Moving from 2nd Gen to 3rd...what to know

I have owned a 22R in a Celica. It was underpowered. I do still have an appreciation for their reliability, but they were not impressive to drive, at all.

Jeff

 

I’m stuck trying to decide between 3 machines right now. I have 3 acres with about 600 feet or road access and driveway with one section being rather steep down to the house. The machine would be used for snow removal in the winter, and maintaining the gravel drive the other 3 seasons. I also have a few projects where I could use a backhoe, but once they’re done, so would be my need for a hoe. So the choices are a BX23S for around $24K plus probably a snow pusher box, and grader scraper. A used B2601 with 20 hours, that I could probably get with the pusher and grader for the price of the new BX. Lastly, an L2501 TLB off a friend of a friend in the spring. Low hours, but the lack of mid PTO makes me hesitate, in case I’d ever like to go the front mount blower route, I’d like to have that option available to me. Back issues make a 3 point mount blower undesirable. What thoughts, advice, recommendations do you three Kubota aficionados have to pass along?

 

Did you load the tires or add wheel weights ?

 

A couple of hints.always get 4 wd !! It’s much safer braking and overall use. If you’re working off road, you’ll need the ground clearance; if you can possibly afford it, get an L series. Second, I use a rear blower and also have back issues. But, I always drop the blower skids on angled 6 by6 by 4 foot pieces of lumber, never in bare ground. I can then use a crow bar to easily align the the machine with the hitch points. I prefer not using front mounted blowers. You lose the use if the bucket and the weight of the blower on the back makes for much safer use. With that weight and chains, I sometimes don’t even use 4 wd

You’re right....Back hoes are great, but unless you’re a contractor, you run out of use for them in no time and they’re the most expensive add on. I never saw one pay for itself. I would just rent a back hoe for stumoage and ditching and temp use. You get a really big one and fly through jobs and it’s much cheaper over time. .
Best of luck.

 

Not the turf tires, but my ag rears will be. Either going to use rv coolant or washer fluid. I don't like the price of rim guard personally.

 

Excellent choices. My calcium in inner tubes have been in place for 13 years...never a problem.

 

Yeah calcium certainly has a better specific gravity compared to my 2 choices, but I just wanted to avoid the corrosive nature of calcium in case of a leak. Rim guard is very close to calcium in regards to the specific gravity, but I'm too cheap for that.

 

They loaded mine with beet juice when I bought mine.

 

Yeah that's rim guard.

 

I don't think we need the turbo in the Tacoma. Just my opinion

 

I had an '84 Celica GT with the 22RE engine. great little daily driver. Just enough power to have some fun but not enough to get into trouble. I also had several Toyota pick-ups with the 22RE engine. To talk bad about the 22R engine is blasphemy in my books.

 

As long as the calcium is in tubes, there should be no problem. Either way, I would use tubes no matter what other choices you make. The liquid ballast is the best way to go instead of wheel weights.
The other thing about tires too is, store your tractor out of sunlight. I keep mine under a car port and the only tire that I’ve had to repair, is the left front that gets sunlight...

 

Still blows my mind that they used the 22REs in those old Dolphin motorhomes.

 

But but but it’s not a twuck motor!

 

I don’t think we “need” it either. But, 300 ft lbs of torque like the Ford Ranger has, ...would be sweet.

 

22RE PUSSY MOTOR CONFIRMED

 

It’s for people in no rush who can stop any time to take wiz while cruising in the breakdown lanes at 50 mph.

 

That’s cause the early Toyota’s weren’t really trucks compared to f150 s. Now, they’re as long as the standard full size. They got a lot bigger.

 

I can probably buy the L2501 in the low to mid twenties (Canadian bucks). We haven't talked price, but the guy wants to sell it in the spring, as he's beginning to downsize. Says he'll give me a good deal on it. The friends and family deal. I could always get the backhoe work out of the way, then sell it to buy more useful implements. Hadn't really considered what you mentioned about a rear blower. Don't know that I'd go that route anyways. A snow blade or pusher would probably work better for my application. My biggest concern it the weight of the machine for work out in my yard, which is a clay base. Very hard when dry, but there's still wheel depressions from when the previous owners moved out seven years ago. Guess I'd just stay off the grass when the ground is wet.

 

They’re still shorter, narrower, and lighter in comparable configurations. But this is all a non point, because the 3.5 in the Tacoma is also much closer to the engines in many half tons then the 22RE was.