501DT. I’m thinking about buying one, just yard work, dirt road maintenance and snow removal. I only have 1.5 acres in southern Maine, would this be a good machine for snow removal?

I would go HST

 

[KTM2615]

Thanks for the replies