Buying Advice Ford 8N vs Kubota L2501

[Jstpssng]

Nice writeup. One thing which my 8n did better though was to run my 3 PH woodsplitter that ran off my old BH pump. When calling for power my 'Bota would hesitate as diesels will, whereas the 8N would perk up, and the splitter would work the way it should.

Thanks for the very detailed comparison. I have owned a 1977 Ford 2600 gas tractor that has served me very well for the past 21 years. Now I'm seriously looking at buying a new Kubota L2501 DT with loader SSQA, R4 tires filled and 3rd valve for grapples.
Will be mostly used for mowing between my 40 acre pine tree plantation and box blading the driveway with occasional grapple and bucket work.

You might want to rethink the DT for bush hogging, as it doesn't have live PTO. I'm not sure why Kubota did that, but you need to go into the 3901 to get it.

 

[Tractorable]

Here’s the 8N tractor pulling the chicken tractor....would also be an easier task with HST.

 

[Jstpssng]

Yep, those old Fords were rather high geared. If I ever get mine running again it will be interesting to see how well it pulls my plow and Dearborn harrow.

 

[gwstang]

I have a '52 8N that I rebuilt the engine/lift pump on. Has lots more power now. I did buy new L2501 several years ago and there is no comparison. Diesel just grunts and roars on....N would choke down... I leave the 5' finishing mower attached to the N and it works perfect. I use the L for everything else. You would get use to the FEL hanging off the front and it won't bother you, as it first did. From a video I've seen, it's easy to take off/put back on. The N is geared way too fast for reverse. Slap that in reverse and throttle down as slow as possible because it's still going to take off backwards at about 40mph...lol feels like it anyway. 4WD is the cats whiskers! Love both of 'em and just use them for specific tasks.

 

[gwstang]

"My 8N engine is tired (please email me if you know where to get a reasonable priced replacement engine in Minnesota), low compression, smoking from filler cap and super hard to start in the cold."

Those old 4cyl flat heads are easy to rebuild. Just get a kit with the new pistons/sleeves. Lap the valve seats and have the crank checked/turned. My was around $500 to rebuild. Nothing to it. I did mine over one winter and it has way more power than before. '52 8N 4 speed.

 

[Texasmark]

Apples and oranges......literally.

 

[Squeak n Itch]

I own a 1952 Ford 8N and my neighbor recently bought a new Kubota L2501. Yesterday my neighbor let me use his new tractor to mow my fields and I wanted to provide a compare and contrast of old vs new for anyone considering a new L2501.

My pastures had become majorly overgrown due to our wet spring in Virginia and because I was out of the country for a month. The grass in most parts of the fields is 4-5ft high with some parts being extra dense and thick. In the past when it gets like this it has nearly stalled out my 8N with 5ft Bush Hog.

What痴 interesting is that the 8N and L2501 are about the same horsepower (25-27hp) and the same weight (2500-2700lbs) but I can tell you, the performance is very different with the tractors both using the same bush hog.

The telling factors are torque at RPM. High torque at low RPM tells a story that simple HP leaves out of the equation.

Bruce

 

[troverman]

7) I wish the L2501 had a grab handle on the right fender, kept wanting to grab onto something.

You can order the missing handle through your dealer; Kubota is removing the right handle on all their "standard" models now as a way to cut costs. The handle is about $50, but for me, operating on slopes, gives me something to hang on to. I ordered one for both my MX4800 and L2501.

 

[Mosby2015]

I love this write up. As a mostly lurker who inherited my fathers 8N I actually learned a lot about it, and it's shortcomings. My fathers was restored about 15 years ago but it is still in great shape, and seems to run good. But I will probably rethink putting it to work on the small property we own. The live PTO is something I didn't understand until I read your write up.

So it may be apple to oranges, but in that comparison, they are both fruit and both good for you. But each of them has different property's as to their benefits for eating them. So I am not sure that's not an apt analogy. Obviously no one who is shopping to purchase a tractor is looking at these two tractors as possible equals. But the info is still relevant as there are literally thousands of these old tractors out in the world and knowing their limitations is always good to know, especially for new tractor owners.

Or inherited tractor owners!!

Thank you for talking to time to write this.

 

[D2Cat]

The big difference in the 8N and virtually any newer tractor is the gearing in the transmissions. The old Fords were geared to work on a 40 (or larger) acre farm. Trying to slow them down for small areas was a challenge.