L2501 Hydraulics - How far is too far?

BAP

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2012 Kubota 2920, 60MMM, FEL, BH65 48" Bush Hog, 60"Backblade, B2782B Snowblower
Dec 31, 2012
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Once you cut the wires on the injection pump, you own any repair on the tractor, even if it would have been covered under warranty. So it is the owners choice if they want to go that route and risk paying for any repairs later on. Everyone has to make up their own mind, just don’t expect someone else to cover your mistakes.
 

Joel K

New member

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L2501
Nov 22, 2018
23
0
1
Bay City MI
My take on your take is simply buy a bigger unit, or... As you increase the pressures exerted on various hydraulic components you shorten their useful life so when stuff starts happening (and it will) and you are out of warranty, you get to foot the bills for the repairs.

Not how I roll, at all.
I went from a B2650 to an L2501 which was my increase in tractor size. Any bigger would be too big for what I do. I chose to increase my hydraulic pressure and rpms to bring out the full potential of the tractor. Look at the Kioti tractors and the specs. I believe they push them a little more than Kubota does. There is a safety factor built into the Kubotas that imo can be pushed some. Most people choose to keep thier tractors factory stock and that is probably the best idea for most people. I know several contractors that run Kubota equipment and they increase the pressures on the hydraulics. Mostly tractors and excavators. And none of them told me they ever had issues with it and in fact many had it done by a dealer. I won't say which dealer.

I'm just sharing what I've done to my tractor and my experience doing so. People that wish to modify thier tractor I think realize there is always a risk.
 

quazz

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Bota,
How high did you go with the pressure? I have not even checked mine but seeing how yours was under spec I plan to do so. I would like more lift but do not want a bigger tractor. I operated several forklifts as a youth and know how to deal with load limitations. In other words I've had the rear wheels dance.



Joel K,
To increase RPM did you just cut the wire and adjust the screw? You can PM me your answer is you want as several people on OTT will vapor lock at the idea of anyone cutting the safety wire and running something out of spec. I know the units are de-tuned and would like to squeak out a bit more available power. Naysayers can pound sand, It's my tractor and I'll do what I want.
I love it when people experiment with mods! Motorcycle enthusiasts seem to race to modify any new bike to improve performance and people have been modding cars since before the Model T. I kind of wait for the jury to come in on a particular mod before I follow though.
 

NHSleddog

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The first new vehicle I ever bought (at 18) was a Dodge Dakota 318 Magnum with posi-track.

So the next day I was in the back of my fathers shop (not automotive but industrial) in one of the bays with every single component of the interior out of the vehicle in a pile. Dash, seats, headliner, carpet etc, it was stripped. WHY you would ask? Well obviously the radio was no good in this brand new vehicle and needed to be addresses right away!

I will never forget the look on my fathers face when he came into the bay and saw the pile of what I was doing - this was a pre OMG, it was a full on WTF face.

Some will only be comfortable living inside the condom, some prefer life on the outside, and still some that don't recognize that there is a condom at all. I am somewhere between the second and third group.
 

Nicfin36

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L2501 HST, BH77 Backhoe, SSQA Loader ZD1011 Mower
Jun 19, 2019
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The first new vehicle I ever bought (at 18) was a Dodge Dakota 318 Magnum with posi-track.

So the next day I was in the back of my fathers shop (not automotive but industrial) in one of the bays with every single component of the interior out of the vehicle in a pile. Dash, seats, headliner, carpet etc, it was stripped. WHY you would ask? Well obviously the radio was no good in this brand new vehicle and needed to be addresses right away!

I will never forget the look on my fathers face when he came into the bay and saw the pile of what I was doing - this was a pre OMG, it was a full on WTF face.

Some will only be comfortable living inside the condom, some prefer life on the outside, and still some that don't recognize that there is a condom at all. I am somewhere between the second and third group.
Haha, I know people like you. I was 18 at one time too and remember the logic quality at that age. :D
 

NHSleddog

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Haha, I know people like you. I was 18 at one time too and remember the logic quality at that age. :D
In my case, it has been great for experience. I have never worried about modifying anything that I owned.

I am on truck 8.5 now and I still modify them to my liking. RV's, trailers, ATV's, equipment, attachments etc.

Houses are the same way, I modify the sh($ out of them, no worries. Plumbing, electrical, structural etc. My current house had 8 switches with the neutral wire switched instead of the hot wire! Passed the town inspection and everything. So should I have "risked" fixing the fire hazard left behind by the "professional electricians" and "certified inspectors"?

I applaud the modifiers, it is where a LOT of ideas come from and how a lot of improvements get added to base products.

But in the "spirit of the forum" <insert passive aggressive comment here> let me just say, It is yours, you can do what you want to it....

BUT you shouldn't because only Kubota or a Kubota tech can work on your tractor.
Don't cry to us about your warranty,
Don't cry to us about resale value.
Don't cry to us after you kill everyone in the neighborhood with your "mod".
etc.
etc.
etc.

Has ANYONE here heard someone cry about any of the above after a mod?
 

Tornado

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May 7, 2019
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This thread hits close to home for me. I wont say I "Modify everything I own" but Ive always been one who liked to understand how things worked, and that often meant taking things apart.

When I was 13 years old, computers were just starting to become popular. This was the days of the Pentium 100mhz processor. We got our first family computer around this time. It was over $2,000, had a blazing pentium 166mhz cpu. Prior to this computer I was all into radio equipment. Scanners, short wave radio, CB base station in my room with 45 foot antenna out my window. I talked skip all over the country. At 13 I was already profecient with a solder gun. I had modified scanners to pick up cell phone signals, which were analog at that time. I had modified my CB to provide talk back through headphones. Etc etc. I had boxes of old antennas and wire and things I would modify all sorts of stuff. I took an old CB Walkey talkey and wired an external antenna to it that I mounted on my bicycle. All ofthis at 12 and 13 years old. Then we got the PC - so back to that pc. I decided to take it apart one day. At this time I knew NOTHING about pc's. My dad walked in the house and I had it in pieces in the floor. He was furious with me but I told him I would put it all back together. He said well it better work just like it did! I put it all back together and it was fine, but I learned a lot in that. I would later take it apart again and perform my first overclock on the cpu, usingthe Front Side Bus of the motherboard to take the cpu from 166mhz to 187mhz.

That initial overclock was the start of a hobby that I still now, in my late 30's, enjoy. Since that day I have custom built and modified my own computers. Through highschool I got heavily into overclocking and computer modification. I broke the 1Ghz cpu speed barrier on a stock 700mhz AMD athlong cpu a full year before 1ghz cpu's were ever officially a thing. Yes I fried 1 or 2 cpu cores during this time, but it was just part of the game. This thread brings it home because Ive always been told the same things by people "Dont mess with it, you'll voidthe warantee!" "You cant do that, you need to go to college to learn that" "You aren't qualified to do that you need to call a tech" Their mind and my mind aren't built the same. Anything I work with I inevitably become an expert with - its just how I am. My computer knowledge became so strong as a teenager that it has now catapulted me into the career I'm in. I was hired for my current job strictly on word of mouth recommendation from folks who I had worked on their computers or networks. I work around people everyday who have USED computers for over 20 years, and still cant do basic things on them. This is the majority of people in fact - they learn how to go form A to B to do their job and never go any further. This is where I am different. I want to understand why A and B matter, How they are connected, how the system moves from one to another, and how the entire system functions. This is a completely natural progression for me - I can never work on something for years and still not understand it - this is incomprehensible to me. All the folks who can do that, and aren't bothered by it, they are the ones who tell you to not touch it, call someone else, you need to go to school for that. Had I followed all that advice I would be bagging groceries today for a living. I never went to college, I had zero interest in more school after high school and went straight into work. Im blessed that today I've worked myself into a good career however. You can teach yourself ANYTHING if you just have a mind to do so. Even complex subjects can be mastered solo.

At the end of the day much of this inclination, or lack thereof, is down to a persons personality. I understand where you are coming from 100% NHSleddog.
 

NHSleddog

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... At the end of the day much of this inclination, or lack thereof, is down to a persons personality. I understand where you are coming from 100% NHSleddog.
Touche' - I started on a vic20 with a cassette for storage.

There are 8 kinds of people in the world,
Those that understand binary, and those that don't!
 

quazz

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L3800 and Z411
Jan 6, 2014
296
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I think that a lot of manufacturers pay attention to the mods people do to their vehicles because it shows them potential improvements for future vehicles. I am not technically savvy enough to come up with mods but when I see one that works and makes sense to me iI will do it. Tractors seem to be left largely alone with the exception of add-ons and I don't know why that is. Maybe it has something to do with the fact they are rugged beasts and not finely tuned sports cars or bikes. I know that on my motorcycles performance mods were seemingly available by the time I got home. I love the guys who come up with these but you gotta think they have made some costly mistakes along the way too lol.
 

Freeheeler

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Equipment
b2650 tlb
Aug 16, 2018
704
519
93
Knoxville, TN
I went from a B2650 to an L2501 which was my increase in tractor size.
I know this is off topic, but I've always wondered why the ?bigger l2501 has the LA525 lower rated loader and the ?smaller b2650 has the LA534 higher rated loader. I know it's only 18 theoretical pounds difference in lift capacity, but still. The 2650 is also rated for slightly heavier lifting on the 3ph. I've always thought of the 2501 as a much heavier version of the 2650, but not necessarily an increase in tractor size. Just curious why the loader models aren't switched on those 2 models.
 

Dunbar

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L2501 LA525 QA PFL2042 Forks RCR1860 FDR1672 BB1560 EA55 WR Grapple FitRite TnT
Aug 2, 2018
215
6
18
Texas
I love the direction this thread has taken. Usually it would be a beat-down by the nay-sayers of anyone violating the sanctity of the holy throttle wire. Interestingly they did not have much to say when encountering someone who obviously knows what he's doing.

Like this guy, @greenacresnorth L2501 Turbo





He is at an altitude robbing elevation and this is his solution. I just want to get my loader to lift as least as much it is designed to do. I see others pressure gauges show their unit under spec. I want mine to go up to what is not an unreasonable pressure but that will get me more lifting power. I am willing to take the risk but want to see what others have gotten away with before diving in. That is why a thread like this is useful to those of us who are not geldings. Further, we know that this engine is de-tuned or whatever you want to call it, to meet tier 4 without strangling it with emission control crap. I'm not looking to choke my neighbors longhorn with extra smoke but want to tune the engine to get what it is capable of. So will I pester @greenacresnorth for his specs and part numbers for his turbo setup... probably not. But I do hope to hear how many turns Joel K turned his throttle screw. I almost grabbed a pair of wire cutters just to cut the wire after reading that it would detonate my warranty instantly. Like a 1970's movie where the car explodes just before impact after going off the cliff. Snap and post pic of the cut wire even though I had no plan to change the setting just to see the panic and doom from the opposition.


I have safety wire and the pliers and can re-stake the screw so it doesn't move when I get it where I want it. Do I really need to poke the bear? No, I have other things to do but it sure pisses my off when an innocent new guy comes along and suffers a major beat-down. Like Rhett when he posted a video of him hauling his tractor a few miles down the road without chaining down the loader. You would think he had a loaded gun pointed at his daughter or something while bouncing along in a pasture. He has not posted since the beat-down. Too bad, seemed like a nice guy.


So don't bother with a reply about my warranty or not wanting to buy my tractor when I sell. It's not for sale and you are just poisoning the thread to where Joel K won't bother with his rpm testing results.
 

Dunbar

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L2501 LA525 QA PFL2042 Forks RCR1860 FDR1672 BB1560 EA55 WR Grapple FitRite TnT
Aug 2, 2018
215
6
18
Texas
I like the 'quality' air filtration.....:D

From that thread @greenacresnorth said in the very next post: "Waiting on parts to finish exhaust and tie to air cleaner and we are ready for work."



I see you posted in that thread so you probably already knew that.
 
Last edited:

Joel K

New member

Equipment
L2501
Nov 22, 2018
23
0
1
Bay City MI
This thread is going much better now than I expected.

I re-read the original title. "How far is too far?". The answer is when you break something or get hurt going to far. And as this thread points out, many things we purchase are later modified. Many of those items whether it be a car, truck, atv, or even your kids battery powered Jeep need to be used with more caution. Warranty or not, there is a responsibility to many of the items we modify to use with increased caution. Those that don't , well they may end up with a cool you tube video of their stupidness.

Thanks to the people on this forum that help others including myself. I had some hydraulic questions that were answered and when my project is complete I will post it here. "Prairie Dog Backhoe modified to hook into stock Kubota sub frame". Anyone have a 24 inch bucket they wish to sell that would fit the Backhoe?

A few questions I may be able to answer in my experiences. The 525 loader is much bigger than the 534 loader. It doesn't lift more unless you mess with the relief valve. It has more reach, and is a stronger unit all together. Sit on both tractors and you will see just looking at them. I like the controls better on the 534. The B2650 is an awesome little tractor however the extra weight and larger overall L2501 suits my needs better.

My throttle screw I turned out a little at a time and kept testing it. I could reach almost 3000 rpms however it's not needed. I turned it back some to keep it lower. 2400-2500 is plenty. I don't really know the max I have it at right now since I don't sit idle watching the max throttle while not under load. Generally I run my tractor at 1800-2000 rpms for general work and 2200-2400 approximately for heavy work.

If I ever break anything due to my pushing the tractor I will post here. So far so good. My Kubota has really impressed me.

And just an FYI I'm not a newbie to equipment. I've built golf courses as a young man, worked as a golf course superintendent, learned how to farm and run farm equipment, did some forestry work and now for the last 25 years work as a director of a Health Dept. Inspecting and regulating contractors that install sewage treatment systems. My tractor now is for installing swimming pools, mostly above ground. Just a side job since the wife and her family own a pool store. Anyway, lots of different equipment I've had the opportunity to operate over 30+years.

Hopefully I can help some here and they can help me when I have tractor questions I don't know.
 

quazz

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L3800 and Z411
Jan 6, 2014
296
4
18
Rockley, NS
Most vehicle mods are for increased hp, torque or handling and the difference in performance can be significant. For me my tractor performs great as is and seems perfectly balanced. The loader easily lifts a bucket full of gravel and I can't imagine lifting anything more heavy, the motor is strong and reliable and I don't even know what top speed is since it goes faster than I need. I love mods but Kubota seems to have done an excellent job in designing a system where they aren't required, by me at least. My thinking goes to implements instead of mods. We all have different ways of looking at things and that is good.
 

Freeheeler

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Equipment
b2650 tlb
Aug 16, 2018
704
519
93
Knoxville, TN
A few questions I may be able to answer in my experiences. The 525 loader is much bigger than the 534 loader. It doesn't lift more unless you mess with the relief valve. It has more reach, and is a stronger unit all together. Sit on both tractors and you will see just looking at them. I like the controls better on the 534.
Thanks for the response. I asked the dealer that same question. His response was that essentially double the LA # and that's how much it lifts. So I said that means the 2650 will lift more than the 2501? and he said "in this case, yes". Why? He didn't know.
Your answer makes a lot more sense.
 

Tornado

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May 7, 2019
793
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63
usa
Thanks for the response. I asked the dealer that same question. His response was that essentially double the LA # and that's how much it lifts. So I said that means the 2650 will lift more than the 2501? and he said "in this case, yes". Why? He didn't know.
Your answer makes a lot more sense.
The 2650 lifts more because it has a slightly higher pump flow. Not a lot but just a tad more. It also technically has 1.2 horsepower more engine than the L2501 in gross engine power on the spec sheet. This puts it just a hair above the L2501 in lift capacities and PTO horsepower on the spec sheet, but its all on a physically smaller tractor, a lighter tractor, and an engine that is smaller (1.3 L vs 1.6 L on the L2501) So while the B 2650 has technically just a tad more horsepower, and hydraulic pump flow, it does not have as much low end torque and weight as the L2501. This is why the L2501 will almost certainly out pull a B2650, despite less 'horsepower'. The lifting capacities are so close I really dont know if that would translate into a real world lifting advantage.
 

North Idaho Wolfman

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The 2650 lifts more because it has a slightly higher pump flow. Not a lot but just a tad more. It also technically has 1.2 horsepower more engine than the L2501 in gross engine power on the spec sheet. This puts it just a hair above the L2501 in lift capacities and PTO horsepower on the spec sheet, but its all on a physically smaller tractor, a lighter tractor, and an engine that is smaller (1.3 L vs 1.6 L on the L2501) So while the B 2650 has technically just a tad more horsepower, and hydraulic pump flow, it does not have as much low end torque and weight as the L2501. This is why the L2501 will almost certainly out pull a B2650, despite less 'horsepower'. The lifting capacities are so close I really dont know if that would translate into a real world lifting advantage.
Hydraulic pump flow or GPM does not affect lift ability, it only affects the speed at which it happens.

PSI affects lift ability, hence why everyone want to turn up the system pressure. ;)
 

Joel K

New member

Equipment
L2501
Nov 22, 2018
23
0
1
Bay City MI
Thanks for the response. I asked the dealer that same question. His response was that essentially double the LA # and that's how much it lifts. So I said that means the 2650 will lift more than the 2501? and he said "in this case, yes". Why? He didn't know.
Your answer makes a lot more sense.

The number on the loader is the lift capacity in Kilograms. I think at the pivot pin. The 2650 is a little beast for its lift capacity compared to the tractor size. It surprises me the actual lift capacity of the 2501, although it can tip easily with a full load of dirt and no counter weight. Ill say the 2650 is more fun and more maneuverable. The steering is great and you can spin the steering wheel with one finger. That said its just not as heavy duty and I always felt like I was going to break it, I don't feel that way with the 2501.
 

Freeheeler

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Equipment
b2650 tlb
Aug 16, 2018
704
519
93
Knoxville, TN
I don't really do ground work, mostly loader and backhoe stuff. I wanted the lightness and ground clearance so the big B was better suited for me. If I wanted more weight, I would have gone with the L for sure. With the backhoe, counter weight is no problem and is adjustable.
Again, sorry for the thread jack.