Kubota L2501 vs L3301 ?

[Milo]

My tasks are more loader and rear blade oriented so I went with the 2501 to avoid emission. Once each Fall (so the grass and weeds are pretty high) I mow down three meadows totaling about 5 acres with a 60" flail mower which it does just fine but I'm in low range. If most of my use was mowing or blowing snow at max rpm (where the emission motors like to be) I would have considered an L3901.

 

[tradosaurus]

I bought my L3301 last year. I bought it to run a Landpride rotary cutter. Personally I would recommend getting the L3901. Don't worry about the DPF.
The L3901 was about $4k more than the L2501 but better to buy once, cry once.
I don't know what your budget is but consider the MX4800 at $28K.

 

[ALB]

I bought my L3301 last year. I bought it to run a Landpride rotary cutter. Personally I would recommend getting the L3901. Don't worry about the DPF.
The L3901 was about $4k more than the L2501 but better to buy once, cry once.
I don't know what your budget is but consider the MX4800 at $28K.

HST or Gear? Afraid my budget is set at L3301 max. I'm getting the package deal! I'm now struggling with the HSt or Gear. I like the ease of the HST but Power of the Gear. I'll do more bushoging and plowing than anything else.

 

[RickB]

Most of the package deals I see include low end implements (Landpride 12 series), rotary cutters with shear bolt drivelines and trailers too short to transport a tractor, loader and cutter without rear overhang. Make sure the package is adequate for your needs.

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

I have a 3301 and the regen's are a complete non issue. Most of the work my tractor makes is below zero doing some light duty logging after freeze up to blowing snow when temps get to -30 at time. DPF's like heat not cool to stay clean and to regen.

every 25 hours or so the dash light says regen and if exhaust gas is not high enough it tells me to increase rpm's.

only difference I have experienced versus my non DPF diesels is I tend to think about keeping exhaust gas higher by less idling and more rpm's than I do with non DPF tractors. Do I worry? not one bit. tractor has worked flawlessly and regen's are a non issue in my experience.

On a plus side I do notice a significant less fuel used versus the tractors that are 10 years older.

 

[tradosaurus]

HST or Gear? Afraid my budget is set at L3301 max. I'm getting the package deal! I'm now struggling with the HSt or Gear. I like the ease of the HST but Power of the Gear. I'll do more bushoging and plowing than anything else.

I have the HST. I don't have experience with the gear drive so couldn't compare.

 

[Peter 315]

If you are doing a lot of loader work get the hst it's a lot faster....

 

[jaydee325]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the L3301 gear does not appear to have a live PTO? Kubota website describes the PTO on the gear model as transmission driven with overrunning clutch and the hydrostatic model as a live PTO with overrunning clutch.

 

[Peter 315]

No live pto on gear shift, Your correct ....

 

[Steppenwolfe]

HST or Gear? Afraid my budget is set at L3301 max. I'm getting the package deal! I'm now struggling with the HSt or Gear. I like the ease of the HST but Power of the Gear. I'll do more bushoging and plowing than anything else.

I have a 3301 gear drive; I love it. If you're plowing, you want gear. And, I just finished bush hogging 30 acres with it as well. Set the throttle and go to work. Skip the hst, you don't need it.

 

[The Deerslayer]

HST or Gear? Afraid my budget is set at L3301 max. I'm getting the package deal! I'm now struggling with the HSt or Gear. I like the ease of the HST but Power of the Gear. I'll do more bushoging and plowing than anything else.

My older tractor was gear, my newer tractor is HST.......there is a reason for that. :laughing: Seriously though, for my uses, there is no contest. The HST is a dream compared to the gear.

 

[Jstpssng]

HST or Gear? Afraid my budget is set at L3301 max. I'm getting the package deal! I'm now struggling with the HSt or Gear. I like the ease of the HST but Power of the Gear. I'll do more bushoging and plowing than anything else.

I was all set to pick up a 3301 DT (geared), but at about 10:30 the night before I realized that it doesn't have a live PTO. The next day I bought my used 3301HST instead, but had I thought about it would have gone with the 3901 and made payments for an extra year.

 

[chim]

I went from a B7500 to an L3200 in 2012. I built a nice heated cab for it and was set for the long run. It was so much more tractor than the B7500 that it took a while for me to see that it could still use a few more horses and a more capable FEL. At the time, I could have bought an L3900 for around $1,500 more. Had I sprung for that, it may have been my last tractor. About 2 years ago I was considering replacing the L3200 with a new cabbed tractor with A/C. I ended up buying a nice pre-Tier IV instead of new primarily to avoid the emissions doodads.

There are reports of absolutely no trouble with the emissions equipment, and reports from those who wished they'd have avoided them. We don't know how much or how little trouble the Final Tier IV stuff will be years down the road. We also don't know if there's a better emissions approach just around the corner. Such a development would make the current generation orphans.

 

[jeff9366]

Europe is in the process of banning fossil fuel powered vehicles and equipment. Tractor manufacturers in Europe must be working hard on alternatives. If Deere and Kubota do not want to forfeit their European sales they will work on battery power too.

Battery power will likely be the next tractor power or alternative power.

It makes sense to me that tractor battery power will be introduced beginning with subcompact tractor first, which have lower power requirements and spew big quantities of pollutants without pollution controls.

 

[mpsmith60]

North Georgia red clay! So teh dirt is very hard. I have an 1210 Ford that I use a 4' rototiller on. It works well if the soil is already turned. But this little tractor has to work very hard to turn my soil so i need a larger tractor.

I live in the North Georgia area and went with the L3901, which gives me plenty of power to work in the hard-packed clay on my property. Also, the extra PTO power is great for my heavy duty rotary cutter and wood chipper. I have almost 500 hours on the tractor and have had no trouble with the DPF system, so don't let that scare you away from the L3301 or even the L3901. Good luck with your decision!

 

[goeduck]

I have both Gear and HST tractors. There is a place and use for both. I look at it this way, if I am changing directions a lot and doing fine loader work... HST. If I am doing field work or coarse loader work, Gear. Just my :2cents:

 

[ALB]

First let me thank all of your post and information. It was a very hard decision for me to make. I went with the Kubota L3901 gear. The two stage clutch just felt so much better than the L3301 and was only $1,800 more. And more HP! I just like the gear better than the HST especially since I will be doing more dirt work and bush hogging. I can almost work that clutch as easy as the HST! But that HST was simple and nice. I have to say that! LOL

 

[jeff9366]

Good decision.

Congratulations on the L3901 !

 

[The Deerslayer]

Congratulations and enjoy your new tractor. :cool2:

 

[Jstpssng]

Congratulations, it will give you many years of use. As I mentioned before I wish that's what I had bought. At the time I was saying I was looking for the tractor they would use to dig my grave-hopefully many years down the road. Now I'm planning to buy myself one more tractor, a couple of years down the road.