Water in fuel causes $10,000 damage to my Kubota Grand L6060

[Torvy]

Hay dude, I think you contradicted yourself. If Kubota doesn't have a great system, the odds of getting two of the same model with the same problem may be good.

Could be many things, but those points of commonality, like fuel source and make/model are the first places I'd look.

 

[Hay Dude]

Hay dude, I think you contradicted yourself. If Kubota doesn't have a great system, the odds of getting two of the same model with the same problem may be good.

Nah, I don’t think so. If Kubota’s fuel system were that bad, they’d be recalling tractors left & right.
If you run clean fuel, the Kubota should be OK, but their fuel system is not up to the task if the operator makes an error, like I did. I’d be more suspicious of the OP’s fuel source than the tractor manufacturing.

Could be many things, but those points of commonality, like fuel source and make/model are the first places I'd look.

Exactly. If I were the OP, I’d be looking real hard at the tank after having 2 fuel systems nuked.

IMO, A tractors fuel system should be goof-proof. Most people don’t know if the fuel they put in their tractor has water in it. Just make the damn thing is able to trap water or shut itself off once water is detected. Injectors are too expensive not to.

 

[RjCorazza]

Since I commented on this thread 2 years ago I now have a water blocking sediment bowl filter followed by a 2 micron particulate filter on my 100g transfer tank. I also replaced the primary sediment bowl strainer on my Kubota L4060 with a larger Racor 2 micron sediment bowl filter.
After a transfer tank contamination "incident" the Racor is still filtering out sediment and catching water when I let the tractor fuel level get lower than usual.
I believe the existing crap in the tractor tank will eventually get filtered out, faster if I purposely let the fuel level get nice and low. I would prefer several filter replacements and water drains to manually draining and cleaning the tank.

 

[5030]

Since I commented on this thread 2 years ago I now have a water blocking sediment bowl filter followed by a 2 micron particulate filter on my 100g transfer tank. I also replaced the primary sediment bowl strainer on my Kubota L4060 with a larger Racor 2 micron sediment bowl filter.
After a transfer tank contamination "incident" the Racor is still filtering out sediment and catching water when I let the tractor fuel level get lower than usual.
I believe the existing crap in the tractor tank will eventually get filtered out, faster if I purposely let the fuel level get nice and low. I would prefer several filter replacements and water drains to manually draining and cleaning the tank.

Like you I installed fuel polishing units on both my pre 4 M9's. Easy to see (in the clear bottom bowl) what the spin on filters are stripping out of the incoming fuel and draining the contamination is as easy as opening the valve on the bottom of the unit and dumping the bad stuff in the dirt.

Like everyone else, I drain off the bottom of my bulk tank every month and I'm always amazed at the crud that comes out. Seems as though the bulk tank collects crud inside, especially when it's partially empty. I equate that to condensation on the inside that winds up in the bottom of the bulk tank, mixes with the fuel and causes junk in the bottom. I also shortened the pickup tube in my bulk tank to about 5" off the dead bottom so it wasn't sucking fuel from the bottom of the bulk tank and I relocated the feed line for the diesel genny as well and I have a Racor on it as well. well, not Racor's but the Chinese copies. They are exactly the same as the Racor's except for the cost. They are around 1/4th the price and I'm cheap anyway so I'm using IFJF spin on filters on them. Read a test on the IFJF filters and according to the test I read, they actually do a better job of stripping out the contaminants that the Racor branded cartridges do. So far, so good and it's been 2 years now. I do change the spin on elements yearly in the spring.

if anyone wants the part numbers of the clone bases and filters I'm using, I'll be happy to supply them. One thing about the units and that is, they are basically plug and play for the most part. All I did was cut the fuel lines and install them on the units as the units come complete with barbed and threaded fittings. All you need to supply is the mounting fasteners and clamps to secure the fuel lines to the units.

I will say that after installing them I did remove the top plugs on them and fill them with fresh ORD fuel to mitigate any air in the systems. The ones I bought 2 years ago have a fill plug on the top of them for doing that. I see the newer ones you can now get with primer buttons, mine aren't that way.

 

[5030]

Since installing the units, I have not changed the primary spin on filter attached to the engine nor have I had to drain the sediment bowl either as there is nothing in it and on my engines, that sediment bowl is a royal PITA to get to anyway. it's 'hidden' behind the loader uprights right next to the primary spin on filter and it takes some very small hands to get to it anyway and usually the die cast top nut is frozen on and I have to soak it with PBlaster to get it loose. That is all in the past now.

 

[5030]

Here are the part numbers... The filter boss that comes complete with blanking plugs (because the bosses have 4 inlets, 2 are filtered, 2 are not) is: X002846L5Z and the item description is: ConPUSR12TFuel Filter Water...Motor durable spin-on housing Filters are R12T, IFJF and everything is on Amazon under Fuel Polishing Units. I bought the replacement filters in a 4 pack btw.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

This is my setup on my 500 gallon tank a particulate filter and a water block filter and I treat my fuel for algae, call me paranoid but knock on wood I haven't had any problems.

 

[5030]

I have little faith in the 'water block filters actually. Bulk tank maintenance is paramount as is draining off the crud that collects in the bottom and moving the pump pickup tube off the bottom to allow for a 'sump space' for the crud to collect and draining it off regularly which I do, monthly. I add an EPA certified biocide, not some elixir to my bulk tank for algae growth. In my case, I use Power Service Bio-Kleen and it ain't cheap by a long shot but a little goes a long way and my fuel polishing units strip any algae out anyway along with entrained water and anything else in the fuel supply. Nice thing is, I can just look at the collection bowl and see at a glance what they are collecting and when the fuel supply filter gets loaded, I just spin on a new one. probably should install a set of pressure gages on the units to observe any pressure drop but I never did and so far, it works just fine. I just change the filters every spring when I service the tractors.

I believe RJ has gages on his, not sure but I believe he does.

 

[RjCorazza]

I believe RJ has gages on his, not sure but I believe he does.

Just on the tractor installed Racor. The transfer tank has the first filter being a sediment bowl type, so I can see both the filter and what has settled out.

 

[Jstpssng]

If Kubota’s fuel system were that bad, they’d be recalling tractors left & right.

One would think so. Yet given the B3350 fiasco, I've lost faith in Kubota standing behind their products.