RK55 Hydrostatic 50-hour Service: My first big RK post

[ptsg]

Looking for a little guidance - Is there a special tool or method to remove the hydraulic fluid filler plug at the rear of the tractor. Thought I would ask before tearing into it and breaking something. I have never seen anything with that type of head before.

It's meant to be taken off by hand but they have painted all over it so it will be a pain.

Try gently with a channel lock pliers.

 

[BigMark]

Thanks for the quick reply, I’ll give it a try.

 

[markie61]

Try gently with a channel lock pliers.

Echoing ptsg's guidance: it's plastic. But once you get it off the first time, future removal with your fingers will be all that's necessary.

 

[BigMark]

Echoing ptsg's guidance: it's plastic. But once you get it off the first time, future removal with your fingers will be all that's necessary.

Thanks, and thanks for your original post on the service work.

 

[ParisKy]

It just unscrews like a normal cap. I used pliers opened up to the 2nd notch. It should not be very tight

 

[BigMark]

It just unscrews like a normal cap. I used pliers opened up to the 2nd notch. It should not be very tight

Correct, I just went out and grabbed it with my bare hand and it came right off. I was assuming it was steel and on tight for some reason. I should have tried it before posting.

 

[timbowr64]

Just wanted to add my two cents on this initial post. I appreciate all the information everyone shared, and it definitely made my initial service way easier. A couple things I wanted to point out that helped me. When I changed the transmission fluid, I also had a little trouble getting the big filter off with the filter wrench I had on hand. I ordered a nice wide oil filter wrench from Amazon, that used a 1/2 inch ratchet for the handle. It worked great! The oil filter wrench I started out using started to dent the filter, but after getting the one I ordered, it came right off with no damage. I also used two 10 gallon totes to drain the oil into. I took the big filter off first and let that oil drain into the first tote, which filled up just a little more than half way from the oil that drained out of the filter port. Then I put the other tote under the plug and drained the remainder of the fluid. These totes were short enough that I could slide them under the subframe without any trouble, either from the front or from the back. After doing this I then removed the smaller filter, and didn't have any extra fluid other than what was in the filter itself. So that was a really easy process for me. So, again, thanks for everyone putting in the tips and little tricks that helped tremendously.

 

[ukwildcat87]

Just wanted to say thanks to the OP, I had his post memorized by the time I actually started the work. Mine went significantly better, only real issue was holding up the 5 gallon jugs of fluid to fill the transmission. Have some ideas, don't know for sure yet, too cheap to get a bucket pump.

 

[Melancholy Bear]

Approaching my 50-hours. I'm not finding most filter and oil SKUs on ruralking.com. I found only one product. Would these SKUs have changed?

Aside from saving labor cost, what are the advantages of doing the service yourself? Would doing so possibly cause difficulty in getting warranty service in the future?

 

[LouNY]

You can get 4 point sockets from many vendors,
if they are the 3/8" or 1/2" square I have welded a large nut to a short extension to make one.
Also, If it's a plug that I'll routinely be removing and reinstalling you can get hex headed pipe plugs.
One danger with any pipe plug is tightening them too tight, being a tapered thread you can actually split
castings with them.

 

[DonRybak]

Hey Bear, shouldn't be any issue with warranty. Keep receipts for the products you buy. I called the head mechanic at the store before I went there to make sure they had everything on hand. He told me to take a pic of the clock hours so he could update his records. Seems to me that they keep all the filters back in the service area rather than on the shelves. I don't remember seeing any filters marked with TYM. Biggest problem for me was getting the hydraulic filter off. I finally used a hammer and chisel on the base to break it loose. Don't know of the RK55 has a strainer to remove and clean but the manual for the 37 isn't very informative and I couldn't locate it. Someone on here finally sent a picture from the parts break down showing the location. By that time I had alrready decided to blow the cleaning off since the magnetic on the drain plug was clean along with the oil. I'll do another service way before time due and catch it then.

Also, not sure about the amount of trans/hydraulic oil the RK55 takes but the 37HC holds 9.2 gallons per the manual. Biggest drain pan I found was only 6 gallons. I wound up getting a 25 gallon live stock feeder and draining it into that then transferring it over into the recycle containers.

 

[agjones]

Approaching my 50-hours. I'm not finding most filter and oil SKUs on ruralking.com. I found only one product. Would these SKUs have changed?

Aside from saving labor cost, what are the advantages of doing the service yourself? Would doing so possibly cause difficulty in getting warranty service in the future?

There's no problem with warranty if you do the service. I was told that by the local rk. The reason I took mine to the store was to get their experience on initial service and things to check... Sure enough they tightened up a couple things and reseated the engine cover panels to solve an airflow problem... He had more experience with that model than me and it was useful.

When I left, I picked up the next set of service items I would need so I can do it.

Separately, I punctured the hyd filter on a brush pile and called the store. The mechanic was able to provide a part number and cross reference to napa... Helpful.

Fwiw, NAPA didn't have the filter on hand but a nearby Mahindra dealer stepped up and treated me like I bought the tractor from him.

 

[Jamiam]

May I STRONGLY recommend that you get a Fumoto Valve to replace your oil drain plug. They thread in place of the plug, provide an easy to operate, but locking ball valve actuator and are available in straight or 90-degree options. I have them on 2 of my vehicles for easy and clean oil changes and you can drain the oil while warm to hot because you never touch it. In your case, you would get a 90-degree option with a nipple so that you can slide on a length of hose and drain that oil into a pan with ZERO MESS.

View attachment 627746 Buy Fumoto(R) Valve Online | Replace Oil Drain Plug

Once you find the model you need, you can order from Amazon. And since it would be located ABOVE the backhoe subframe, it is perfectly well protected from being impacted or damaged.

Do you by chance know the model # for the 90 degree oil plug that fits the RK55?

 

[Ishkatan]

The RK37HC front axle also needs to have oil added after driving it for a little while after a service. I thought I had a leak when I checked at the 10 Hr. lube service and it was very low - I added a quart. At the 100 hr. (annual) service it was still at the correct level. The manual says it does not need changing annually and not until many more hrs.

Also, I picked up supplies by ordering on line from RK and while the manual says you don't need to change the hydraulic filter I had ordered one anyway... They gave me the RK55 hydraulic filter, not the RK37 one. They look very similar. The RK55 starts with 155 while the RK37 starts with 133. Both end in 02100 so easy to mix up. Happily the filter I put on at the 50 hr service was not damaged when I took it off so I put it back on. It will be changed at the next Hydraulic fluid change (12 months) since I found lots of shavings on the magnetic plug after having very few at the 50 hr / 1 year service. (I have been switching to 4 wheel drive off and on quite a bit and using the diff lock as well - hill and mud.)

FYI, on the 37K the strainer filter (shown in the manual as being on the left) is actually behind the pipe on the right of the engine. It cannot be removed but about 1/2 can stick out of the hole, unless you take off the loader frame. Since it was clean last time I left it alone this time.

What I need now is a dye to tell me if I overfilled or under filled the hydraulic fluid. It is so clean I can't tell in the sight glass.