Oil & Fuel 400 hr check- necessary

[jimbo64]

i do all of the maint on the equip around here and it is getting close to hyd
fluid change on my l2500- says 400 hrs- it looks clean and have experienced no probs- is it necessary to dump 7 gals of expensive fluid and replace it with 7 gal of very expensive fluid or are you guys running yours a bit longer in between changes udt is costly----i did blow a loader cyl and replaced about 3 gal last year

 

[timswi]

i do all of the maint on the equip around here and it is getting close to hyd
fluid change on my l2500- says 400 hrs- it looks clean and have experienced no probs- is it necessary to dump 7 gals of expensive fluid and replace it with 7 gal of very expensive fluid or are you guys running yours a bit longer in between changes-udt is costly

Do the change and forget about it..Expensive, yes....I'd do it as close to 400 as you can..Even before.

 

[RFB]

I am the wrong guy to answer that one since I change out fluids and filters at 50 hours.

 

[grsthegreat]

Im not sure, but i believe a new transmission might be a little more costly ????

 

[George the Beagle]

I changed mine at 50 hrs and if I had to do it again I wouldn't. 400 hours? Different animal.

 

[David_Kb7uns]

Did my L3130GST at the 400 hour mark. Every once in a while I would get a bit of a squeal out of one of the GST clutches when shifting in to a high gear from a stop. went away after oil change. Had a friend just spent $15000 for replacing all the wet clutches in his John Deere skidder because of excess water in the oil causing acid build up and it eats at the glue holding the clutch material in place. The oil may look good but additives wear out and oil collects moisture, so it is a good idea to stick to the schedule. I use the old oil to cut my chainsaw bar oil in the winter so it does not go to waste.

David Kb7uns

 

[samofsweden]

i do all of the maint on the equip around here and it is getting close to hyd
fluid change on my l2500- says 400 hrs- it looks clean and have experienced no probs- is it necessary to dump 7 gals of expensive fluid and replace it with 7 gal of very expensive fluid or are you guys running yours a bit longer in between changes udt is costly----i did blow a loader cyl and replaced about 3 gal last year

Well oil and filter is one of the cheapest things you can buy to you K-bota
And if you dont change things can get really expensive in the future. The oil is expensive yes, but do change it:thumbsup:

 

[OrangeRidge]

If you think oil is expensive , parts/labour will kill you.
Buy the oil .

 

[namesray]

changed fluids in b7800 at recommended interval. glad i did because the trans/hydro fluid was a little bit milky with water in fluid. i am guessing from condensation build up and it was only a year and half since the previous hydrolic change. i suggest change it. pay now or pay later.

 

[Volfandt]

I've always kept up w/the scheduled maintenance and so far (knock on wood) my 04 BX23 still works like it did when new. In 600+ hrs I've changed the hydraulic fluid & filter 3 times....

Altho theres no combustion byproducts being suspended in the HST fluid, it gets just as hot as engine oil and there is still suspended debris, from normal wear & tear in the fluid that is too small for the filters and screens to catch.
If you've connected up any hydro implements from other tractors theres no telling what you've introduced into your tractors hydro system.....

Theres a few assembly's in the HST where you do not want a build up of debris to collect as permanent damage will occur.

What you could do is see if theres a way to have the UDT/SUDT/SUDT2 tested to see if the additives are still servicable and the fluid itself isn't contaminated w/debris,water etc., but I'm not sure a UA can be done on hydraulic oil. It probably can but someone else will have to remark on that.
The hydro fluid is much more critical in an HST. If you can't get a UA on the fluid done it would be much better to err on the safe side and change out that 400 hr used fluid as instructed by those that made it.....
Good luck
Dave

 

[Herkypilot]

.... Had a friend just spent $15000 for replacing all the wet clutches in his John Deere skidder because of excess water in the oil causing acid build up ...
David Kb7uns

Was that one too many zeros...?!?

HP

 

[bigbull338]

yes it hurts the pocket book todo things kubotas way.but i think there way is best.an im going to follow them in servicing my tractor.but you wont have to do it all again for another 400hrs.

 

[jimbo64]

yes it hurts the pocket book todo things kubotas way.but i think there way is best.an im going to follow them in servicing my tractor.but you wont have to do it all again for another 400hrs.

hads good luck using tractor supply universal transmission fluid it so i guess i'll stay with that- we use it in about everything around here-big big diff in price from kubota super udt

 

[timswi]

hads good luck using tractor supply universal transmission fluid it so i guess i'll stay with that- we use it in about everything around here-big big diff in price from kubota super udt

Not sure I'd do that...Have heard many say that the HST's start to whine quite a bit without SUDT in them...Don't know the harm factor of that, but not a chance I'm willing to take.

 

[jimbo64]

Not sure I'd do that...Have heard many say that the HST's start to whine quite a bit without SUDT in them...Don't know the harm factor of that, but not a chance I'm willing to take.

don't have hst so thats not a concern-if we used only dealer products we'd have to build on the barn-Kubota, jd, yamaha-IH---------lordy be-mfg's don't mfg any of their own lub products- some add additives im told------------to each there own but kub/jd make a lot of bucks if u stay with there designated products

 

[timswi]

don't have hst so thats not a concern-if we used only dealer products we'd have to build on the barn-Kubota, jd, yamaha-IH---------lordy be-mfg's don't mfg any of their own lub products- some add additives im told------------to each there own but kub/jd make a lot of bucks if u stay with there designated products

Since you don't have the HST, that does take some of the concern away...You're right, I'm sure, about the custom fluids....Seems that it's engineered to the exact specs of the manufacturer. I use it so that if there's an issue, they can't blame it on non OEM fluid..That's just me though...I even use Kubota's motor oil.

 

[grsthegreat]

Since you don't have the HST, that does take some of the concern away...You're right, I'm sure, about the custom fluids....Seems that it's engineered to the exact specs of the manufacturer. I use it so that if there's an issue, they can't blame it on non OEM fluid..That's just me though...I even use Kubota's motor oil.

well you cant go wrong using their branded stuff...but Kubota isn't an oil company, so their just re-branding someone else s stuff.

Im sure as long as the oils ratings meet or exceed the manufacturers listed ratings then all is well in munchkin-land. :laughing:

Im on the bench as to whether or not use synthetic fluids on the next change..... still unsure. I mean i change it often enough...but alot of good points on synthetics are out there on the WWW.

 

[timswi]

well you cant go wrong using their branded stuff...but Kubota isn't an oil company, so their just re-branding someone else s stuff.

Im sure as long as the oils ratings meet or exceed the manufacturers listed ratings then all is well in munchkin-land. :laughing:

Im on the bench as to whether or not use synthetic fluids on the next change..... still unsure. I mean i change it often enough...but alot of good points on synthetics are out there on the WWW.

That's true...I just buy it while I'm there getting my filters and stuff..Convenience, nothing more..

 

[crazyal]

If you are not wanting to replace the oil unless it really needs to be changed then I would suggest that you send a sample of it to an oil analysis lab. It's not expensive.

The 400 hour mark is set by Kubota as a balance. They have no way of knowing how the tractor will be used or in what conditions. They weren't going to pick a best case number of hours (nor would they pick a number too low and open themselves up for other brands saying owning a Kubota is more expensive.

If you've been easy on your tractor and it doesn't see temps that could draw in lots of moisture then you probably could get more hours out of it safely. I bet there's a large number of owners who have put 1000 hours plus on the original hydro oil simply because that's how they treat all their equipment (and vehicles). But how long is too long and how long do you plan on owning it? Getting cheap now most likely will cost someone in the future.

 

[David_Kb7uns]

Was that one too many zeros...?!?

HP

Fifthteen thousand for new ctutch packs and of course while your in there seals. SO yeah when the oil gets old and saturated with water the cheaper tractor hydraulic oils turn acidic from what the mechanic said and it eats at the adhesive in the clutch linnings. So change the oil if it is milky and use the better oils.

David Kb7uns