new to me 03 century 2535

[wilkija]

Hello All,

I just picked up this tractor a few weeks ago for $4,000. parked it and have since been going through it. I was shocked to see a century brand hydraulic filter still on it! I have been using this site a lot to help find cross reference filters and fluids, So thanks a lot for that!

Things done so far:
-changed all fluids and filter. (the WIX hydraulic filter 51202 doesn't seem to fit right, leaks a little at the bottom and was hard to seat all the way. I think I am going to have to try a Napa one.)
-changed water pump gasket due to leak.
-new belt
-new coolant because of gasket.
-new glow plugs
-left side loader hydraulic lift cylinder leaking so got it rebuilt.
-new air filter

To Do:
-Left side tank is leaking diesel at seam. previous owner did a patch job but it's failed. have plastic welding kit ready after I run it really low on fuel.
-need to take entire exhaust apart and replace gaskets and retorque.

other than these things, it drives and shifts really smooth. even though it only had about 5 gallons of fluid in the tranny when I drained it. but no whine or weird noises, so that's good.

If anyone knows a good/maybe more comfortable seat that would swap right out for the current one do please let me know. one easy to get at tractor supply or the likes. thanks.

 

[52wej]

Wilkija, I have the 2004 model of the same tractor and loader combo with ag tires. and almost 1700 hours on it. I religiously use the Kukje filters to avoid any issues. Even today the engine uses no oil between changes. Glow plugs, and other misc items do wear out, but it is a tough tractor that has done a lot of work. I do use the 5W-40 T6 Rotella and find the tractor is very smooth running with it, better than the 15w-40. The seat you have is not the original, it looks like a Tractor supply seat. The steel plate is not on the original. The original seat was lousy on mine and the replacement Tractor Supply one is not much better. I think Kukje has installed better seats on the later models. The c-50 loader was made by Humpolec in Chzech republic and is one of the toughest loaders I have ever seen or used. It does have the Euro style quick connect and that is way stronger than a skid steer quick connect. But that limits options for other attachments. At one time adapter plates were made.

At any rate, you have a good solid tractor that should provide years of service. W.Jones

 

[wilkija]

Thanks 52,
I was surprised to see the loader cylinders use snap rings to hold it all together. New one for me but the seals are seals so easy enough to get sourced and changed. One problem i have is they ran the loader hydraulic supply right behind the exhaust in the little opening at the bottom. It has a small rub/melt spot on the line. Im shocked after almost 20 years it hasn’t burned through. Gonna cut the hole wider and put some heat wrap on that part of exhaust. Is yours routed that way too? Kinda hard to see but the black hose in the circled area photo.

 

[tacticalturnip]

$4k? That seems, to me anyhow, a real solid price!

 

[wilkija]

$4k? That seems, to me anyhow, a real solid price!

Ya it was! I practically stole it for sure. Even came with the brush cutter and hay spear. I don’t think the previous owner was mechanically inclined. The water pump was leaking. I saw rtv around the outer edge of the pump. But when i removed it there was a gasket on it that had zero rtv on it just around it lol. Not sure what he was thinking there.

 

[K5lwq]

Welcome to TBN and congratulations on a great find. I am glad to see it get a good home. I am sure it will give you many more years of great service.

I have a project Branson I am working on myself. Unfortunately work and other things have put it on the back burner for now but hope to get back on it soon. If you find a good seat let us know. I need one for that tractor as well.

 

[wilkija]

I have a project Branson I am working on myself. Unfortunately work and other things have put it on the back burner for now but hope to get back on it soon. If you find a good seat let us know. I need one for that tractor as well.

will do! I was hoping to find a spring or strut dampened seat for it but haven’t really looked yet.

 

[Branson Bob]

Welcome to TBN and congratulations on a great find. I am glad to see it get a good home. I am sure it will give you many more years of great service.

I have a project Branson I am working on myself. Unfortunately work and other things have put it on the back burner for now but hope to get back on it soon. If you find a good seat let us know. I need one for that tractor as well.

I was assuming you got sidetracked on that project. Hope you find the time to get it rolling again.

 

[Asteral]

just a few friendly words of advice on that unit, first please use the OEM hydraulic filters even if every other filter you use is aftermarket, the oem filter have a rather large bypass in the bottom that if not present can cause significate damage to the hydraulic systems, your front end loader the c-50 long, you will not be able to get parts for this from any branson dealer( trust me i have tried many times) they just aren't available through branson, your engine is rock solid if serviced properly it will outlast the chassis in most cases. the clutches are a different story however, the build quality on those were hit or miss when they were new, if your is still reacting to your pedal strongly good, if not you will probably have to replace or reman it.( city brake & clutch in Oklahoma city are champs at remanning these) grease the ever living crap out of that tractor i dont know why those models go through so much grease but they do and you will want to keep some handy for this reason, if this unit ever needs a tie rod end, and it hasnt already had the upgrade then know its expensive the original tie rods are no longer available, and you will have to do the upgrade kit to get it repaired, thats about as much as i can think of but if i remember anything else i will update this for you.

And welcome to the family!

 

[wilkija]

Thanks asteral, i haven’t seen too many greese fitting except on the loader. If you can give me the locations i will grease them all this week. If not I'm sure i can walk around it and find them. Since the water pump was leaking I’m already scared that it overheated and possibly caused damage. I haven’t started it back up since i put a new gasket on it. My property is an hour from me so i only go out there once a week. I put the gasket with a thin layer of rtv last week, torqued and left to dry. Gonna fill and start her up Thursday. When i test drove it though, The clutch feels great as far as i can tell. The tractor only has 650 hours on it.

 

[wilkija]

Also Astral,

I’m confused why people are saying the bypass is different? Ive seen that said in more than one place. Below is a factory Century filter i took off. I’m guessing I’m the only guy on here that even still has one of these. After i read your post, I decided to cut her open.the bypass valve is just over 1/2 an inch, 0.2 over. A napa filter i cut open probably 5 years back. i wanna say was the same. Don’t quite remember and not exact same filter, but really close in size. I have a wix 51202 on there now and if it leaks while the tractor is running i will cut that one and look too. And put a Napa on it.

If anyone has another brand filter they are willing to cut open and Mic it. i would love to put this to rest with facts and data. Unless it’s a bypass vs. no bypass kinda thing?

 

[Asteral]

the ones most commonly missed are on the center pin supports for the front axle all the rest you should be able to walk around and see, i don't remember on that model if you adjustable 3 point lift arm had one but if it does make you get that one too.

 

[EddieWalker]

I also have a 2003 Century 2535 that I bought brand new. It doesn't have a loader, but otherwise, it's the same as yours. I noticed the aftermarket electric fuel pump in your pictures. It looks like a Mr Gasket. That's what I used the first time and it worked great, but only lasted about a year or so. I tried a few other brands, the also lasted about a year or so. It's been a challenge finding a good electric diesel fuel pump.

The biggest issue that I've had with mine has been electrical and starting it. For awhile there, I never knew if it would start when I wanted to do something. Usually I could figure it out, but some days, it never happened. When I found the problem, it would fire right up, but then the next time I wanted to use it, I couldn't get it to start. Eventually I became so frustrated that I tore out all of the wires and just connected the basics to get it started, and charge the battery. I haven't had any issues since then!!!!!

I buy all my filters from Amazon. I have a little over 900 hours on it I'll keep buying filters this way. My dealer quick selling Century over a decade ago and every Branson dealer that opens up in my area lasts for about a year, then disappears. Finding parts online is the only hope that I have to keeping it running.

 

[52wej]

I will echo what astral says about using the kukje filters. In other much older posts there were problems mentioned on non brand filters, especially the hydraulic filters.
My hydraulic hoses for the loader are routed under the tractor. That was done by the dealer, and there are many grease fittings under the tractor, especially on the transaxle where all of the gearing and brake linkage is. The front center pins are the easy ones to find and grease!! Good luck with it. W. Jones

 

[wilkija]

Thanks for the info guys.
so far it does have a bad head gasket. It blows coolant right behind the water pump between head and block. i gotta switch out. If anyone knows where i can get one? Also when i have the three point up all the way and i use the front end loader. the 3 point drops. I’m guessing the pump needs rebuilt? Or the wix filter sucks. But guessing hydro pump.

 

[ptsg]

It sounds to me that you just have bad seals on the 3 pt lift cylinder rather than a bad pump since it actually still moves the loader and 3 pt just fine.

 

[wilkija]

It sounds to me that you just have bad seals on the 3 pt lift cylinder rather than a bad pump since it actually still moves the loader and 3 pt just fine.

Okay I will try to replace those first. after I replace the head gasket. I tested a little more. If i have the three point up and try to pick the front of the tractor up pushing the loader down into the ground, it wont lift it. If I drop the three point then actuate the loader it picks the front end right up. So like you said, I guess it's blowing right past the three point seals.

I got a head gasket on order and on the way. did any one know that there are head bolts only a couple threads different in length and they need to go right back were they came from? I am worried the previous owner might have them in wrong spot. is there a diagram that says what length goes in what hole?

 

[Asteral]

this is the service book for the 3t90l engine that should be in your tractor inside it should have everything you need to keep that engine running wilkja

the second link should be a close match to your chassis and help you along there if you ever need it

3T series engine.pdf

drive.google.com

10-20 Series service manual.pdf

drive.google.com

 

[wilkija]

thanks Asteral. Head is getting decked and checked. once I get the gasket in I will button it all up. Thanks agian

 

[wilkija]

talking to the service department, he says that i need to make sure the head bolts go back in the same holes because theres bolts that are just a thread or two different in length. Has anyone heard this before? I marked the bolt’s in cardboard from were they came. how do I verify that the previous owners did not already jack this up? I don’t see mention of it in the service manual. I think im going to mic them and grind down any longer ones so they are all the same length. Theres already an inch or more of thread that goes into the block anyway. Cant see a few missing cause any problems