Kama KM554 rebuild and upgrades

[Carl_NH]

Assume you plan to keep it, as the repairs are cosmetic/minor like mine were with seals etc. go for it. My suggestion is to keep the hood/fenders blue - sand and repaint then do the ROPS, FEL, canopy, wheels, in blue to match.

It will take some work to do the FEL to R&R the cylinders, hoses and take it down to the frame parts but it will look good when done. Another tip is under your canopy, once you get it done, line it with an adhesive sound insulation - makes a big difference in the DB level.

Did the same on Kubota L175 DT tractor/loader/backhoe 20 years ago, wheels were rusted out had to weld the rims, body panels were rough - so did a whole teardown and had everything sandblasted and epoxy painted replaced the Hyd hoses, all the tires too, so it looked new.

It was a satisfying project to do over a summer, wasn't horribly expensive - $2K for all the sandblast, paint, hyd. hoses, seals for cylinder rebuilds. Was a lot of labor - but worthwhile as I bartered/exchanged with a builder who built my 24x36 barn.

If you have a local shop that does sandblasting/painting see what they might charge for your FEL, Fenders Hood, wheels to blast and epoxy paint..

 

[Bob Rooks]

That was just a generic pic from the net. If you Google "oil filter canister gasket" you'll get lots of hits. Also, "power steering reservoir gasket".

https://nickstruckparts.com/products/fluidres-575-1078-2-power-steering-reservoir-clamp

You could also just take your cover into a NAPA or GOOD auto/truck parts store to match it up.

 

[shawn999]

Here it is stripped of cosmetic and safety parts.
Not sure what to do next. It's still in running driving order.
Is there anything that would be better to do now before removing wheels and hydraulics?

 

[shawn999]

That was just a generic pic from the net. If you Google "oil filter canister gasket" you'll get lots of hits. Also, "power steering reservoir gasket".

https://nickstruckparts.com/products/fluidres-575-1078-2-power-steering-reservoir-clamp

You could also just take your cover into a NAPA or GOOD auto/truck parts store to match it up.

Thanks Rob, I'll look into that.

 

[Bob Rooks]

Here it is stripped of cosmetic and safety parts.
Not sure what to do next. It's still in running driving order.
Is there anything that would be better to do now before removing wheels and hydraulics?
View attachment 725583

What I would do is relocate that air cleaner. One of the Chinese tractor dealers makes a battery relocation kit. All of that stuff in front of the radiator doesn't help it. Another thing is to make a mounting in front of the radiator for a furnace filter, or furnace filter media.

 

[shawn999]

Assume you plan to keep it, as the repairs are cosmetic/minor like mine were with seals etc. go for it. My suggestion is to keep the hood/fenders blue - sand and repaint then do the ROPS, FEL, canopy, wheels, in blue to match.

It will take some work to do the FEL to R&R the cylinders, hoses and take it down to the frame parts but it will look good when done. Another tip is under your canopy, once you get it done, line it with an adhesive sound insulation - makes a big difference in the DB level.

Did the same on Kubota L175 DT tractor/loader/backhoe 20 years ago, wheels were rusted out had to weld the rims, body panels were rough - so did a whole teardown and had everything sandblasted and epoxy painted replaced the Hyd hoses, all the tires too, so it looked new.

It was a satisfying project to do over a summer, wasn't horribly expensive - $2K for all the sandblast, paint, hyd. hoses, seals for cylinder rebuilds. Was a lot of labor - but worthwhile as I bartered/exchanged with a builder who built my 24x36 barn.

If you have a local shop that does sandblasting/painting see what they might charge for your FEL, Fenders Hood, wheels to blast and epoxy paint..

Carl,
Yeah, sounds like yours was pretty rough. I'm surprised how easy everything is coming apart. Being chinese made, you'd expect minimal rust protection, But there is only surface rust and all bolts are still good, minimal rust. No stripped or broken bolts yet.
The FEL is Canadian made with US made hoses. They still look good. Cylinders are good with no leaks. Not sure if it makes sense to replace the hoses as preventative maintenance or not.
All the chinese made hoses need replaced.

 

[shawn999]

What I would do is relocate that air cleaner. One of the Chinese tractor dealers makes a battery relocation kit. All of that stuff in front of the radiator doesn't help it. Another thing is to make a mounting in front of the radiator for a furnace filter, or furnace filter media.

Where do they get relocated to?

 

[Bob Rooks]

Where do they get relocated to?

I don't remember. In fact I don't remember which dealer it was (geez!) It was one of these two. Contact them.

Jinma Dealer, Wood Chipper , Compact Jinma Tractors

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www.ranchhandsupply.com

Affordable Tractor Sales Co

www.affordabletractorsalesco.com

 

[Carl_NH]

While it's still running take it outside and do another washdown - maybe some simple green spray first then wash / scrub the remaining dirt and oil residue off before you disconnect any hydraulic lines or wire terminations - you want it clean as possible then ziplock bag and tie the loose parts bolts/o-rings to the ends of the hyd lines to keep them sorted and clean.

Why do you need to remove the Hyd lines - do you intend on painting the frame/engine red? It might be easier painting the red parts black and touching up the rest of the frame.

If the hyd hoses on the loader are not cracked or aged leave them as is - but get some caps to thread on the connections before sanding and painting. Take lots of pics and mark or number the lines LH Lift, RH Lift etc.

On the wheel's and tires, are the rear's loaded with calcium? Are you changing the color of the wheels? Maybe leave the wheels last to be done so you can roll it around. I did the wheels last and had the new tires put on the newly painted rims and after painting the frame bits.

I like the suggestion for a sliding pre-screen filter for the radiator like this or make your own, but I would think the air filter location is not a huge deal where it is, especially if it runs cool now. Radiator Screen | All Equipment Accessories | Equipment Accessories | Genuine Parts | John Deere products | JohnDeereStore

 

[shawn999]

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