Hello all, need advice. b2650 vs b2601

[Bigshooter]

My wife and I are looking to buy a small tractor for our 2 acre lot. We will be doing a large addition, and with that many landscaping/ tree planting projects. Additionally, we have 150' of riverfront and wooded areas to maintain. Right now we don't think we want to mow with it, and think an additional zero turn mower would be a better option than the MMM and bagger system for the tractor ($5000.00).

Off site, we cut and split/handle about 20 cords of wood per year. We're looking for something to help with the handling (FEL). The ability to rotate palletized units of prepared wood in the winter will be a large part of it's duties. I have looked at the lifting capacities for both models and it looks like the 2650 would serve us better in this regard?

Thanks for any input.

 

[pauly]

What is the cost diffrance between the two? If it's not much I'd go with the 2650. We have the 2650 and really like it.

 

[TripleR]

No doubt the 2601 is a good tractor and an improvement over the 2620, but for your use the added weight, power of the FEL on the 2650 will give you better performance. The extendable lower link will make equipment changes easier and the tilt steering and nice seat will make it more comfortable and easier to make it fit both you and your wife.

I seriously considered a B at one time and did a lot of research on them but we have a lot of land and decided to go with a BX for yard work and GL for other things.

On a B, I would load the tires and put spacer to make it more stable, overall they are nice little tractors.

 

[Bigshooter]

So my wife and I decided to take a little drive to the dealership and look in person ( for the first time), luckily they don't have a tall fence as they are obviously closed today.

They had a 2601 and a 2650 sitting side by side, which made it very easy to compare the two.

My wife was concerned about the 2650 being too large, not the case anymore. Meanwhile, I'm now a bit concerned it won't be large enough. It will fit our 2 acre residential property perfectly, but may be a little on the small side for future property management? maybe a 20-40 acre wooded parcel for hunting and light firewood harvesting.

Definitely would get the wheel spacers. and for it's size, the lifting capabilities are actually pretty impressive. I do like that it is fairly compact, and seems for the most part to be well made.

The one issue I'm struggling with is the cheap sheet steel fenders and floor pan. I didn't give the john deere 2025r much of a look because of all the plastic it uses, and now I'm a little disappointed with the build quality of the kubota in that respect. The only thing I can think of is they do this with the inevitability that there will be accidental damage in mind, and to reduce replacement cost?

 

[TripleR]

Our last new tractor was a 1025R and while it is no doubt a good machine, everyone in our family who has used both the JD and BX still prefers the BX.

We have a 2200 and 2660 and never experienced any damage to the floor pan or anything else.

However given your added acreage, my preference would be an L.

 

[aeblank]

Watch your pallet sizes. I have a grand L and some of mine can "feel" pretty heavy.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[Fiziksgeek]

I think the real advantage of a B is that you can get pretty decent capacity in a relatively light machine. Which is great for those of us that mow. If mowing is out of the equation, you can look at heavier machines, L series Kubotas and Massey Ferguson 1700E is where I would start.

That being said, if the choice was between the B2601 and B2650, and there isn't some limitation on maneuverability, I'd go with the B2650. Should be within $1500 in price of the B2601.

 

[Bigshooter]

I think the real advantage of a B is that you can get pretty decent capacity in a relatively light machine. Which is great for those of us that mow. If mowing is out of the equation, you can look at heavier machines, L series Kubotas and Massey Ferguson 1700E is where I would start.

That being said, if the choice was between the B2601 and B2650, and there isn't some limitation on maneuverability, I'd go with the B2650. Should be within $1500 in price of the B2601.

Yes, they are very close in price, with the lifting cap going to the 2650 by almost a 200# FEL increase. I looked at the L2501 and it doesn't offer an advantage, actually a small disadvantage to FEL capablities over the 2650.

The L is a heavier tractor, but I intend to ballast the 2650 and possibly load the rear tires as well.

Or are there other advantages to the L2501 that I'm missing?

All the models and why they differ has been a bit confusing.

Thanks.

 

[yamatitan]

Yes, they are very close in price, with the lifting cap going to the 2650 by almost a 200# FEL increase. I looked at the L2501 and it doesn't offer an advantage, actually a small disadvantage to FEL capablities over the 2650.

The L is a heavier tractor, but I intend to ballast the 2650 and possibly load the rear tires as well.

Or are there other advantages to the L2501 that I'm missing?

All the models and why they differ has been a bit confusing.

Thanks.

The lifting capacity of the 2501 is more its lifts higher by about 10" thus has more lift at the 85" mark than the 2650.

You cant compare max lift at max height for both when the L2501 lifts the same amount of weight 10" higher. It would lift considerably more at the max height of 85" vs 95".

 

[Bigshooter]

The lifting capacity of the 2501 is more its lifts higher by about 10" thus has more lift at the 85" mark than the 2650.

You cant compare max lift at max height for both when the L2501 lifts the same amount of weight 10" higher. It would lift considerably more at the max height of 85" vs 95".

Is the L2501 a superior tractor over the 2650?

Or does it just facilitate a HD FEL?

ETA;

I think I'm moving further and further from the B2601 and am now trying to decide between the B2650 vs the L2501

I'm really liking the build quality of the L2501

 

[yamatitan]

Is the L2501 a superior tractor over the 2650?

Or does it just facilitate a HD FEL?

I wouldnt say superior but your defiantly getting a little more tractor in every area. Now whether you need that or not is up to what you plan on doing and how fast you want to do it.

The L holds 3 more gallons of fuel. Its a tad bit heavier and has a better FEL. A bigger engine getting its hp rating at a lower rpm than the B.

Really they are both great tractors for what they are you just get a little more out of the L for a little more cost. To me its worth it to someone else it may not be.

I think you do loose some comfort features with the economy L over the B like the tilt steering wheel. Im not sure what else exactly havent compared all those features side x side because the work features where more important to me than the creature comforts.

 

[Bigshooter]

Thanks for the replies.

I noticed the L2501 is something like 850lbs heavier than the B2650.

Does that reflect robustness and build quality do you believe?

I'm a firm believer in over engineered, over built quality, but that is quite a difference.

Do you think that at over 2600lbs the L2501 is under powered with the 100 c.i. 25 horse engine?

 

[yamatitan]

It is built heavier but thats not saying the B isnt built well because it most certainly is. I dont think its under-powered at all honestly as far as the weight goes Im still betting you run out of traction before you run out of power. Now as far as pto and what I run it is under-powered but you have the same exact problem with the B both are around the same on the pto.

PTO all comes down to what you want to run. Me personally I want to be able to handle 1" saplings no problem with a 72" brush hog. Also had tiller usage in mind. Now if you dont mind running a smaller bush hog and other smaller pto implements than it may work fine. For your 2 acres either one is overkill now for your future plans I might even look into the bigger L like mine or maybe even a grand L. You get the same size frame on the L2501 vs the L3901 with just more hp.

 

[Vacman369]

I compared both of these models when I bought. I also briefly considered the L2501 but I ultimately chose the B2650.
The B2601 is the current equivalent to the tractor I had (B2410). For my uses, that size worked well for me for 11 years. I have just shy of 6 acres with a mixture of finished lawn, pasture, and some woods. For most of the time, this was was my primary lawn mower with a 60" belly mower so I appreciated its lighter weight. I used it with a back blade for plowing snow I the winter and planted food plots on my hunting property in the summer. It had plenty of power for pulling a 5' disk, a 5' brush mower, 5' box blade and several smaller implements. The driving force for me to buy a new machine was the FEL. I didn't necessarily need more weight capacity but I would have liked it to lift higher and I really wanted a quick attach of some sort.
For the most part, I was sold on the B2601 as a replacement. It has the better loader features I wanted and I felt everything else was comparable to mine.
When I sold mine, I began my search in earnest. When I got quotes on both B2601 and the B2650 they came in $1100.00 apart. I'm pretty frugal (cheap) but that difference was close enough for me to really consider the B2650. It has a better loader (more weight and higher height yet) and has better performance specs all the way around so that became my choice. Early on, the dealer offered me a L2501 for the same price as the B2650 but I was concerned it would be underpowered. It also doesn't have some of creature comforts of mine (seat, loader control is more ergonomic, mid pto) plus I didn't like the way it fit me.
I've had this new tractor for only a month or so but here are some observations. First is it is pretty light, especially in the rear end. I almost tipped it the day it was delivered. The first thing I did then was to load the rear tires with RimGuard which helps quite a bit. I might even add some spacers to the rear too but we'll see on that. Second, this machine is quite a bit more powerful than my old one. We've had one small snowfall which I plowed without the slightest hint of slipping or the rear kicking out so I'm pretty pleased with the power and that extra weight in the tires. Third, this engine and HST are both quiter than my old one. Fourth, I too think the sheet metal flexes a little too much (at least compared to my old one). I read somewhere that the sheet metal is mounted on rubber so it's not really flexing but rather moving because of the rubber. This is done to help with vibration and noise. Fifth, make sure you get the SSQA. It is still an option on the B series and some of the dealers that put packages together use the pin on style to keep the price down.
All in all, I think I made a good choice for my needs. I don't need to mow with this tractor but I will still be using it on my finished lawn so I don't want too heavy of a machine. It should do all the things my previous machine did and probably a bit better.

Good luck with your decision.
John

 

[Bmello]

My wife and I are looking to buy a small tractor for our 2 acre lot. We will be doing a large addition, and with that many landscaping/ tree planting projects. Additionally, we have 150' of riverfront and wooded areas to maintain. Right now we don't think we want to mow with it, and think an additional zero turn mower would be a better option than the MMM and bagger system for the tractor ($5000.00).

Off site, we cut and split/handle about 20 cords of wood per year. We're looking for something to help with the handling (FEL). The ability to rotate palletized units of prepared wood in the winter will be a large part of it's duties. I have looked at the lifting capacities for both models and it looks like the 2650 would serve us better in this regard?

Thanks for any input.

I have a little over 20 acres of dense hardwood forests and about a 5 acre field that i take care of. I compare the B2650 to the L3301 and wound up with the B2650. The B2650 has just about an inch more clearance and is a tad narrower which really works well in the woods for me.

No issues with the front loader, just about equal. I did ballast the rear tires and have either a box blade or my brush hog attached to the 3 point all the time.

I've had this just over a year now and really can't say enough good things about the B2650. It's slightly smaller than the L series but much bigger than the B2620. I'm pulling 60 inch box blade, brush hog and a 72 straight blade. No issues at all even in dense wet field grass.

I've had no issues with power, although I am considering the 90 acres adjoining my property line. If I get this, I'll upgrade to a GL4801.

For two acres, the B2650 should do everything you want and have plenty to spare.