Looking at buying.

[Beefranks]

Hello everyone!

This is my first post on this forums. I have been reading these for some time trying to figure out what tractor to buy. I have looked at many different brands and have decided on Kubota but I am still unsure on what would be the best one for me.

I have been looking at compact tractors and could use some advice. The applications that i will be needing to use this tractor is for a 3 acre property that i am trying to fully overhaul over the next couple years. I will be needing to dig a bunch of new irrigation lines, holes for planting trees, cleaning up a crap ton of cottonwood trees, snow removal via plowing or blowing, wood chipping, spreading LOTS of wood chips and compost.

That sums it up pretty much the main issues with digging on my property is my soil has quite a bit of cobble rock in it in some areas. my neighbor has a MX series that i have used that is 50HP and it has zero issues with my soil. I would prefer to not have to spend so much and have something smaller.

Any advice would be amazing! thank you in advance for any advice.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Hello everyone!

This is my first post on this forums. I have been reading these for some time trying to figure out what tractor to buy. I have looked at many different brands and have decided on Kubota but I am still unsure on what would be the best one for me.

I have been looking at compact tractors and could use some advice. The applications that i will be needing to use this tractor is for a 3 acre property that i am trying to fully overhaul over the next couple years. I will be needing to dig a bunch of new irrigation lines, holes for planting trees, cleaning up a crap ton of cottonwood trees, snow removal via plowing or blowing, wood chipping, spreading LOTS of wood chips and compost.

That sums it up pretty much the main issues with digging on my property is my soil has quite a bit of cobble rock in it in some areas. my neighbor has a MX series that i have used that is 50HP and it has zero issues with my soil. I would prefer to not have to spend so much and have something smaller.

Any advice would be amazing! thank you in advance for any advice.

Everything your saying can be done with a BX on up, so my suggestion would be go to a dealer and plant your backside in some seats and get a feel for the size and options avalible.

 

[Creature Meadow]

NIW has the right idea in my opinion.

For me I have 12 acres and have a friend who will rent me a mini excavator for 200 a week delivered so the backhoe was never in my plans.

I did know the L3400 was too small to pull my land plane so the L3800 was my choice. I say too small it would do it but the plane full of rock it struggled so bigger is better right...

I didn't want too big because it serves as my garden tractor as well.

I found my L4600 a few miles from my house worked out a deal back in 2014 and have been please ever since. She had 176 hours on her and this week will surpass 400, not a lot of hours but enough to know it is right for my intended use.

Good luck and one size bigger than what you think you will need and never look back

Jay

 

[Timmer92]

Tough call as 3 acres isn't a huge justification for a big tractor. Budget is certainly part of the equation. We had a BX. It was our first experience with a tractor and it served us fairly well. That being said, we upgraded to a L3901 after 3 years and are thrilled to have made the switch, although the payment is certainly much bigger as well. My experience with the BX:

- Used an auger with a 6" bit in sand just fine. We had to go very slow when traveling as the auger was just barely off the ground. Once in a while we would bottom out over uneven terrain, but it certainly was functional.

- Used a blade to move snow. There was a fair amount spinning. This was one of the "justifications" we used to upgrade to a bigger tractor, although it wasn't a chief complaint at the time. It got the job done. I can tell you though, the difference is night a day with our new tractor. We don't spin at all plowing, and can push over big piles. Also, the blade is much bigger, making much quicker work. To be fair, on the BX we did not try to add weight, which may or may not have helped with the spinning.

- The bucket was fine for the minor amount of dirt work we did - leveling paths between fields, scraping the driveway, and hauling things like firewood. For any lifting purposes, where something was attached underneath the bucket, or if you needed to get something off of a trailer, it just flat out wasn't tall enough. This was a huge complaint and one of the two big reasons we switched. Lifting just isn't a capability of the BX.

- Implements are limited both by size of engine and size of tractor. We have 14 acres and were starting to plant a 5 acre pasture. The equipment that was available to us, even though they were small hobby farm sized, were still too big (disc, broadcast spreader, etc) This was another big reason for changing.

Good luck with your decision. If money isn't a a major consideration, then I would say you won't ever complain about having a bigger tractor.

 

[Roadworthy]

The BX or B series will probably fill your needs. The L series sits a little higher and doesn't cost a lot more. I've got ten acres and sprung for an L2501 as I felt it would be better for my mower. My upper limit was 25 horsepower to stay below the Tier 4 particulate filter requirement. I like simple when I can get it. Now go sit on the various sizes and see what fits you.

 

[Beefranks]

Thanks a ton for all the responses and advice. I went to the dealer today. So indrove the b2601 and it felt like a toy to me, i then drove the L2501 and the L3901 and these felt much better. The buckets for the backhoe were much more what i am looking for as well.There is a deal on the L3901 that i am waiting to hear back on, also there is a stimulus package thing releasing on the 1st of next month (i think 3-5 months till first payment). So we will see if everything aligns for it to workout.

Any of you know much about the L 2501 or L3901?

 

[Beefranks]

Tough call as 3 acres isn't a huge justification for a big tractor. Budget is certainly part of the equation. We had a BX. It was our first experience with a tractor and it served us fairly well. That being said, we upgraded to a L3901 after 3 years and are thrilled to have made the switch, although the payment is certainly much bigger as well. My experience with the BX:

- Used an auger with a 6" bit in sand just fine. We had to go very slow when traveling as the auger was just barely off the ground. Once in a while we would bottom out over uneven terrain, but it certainly was functional.

- Used a blade to move snow. There was a fair amount spinning. This was one of the "justifications" we used to upgrade to a bigger tractor, although it wasn't a chief complaint at the time. It got the job done. I can tell you though, the difference is night a day with our new tractor. We don't spin at all plowing, and can push over big piles. Also, the blade is much bigger, making much quicker work. To be fair, on the BX we did not try to add weight, which may or may not have helped with the spinning.

- The bucket was fine for the minor amount of dirt work we did - leveling paths between fields, scraping the driveway, and hauling things like firewood. For any lifting purposes, where something was attached underneath the bucket, or if you needed to get something off of a trailer, it just flat out wasn't tall enough. This was a huge complaint and one of the two big reasons we switched. Lifting just isn't a capability of the BX.

- Implements are limited both by size of engine and size of tractor. We have 14 acres and were starting to plant a 5 acre pasture. The equipment that was available to us, even though they were small hobby farm sized, were still too big (disc, broadcast spreader, etc) This was another big reason for changing.

Good luck with your decision. If money isn't a a major consideration, then I would say you won't ever complain about having a bigger tractor.

Just saw you have a l3901. So you are happy with it then? Would you change anything now that you have it?

 

[Timmer92]

Just saw you have a l3901. So you are happy with it then? Would you change anything now that you have it?

We went with the L3901 over the L2501 due to engine hp. The L2501 is a 24.8 and the L3901 is a 37.5. That's a 51% jump. Other than that those 2 models are nearly identical. The L4701 has a much bigger engine yet, and the lift capacity increases significantly as well. We were at the top of our budget already with the L3901 so thus our choice.

We just got it in December so it doesn't have a ton of hours on it. That being said, we had a lot of snow and an early spring, so we've used it quite a bit for how long we have had it. So far everything about it seems far more capable than the BX.

We went with the 3rd function and a hydraulic snow blade. The bigger blade and the ability to tilt without having to get off and pull pins would now be part of our "must have" list.

You will find people talking about regen concerns. So far the only thing we notice about regen is a blinking light. The tractor functions fine through the regen cycle.

The only thing I wish I would have learned more about before making the purchase is rear remotes. I had researched the front 3rd functions up front for things like the snow blade, grapples, etc, but never thought about the back. I learned that our county has a seed drill available to rent very cheap but it requires remotes. Also, I have a 600' of driveway and will be purchasing some sortof a land plane or box blade. I understand some land planes have abilities to tilt. I can still add remotes, but it would have been cheaper to include it in my order.

Another thing we did out of the gate that I would recommend is to have ballast put in your tires - https://www.rimguardsolutions.com/beet-juice-is-better/why-its-better/ Here is another post with people's comments on this practice https://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45318&highlight=ballast

You will see that I refer to "we" when speaking of my tractor. Embarrassingly, my wife has more hours on the tractor than I do. Yesterday, while I was at work, she and my son cut down trees and made another trail between my 2 fields. I don't think we needed a trail as much as she just wanted to play on the tractor. Add "toy for wife" to the list of benefits.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[degoniaorange82]

near 100hrs on my l2501, and cant complain...one thing that might help with your tree problem is a set of forks for the fel. I have used mine lots to move logs, among other uses that don't come to mind until, hey, and you just found another way to make a job easier.

 

[bearbait]

I had an L3800 (7 acres) which was a great tractor which is now a 3901 I believe. Not too big and not too small. Whatever you decide on for what you're doing a piranha tooth bar would be very helpful, good luck with your decision.

https://www.bxpanded.com/piranha-toothbar

 

[ccoon520]

I have an L2501 on 19 acres, it works really well especially with the challenges the previous owners left for us. We have an RCR 1860 brush cutter due to the amount of growth on our property. In heavy heavy brush it'll bog it down if you go too fast. The only complaint that I have is that it is gutless in high gear but I have only ever had it in that gear once to road it for a quick trip to get tires filled.

Like a previous poster said I just use pallet forks to move fallen trees around, and it is doing a great job of cleaning up my property. I will post pictures when I get a chance but the transformation that the little 2501 has done is more than I ever imagined in the short time we have had it.

 

[Superjoe83]

I have a l3901 and I think it's a great overall tractor and is a good size for most farm work, small enough to fit in and out of tight areas, but big and heavy enough to do some meaningful work

 

[Beefranks]

So just an update on my thoughts... trying to figure this out! I talked another close dealer to me about the L series also about the B2650.

The dealer told me the l2501HST would not work well at my elevation (6500 ft). He told be with the HST you lose about 3% hp every 1000 ft of elevation. The L2501 manual would work though.


I am also concerned about what size to get for backhoe work and lift capacity of the front loader.

So far the quote i have recieved from one dealer is as follows. Each model is with loader bucket and backhoe only.

L2501 was 32k
L3501 was 37k
L4701 was 44k

I feel like these are high quotes but i may be wrong. I am also waiting for the L3301 quote and then all these quotes from 2 other dealers.

 

[Superjoe83]

those prices are a little high, for example, I bought my L3901HST with front quick attach loader, R1 tires, and a very slightly used BH77 backhoe with mechanical thumb and 16" bucket. (there was less than 5 hours on the hoe, previous owner didn't like it) for just over $29k out the door cash price.

You can get any of the Lxx01 series in a gear transmission, its not clear if the dealer made it sound like it was just the L2501

 

[Beefranks]

Just to clarify the dealer that told me about the elevation issues has not given me quotes yet. Those quotes are from a different dealer.

The L2501 was the only one he said that would need to be a gear transmission. The 3301 and up seem to work fine in HST at higher elevations.

I am hoping the more informative dealer gives me a good quote, so far they have been 10 times more helpful. Going in tomorrow to look at that location/tractors.

 

[PaulL]

I haven't heard about loss of power in an HST at elevation. Definitely an NA model loses power at altitude, where a turbo doesn't (the turbo pressurises the inlet air to a standard pressure, irrespective of outside pressure).

The L2501 is a great tractor, and has more seat of the pants power than the sticker says. It's a good size engine that's been detuned to sneak under the power threshold for emissions controls. But at altitude it could be true that it loses a bit of power. Otherwise, it's the same size and same capability as the L3901.

For your size property, a large B or a small L sounds about right. I'd have said an L was a bit more tractor than you need, but no shame in that. Given that the tractor maybe a bit larger than you strictly need, the lower HP of an L2501 may not be that big a deal - most (all?) people with them love them. No emissions makes them cheaper to buy and cheaper to fix, I also suspect their resale will be excellent as well.

I wouldn't put in irrigation pipe with a backhoe if I were doing it. I'd get a chain trencher and do it all in one go - depends I guess how much pipe you're laying. You can rent a ditch witch or similar for a day for not much money, and it'll dig way more trench than a backhoe or excavator. Backhoes are expensive, if that's your only use for one I'd save your money.

 

[dirtydeed]

Beef- your first post mentions the possibility of a snow blower. Most L series tractors don't have a mid-pto which would limit you to only a rear blower.

Personally, I think an L series on 3 acres is a bit overkill. You'd be well served with a B. Less bulk to haul around at elevation. The larger B's take the very same backhoe as the L series and have almost the same loader specs.

Best of luck to you.

 

[budice81]

I just sold my l2501 . Did almost everything i wanted , but with Hst , backhoe and loaded tires. it just didnt have power on hills and if you have to road it, high gear is useless..imagine manual shift would prob be much better for those issues.
from some of those quotes ,you could almost be in a baby grand L. I have a L3560 LE sittin at dealer waitin on backhoe subframe to come in now . also can get a front mount snow blower on those models..Also has option of a better loader. L2501 is a beast for 25 hp but to me it is a model for new tractor owners and couple years later youll want to upgrade.. just my opinion thou..

 

[Beefranks]

Awesome responses guys! Thanks for all the input so far. So i went to the 2nd dealer now and actually got my wife to test drive as well. I think we are probably going to go with the b2650 there is one that has 17 hours on it that a local ice rink rented to snowblow the ice when it snowed. It can be sold as a demo, not used so same finance options.

So the options it would come with is

B2650
Full covered cab
Back hoe with both 16 and 12 inch bucket
Front loader
Priced at $34,066 out the door with delivery.

Or i could get a

New B2650
Backhoe with 12 inch bucket
Front loader
Front hydraulic line hookup
For $29,850 out the door with delivery.


How do those prices hold up?

I really loved the cab. It can get -30 here and has stayed
- 20 for 3 weeks in a row before with stupid wind. My wife will also be using this when im working and she gets cold a 75 deg weather. So is the cab worth it? Can anyone chime in that got one and wish they didn't or ones that didn't get the cab that wish they did?

We test drove earlier and it snowed this morning with high winds. My wife jumped in there to test dive and was super toasty. The main thought is we can add attachments later but not the cab. So do i go with less attachments now? Or get more without the cab?

Last thing, we have no hills on our property. Just a small incline on our road that's hardly noticeable.

Man this is the most i have spent on anything besides a house. So any outside perspective is welcome.

 

[Fordtech86]

Awesome responses guys! Thanks for all the input so far. So i went to the 2nd dealer now and actually got my wife to test drive as well. I think we are probably going to go with the b2650 there is one that has 17 hours on it that a local ice rink rented to snowblow the ice when it snowed. It can be sold as a demo, not used so same finance options.

So the options it would come with is

B2650
Full covered cab
Back hoe with both 16 and 12 inch bucket
Front loader
Priced at $34,066 out the door with delivery.

Or i could get a

New B2650
Backhoe with 12 inch bucket
Front loader
Front hydraulic line hookup
For $29,850 out the door with delivery.


How do those prices hold up?

I really loved the cab. It can get -30 here and has stayed
- 20 for 3 weeks in a row before with stupid wind. My wife will also be using this when im working and she gets cold a 75 deg weather. So is the cab worth it? Can anyone chime in that got one and wish they didn't or ones that didn't get the cab that wish they did?

We test drove earlier and it snowed this morning with high winds. My wife jumped in there to test dive and was super toasty. The main thought is we can add attachments later but not the cab. So do i go with less attachments now? Or get more without the cab?

Last thing, we have no hills on our property. Just a small incline on our road that's hardly noticeable.

Man this is the most i have spent on anything besides a house. So any outside perspective is welcome.

Cant offer much towards the tractor your looking at (besides many happy 2650 owners that seem to be on here). I would love a cab with A/C, but my property is not cab friendly.

Does your dealer have both the units in stock? Obviously they have the demo, but do they have the new one as well? I only ask given my time in the dealership world (automotive). Couple things I see are the b2650 is getting replaced with a new model and the way the economy is headed, better deals are coming I would imagine.