L2501 - What can't it do...

[savoy9020]

My Titan pallet forks came in last week. Neighbor had 16 round bales needed moved, because his JD 710 and loader couldn't pick them up. Moved all 16 in about an hour.

I told him I was sure if I could pick them up or not, but it had no trouble at all.
Just took it slow.. and easy.

 

[chim]

The same loader (LA525) is used on the L series till you get to the 47HP model. The factory info lists the L2501 as having a system pressure of around 150PSI less than the L3301 and L3901. The L2501 pressure is 2,204# and larger L series is 2,349#, so the L2501 loader isn't a weakling by comparison.

The shortfall would be an operation that required horses. Mowing thick stuff, mowing uphill, running PTO attachments like chippers, etc. It isn't impossible to do all these things, but some would be slower. Kubota recommends different implements for tractors with different HP and weights.

The only observation I can give you first-hand does NOT involve an L2501, just a difference in HP. I had a B7500 (21HP) for years. In '12 I replaced it with an L3200 (32HP). The L3200 handles a 6' RFM with ease on the same land where the B7500 with a 5' RFM was maxed out.

 

[troverman]

A JD 710 is a significantly larger, heavier, and more powerful machine than your 2501. I'm quite surprised it couldn't move the bales but you could. Perhaps his old JD has some mechanical or hydraulic issues.

That said, the 2501 is a pretty good machine. The pricing is good, because it falls under the HP requirement for needing a DPF...and not having one is a benefit in and of itself.

Just like chim said, the biggest problem would be mowing some overgrown fields. My little B2920 has more horsepower than your 2501, and it was having a hard time getting through a heavy field with a 4-foot flail mower.

 

[Ace111799]

I have had an L2501 HST/ LA525 loader for about two months.

Sometimes I wonder if it has enough power to do what I am trying to do. I also feel like I'm being really hard on it. I have a really hilly 18 acres that is mostly trees. If I try mowing with my 5' Sitrex finish mower with the loader bucket on it struggles a little up the hills. It does have loaded tires. Without the bucket it feels fine though.

I have a pretty large creek and I dig a lot of sand and rock out of it for driveway maintenance and landscaping. If I have a bucket full of sand and rock I have bogged it down pretty bad in the mud trying to get it back up the creek bank. A couple of times I let out of it before i thought it was going to stall completely.

My neighbor has a John Deere 60 something series with a full cab and he takes his through the creek like it is nothing. He says as long as you keep the water below the cooling fan I should be good. Best I can tell that is higher than the top of the front wheels.

I use the diff lock a lot and I'm a little worried about damaging it ( I have read some horror stories)

I'm also considering a BH77 backhoe for it but I'm a little worried the tractor wont power it well enough.

Does this all sound like normal tractor use or should I be going easier on it, and stop listening to my neighbor?

 

[mjrwood]

I hear ya, I'm into my second year with my 2501 after I sold my 4700. I continue to be very pleased with it. I got out today and mowed my food plots to get them ready to spray in a few weeks, weeds and blackberry vines were over the hood. I honestly can't tell that much difference with the 2501 running a 5ft cutter from the 4700 running a 6ft cutter. I'm starting to think that my little tractor is a freak or something, I don't know. I can honestly do pretty much the same work as I did with my 47, only now I can fit in places I never could with my old one.

The only thing at times I wish I had a little more of is weight, it can feel a little tippy on slopes at times. But my tires aren't filled either, that's a trade off to be able to work in my yard without tearing up the turf quite as much.

 

[Forvols]

I have L2501/HST/4WD/FEL with loaded R4 tires. I have hilly and wooded land and fields, love the way I can get around in the woods with it. I have a 5ft cutter too and hogged down same stuff blackberries and saplings over the hood and thick, also thick 3ft tall weeds n grass. No issues, doing that. But it still feels tippy on some hills/slopes. I think part is you are riding a lot higher than a ridding mower so you definitely feel the height and angle more. I go carefully. Most times I try to do the up and down vs sideways and keep the FEL low. Always have my ROPS up and seatbelt on.

 

[Tunaslayer]

It does some substantial, and meaningful work around my house. Never been disappointed


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Don't try and take it swimming!

 

[NewtoOrange]

My L2501 is my first tractor. Some things I would change and some I would not. I put my own right fender handhold on from Messicks and would love some armrests. Thing drives like a car. In fact, last week my 91yo mother did some mowing in my pasture. I don't fill my tires and I don't leave my FEL (LA525) connected when mowing as I have gotten really good at disconnecting it. I kind of believe it is like a smart phone since this will also take me quite awhile to figure out all the things it can do. Grapple is next purchase.

 

[troverman]

I have had an L2501 HST/ LA525 loader for about two months.

Sometimes I wonder if it has enough power to do what I am trying to do. I also feel like I'm being really hard on it. I have a really hilly 18 acres that is mostly trees. If I try mowing with my 5' Sitrex finish mower with the loader bucket on it struggles a little up the hills. It does have loaded tires. Without the bucket it feels fine though.

I have a pretty large creek and I dig a lot of sand and rock out of it for driveway maintenance and landscaping. If I have a bucket full of sand and rock I have bogged it down pretty bad in the mud trying to get it back up the creek bank. A couple of times I let out of it before i thought it was going to stall completely.

My neighbor has a John Deere 60 something series with a full cab and he takes his through the creek like it is nothing. He says as long as you keep the water below the cooling fan I should be good. Best I can tell that is higher than the top of the front wheels.

I use the diff lock a lot and I'm a little worried about damaging it ( I have read some horror stories)

I'm also considering a BH77 backhoe for it but I'm a little worried the tractor wont power it well enough.

Does this all sound like normal tractor use or should I be going easier on it, and stop listening to my neighbor?

I think it's basically normal tractor use. I think your diff lock will be fine. I've heard of problems with them on the BX? Not so much the L. I've used mine extensively on my B-series. You have to really stomp it to make it engage, but it still does.

As for fording the creek...your tractor doesn't have much in the way of electronics on it. I would say keeping the fan out of the water is good, but keeping the air intake out is vital. Water on your engine won't harm it, but water in the engine will. If you get mud or silt from the creek in the radiator, that will need to be cleaned out to prevent overheating.

Tractors do bog down. Weight is an issue. Many people only think about PTO horsepower but forget the tractor has to move the weight of it and you as well. My B2920 is lighter than a 2501 but has 29HP...it does very well. My MX4800 is much heavier and will bog down. Sometimes you need to be patient and just go slow.

 

[Ace111799]

I definitely know better than to let the air intake get underwater. It has been better lately. I think I just needed some time to get used to using it and how it handles different terrain.

 

[JPB7745]

I agree with all on the L2501. I've had mine for a month and love it, moving the trees to the mill are now a breeze vs by hand with the 3-point and boom lift.

 

[coltbean]

It will pull this log with skidding tongs no problem.http://cloud.tapatalk.com/s/5becab95ae02b/VID-20181114-WA0002.mp4

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[amsoilman]

I haven’t looked at mine yet but I believe there’s a vent on the front axle. I’ll raise mine as I launch boats into lake with a tractor.

 

[amsoilman]

I also added mirrors to each side using rare earth magnets, really like them

 

[Freeheeler]

I have had an L2501 HST/ LA525 loader for about

I'm also considering a BH77 backhoe for it but I'm a little worried the tractor wont power it well enough.

My B2650 has about the same hp and similar loaders LA534. The bh77 is well balanced on her and I haven't had a bucket full yet that was heavy enough to bog her down. I leave the bh77 attached for ballast since I use it often, I only take it off when I run the box blade. I would expect the 2501 to handle the bh77 just as well.

 

[Jchonline]

I have had an L2501 HST/ LA525 loader for about two months.

Sometimes I wonder if it has enough power to do what I am trying to do. I also feel like I'm being really hard on it. I have a really hilly 18 acres that is mostly trees. If I try mowing with my 5' Sitrex finish mower with the loader bucket on it struggles a little up the hills. It does have loaded tires. Without the bucket it feels fine though.

I have a pretty large creek and I dig a lot of sand and rock out of it for driveway maintenance and landscaping. If I have a bucket full of sand and rock I have bogged it down pretty bad in the mud trying to get it back up the creek bank. A couple of times I let out of it before i thought it was going to stall completely.

My neighbor has a John Deere 60 something series with a full cab and he takes his through the creek like it is nothing. He says as long as you keep the water below the cooling fan I should be good. Best I can tell that is higher than the top of the front wheels.

I use the diff lock a lot and I'm a little worried about damaging it ( I have read some horror stories)

I'm also considering a BH77 backhoe for it but I'm a little worried the tractor wont power it well enough.

Does this all sound like normal tractor use or should I be going easier on it, and stop listening to my neighbor?

1. Mowing, snow blowing, and haying are HP intensive tasks. I am not surprised you get bogged down when moving and going up a hill with the loader on and the rears filled. Perhaps removing the FEL when mowing in hilly areas as common practice is going to work out better.

2. Backhoe - has no impact on HP. The hydraulic system on the L2501 has a bit less capacity with regards to flow than say a L4701. You wont notice much of a difference with any hydraulic tasks (FEL, BH, etc). Check with others that have a BH on the L2501 for some direct feedback. I would make a separate post on this, as it is a very expensive decision. Another thing to remember, the BH is very heavy...so with your L2501, FEL, loaded rears and a BH coming out of the creek in the mud it might be too much weight for the tractor to pull out. For the BH you will also need a subframe mount, which adds even more weight. Weight is great for most things, so just keep this in mind. The BH77 is listed at 850lbs, not sure what the subframe mount adds. Not sure if others have experience with this, hopefully some responses will help.

If you are using the diff lock because the tires are spinning, that means you are getting power to ground which is a good sign. You might just be in muddy conditions. If you are using it to try and get the tires to even move, that means you are beyond the HP capability to move the machine.

 

[troverman]

I was a skeptic of this tractor, especially the thread title. I commented a couple of times about how my B2920 has more engine and PTO horsepower.

Well, I just traded my B2920 for an L2501 with the HST transmission, R4 tires, the LA525 loader with QA bucket.

Research is good. The L2501 is a substantially larger tractor than a standard B series. However, the B2920 has a 1.3L IDI 3-cylinder. The L2501 has a 1.7L DI 3-cylinder. Although the 2501 makes 4 less engine horsepower and 2 less PTO horsepower, the engine makes 12lb-ft more torque. It also produces it's rated horsepower at 2200 RPM instead of 2800 for the B-series. This makes the tractor quieter at operation and it uses less fuel. In the end, I think the L2501 will operate the same implements I used on the B-series with ease. It's primary job will be to pull a 4-foot flail mower on hills, along with a back blade, york rake, and basic loader chores. Interestingly, the L2501 has a tiny amount *less* total hydraulic flow than my B2920, although there is slightly more for the loader. It just has less on power steering.

As I also mentioned, I bought a new MX4800 last year. I was very surprised to see the L2501 makes it's rated power at 2200 RPM vs 2700 for the MX with it's much larger, 4-cylinder engine.

For the price point, I think it's a great tractor. It is economy, sure, but all the important components are in place. Somehow I'm more excited about this machine than my MX.

The L2501 seems to be *just the right amount of tractor.* The loader bucket, at 5.5 feet, allows meaningful work to be performed. My B-series was only 4 feet, 2 inches. It can lift about 1000lbs, which is adequate for most normal tasks. The tractor is large and heavy enough for ground engaging work, but still small enough to be nimble in tighter areas. The 3-range hydrostatic is far more useful than the 2-range found on a similar spec Deere.

I think the best part is that this tractor is understressed and will likely last forever. The engine is very similar to higher-output versions in the L3301, for example...yet speed governed to a much lower RPM to fall under the Tier 4 threshold. The LA525 loader can lift a little more on the 3301 or 3901, yet is the same loader used on the 2501, so it won't work hard.

Anyway, I won't be able to pick it up until next week, but I'll try to remember to post pics.

 

[dlundblad]

Why did you trade the B in for the L?

 

[SidecarFlip]

It won't farm and it certainly won't power a round baler, not enough pto power and not enough machine weight. Won't run a disc mower, not enough power and weight again. Might make a good rake tractor though (with a sun canopy to keep the sun off your head).

Might run a square baler, maybe but machine weight is too light again. PTO power is good though. Won't pull a turning plow more than a single bottom though it will pull a disc. Not enough machine weight or power to run a chopper (brush hog) of any size. Certainly not a bat wing like I run.

Fine as a residential unit for a homeowner, not good for ground engagement or haying.