New tractor-B2401

[El Jefe]

I just picked up a new B2401 today. By the time I got home from the dealer it was late so I only had time to unload it, move a few things around and put it in the shop but my initial impressions are that its very ergonomic and easy to operate, its very small (TINY!) and maneuverable and there is a safety switch on everything. I've never had a tractor with any safety switches, this needs to be in neutral with the clutch in and firm pressure on the seat or it wont start (thats gotta go). I really like the foot throttle and the SSQA loader. I can't believe how easy it is to remove the loader, my first time doing it took maybe a minute.

Overall I am super happy with my decision. I deliberated between L2501 and B2401 for a while and I was afraid that such a small machine would have serious limitations but I think this will be perfect for my property. One operational difference between the B and L, the L has reverse on the range selector and the B has it on the transmission. The range selector is on the left on both tractors but the B2401 gear lever is on the right, just behind the loader control so its really easy to move from one to the other when doing loader work/maneuvering. Its not a synchro transmission but its so smooth and it will shift as fast as I want it to.

 

[dalola]

Very nice, congrat's!

 

[UpNorthMI]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new machine, it looks like you have a nice set up with the added forks and box blade. It's amazing what these little machines will do. Time to get out and experiment with it. Have fun and good luck

 

[wgator]

Congrats on the new tractor. Bet when you're on it no one could knock the smile off your face even with a sledge hammer.

 

[PaulL]

One operational difference between the B and L, the L has reverse on the range selector and the B has it on the transmission.

So, the L has reverse and then presumably 4 gears on the transmission all in reverse? Where the B has reverse and then 3 ranges of reverse. Not that much difference, but interesting.

 

[El Jefe]

For me the layout is more significant than the mechanical differences. The L has 4 gears on the center floor mounted shifter and H-N-L-R on the range selector to the left of the seat. The B has L-M-N-H on the range selector to the left of the seat and R-1-2-3 on the gear selector to the right of the seat. My one nit pick with the L is that when working with the loader your right hand controls the loader valve and your left hand shifts from F-R so you're always switching hands on the wheel. The B has the two controls right next to each other which is really handy. I don't think this is new as I seem to recall the B2320 having this setup but it sure is nice to operate.

 

[PaulL]

Really interesting. So the L is a 2 speed range selector, plus reverse, and 4 speed main transmission. So 2 x 4? The B is 3 speed range selector and 3 speed main transmission, so 3x3? About the same number of gears either way, but I'm surprised that the L is a 2 speed range selector.

 

[El Jefe]

I put a couple hours on the new tractor today, I like it a lot. So far I wouldn't change a thing but I do need to add some more weight because it runs out of traction very quickly.

Maybe I just need to learn the limitations of the tractor but the loader capacity is less than I expected. I had a number of logs that I could physically move (not lift) but the tractor wasn't able to get them off the ground. I was pulling a few fence posts and without any ballast the loader maxed out at only a few feet off the ground. I expected that it would lift the rear wheels before running out of lift without any weight on the 3ph, does this sound right or should I check my hydraulic pressure?

 

[UpNorthMI]

I put a couple hours on the new tractor today, I like it a lot. So far I wouldn't change a thing but I do need to add some more weight because it runs out of traction very quickly.

Maybe I just need to learn the limitations of the tractor but the loader capacity is less than I expected. I had a number of logs that I could physically move (not lift) but the tractor wasn't able to get them off the ground. I was pulling a few fence posts and without any ballast the loader maxed out at only a few feet off the ground. I expected that it would lift the rear wheels before running out of lift without any weight on the 3ph, does this sound right or should I check my hydraulic pressure?

I would recommend you either have a ballast box or attachment on the back as you test out your loader..I suggest that you check you have the correct level of hydraulic fluid in your tractor. Other than that you need to make sure your revs are high enough to pump enough fluid and generate the correct hydraulic pressure. Try it with the revs at the level needed for the pto setting. Let us know how it works out. Were you just using the bucket on the front?

 

[PaulL]

I was pulling a few fence posts and without any ballast the loader maxed out at only a few feet off the ground. I expected that it would lift the rear wheels before running out of lift without any weight on the 3ph, does this sound right or should I check my hydraulic pressure?

Doesn't sound right. I think that loader lifts 400kg / 800lbs approx, and should lift that to full height. Are you superman and can move that much by hand?

 

[El Jefe]

I meant to attach a pic to my prior post, the posts I pulled were without ballast because I wasn't moving any weight on the loader and I wanted to see how the tractor handled. I wouldn't drive around with weight on the loader and no ballast. While moving logs I had my box blade on the 3PH. It never felt unstable and I was on some pretty steep/uneven ground. I want more weight for traction than just the box blade. I'll probably fill the tires and go with weights as the ag tires only hold 12 gallons each (from what I've read).

As for the lift, the log in the picture was pretty heavy. I could barely push it around on the ground but the tractor lifted it-if felt like it was right at the max. I was on very uneven ground so I only lifted it high enough to move. There was one log a little bit bigger that I was also able to move it slightly but the tractor couldn't lift, I definitely dont think it was 800 lbs.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll check my hydraulic fluid level tomorrow and I will probably end up getting a gauge to test my hydraulic pressure. I did try varying revs and lift seemed to max out below 2,000 RPM's but I wasn't paying close attention to it.

 

[PaulL]

I did try varying revs and lift seemed to max out below 2,000 RPM's but I wasn't paying close attention to it.

Yes, there's a sweet spot of revs you need to get full hydraulic pressure, beyond that point you get more flow but not more pressure (i.e. the loader moves faster, but doesn't lift more). About 2000 RPM sounds about right.

Box blade is suitable ballast - so no, no ballast box, but not unballasted. That log doesn't look too heavy, but it is a bit out beyond the forks - the loaders are very sensitive to how far away from the "pins" the weight is - that's all extra leverage that makes it harder to lift. The rating is usually either at the pins, or some specified distance forward of the pins. Weight of logs can be deceptive though, and if that log is hardwood and/or wet it could weigh a lot.

 

[El Jefe]

I was just going over everything on the new tractor and the tires are filled with water (and at 35PSI). I dropped the pressure down to 18PSI (which still feels to high) and will see how it goes. The dealer didn't mention filling the tires but I'm glad they did and that explains some how how I felt about the loader.

 

[jbolt001]

Nice to finally find some posts about the B2401! I have one on order. Should be delivered the first week of August. Seems these are now back ordered but my dealer was able to find one on the ground at another dealer and did some trading to get it for me. I'm getting mine with the FEL, 54" box blade and quick hitch. I have a straw rake and bolt on debris forks coming. Strongly considering the pallet forks in the future.

One of my primary uses with be maintaining 450' of gravel driveway and we share a 1/2 mile gravel private road with half a dozen other property owners of which only two others are contributing to the maintenance. I will be adding top and tilt to the 3 point.

 

[El Jefe]

Nice to finally find some posts about the B2401! I have one on order. Should be delivered the first week of August. Seems these are now back ordered but my dealer was able to find one on the ground at another dealer and did some trading to get it for me. I'm getting mine with the FEL, 54" box blade and quick hitch. I have a straw rake and bolt on debris forks coming. Strongly considering the pallet forks in the future.

One of my primary uses with be maintaining 450' of gravel driveway and we share a 1/2 mile gravel private road with half a dozen other property owners of which only two others are contributing to the maintenance. I will be adding top and tilt to the 3 point.

Very cool, I haven't seen anyone else here that has one. I just hit 25 hours and still really like the tractor. I have a LP 54" box blade and I've used it for grading but keep it on for ballast most of the time. Also, I have pallet forks and use them as much as the bucket. What tires did you go with?

 

[jbolt001]

No there don't seem to be too many, at least for those who participate in online forums. I would be curious to know how many have been sold in north america so far.

My dealer was only familiar with the B2401 because he has another customer who ordered a B2410DTN, narrow version. It was still on a pallet waiting to be assembled when I first went to look. They had no new 'B' series tractors on the lot, only BX's, some L and M models. I was able to operate a B2301 they had in for service.

I went with the R4 Industrial tires. Seemed like the best compromise for my use.

I have driven tractors for work in my youth but this will be the first one to own. Did you look at other brands before deciding on the Kubota? I was strongly considering the Kioti CK2510 in manual but the dealer wanted $2K more equipped similarly, no discount for paying cash and would take 8-10 weeks minimum to get. I didn't get a positive customer friendly vibe either from any of the staff I spoke with and the whole setup seemed less professional. Kubota was just the opposite.

 

[El Jefe]

If you’re going to do anything heavy with the loader I would fill the tires. My R1’s are filled and I still find that I need an implement on the 3ph if I’m lifting anything heavy. The R4s hold a lot more fluid than my R1s (12 gal each) and it would be nice not to need to connect my box blade every time I want to move a log or something heavy. In hindsight I wonder if the R14’s might have been A better choice but traction is my biggest limitation and I was afraid to compromise so I went with R1s.

As for shopping I pretty much decided to go with Kubota after very little internet research. I wasn’t interested in a hydrostatic tractor and there aren’t many small gear tractors on the market. I did look at the Kioti CK2520 but it’s closer in size to the L2501 but the nearest dealer is 4 hours away and they only stocked the hydrostatic tractors so I pretty quickly ruled kioti out. The JD 3025D is nice but too large and too expensive. I wanted something that was easy to get parts for and Kubota has a good dealer network and seems to have the majority of the small tractor market and resale value seems great. When I started looking in February the B2401 wasn’t available yet and I figured I’d need to go with a B2320 or L2501. I was just about to settle for a L2501 and my dealer secured a B2401 which is what I really wanted. About half the time I wish I had the L but the other half I’m really glad I don’t have a larger machine.

 

[TractorTimeAdventure]

I just picked up a new B2401 today. By the time I got home from the dealer it was late so I only had time to unload it, move a few things around and put it in the shop but my initial impressions are that its very ergonomic and easy to operate, its very small (TINY!) and maneuverable and there is a safety switch on everything. I've never had a tractor with any safety switches, this needs to be in neutral with the clutch in and firm pressure on the seat or it wont start (thats gotta go). I really like the foot throttle and the SSQA loader. I can't believe how easy it is to remove the loader, my first time doing it took maybe a minute.

Overall I am super happy with my decision. I deliberated between L2501 and B2401 for a while and I was afraid that such a small machine would have serious limitations but I think this will be perfect for my property. One operational difference between the B and L, the L has reverse on the range selector and the B has it on the transmission. The range selector is on the left on both tractors but the B2401 gear lever is on the right, just behind the loader control so its really easy to move from one to the other when doing loader work/maneuvering. Its not a synchro transmission but its so smooth and it will shift as fast as I want it to.

Congrats an your new tractor.

 

[B737]

I got to see a B2401 today at the dealer, what a perfectly sized machine. It was a little bigger than a BX but a little smaller than a B. I feel like this would be perfect for small / medium residential properties, like mine, where the bx can sometimes be too small but other times is just right. It’s too bad Kubota doesn’t make a B2401 w HST!

 

[PaulL]

Isn't it exactly the same size as a B2601 but with gear instead of HST?