L2502 vs L3902

[toobeary]

Done a lot of research but can't find answers specific to my situation.


I understand mostly everything is the same between the two. Essentially it's just the hp and pto hp that's different. What I'm trying to understand is if my situation needs the increased engine hp.


I'm pretty much going to be using the tractor for moving dirt around, about a mile of gravel driveway / trail maintenance and 1000’ of snow removal.


I live in a dry hilly area with rocky sandy soil at 5500' elevation.


Most examples of people recommending the 3902 over the 2502 is for mowing on hills or using other pto stuff. I have hills, but I won't be mowing. Just dirt moving, gravel driveway / trail maintenance and snow removal. I see myself getting a snow pusher and not a blower, so I likely won't be using the pto for that. To my knowledge You don't use the pto for grading, box blading, or any other driveway maintenance tasks. So I'm really thinking the pto increase doesn't really matter for my needs.


So it just comes down to engine hp. Can the 2502 pull a fully loaded box blade up a hill? Can it plow with a snow pusher at or close to the same speed as the 3902? I can tolerate taking twice as long fixing the driveway once a year or so. Taking twice as long to clear snow 2 times a week for 5 months is a no go and will justify the 3902.


Budget is not as much of a factor as avoiding the dpf system on the 3902.

 

[06B3030]

At 5500' elevation you'll probably be dropping 10-12% on HP. You'll be better off with a turbo!
The LX3310HSD has a 4 cylinder turbo. Might be a good compromise...something to think about.

 

[Roadworthy]

I mow and manage to do everything else with my L2501 including snow removal. I'm only at about 500 feet, though. I got the L2501 due to its simplicity - no computer, no DPF, hence less to go wrong. Get a ballast box or load the tires and it should do fine. As far as pulling the box blade it all depends on how deep you're trying to cut. If you drag the blade deep enough it will stop any tractor.

 

[Matt Ellerbee]

At 5500' elevation you'll probably be dropping 10-12% on HP. You'll be better off with a turbo!
The LX3310HSD has a 4 cylinder turbo. Might be a good compromise...something to think about.

And it has a mid PTO for that blower he will inevitably be buying!

 

[toobeary]

And it has a mid PTO for that blower he will inevitably be buying!

At 5500' elevation you'll probably be dropping 10-12% on HP. You'll be better off with a turbo!
The LX3310HSD has a 4 cylinder turbo. Might be a good compromise...something to think about.

lol turbo AND dpf. That’s going in the opposite direction than what I’m hoping for, which is the most reliable mechanical setup that will last me the rest of my life. Hence why I worry about having a dpf system 20 years down the road.
But ultimately I will buy the performance that the job requires.

Don’t the LX models weight quite a bit less than the L’s? Though I do like the idea of having a mid pto for future proofing.

 

[WE349a]

Nobody ever said no to more power. I have the 2502 at 4350’ and on a mountain side. I haul dirt up the road from my catch basin and it does fine, it’s a very steep road. I also use the box blade to go up my driveway which is steep. I can do it in M although choose to use L. It isn’t fast climbing big hills but does just fine with its torquey engine.

 

[toobeary]

I mow and manage to do everything else with my L2501 including snow removal. I'm only at about 500 feet, though. I got the L2501 due to its simplicity - no computer, no DPF, hence less to go wrong. Get a ballast box or load the tires and it should do fine. As far as pulling the box blade it all depends on how deep you're trying to cut. If you drag the blade deep enough it will stop any tractor.

do you have hills? How fast does your 2501 remove snow? And how deep do you think you could drop the rippers on the 2501 dragging a full box blade? 2”? 3”? Our driveway is hard packed rocky road base.

 

[rc51stierhoff]

I am generally a fan of ease of maintenance / service and simplicity of machine…meaning keeping basic is a good thing.

are both machines you are considering a HST? Reason I mention is in my opinion HST can bog down when under heavy load / hills…at least my B does. So I think they sort of feel like they have some felt power loss…I don’t know if true or not there is actual power loss, but when it bogs down to me it is losing power. If that is a concern it might make me think harder about the higher output if going with HST…however I still like basic…from what I understand both the are similar in weight, correct? So if only negligible weight difference that’s a really tough call.

 

[toobeary]

Nobody ever said no to more power. I have the 2502 at 4350’ and on a mountain side. I haul dirt up the road from my catch basin and it does fine, it’s a very steep road. I also use the box blade to go up my driveway which is steep. I can do it in M although choose to use L. It isn’t fast climbing big hills but does just fine with its torquey engine.

Nobody ever said no to more power, but a lot of people have said no to dpf.

your environment sounds similar to mine. my main hill isn’t crazy steep. As long as I could rip 3” pot holes going up the hill with a full box blade then I think that’s all the power I’d need for gravel tasks. Honestly I could just get by lifting up at the bottom of the hill and going back up top to rip out pot holes.

the only thing I want to optimize for speed is the snow removal, as I’m going to be doing it a lot. For snow I’m planning on a snow pusher so I’d like to be able to go at a decent rate where it’s flat at least. I don’t expect to be able to go up hill pushing snow.

if I could save 30mins to an hour Everytime I did snow removal over the 1000’ I have, then I’d probably upgrade to the 3902 over the 2502.

 

[toobeary]

I am generally a fan of ease of maintenance / service and simplicity of machine…meaning keeping basic is a good thing.

are both machines you are considering a HST? Reason I mention is in my opinion HST can bog down when under heavy load / hills…at least my B does. So I think they sort of feel like they have some felt power loss…I don’t know if true or not there is actual power loss, but when it bogs down to me it is losing power. If that is a concern it might make me think harder about the higher output if going with HST…however I still like basic…from what I understand both the are similar in weight, correct? So if only negligible weight difference that’s a really tough call.

yes planning on hist. The only material difference between the two models is 2502 is 25hp and 19pto hp, whereas 3902 is 36hp and 30 pto hp

 

[jyoutz]

I live at 6,800 and will say that you definitely will experience HP loss due to elevation. Whether that’s enough to affect your intended uses I can’t say. Before purchasing my 60hp tractor with turbo, I had a 25 hp tractor and found it to be limiting for deep snow removal with a blade. Part of the limitations was due to the light weight of the tractor affecting traction, but part was due to hp limitations.

 

[rc51stierhoff]

yes planning on hist. The only material difference between the two models is 2502 is 25hp and 19pto hp, whereas 3902 is 36hp and 30 pto hp

I don’t think there would be a noticeable difference in traction between the two models you are considering, assuming same tires in both. Good luck deciding.

 

[PortTackFarm]

You're mentioning snow removal and I'm surprised no one has said anything about a cab yet? Of course neither the 2502 or 3902 are available with a cab. If I was clearing a driveway that size 2-3 times a week, I'd want a cab. The LX is available with the cab in addition to the mid PTO and if money isn't an issue I'd look at an L3560 with a cab. It also has the mid PTO and the heavier frame size with the 805 FEL will move a lot more with the bucket. I understand the value of "simplicity", but the DPF and regens are really a non issue from where I sit. You can usually just keep working, or if need be park it and let it do it's thing while you grab a beer.

 

[Vlach7]

You will prob push snow going down hill, I live at 5500', and my Regens are very seldom and I just run the tractor while it does at a higher rpm, "Non issue".

 

[WE349a]

Nobody ever said no to more power, but a lot of people have said no to dpf.

your environment sounds similar to mine. my main hill isn’t crazy steep. As long as I could rip 3” pot holes going up the hill with a full box blade then I think that’s all the power I’d need for gravel tasks. Honestly I could just get by lifting up at the bottom of the hill and going back up top to rip out pot holes.

the only thing I want to optimize for speed is the snow removal, as I’m going to be doing it a lot. For snow I’m planning on a snow pusher so I’d like to be able to go at a decent rate where it’s flat at least. I don’t expect to be able to go up hill pushing snow.

if I could save 30mins to an hour Everytime I did snow removal over the 1000’ I have, then I’d probably upgrade to the 3902 over the 2502.

I don’t get much snow and haven’t yet tried it in the snow. It pulls heavy DG without issue so I would think snow isn’t a problem.
A turbo or the hack to turn up the HP is a possibility after warranty expires.

 

[DDCD]

I'm a flat lander but have some small hills. I hate how slow my 2501 is in medium. It can barely get up a hill in high gear. This is extremely annoying moving dirt in one direction, and having an empty load the other direction. It's a nice torquey engine but the travel speeds suck.

I never use PTO and wish I had more power just for the moving of material, my 2501 with a toothbar has no problem pushing a pile. The 4k to go to a 3901 would've been almost nothing over a 7 year loan.

 

[Nicfin36]

I can't speak to the elevation affecting your tractor. I'm at 555 feet here. I will say from my experience, you're not going to do anything fast on a L2501, or L2502 in this case. I did not want the DPF and wanted just a simple tractor and settled for the L2501 over the L3901. It wasn't really about the money. I am happy with my tractor. When the rare time I use my PTO for my tiller, I wished I had more hp. But, I go slow and get it done. Now, if you slap a turbo on it, like a few members have done, that would be different. I am sure you're not gonna do that though.

 

[GrizBota]

Nobody ever said no to more power, but a lot of people have said no to dpf.

your environment sounds similar to mine. my main hill isn’t crazy steep. As long as I could rip 3” pot holes going up the hill with a full box blade then I think that’s all the power I’d need for gravel tasks. Honestly I could just get by lifting up at the bottom of the hill and going back up top to rip out pot holes.

the only thing I want to optimize for speed is the snow removal, as I’m going to be doing it a lot. For snow I’m planning on a snow pusher so I’d like to be able to go at a decent rate where it’s flat at least. I don’t expect to be able to go up hill pushing snow.

if I could save 30mins to an hour Everytime I did snow removal over the 1000’ I have, then I’d probably upgrade to the 3902 over the 2502.

Those that read my posts may think I’m a broken record here. But if the primary reason you’d steer away from the L3902 is because of the DPF/regen, and you’d like a larger Hp tractor than the L2502, you might consider a pre 2012 low hour, well maintained “larger” tractor. Enter the Grand L 30 and 40 series. A nice series of 30 to 50+ Hp tractors that are available with HST (automatically 4WD) and an optional cab. They include an optional mid PTO that can be added if the unit wasn’t originally optioned with it. The larger tractors in the series do have turbos. The “small” FEL on these older tractors (usually two or three sizes were offered) have a FEL capacity of about 400 lbs more than the modern stand L-02’s LA526 FEL. I see these GRAND L 30 and 40 series tractors with list prices typically in the $25k to $35k range with an open station and FEL and less than 1000 hours. Although it might take a bit of looking to find one that is lower hour, I see a couple a month nationwide and probably one every couple of months in the PNW (where I’m at). The 2502 and 3902 are about the same price point as the lower and upper list prices, respectively. Although a new standard L is step down, other than they’d be new, with a warranty (and either lower Hp or DPF/regen). Pick your priority I suppose. I’m happy to buy old good stuff than new not as good stuff.

 

[Nicfin36]

Those that read my posts may think I’m a broken record here. But if the primary reason you’d steer away from the L3902 is because of the DPF/regen, and you’d like a larger Hp tractor than the L2502, you might consider a pre 2012 low hour, well maintained “larger” tractor. Enter the Grand L 30 and 40 series. A nice series of 30 to 50+ Hp tractors that are available with HST (automatically 4WD) and an optional cab. They include an optional mid PTO that can be added if the unit wasn’t originally optioned with it. The larger tractors in the series do have turbos. The “small” FEL on these older tractors (usually two or three sizes were offered) have a FEL capacity of about 400 lbs more than the modern stand L-02’s LA526 FEL. I see these GRAND L 30 and 40 series tractors with list prices typically in the $25k to $35k range with an open station and FEL and less than 1000 hours. Although it might take a bit of looking to find one that is lower hour, I see a couple a month nationwide and probably one every couple of months in the PNW (where I’m at). The 2502 and 3902 are about the same price point as the lower and upper list prices, respectively. Although a new standard L is step down, other than they’d be new, with a warranty (and either lower Hp or DPF/regen). Pick your priority I suppose. I’m happy to buy old good stuff than new not as good stuff.

I won't disagree with you on that, and will say I tried to do the very same thing before I bought the L2501. Here, you couldn't find used machines. I would have loved something like a 40 series. I am sure there were some out there when I was shopping, but I looked diligently and finally gave up. I suppose I am in a bad area for that, as I could find them many miles away, but not around me. That would be a good alternative for the OP to consider though.

 

[GrizBota]

I won't disagree with you on that, and will say I tried to do the very same thing before I bought the L2501. Here, you couldn't find used machines. I would have loved something like a 40 series. I am sure there were some out there when I was shopping, but I looked diligently and finally gave up. I suppose I am in a bad area for that, as I could find them many miles away, but not around me. That would be a good alternative for the OP to consider though.

Indeed the trouble with buying used and being particular is that you may well have to drive aways to get what your after. The two nearest me in the last year or so were 200-250 miles away. I used this process on my wife’s last “new” car, a 2018 bought in 2020, it took about 4 months and was 200 miles away (it took two trips to get it done). Did the same thing with my last “new” car, a 2017 bought in 2018, it took about 6 months and was 25 miles away (just luck). Sometimes it’s helpful to be patient (stubborn?) if you’re particular.

But you have to be ready to “go” at a moments notice. I just missed a good deal on a used truck (two in the last month actually, 150 and 200 miles) I wanted because I didn’t get in the rig and start driving when I saw it. I’ve got another lined up, but I’m strapped for time so good chance I’ll miss it too (400 miles).