Mowing L2501 v L3301

[Fallon]

Fantastic! Well that pretty much solves my problem. A salesman at one place told me it only had High-Low.

I think old economy JD machines had a 2 speed HST. Every other HST tractor I've seen has a 3 speed. They are all straight cut gears with no synchros & can be finicky to shift. JD, Kiotis, LS, TYM & Kubota. Kubota does have HST+ on the Grand machines which gives you a shift on the fly high/low option for every range. With that you generally stay in M & just toggle high/low as needed.

HST transmissions eat up 15% of your HP compared to gear. But I think the convenience & flexibility more than makes up for it.

 

[motownbrowne]

I think you'll be very happy with the 2501 and the 3 range HST. There's been talk on here of turning up the pump to regain the power that they removed to get below 25 HP. You could always pursue that if you need a few more ponies. Also, if you're mowing on hills, removing the loader will give you a little more power to the mower because you don't have to carry as much weight up the slope. It's nicer mowing with the loader off anyway.

 

[Hill HIgh Guy]

I'm glad this topic came up as I've narrowed down my search to the L2501 and L3301. I only have 3 acres but almost the entire property is on an incline. I'm concerned the L2501 will not have enough grunt to go up and down the hills pulling a 5' cutter. I don't need to go race car fast but I don't want it to bog in high grass either.

Anyone specifically have experience with cutting on a hill with the L2501 HST?

Thanks!

 

[wagne223]

I will be quoting and repeating what some members have already said, however it is worth repeating.

-Not too long ago 25hp was common in this frame/size/weight of tractor.

-There will be times, no matter how much HP you have, you will want more.

- It is important to remember, with an HST, more HST pedal equals more speed and less torque. People naturally want to push harder on the HST pedal when the load increases, however this will result in slowing/bogging the machine. Ease up on the HST pedal to increase torque and relieve load on the engine.

- Weight defines what a tractor can do, HP defines how fast it can do it.

Now, items specific to the L2501 in HST

- It does have 3 ranges

- To get the most out of this tractor, ignore the 540 mark on the tach and pull the throttle lever all the way (WOT) the engine will run between 24 and 2500 RPM. Everything performs better.
If you only open the throttle to 2100 RPM (the PTO 540 mark) the tractor will bog under heavy load either doing loader work or PTO work.
Of course if the job is only morerate then you only need enough RPM to perform the task.

-I purchased the L2501 to keep things simple and it was at a better price point.

How fast you can mow will be dependent on what you are mowing. Personally I manage a hunting lease in north FL. My mowing consists of 8 foot heavy brush and 2-3" trees. Clearing overgrown trails or clearing a spot for food plots that has not been mowed in 10 years. My use is much heavier then most people and therefore is not a good comparison.
The tractor does it though! I have to use low range and go slow.

When maintenance mowing existing trails, with only 1-2 foot grass and light brush, using medium range is no problem.

I do not have any videos of mowing yet, however, I do have a few videos of digging with the FEL and smoothing a road. I made the videos just for people interested in the L2501 and want to see and hear the capability of this machine. When I was looking there was not a lot of videos out there.
I should get some mowing video soon.

If anyone is interested, here is one video. You can then click on my name to see the other videos on my channel.

Kubota L251 Digging in unbroken ground - YouTube

-Rob

 

[Fallon]

I'm glad this topic came up as I've narrowed down my search to the L2501 and L3301. I only have 3 acres but almost the entire property is on an incline. I'm concerned the L2501 will not have enough grunt to go up and down the hills pulling a 5' cutter. I don't need to go race car fast but I don't want it to bog in high grass either.

Anyone specifically have experience with cutting on a hill with the L2501 HST?

Thanks!

As I noted before, just slow down. A competent operator won't ever big a HST machine. An aware novice shouldn't either. If you ease off the go pedal you slow down putting less load on the engine moving the tractor & decreasing the amount of brush per unit if time the mower has to process.

The L2501 has less HP than my old L3200, but punches above it's weight due to some tweaks they did only for the purpose of getting it rated under 25hp for emissions. As long as you aren't climbing 25% slopes in heavy grass (heavy thick grass is noticably harder to cut than brush) you'll be fine. You'll have to go slower, but the machine will handle it fine. That's the beauty of a HST. You just wiggle your toes & you can go as fast or as slow as needed. It's trivial to second by second keep that peddle pushed as far as you can without bogging the engine then ease off a hair if the RPMs start dropping.

 

[Garandman]

I think you'll be very happy with the 2501 and the 3 range HST. There's been talk on here of turning up the pump to regain the power that they removed to get below 25 HP.

The 2501 engine is bigger than the L3200 and the max horsepower is at a lower rpm.

I seriously question whether the L2501 is less powerful than the L3200 at all.

With our L3200 we really only use High for transit. Medium should give a good rate of speed for mowing.

 

[Hill HIgh Guy]

I really appreciate the responses. Sorry to highjack the post

My local dealer was really trying to convince me that I would be unhappy with the L2501 and that I should give him another $1,800 for the L3301.

 

[JohnMaldaner]

Great thread and Hill High Guy I appreciate your questions, too.

Just placed my order for the L2501/HST. Going to get pallet forks, too. I can see lots of uses for them.

I appreciate the help here! Makes me feel better about buying Kubota knowing you guys are here for advice!

 

[jeff9366]

I really appreciate the responses. Sorry to highjack the post

My local dealer was really trying to convince me that I would be unhappy with the L2501 and that I should give him another $1,800 for the L3301.

I do not know the altitude in Purcellville, Virginia. If you will be operating at over 3,500 feet altitude spending the additional $1,800 may be worthwhile.

Dealers are worth listening too. You can cross check dealer recommendations here.

 

[Hill HIgh Guy]

P'ville is at 800' so I think I should be good.

The dealer has a bunch of 33's and 39's but no 25's. I plan on shopping a few dealers in the area.