Tractor Sizing Kubota L2501 vs L3301

[Fallon]

As I said previously, they are the same tractor (minus tier 4 emissions, just different HP. The L3301 is the tier 4 version of my L3200. I'd be annoyed with less HP than I have now. I occasionally not getting the extra 6 HP on a L3800.

Unless you are pulling a plow or a tiller, which have specific speeds you need to maintain to function properly, both tractors will do the job. More HP will just get it done faster.

If it were me I'd stay away from the underpowered L2501, but sometimes finances take priority.

 

[sea2summit]

The 3301 sits right where I was hoping to be in terms of power...

Hate to say this but when I read that, all I think is a year or two from now you'll wish you went bigger than the 3301...trust me

 

[Fallon]

Hate to say this but when I read that, all I think is a year or two from now you'll wish you went bigger than the 3301...trust me

I'm over 2 years into owning my L3200 (same HP as the L3301 more or less).I only occasionally regret not getting a L3800, and then its about $1k of regret, not the $2k extra it would have cost.

 

[abeal]

Hi, I'm in the same boat - looking at L2501 vs L3301 to do maintenance work on my steep access road to the woods lower half of my property (27 acres) and also keep up with some trails and do bushhogging around the place. I plan to run 5' rotary mower, 4' blade, and box scraper to cut some water runoff trenches. I want to knock down some trees and clear an acre down in the hollow for hunting/food plots. Most of my land is on a hillside including the access road so I definitely need the weight to do any work.

I'm not a mechanic and the distance to my dealer will be cost prohibitive for lots of service or maintenance work. I also don't have a trailer nor a vehicle large enough to pull one so the less repairs at a dealer I face the better off I'd be. Hence thinking the L2501. Cost is another factor as I'm starting fresh and have to buy all of the implements to do this stuff.

On the other hand I do not want to buy under power - I get one shot at this (I'm not a young man anymore - in my early 60s). That being said my neighbor has used a smaller Kubota 19HP engine to do the same thing I need to do and while it takes him awhile he gets it done. So very difficult decisions to make and I wonder how the thread owner has made out with his decisions a year ago.

Thanks - and Hello to everyone - Steve

I have an L3200 that I use in the mountains. Be careful - it is tippy. If you go that route have the wheels set at their widest setting and add some spacers.

 

[Fallon]

I have an L3200 that I use in the mountains. Be careful - it is tippy. If you go that route have the wheels set at their widest setting and add some spacers.

I agree, although the R4 rims on my L3200 are non-adjustable. You absolutely need to load the rear tires & use proper ballast. Without loaded tires I bet even the L2501 will be traction limited rather than power limited. Not to mention the additional stability. I've thought about adding spacers on mine, more because you can't put on rear tires chains without spacers than for stability though. I do have some slopes on my property, but I can take them sidehill with no problems. I pucker up a bit & go slow, but no issues if I do. I usually avoid sidehilling them though.

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

lets remember that years ago 26 Hp in this size tractor was very normal. There are many, many applications where its more than adequate.

 

[dodge man]

Looking at the specs, I can't help but wonder if Kubota just derated the L25 to get in under the emissions laws. I have a BX2350 rated at 23 hp out of a 55 cubic inch engine. The specs I saw earlier showed the L25 at around a 100 cubic inches. I would think it would outwork my BX by a lot. I wonder if in the real world the 25 hp in the L doesn't seem like a lot more. I also wonder if a person with the knowledge couldn't get the power of the L25 bumped up quite a bit with just a little tuning by bumping up the fuel curve.

 

[Fallon]

I'm sure it's just for emissions. My L3200 was the smallest L you could get in the previous generation. I think they played some games to get under the 25hp limit. HP = torque * RPM. So if you lower the RPMS a bit you can get a lot of usable torque but still stay under the HP caps.

 

[teg]

My L3200 was the smallest L you could get in the previous generation...

...and my L2800 was the smallest L in previous generation to yours... I really wonder about the L2501... what RPM it is when it's wide open throttle? ...could it be that it's just de-rated?

PTO would still have to be 540 so it's got to be "geared" differently...

 

[sea2summit]

lets remember that years ago 26 Hp in this size tractor was very normal. There are many, many applications where its more than adequate.

True...before all the regulations regarding fuel, exhaust, pollution and other associated baloney.