looking at l35

[joea99]

As may be obvious, I am new to tractors.

I was checking out an L35. under 2000 hours. Wondering what trouble areas to look for. Has new seals, starts right up, no odd noises or smoke (except white puff when raising rpm from idle). Neutral/fed/rev lever seems a bit "mushy" and hard to feel out. ram has some light surface "rust" kinda looks like "stretch marks" on skin. Tires have some weather checking but hold air, apparently. But I am stunned by how expensive those puppies are. Welcome to reality, I guess. Seems to move and dig fine. I can finely control the boom and bucket with little effort. I guess my main concern is that the overflow coolant container is empty. I did not see a hose, in the cap, to the bottom of the container as you do on cars. Normal? I was going to bring some pre-mix coolant with me to fill it and run it again, just to be "safe".

I liked it enough to start lining up a hauler and fill the envelope for the trip.

Comments?

 

[Grandad4]

I would be concerned about that puff of white smoke and the low coolant. I'm no expert on diesels, but that may be an indication of head gasket leakage or worse.

 

[joea99]

I would be concerned about that puff of white smoke and the low coolant. I'm no expert on diesels, but that may be an indication of head gasket leakage or worse.

Exactly my concern, tho unstated.

 

[buck boost]

I would be concerned about that puff of white smoke and the low coolant. I'm no expert on diesels, but that may be an indication of head gasket leakage or worse.

I concur. Typically, white smoke = coolant, blue = oil, black = fuel. Could be nothing, could be horrible!

 

[joea99]

I concur. Typically, white smoke = coolant, blue = oil, black = fuel. Could be nothing, could be horrible!

Thanks. Keep those cards and letter coming folks!

I really should have checked more deeply then, but it was cold, windy and no auto stores around. And, by that time, I was already "under the spell" and needed to go clear my head before I whipped out the ring. So to speak.

 

[Wolfy]

I used to have a neighbor who used a L35 in his landscape business. To say that thing was run hard would be a criminal act. It was hammered, yet it always ran. Really said a lot about Kubota quality.

 

[Grandad4]

The Kubota commercial TLB's are great machines, but many of them have lived a hard life at rental yards, landscapers and construction outfits. Anyone buying used needs to make sure about the condition before closing the deal.

 

[rmk700]

Mines only has 450 hrs and runs great and is a very tough built little machine. The only trouble I have had was the levers that release the backhoe attachment got rusted and froze up. They need grease fittings.

 

[joea99]

The Kubota commercial TLB's are great machines, but many of them have lived a hard life at rental yards, landscapers and construction outfits. Anyone buying used needs to make sure about the condition before closing the deal.

So. Basically, if I am allowed to fill the coolant tank and can run it at various RPM and loads, and see no bubbles in the tank and no over heat or leakage around the head (and the oil is clear) I should be pretty sure the head gasket is OK?

Except for the tires (still gasping for air and holding my chest over prices) and some cosmetic issues, the machine seems fine. A local guy told me 1900 hours is "getting up there". Is that the general thought?

 

[aginn]

You should look very close at the engine oil as well. They probably have fresh oil in it to sell. Even then you might be able to see a slight white slime in the oil or filler cap if you have a head gasket problem. I would be cautious on this one. It might be fine. But "might be" won't pay for a potential repair.
If it is just a head gasket it could be a simple fix. But I have had cracked heads on other equipment that wasn't. And the fix can add up fast. Good luck to you. And please give us an update.

 

[joea99]

You should look very close at the engine oil as well. They probably have fresh oil in it to sell. Even then you might be able to see a slight white slime in the oil or filler cap if you have a head gasket problem. I would be cautious on this one. It might be fine. But "might be" won't pay for a potential repair.
If it is just a head gasket it could be a simple fix. But I have had cracked heads on other equipment that wasn't. And the fix can add up fast. Good luck to you. And please give us an update.

Thanks for those reminders. I will do a more careful look over.

 

[Grandad4]

A local guy told me 1900 hours is "getting up there". Is that the general thought?

Not. Kub engines are among the finest small diesels on the planet, legendary for long, reliable life. Not uncommon for them to go 10,000 hours before needing an overhaul. That presupposes they are given good basic maintenance, though, which includes oil and filter changes, clean air filters, and not allowing them to overheat due to a clogged radiator, bad thermostat, etc. Overheating causes premature failures in all sorts of liquid-cooled engines, commonly due to operator inattention.

As for the possible coolant leak and condition of the head, I'm not sure the "visual inspection" method you describe is enough to say everything is OK. It may be that a pressure test of the cooling system would show the presence of a small leak, or it needs to be closely monitored over several hours of operation. Hopefully no one has put any "radiator stop leak" in the system to effect a temporary repair, which may mask the leak until it eventually gets worse. For me, it would be important to get the matter cleared up prior to purchase, because ignoring a comparatively minor repair now could bring on a catastrophic failure later. Others with more knowledge than I have may have better advice.

 

[1savoy]

Hi joea99,

I am going through a similar dilemma as you. Not sure if you looked through my thread http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...37-run-away-worth-gamble-kubota-new-post.html ?If I decide to go back and check this tractor again, I will definitely take my pressure tester to see if the coolant system will hold pressure. May help you tell if there is a serious problem.

Also, you mentioned the tire prices about floored you, forgot the exact wording you used. Just wondering where you got prices from? It always pay to shop around and there are some decent online places I have seen in the past. I have not priced tractor tires recently, but I may be surprised. I now when I have bought tractor tires in the past the prices could range greatly between local tire dealers.

Good luck getting it checked out. The L35's seem like really nice machines.

 

[the8080]

My L35 has 1600 hrs on it. No white smoke ever. Only black smoke when you suddenly increase the throttle/load.

Good luck sorting this out.