B2601 vs L2501

[jimh406]

In no way will the L2501 be able to run a 6' mower. Your dealer is an idiot if he told you that. A 6' mower is almost as long and 1/3 the weight of a 2501.

You seem to think your conditions are the same as mine. My mower worked just fine for my conditions at the speed I wanted to mow it. You also seem to be confused about how much a L2501 weighs with FEL and bucket, and loaded R4 with QH or maybe you just aren’t good at math.

I hate to break it to you, but not all grass is heavy and doesn’t grow to 6’. My land is not irrigated. It’s dryland with only about 12-14 inches of precipitation for the entire year. My land is also between 4000-5000 although the area I mowed with it is closer to 4400.

In my case, you are wrong, and my dealer was right. It’s the danger of thinking all conditions are the same and believing some specs that are cleariy wrong. I’ll leave the name calling to you though.

 

[DDCD]

You seem to think your conditions are the same as mine. My mower worked just fine for my conditions at the speed I wanted to mow it. You also seem to be confused about how much a L2501 weighs with FEL and bucket, and loaded R4 with QH or maybe you just aren’t good at math.

I hate to break it to you, but not all grass is heavy and doesn’t grow to 6’. My land is not irrigated. It’s dryland with only about 12-14 inches of precipitation for the entire year. My land is also between 4000-5000 although the area I mowed with it is closer to 4400.

In my case, you are wrong, and my dealer was right. It’s the danger of thinking all conditions are the same and believing some specs that are cleariy wrong. I’ll leave the name calling to you though.

Easy buddy. You're the one with the passive aggressive "i'm not just not good at math". You never stated your conditions and neither did he.

Nowhere in any Kubota manual does it recommend a 6' mower for a 2501 sized tractor. A quality implement dealer will tell you the same thing.

I stand by my "assumption" that a 6' rotary cutter will suck behind a 2501.

 

[jimh406]

I stand by my "assumption" that a 6' rotary cutter will suck behind a 2501.

I on the other hand have actually used a RCF2072 behind mine, so I don’ t have to assume. There is no manual that covers all conditions, but if they did, you are still way off on the weight of an RCF2072 and weight of my L2501 as configured.

 

[NCL4701]

Look at the engine displacement numbers. The L2501 is considerably larger.

Which reinforces my point that if the L doesn't have the power to run a PTO implement the B won't either.

 

[Missouribound]

4 years ago I faced the same decision, but it was a B2320 vs The L2501.
I mostly mow, maintain the driveway and do some loader work.
I wound up with the B2320 because I mow my yard and there are a lot of obstacles that I felt a smaller tractor would be more maneuverable. It has worked out just fine for me.
And I am using a 5' finish mower with absolutely no problems, using a 5' box blade, again with no issues.
I have an FEL which completes my setup and have been quite happy. In 4 wheel drive I can pull the box blade full of gravel with no issues.
The mower is quite heavy but as far a powering it I have had absolutely no problem...other than the balance point.
If any of your mowing is under and around trees the L2501 may prove to be a bit too large to duck under branches.

 

[Mak65]

I have the L2501 w/ Landprides’ 5’ mower. Our 45 acres is 15 open and rest heavy woods. I do wildlife management which means I mow some areas of the open area (road paths) and the rest grows wild and gets cut only in the late fall and sometimes early spring. some of the grass and forbs can get close to the height of my hood. It runs through just fine with only the occasional bogging. When I hit those areas I simply let up on treadle until it clears the thicker area and then go back to speed.

 

[Daferris]

You might want to look at the LX2610 or LX2610SU. I have 10 acres with about 1/2 of it covered with pretty thick woods (old overgrown apple orchard left to go wild in the '50's). I did not get a cab because the windows would not last in the woods. I had a B7510 but it was a bit small on the loaded to deal with the dead wood moving. My neighbor has an old L3010 that's about the same size as an L2501 and I find it's just too big to get into the woods with. That's why I went with the LX2610 I was only about $610 more than the SU model (by the time I added armrests and the cruise control) and it has a much better seat. It also is really capable when I was moving a dirt pile that my B7510 struggled with. My LX has the big R4 tires filled with RimGuard and with a Cheap Tarter 6' back blade on a quick hitch, a 60" bucket 2 remotes and the 3rd function kit it weighted in at 3555 pounds

 

[Jchonline]

I use a five foot brush hog type mower on my ten acres - none of which is really flat. My l2501 has absolutely no problem with the mower. I would not have wanted a lighter tractor (like the B series) due to my concern for the "tail wagging the dog". I also run a five foot box blade when needed.

Yes. The L2501 engine is fairly high displacement for the HP output. They tuned it down to make the Tier 4 cutoff…so I expect if you don’t have a bunch of hills and really tall grass you will be fine.

For me L2501 is the choice.

 

[TomRC]

I'm approaching 200 hours on a B2601 I bought fall of 2020. About 90% of those hours has been maintaining a 300 yard "ish" gravel driveway with a box blade and mowing around 4 to 5 acres a week April to October with a FDR1660 five foot finish mower.

Is the B2601 a great tractor, YES!! Would I buy it again knowing what I know now. Absolutely not! Maintaining the driveway is not so much an issue but mowing this amount on a weekly basis is or at least it is for me. Initially I was looking at he B2601, LX's and the L2501. Knowing what I know now from seat time I would have skipped the L2501 and gone to the L3301. The B2601 is light, is tippy when you have to lift a 5' mower on anything other than FLAT ground and lacks the power to pull up a moderate slope in medium gear with the mower. When mowing this amount on a weekly basis you do not want to have to drop down to low gear uless you have a lot of time on your hand. I've resorted to taking the loader off my B2601 when mowing to have a little more power but then you have to be REALLY CAREFUL with the mower if you lift it for any reason. Front wheel will come off he ground if not on level ground. You may not need the L3301's extra HP but for my flat to moderate sloped property I would not get a L2501 based on comments from others I've read. I'm probably going to put one more season on my B2601 and then straight to the L3301 or the newer version of this tractor that is supposedly hitting the market this spring. Very excited that this new version of the L3301 is suppose to have a MUCH BETTER SEAT than the seat on the current L series!!!

Weight is soooooooo important and The LX's don't weigh that much more than the B2601. Get an L SERIES period and don't rule out the L3301!

 

[RoyN]

I too am new to the forum. I'm looking to buy a sub-compact or compact tractor this spring. I was looking at the John Deere 2025R but the two speed/range transmission is causing me to reconsider. Ground clearance is a major concern for me as I would be traveling on 200+ year old narrow farm roads with many exposed rocks around 8" tall and close to each other. I would not be getting a mid-mount mower but a rear rotary mower to maintain rough wildlife fields (approx 5 acres total) perhaps twice a year. I anticipate using the tractor to haul crushed stone and gravel a mile or more down these farm roads to fill some low spots. At home I would use the tractor to haul firewood from my woods and to push snow from the driveway. I am not going to use the tractor to mow my lawn. Ideally I would park the tractor in my garage which has the standard 7 ft tall door. Tractor width is a concern as the farm roads are generally 5 ft wide at most.

My experience with tractors is not much, perhaps 150 hours of seat time on a 2002 John Deere 47 HP 3 speed HST utility tractor which I borrowed to mow fields. So I'm accustomed to the dual pedals of the JD and not the treadle style pedals of a Kubota.

The L2501 seems to cost about $2K more than the B2601 but that is not a deal breaker for me.

So what Kubota do you folks think would be the better tractor for my situation?

 

[dirtydeed]

Hey! New to the forum here but I have been doing a lot of research on compact kubota tractors. I am stuck between the B2601 and the L2501.
I have 10 acres, 6 acres being flat field, 4 acres being lightly wooded. My main use of the tractor would be to make & maintain a driveway to a future homesite and bush hogging the 6 acres. I would also like to clear off part of the wooded area with my bush hog.
My concerns with the L2501 is that it doesn’t have enough PTO HP to run the larger 5 foot implements.
my concern with the B2601 is that it is not heavy enough to easily make a driveway and has a less capable bucket.
Any and all advice/experience is appreciated!

Stuck between the small B and basic L puts you squarely in LX territory. Either the LX2610, or LX3310 would handle your needs. I'd suggest that you look at a flail mower (with hammer blades) instead of the rotary cutter. The flails are lighter in weight, and don't hang out nearly as long as a rotary cutter (so, they are easier to use). The other plus to using a flail is that you can drop the loader as well since it isn't needed for ballast.

Either of the LX models will spin a 5 foot flail mower...I have a 54" flail, and can over-rev it at will.

What some people fail to recognize when comparing B (LX) to L series, is that even the smallest L weighs almost 1K more than the LX (or B-50) series. That's another 1K in bulk that you have to pull up hills.

Best of luck in your decision.

 

[B737]

I'm approaching 200 hours on a B2601 I bought fall of 2020.

Is the B2601 a great tractor, YES!! Would I buy it again knowing what I know now. Absolutely not! ... The B2601 is light, is tippy when you have to lift a 5' mower on anything other than FLAT ground and lacks the power to pull up a moderate slope in medium gear with the mower. ... I'm probably going to put one more season on my B2601 and then straight to the L3301

having put 250 hours on a B2601 in 9 months I totally agree with all this ^^^ . The B2601 is really just a BX with bigger tires, and the BX is less tippy. I wish I skipped it all together and just gotten the LX out of the gate, would have saved myself a lot of $$. LX and L can be had for within about $2000 of a B2601, im not even sure why the still make the thing.

 

[dirtydeed]

I too am new to the forum. I'm looking to buy a sub-compact or compact tractor this spring. I was looking at the John Deere 2025R but the two speed/range transmission is causing me to reconsider. Ground clearance is a major concern for me as I would be traveling on 200+ year old narrow farm roads with many exposed rocks around 8" tall and close to each other. I would not be getting a mid-mount mower but a rear rotary mower to maintain rough wildlife fields (approx 5 acres total) perhaps twice a year. I anticipate using the tractor to haul crushed stone and gravel a mile or more down these farm roads to fill some low spots. At home I would use the tractor to haul firewood from my woods and to push snow from the driveway. I am not going to use the tractor to mow my lawn. Ideally I would park the tractor in my garage which has the standard 7 ft tall door. Tractor width is a concern as the farm roads are generally 5 ft wide at most.

My experience with tractors is not much, perhaps 150 hours of seat time on a 2002 John Deere 47 HP 3 speed HST utility tractor which I borrowed to mow fields. So I'm accustomed to the dual pedals of the JD and not the treadle style pedals of a Kubota.

The L2501 seems to cost about $2K more than the B2601 but that is not a deal breaker for me.

So what Kubota do you folks think would be the better tractor for my situation?

RoyN, welcome.

You may want to start another thread with your needs/details so you don't get lost in the weeds? There are lots of comparison videos on youtube (messicks has quite a few as does good works tractors).

I just saw one last night from good works tractors comparing "green" apples to oranges. Perhaps it may help you decide?

I believe messicks youtube channel has several videos comparing L01 with B01 and B50 (LX) series.

I would think the tractors that you list would all fall in around 5 foot in width (without spacers). Best ground clearance for the orange variety would be L01 and LX (B50) series over the B01 tractors. Possibly look at the "SU" versions in B50 and LX. They sport larger diameter tires and don't have the mid PTO's.

As stated above, I think an LX (B50) series makes for a better comparison with the L01 series. the B2601 is considerably smaller.
Best of luck in your decision.

 

[Matt Ellerbee]

RoyN, welcome.

You may want to start another thread with your needs/details so you don't get lost in the weeds? There are lots of comparison videos on youtube (messicks has quite a few as does good works tractors).

I just saw one last night from good works tractors comparing "green" apples to oranges. Perhaps it may help you decide?

I believe messicks youtube channel has several videos comparing L01 with B01 and B50 (LX) series.

I would think the tractors that you list would all fall in around 5 foot in width (without spacers). Best ground clearance for the orange variety would be L01 and LX (B50) series over the B01 tractors. Possibly look at the "SU" versions in B50 and LX. They sport larger diameter tires and don't have the mid PTO's.

As stated above, I think an LX (B50) series makes for a better comparison with the L01 series. the B2601 is considerably smaller.
Best of luck in your decision.

I was just about to post this video. That was a good one.

 

[dirtydeed]

I was just about to post this video. That was a good one.

I found that video to be a bit of a surprise. I always took him for a "green leaning" guy, but I think the final tally was in favor of Orange. Its nice to see some folks give honest opinions, at least once in a while.

 

[Daferris]

Just for some info.. I have an LX2610HST with the large (15-19.5 rear) tire filled with RimGuard (beet Juice).
With the loader and a 6' back blade it weighs 3555 pounds. With where I use it an L series & Grand L were too big. The LX is the perfect size for me. I also did not get the cab version because the tractor gets used in the woods a lot and I have too many branches at "take out a cab window height"...
Plus you can't get the large tires on a cab tractor.

 

[jyoutz]

Easy buddy. You're the one with the passive aggressive "i'm not just not good at math". You never stated your conditions and neither did he.

Nowhere in any Kubota manual does it recommend a 6' mower for a 2501 sized tractor. A quality implement dealer will tell you the same thing.

I stand by my "assumption" that a 6' rotary cutter will suck behind a 2501.

The standard rule of thumb has always been 5hp for each foot of rotary cutter.

 

[Matt Ellerbee]

I found that video to be a bit of a surprise. I always took him for a "green leaning" guy, but I think the final tally was in favor of Orange. Its nice to see some folks give honest opinions, at least once in a while.

I was pleasantly surprised also. He made some good points, all tractors are good, they beat a shovel any day. Some have more features that make them more useful.

Our inmate crew has a JD 3032, 38? something like that. I used it on a playground renovation to move mounds of old mulch/dirt. I absolutely enjoyed working that tractor for a few hours.

 

[Missouribound]

I have nothing to add to the conversation.
I just thought I would post a picture of it when it was still pretty.
(and the turf tires are great in the snow, believe it or not)