Oil & Fuel 50hr front axle oil??

[john_bud]

Talon,

Service techs will drain the fluid into a (ahem) clean bucket and after changing the filters will pump it back into your tractor. SOP in some places.

Great way to save a hundred bucks. Totally consistent with the manual.

However, some folks might consider that to be "penny wise and pound foolish".

jb

 

[DesertRose]

I agree with Talon Dancer that Kubota manuals can be confusing and contradictory. I had Honda motorcycles in the 1960's and would laugh when reading the maintenance sections. They seemed to have all the right words in a sentence but were out of order. As I remember they had statements like this: "The oil to change frequently is important. Guidelines are followed. When passenger accompanies operator on roads of dust frequently follow more changes of engine oil and air filters." It almost gave me a headache to read them and Kubota's manuals aren't much better.

I have found much better tips and advice here on TBN than in the manual. But my manual does say to change the oil in the L3400 4WD front end at 50 hrs so that's what I will do. It only takes about a gallon of oil so cost isn't that big of an issue. The extra time and effort will be worth it if for no other reason than piece of mind. I will use UDT because it gets very cold here in the winter and let's face it, tractors are used at very much slower speeds than cars or trucks which use 90W oil in their front and rear ends.

Someone in this thread mentioned changing the filter on the front end at 50 hours. Does any Kubota tractor use a filter on the front end?

Tom

 

[dutchman56]

Did the 50 hour service over the holidays and when drained front axle it was obvioiusly gear oil and not UDT like dealer said would be in it. Replaced with Premiam UDT but next time will do this in fall or spring and not -10 deg C. It was forever to drain.

 

[lovemytoys]

my dealer quoted me from 350 -400 to do the 50 hour service .im confused it like under 100 for parts ??am i wrong i have a bx 24

 

[inseeme]

If I were you I would do it myself, really not that bad, and you save all that money, yes parts are probably around $100

 

[SteveA]

I used Mobil 1 synthetic gear oil. Wanted something a little heavier than SUDT that would not turn to molasses during cold winter.

 

[LQPAPPY]

Know this is an older thread but for current info I emailed Kubota tech about my B3030 with upcoming 50 hr. service. Manual calls for 300 hr on front axle and gear oil or sudt owners choice. Kubota tech says with fel they recommend gear oil and 300 hr is fine. My choice was gear oil @ 50 hr(if it needed gear with fel why wait till 300hr).

 

[bp fick]

Know this is an older thread but for current info I emailed Kubota tech about my B3030 with upcoming 50 hr. service. Manual calls for 300 hr on front axle and gear oil or sudt owners choice. Kubota tech says with fel they recommend gear oil and 300 hr is fine. My choice was gear oil @ 50 hr(if it needed gear with fel why wait till 300hr).

I have no idea why, but my dealer specifically spoke of using gear lube in the front axle. He brought up the subject. He also intimated that "most guys" drop the factory udt as soon as they got the machine home. His tone was matter-of-fact. Again, I don't know why this recommendation. But, I followed his advice. Dropped the front axle lube at 8 hours. Re-filled with semi-synthetic 75w-90. If I sense it is still too stiff, (although I don't know how I will detect this), I will fill it with pure synthetic. We get zero weather with regularity.

 

[Deano]

I have been using the SUDT in my front axle for 560 hours. Spoke with a dealer last week and told him I was deciding to go to gear oil at 600 hours and think I should have changed it long before this. He stated that the book does call for either, but they suggest gear lube.

I should have chaged to gear lube when I got the tractor. It is simply a gear case and does not need the thinner SUDT.

Deano

 

[brin]

I know this is a Kubota forum but I just want to throw in my 2 cents..I have a NH TC 29 and I did the 50 hr. service myself and have done all the service since...I was a little intimidated to start the 50 hr. service but it ended up being an easy task...same for all the other service...not long ago I finished the 300 hr service which included the Hyd. oil change and again no big deal.

For what it's worth it is rewarding in that you get to know your machine, you know the service was done and you can select the brand and type of lubricants you use as well as the filters..but when you are finished you know it was done and have saved a lot of money...

 

[jimainiac]

How can you blame anybody for being a bit confused when the manual calls for either SUDT or 80-90 Wt. gear oil? To the naked eye they couldn't look more different. That decision was above my pay grade, so I relied on the experience and judgement of my dealer. They recommended gear oil, so that's what I went with. It made sense to me, too, as it's good enough for the axles in our pickups.

 

[bp fick]

I did have someone at a Kubota dealer mention that the sudt is in there from the factory, likely, not a fact, but likely just because they have it on the line. Makes sense. The person also said that udt makes for a good break in oil for the front hubs, but again, drain it to get the "flakes" out and replace with high quality gear lube.

These dealership fellows aren't engineers for Kubota, but still, knowledgeable of the tractor and people who do the warranty work and other maintenance on them. I also agree that 4 x 4 truck front axles use gear lube.
All that said, SUDT is pretty fancy stuff, I suppose and quite capable.

 

[dex3361]

When I recently change the BX1500 it had SUDT and the L4400 had some sort of gear oil. I put the 80w-90w gear oil back in.

 

[DickS]

Not to hi-jack this thread, but does anyone know the actual oil capacity for the front axle?

 

[bp fick]

Dick
Each model tractor is different.

 

[Deano]

Not to hi-jack this thread, but does anyone know the actual oil capacity for the front axle?

I see you have a BX24. The front axle capacity is 5 quarts.

Deano

 

[Baby Grand]

From somewhere on the internets:

... The EP additive system, which includes sulfur-phosphorous, borates and sulfur-phosphorous-boron chemistries, provides a chemically protective film that protects against welding, scuffing and scoring of the gears during boundary lubrication conditions, which can occur at start-up, stopping and high shock loads. The EP lubricant grades correspond to ISO viscosity grades 68 to 1,500. EP gear oils perform well over a wide range of gear drive sizes and speeds in a temperature range of -15oC to 121oC .

IMHO - There seems to be a lot of focus on our tractor front ends being low speed and therefor not requiring EP (Extreem Pressure) additives. But tell me that your front end doesn't see start-up, stopping and high shock loads - I know mine does whenever I give the FEL a good workout. In fact, low speed high torque power transmission is really the classic example of a boundary layer lubrication condition. The gears are not rolling and sliding against each other fast enough to develop the protective hydrodynamic wedge of oil between metal surfaces, and this leads to metal to metal contact. This metal to metal contact is the primary cause of welding, scuffing and scoring of gear teeth. This, and our relatively mild winter temperatures in CT, is why I will be using EP gear oil in my front axle. If you live in an area where you will be using your machine at temperatures below -15 deg C, SUDT is probably the best option. Just my $.02.

-Jim

 

[actionaj]

I ran my 2350 with sudt until the 300 hr. mark and then switched to gear oil. It just makes more since to run the thicker oil, more protection and lessor chance of leaks.

 

[sw03]

I ran SUDT in front diff and drained...grey and metal flacks...Switched to Amsoil's best......way better and it is made for gears too! LOL

 

[ibnxe]

SUDT is about half the viscosity of UDT, which is about the equivalant of 20 weight oil. As far as I can determine, neither of these oils have any EP (Extreme Pressure) additives. These aren't going to present any real protection against gear gaulling and wear.
I use 80W-90 gear oil, and wouldn't use anything else. On my uneven property, I'm in 4 wheel drive most of the time.