B2601 Treadle Pedal hard to use

BlindBuck

New member

Equipment
B2601
Jan 3, 2020
9
1
1
PA
I have a B2601 as well and the treadle peddle is night and day from the BX2380 I traded in for it. Your hopes of loosening up over time probably won't occur. I have 118 hours on my tractor now and it is still the same. I'm used to it now though. Great tractor for me except for that one small gripe.
 
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greg86z28

Active member

Equipment
B2601
May 17, 2020
306
177
43
South Central Wisconsin
I've got 30 hours on my machine now. Honestly, I don't know if I would be able to tell if it loosened up or not. Over the course of a year or two, after you've accumulated 100 hours, I wouldn't know whether I simply got used to it or it got looser.

If you really wanted to know, you could take some sort of scale and try to measure the lbs to move the pedal. And then remeasure in the same fashion after 50 hours and see if there is any change.

For me, after owning mine since June of 2020 and putting 30 hours on mine, I've basically gotten used to it. If there was a simple fix I'd think about it, but other than that it is what it is. The B2601 is a fantastic machine in terms of features, size and capability. The big shortcomings are the seat suspension/base (the seat itself is fine) and the pedal stiffness.
 
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Frankb

Active member

Equipment
Kubota B2601, FEL, Backhoe, Belly Mower, Grapple, Rear Scrape Blade
Apr 3, 2011
239
66
28
Person County NC
If I just get used to it after a while, that would not be bad either! LOL
I don't think I have 5 hours on this one yet.
 

troverman

Well-known member

Equipment
MX6000 HSTC; 2020 Kubota Z421KW-54 zero turn mower
Jun 9, 2015
1,184
263
83
NH
If I just get used to it after a while, that would not be bad either! LOL
I don't think I have 5 hours on this one yet.
I'll take the tractor off your hands for awhile and use reverse a lot to get it broken in for you! Haha, just kidding. Heck, the pedal on my Kubota MX4800 was so soft it would stick in forward and I'd have to manually push it into reverse to get it to stop. I'd have to wiggle the pedal to get it into a neutral position just so it would start. And this was a 2018 model. My older B2920 had a little stiffer pedal if I recall...I put 500 hours on that tractor and I don't recall pedal pressure every changing. I just got used to it.
 

greg86z28

Active member

Equipment
B2601
May 17, 2020
306
177
43
South Central Wisconsin
If I just get used to it after a while, that would not be bad either! LOL
I don't think I have 5 hours on this one yet.
I think you'll get used to it. The first time I drove a B2601 I was like "what the hell?" when I had to push so hard on the reverse pedal. I don't even really notice mine now.
 

Tire Biter

Active member

Equipment
B 2601 434 loader MMM, bunch of tractor stuff . Ford 4600
Jul 10, 2012
231
80
28
S.E. TN
I’ve got 300+ hrs and it still feels the same. i probably wouldn’t mind it if I had a good knee on that side. And the cruise control is lousy on these. If they upgraded these two items I’d trade mine in a minute for a new one.
 

armylifer

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
BX1860, FEL, RCK54P MMM, BB1548 Box Scraper, Quick Hitch, Piranha Bar, BX6315
Mar 26, 2013
1,955
695
113
Thurston County, WA
I’ve got 300+ hrs and it still feels the same. i probably wouldn’t mind it if I had a good knee on that side. And the cruise control is lousy on these. If they upgraded these two items I’d trade mine in a minute for a new one.
It would be really cool if there were some way to have a hand control for the go pedal. Maybe even an electronic control of some sort.
 
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Tire Biter

Active member

Equipment
B 2601 434 loader MMM, bunch of tractor stuff . Ford 4600
Jul 10, 2012
231
80
28
S.E. TN
It would be really cool if there were some way to have a hand control for the go pedal. Maybe even an electronic control of some sort.
Right. Something like a hand operated override. Years ago I had a Cub Cadet 1450 which was hydrostatic and it had a dash mounted lever which you could set in a position and leave it there. The brake pedal over rode the lever for emergency stopping etc. simple and easy to operate hydrostatic drive. No awful treadle pedal that springs back to neutral, im trading at 600 hrs anyway to get back to new. If there’s no improvements, I’ll be looking at some other options. Not sure at this point what the other mfg.s are using for controls.
 

GreensvilleJay

Well-known member

Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
Apr 2, 2019
9,675
3,925
113
Greensville,Ontario,Canada
the 'trick' to removing/installing springs is to use a new pullcord for lawnmower/chainsaws. Loop around the end and gently pull. far better than vicegrips and NO bandaids needed....
have neighbour who needs a hand control for fwd/rev...at 97 and a polio survivour his knees aren't the best !
 

VaGlock

Active member

Equipment
B2601 FEL - BH
Jun 28, 2020
100
26
28
Central Va.
I replaced the the return spring on the linkage today on my B2601with a lighter (tension) spring and it made a noticeable difference on the effort needed to depress the pedal. I am not a big man so every little bit helped
 

Frankb

Active member

Equipment
Kubota B2601, FEL, Backhoe, Belly Mower, Grapple, Rear Scrape Blade
Apr 3, 2011
239
66
28
Person County NC
I replaced the the return spring on the linkage today on my B2601with a lighter (tension) spring and it made a noticeable difference on the effort needed to depress the pedal. I am not a big man so every little bit helped
Do you know the number or what type of spring it is to get me in the ball park? The dealer said they cannot recommend a different type of spring for safety and legal reasons and I do completely understand that reasoning. What I do to my tractor is on me and not the dealership.
 

Mudball

Active member

Equipment
L2501 HST 4WD
Aug 3, 2015
526
25
28
TN
Not sure if this has been suggested yet or not, but you could possibly compare new models at other dealer(s), just for peace of mind.
Hope you get it worked out.
 

VaGlock

Active member

Equipment
B2601 FEL - BH
Jun 28, 2020
100
26
28
Central Va.
Do you know the number or what type of spring it is to get me in the ball park? The dealer said they cannot recommend a different type of spring for safety and legal reasons and I do completely understand that reasoning. What I do to my tractor is on me and not the dealership.
I ordered (they did not stock at store) from Ace Hardware, spring number SP9668, when I ordered the website had it listed under Prime Line SP9668 when I picked it up it was packaged under the name of Handy Man SP-9668 not sure why but the spring specs were the same. This spring needs one end cut and twisted to match the original (the other end will work as is) there are two springs on the linkage this is the larger of the two.
 
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Louman

New member

Equipment
Kubota B2301 W/LA435 FEL, JD755 CUT, Sigma PTO Tiller Stevens Row Hippers
Nov 3, 2019
5
1
3
Houma, La
I ordered (they did not stock at store) from Ace Hardware, spring number SP9668, when I ordered the website had it listed under Prime Line SP9668 when I picked it up it was packaged under the name of Handy Man SP-9668 not sure why but the spring specs were the same. This spring needs one end cut and twisted to match the original (the other end will work as is) there are two springs on the linkage this is the larger of the two.
I have a B2301 that I purchased 7 months ago and only have 5 hours on it because of that horrible pedal. I have peripheral neuropathy in my legs and feet and my feet are numb most of the time, so I can't tell if I'm pressing the right spot on the pedal to make it go into reverse. Also I consider the pedal a trip hazard because it is placed in the middle of the tractor floor. I've actually fell off the machine a couple times because of this design. I have three green HSD tractors and I rather the side by side option much better. I think Kubota should offer the two pedal option even if it cost more.
 
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alfb

New member
Jul 18, 2020
16
4
3
Loomis, Ca
Just got a call from dealer about the reverse. He talked to the rep and they both say the peddle should loosen up some over time. If not, I am to let them know and they will order a new spring and replace the one on tractor. They want me to use it for a little while before they do anything and I agreed. I told the dealer I prop up the peddle in reverse position with a small piece of wood while tractor is not in use to help put a little more wear on the spring. He thought that was a good idea to try. I will wait another week or two to see if there is any change in stiffness of the peddle.
 

alfb

New member
Jul 18, 2020
16
4
3
Loomis, Ca
I received a B2601 in September and I also am not happy with the treadle especially the reverse pressure part. I would say it's the biggest negative of my tractor so I kinda have to take that complaint with a grain of salt. I will be interested in hearing if anyone solves the issue.
 

wgator

Active member

Equipment
L4701HST, FEL and other stuff.
Jul 28, 2018
482
147
43
NC
I received a B2601 in September and I also am not happy with the treadle especially the reverse pressure part. I would say it's the biggest negative of my tractor so I kinda have to take that complaint with a grain of salt. I will be interested in hearing if anyone solves the issue.
Read post 2 and 3 in the following link about bending the back side of pedal. Also saw the same suggestion and results on a TBN post.
LINK TO PEDAL FIX
 
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Frankb

Active member

Equipment
Kubota B2601, FEL, Backhoe, Belly Mower, Grapple, Rear Scrape Blade
Apr 3, 2011
239
66
28
Person County NC
Talked to my dealer and he has been making calls all over trying to find a solution for my hard reverse, and has been hitting a wall. We both believe it is just an issue of liability when it comes to removing the spring and replacing with a softer spring. I will look into changing the spring with another and will also see if bending the pedal would help as well. Greatly appreciate everyone's continuance of suggestions to a"straining" problem!