New member, and new owner of a L2502HST

[Deeds86]

So as the title says, I just received my l2502 on monday, I've worked my back end off for the past 4 years saving every penny I could to purchase this thing, waited two months for the order to arrive and am very happy I finally have it... but unfortunately until now I've never operated a tractor only some skid loaders and such but have never been mine or really even worth babying... now as a new owner I have a few questions on some things and am hoping you guys would be willing to help me out...
so here it goes 1st question I read in the manual that the dealer taught me the opposite on was starting the thing he told me to fire it up at true idle as where the manual said to adjust the throttle up to half and then fire, it seems to fire really nicely at idle but dont wanna go about it incorrectly so what is the correct way in your guys opinion?

2nd question is how to know what rpm range i should be in for the task at hand, obviously i dont wanna lug it and being new I dont think wot is the right thing either but what is appropriate operating range it seems to like the 1500 to 1600 range but maybe not for when I get into real work with it? Do i wind it out or is it a constant adjustment depending on what im doing? What does this motor like since I've only got 1 hour on it?

3rd is the extremely vague break in procedure that kubota put in the operators manual, it says not to use wot within the first 50hrs but what else should I be doing to get this motor broke in appropriately? I know old timers always say heat cycles and run the thing hard, and the engineer type say to gradually get into things, I know my yamaha atv didnt want me to maintain rpm for any period of time and trails where the best cause the rpms would naturally bounce with load? Does anyone have any better insight to break this in properly?

And 4th would be additives, I use power service almost every tank on my old 7.3 f350 since it wasnt designed for today's diesel... I didnt see anything in the manual and curious what you guys think about using it?

Also is there anything you wish was explained to you better going into operating these things? Or things you've learned along the way that would help out a new owner? Im pretty mechanically inclined I do own a diesel pickup so have understanding there, just am new to tractors! Thanks in advance!

 

[Rdrcr]

Congrats on the new tractor! The L2502 is a great tractor and it’ll serve you well for many years to come! I have a L2501 and I couldn’t be happier with it and what it has been able to accomplish on my property.

I’m sure you’ll get some good feedback and opinions regarding your questions. I can’t tell you what is right, but I can tell you what I’ve done and has worked well for me.

I start my tractor at idle and slowly increase RPMs as it warms up.

I typically run my tractor between 1,500 and 2,000 RPMS. I only increase RPM if the task/terrain requires it or, if I’m running a PTO implement.

I didn’t do anything special with regards to break-in. Basically, my break-in process was the same as I run the tractor today.

My L2501 has been rock solid and incredibly reliable. I haven’t experienced any issues to note (aside from a couple leaking hydraulic lines from assembly at the dealer).

Hope this helps and I’m sure others will reply.

Mike

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Welcome and congratulations sir.

Personally, for “break in” I just used it “normally”…..I know that is a bit vague, because some peoples definition of “normal” varies a bit, but I if I had to put numbers on it, I would say that 1800 rpm’s is “about" where I tried to keep mine initially.

In temps above 60’ish (F) I don’t use the glow plugs, and “run it, like I stole it” from the get go. Below that use the glow plus and I try to let it warm up for a few minutes.

I don't store “lots of diesel”, I just use 5 gallon cans, so it is usually pretty fresh, hence: I don't use additives in general, so I can’t comment on that.

Lastly, “Pics, or it never happened”….

 

[Deeds86]

Awesome, thank you both for the quick replies! I dont even know what max rpm is on this at the moment, I think I read 2200 is max but unsure! Between being sick as a dog and delivering lp fuel during corn season I just put it in the shed and carried on til I could go about it with more info!

 

[Deeds86]

 

[Hugo Habicht]

Awesome, thank you both for the quick replies! I dont even know what max rpm is on this at the moment, I think I read 2200 is max but unsure! Between being sick as a dog and delivering lp fuel during corn season I just put it in the shed and carried on til I could go about it with more info! View attachment 164535

Phantastic, brand new !

And welcome to the Forum !


If this were mine I would be afraid to use it, not to put a scratch into the paint of this shiny front bucket

p.s.: when lifting the bucket make sure to tilt the bucket forward as it goes up. Good few people put dents into the bonnet (hood) from stones falling out.

 

[Deeds86]

Phantastic, brand new !

And welcome to the Forum !


If this were mine I would be afraid to use it, not to put a scratch into the paint of this shiny front bucket

p.s.: when lifting the bucket make sure to tilt the bucket forward as it goes up. Good few people put dents into the bonnet (hood) from stones falling out.

I appreciate your words of wisdom there!!! Luckily I've got a little experience on skid loaders and loaders! I'll be watching for it! Although it does seem to unlevel quicker with the arm angles...And its gonna be hard to use since there's not a scratch on it! I was very picky about wanting one out of the crate that Noone has played on yet! That's my job

 

[McMXi]

I just put it in the shed and carried on til I could go about it with more info!
View attachment 164535

That is one heck of a shed! Seriously though, great tractor and welcome to the orange club.

 

[chim]

Welcome aboard and very nice tractor!

I consider max RPM is what happens when I peg the throttle lever. I rarely run much over 2000 RPM's. Most of my useage is mowing the yard with a rear mower. The engine speed is varied according to the best blade speed for that time. I don't mow astroturf - the grass is not consistent in length or "lushness" for the whole mowing season. The L4240 is "pre-some emissions junk" and I don't worry about clogging a DPF.

 

[Deeds86]

That is one heck of a shed! Seriously though, great tractor and welcome to the orange club.

Haha, wouldn't that be a rough life!!!

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

So as the title says, I just received my l2502 on monday, I've worked my back end off for the past 4 years saving every penny I could to purchase this thing, waited two months for the order to arrive and am very happy I finally have it... but unfortunately until now I've never operated a tractor only some skid loaders and such but have never been mine or really even worth babying... now as a new owner I have a few questions on some things and am hoping you guys would be willing to help me out...
so here it goes 1st question I read in the manual that the dealer taught me the opposite on was starting the thing he told me to fire it up at true idle as where the manual said to adjust the throttle up to half and then fire, it seems to fire really nicely at idle but dont wanna go about it incorrectly so what is the correct way in your guys opinion?

2nd question is how to know what rpm range i should be in for the task at hand, obviously i dont wanna lug it and being new I dont think wot is the right thing either but what is appropriate operating range it seems to like the 1500 to 1600 range but maybe not for when I get into real work with it? Do i wind it out or is it a constant adjustment depending on what im doing? What does this motor like since I've only got 1 hour on it?

3rd is the extremely vague break in procedure that kubota put in the operators manual, it says not to use wot within the first 50hrs but what else should I be doing to get this motor broke in appropriately? I know old timers always say heat cycles and run the thing hard, and the engineer type say to gradually get into things, I know my yamaha atv didnt want me to maintain rpm for any period of time and trails where the best cause the rpms would naturally bounce with load? Does anyone have any better insight to break this in properly?

And 4th would be additives, I use power service almost every tank on my old 7.3 f350 since it wasnt designed for today's diesel... I didnt see anything in the manual and curious what you guys think about using it?

Also is there anything you wish was explained to you better going into operating these things? Or things you've learned along the way that would help out a new owner? Im pretty mechanically inclined I do own a diesel pickup so have understanding there, just am new to tractors! Thanks in advance!

welcome.... here are my uneducated but experienced responses to your questions.

1. Starting RPM.... my diesels all "chatter a bit when started up until oil flow, etc.. stabilizes. So WOT I think is too much stress. But Min. makes for hard starting especially when cold. So I set throttle to about 1250 rpm (best guess as engine not yet running). Start it and yet is stabilize for maybe a minute then throttle it up to 1,700 to warm it up before going to work.

2. Task rpm... of course you don't want to lug it and blow black smoke. You also don't need to run it WOT when not needed. On your RPM gauge it should be marked where the 540 PTO rpm range is. I consider this "full throttle"... sure there is more and I consider this "all ahead flank" if really needed but I avoid. So I am going to guess that your 540 RPM marking is going to be near 2,600 rpm. Day to day mild work I would run it at about 2,000 rpm. Full steam ahead at 2,600 if heavy snow blowing and thick grass mowing. Over 2,600??? probably never push my stuff that hard. Just MHO.

3. Break in..... wide range of thought but shouldn't hurt anything if you run it lighter for first 50 hours would it? probably also wouldn't hurt anything running at 2,600 but I value my hard work, hard earned money, and the equipment I keep so rather kinder and gentler than balls to the wall kinda guy.

4. Additives... if using bio-diesel of B5 or higher always. If petroleum only diesel I don't use if i can keep it seasonally appropriate and fresh (ie: I know it is not going to be more than say 3 - 5 months old. The old adage better safe than sorry is really appropriate here as fuel system problems can a real PITA and expensive if dealer has to look after them.

5. other words of wisdom for new user??? I tell my guys smooth is key. If I see an operator that is jerky my first thought is are they abusing my stuff or maybe just in need of training. Do I train or do I fire comes to mind. If you are being bounced off the seat or jerky motions are experienced then time to slow down or take some training. No need to "ram work" instead shave for FEL and BH. If 3 point hitch stuff is lugging time to lighten up or slow down.


my thoughts for what its worth.

 

[Deeds86]

Welcome aboard and very nice tractor!

I consider max RPM is what happens when I peg the throttle lever. I rarely run much over 2000 RPM's. Most of my useage is mowing the yard with a rear mower. The engine speed is varied according to the best blade speed for that time. I don't mow astroturf - the grass is not consistent in length or "lushness" for the whole mowing season. The L4240 is "pre-some emissions junk" and I don't worry about clogging a DPF.

Thank you! OK so not running wot for breaking it in Shouldn't be an issue at all at least! As of right now I've got no pto attachmets, only bucket, forks and a rear blade... Hopefully in the near future but for the time being it seems like 1500 to 1800 rpm can cover my loader work during break in

 

[Deeds86]

welcome.... here are my uneducated but experienced responses to your questions.

1. Starting RPM.... my diesels all "chatter a bit when started up until oil flow, etc.. stabilizes. So WOT I think is too much stress. But Min. makes for hard starting especially when cold. So I set throttle to about 1250 rpm (best guess as engine not yet running). Start it and yet is stabilize for maybe a minute then throttle it up to 1,700 to warm it up before going to work.

2. Task rpm... of course you don't want to lug it and blow black smoke. You also don't need to run it WOT when not needed. On your RPM gauge it should be marked where the 540 PTO rpm range is. I consider this "full throttle"... sure there is more and I consider this "all ahead flank" if really needed but I avoid. So I am going to guess that your 540 RPM marking is going to be near 2,600 rpm. Day to day mild work I would run it at about 2,000 rpm. Full steam ahead at 2,600 if heavy snow blowing and thick grass mowing. Over 2,600??? probably never push my stuff that hard. Just MHO.

3. Break in..... wide range of thought but shouldn't hurt anything if you run it lighter for first 50 hours would it? probably also wouldn't hurt anything running at 2,600 but I value my hard work, hard earned money, and the equipment I keep so rather kinder and gentler than balls to the wall kinda guy.

4. Additives... if using bio-diesel of B5 or higher always. If petroleum only diesel I don't use if i can keep it seasonally appropriate and fresh (ie: I know it is not going to be more than say 3 - 5 months old. The old adage better safe than sorry is really appropriate here as fuel system problems can a real PITA and expensive if dealer has to look after them.

5. other words of wisdom for new user??? I tell my guys smooth is key. If I see an operator that is jerky my first thought is are they abusing my stuff or maybe just in need of training. Do I train or do I fire comes to mind. If you are being bounced off the seat or jerky motions are experienced then time to slow down or take some training. No need to "ram work" instead shave for FEL and BH. If 3 point hitch stuff is lugging time to lighten up or slow down.


my thoughts for what its worth.

Thank you for taking the time to write this out and answer in detail! It is absolutely helpful! I worked long enough to afford it and I'll make darn sure its taken care! I appreciate it!

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

Welcome and good luck with new machine.

I really like the standard Ls…good choice.

Only comments I have is related to break in. I am not the manufacture of your machine but i would offer that break in / run in is the final machining of the engine. So a couple things:

0. Consider what you need to look for…something lose or leakee or no worker.

1. My recommendation would be to let it get to temperature before doing a full throttle on those precision machined parts. Also consider how / when to vary the revs…that’s really the goal is to get everything seated properly. (Great time to check maintenance points is while it is warming up…get familiar with the checkpoints and machine)

2. Engine wear is a direct result of crud in the oil. You are better to change it early that late IMO.

I don’t think you need to baby it persay, but I think give it a chance to warm up before getting too happy with the throttle (if this is your first diesel consider how diesel and gas engines heat up idle vs running and come to temperature while running very differently between the two.

Congratulations.

 

[Grandad4]

Ditto what MapleLeaf and others have said. My Kubotas were pre-emission models but I treated them with all due respect anyways. Almost never run at WOT but avoided low-RPM putt-putt also.

Random thoughts:

A tractor shouldn't be used as if it's a dozer or skid steer... smooth and steady, not brute force, gets the most work done.

These little diesel engines can last a lifetime with proper care but they don't handle overheating well. Keep the radiator fins CLEAN of dirt and chaff from mowing (gotta clean the actual fins, not just the screen). Don't let the coolant get low. Etc.

For loader work, you need weight in back to counterbalance the loader.

Safety first! Probably at least 100 ways a tractor and its attachments can kill or maim.

Lots to learn but what an amazingly capable piece of equipment you have! Best wishes with your new Kubota!

 

[Russell King]

Keep the loader close to the ground while bucket is full. Your center of gravity is probably higher than your previous equipment so just be slow and careful with your new setup until you get a good feel for it’s capabilities.

Keep it in four wheel drive if heading downhill on slippery surfaces. The front wheels don’t have any brakes so that may be something you need to play around with to get comfortable. There was a good video posted yesterday (that I can’t find today) where a guy slid down a long slope and tractor went over the edge since the brakes weren’t able to stop the tractor.

 

[Deeds86]

Ditto what MapleLeaf and others have said. My Kubotas were pre-emission models but I treated them with all due respect anyways. Almost never run at WOT but avoided low-RPM putt-putt also.

Random thoughts:

A tractor shouldn't be used as if it's a dozer or skid steer... smooth and steady, not brute force, gets the most work done.

These little diesel engines can last a lifetime with proper care but they don't handle overheating well. Keep the radiator fins CLEAN of dirt and chaff from mowing (gotta clean the actual fins, not just the screen). Don't let the coolant get low. Etc.

For loader work, you need weight in back to counterbalance the loader.

Safety first! Probably at least 100 ways a tractor and its attachments can kill or maim.

Lots to learn but what an amazingly capable piece of equipment you have! Best wishes with your new Kubota!

Thank you! Absolutely safety first! I did get beet juice in the rear so ballast is on the radar! I will pay close attention to the cooling system and do my end to keep her alive a very long time!

 

[Deeds86]

Keep the loader close to the ground while bucket is full. Your center of gravity is probably higher than your previous equipment so just be slow and careful with your new setup until you get a good feel for it’s capabilities.

Keep it in four wheel drive if heading downhill on slippery surfaces. The front wheels don’t have any brakes so that may be something you need to play around with to get comfortable. There was a good video posted yesterday (that I can’t find today) where a guy slid down a long slope and tractor went over the edge since the brakes weren’t able to stop the tractor.

Im pretty sure I seen that video, if its the one where he bailed right before it flipped over? If its in 4 wheel I'd have to assume brakes will assist the front? Good recommendation thank you!

 

[Hugo Habicht]

And its gonna be hard to use since there's not a scratch on it! I was very picky about wanting one out of the crate that Noone has played on yet! That's my job

That is the problem, it will be hard to use it because it is so new and shiny. I tell you what: you put this tractor into a glass cabinet in your living room and you buy a well used one for the work.