What did you do with your Chinese baby digger today?

[Skeletor]

There’s a 4k lb one for about 90
Bucks.

 

[oldrustysteel]

That is prob identical to the one I posted about in my Modify thread. You need NPT adapters to the hose sizes you have or want to use. I would use 1/2 hose size for the return lines. You will need to adapt to the metric fittings. You can just buy the above and take it to your favorite local shop, along with your return hose and a Plan for where you will install the filter.

More than one way to do this.

Just curious,,, I have a small Kubota made in 1980. No hydraulic filter other than the suction screen that I clean when I change the hydraulic oil every 3 or 4 years. 2400 hrs and never a problem and still no leaks. Am I just lucky? It has a Westendorf quick attach loader and I use it a lot.

 

[MattB4]

Just curious,,, I have a small Kubota made in 1980. No hydraulic filter other than the suction screen that I clean when I change the hydraulic oil every 3 or 4 years. 2400 hrs and never a problem and still no leaks. Am I just lucky? It has a Westendorf quick attach loader and I use it a lot.View attachment 841452

I am not bothering installing a hydraulic filter to my mini. It does not easily lend itself to doing so. A good idea but likely I will never use the machine enough to ever have it be an issue. Frankly at the price I look at the mini as a use and toss away once done item. A hydraulic cooler is a different affair and that I may add at some point.

I will change the hydraulic fluid out if I hit 100 hours.

 

[oldrustysteel]

I am not bothering installing a hydraulic filter to my mini. It does not easily lend itself to doing so. A good idea but likely I will never use the machine enough to ever have it be an issue. Frankly at the price I look at the mini as a use and toss away once done item. A hydraulic cooler is a different affair and that I may add at some point.

I will change the hydraulic fluid out if I hit 100 hours.

I will install the filter and hopefully get many years of service from the machine. But like you, I dont really expect Kubota quality at AGT prices. However, I am impressed at 22hrs. I remember 50 years ago, my Dad cussing at a Japanese tool he had just broken. I picked up the wrench and saw the crude " Made In Japan" on the poorly made wrench. That has stuck with me all these years as I look at the quality of Japanese products now. I think China may be the new Japan. They definitely can produce quality products when needed.

 

[oldrustysteel]

Second: DiscoundHydraulicHose has a downloadable chart to ID fitting types and threads.

I just checked out discount hydraulic hose... they are amazing. Thanks for the tip.

 

[oldrustysteel]

After thinking about the Hydraulics on the excavators, it is apparent now that good filtration is very important. The amount of moving parts in the system is staggering. IMO, the hyd system is the hardest working and most complicated as well as expensive system on many machines, especially our baby diggers. It seems filtration is a cheap alternative to replacing expensive wheel motors, cylinders, control valves, pumps, distribution valves, etc.

 

[dfkrug]

Just curious,,, I have a small Kubota made in 1980. No hydraulic filter other than the suction screen that I clean when I change the hydraulic oil every 3 or 4 years. 2400 hrs and never a problem and still no leaks. Am I just lucky?

Early gear-drive compact tractors mostly did not have pressure-return filtration, as far as I know. Many/most of these old machines had low-pressure implement pumps to run the 3-point lift cylinder and a loader. Pressure was often limited to 1200 psi or even less, until the 70s/80s, when pressures went up to as high as 2000psi.

Also in the 80s came wet brakes, which shared oil with the whole hyd system. Then there was HST, also becoming more available in the 80s, with much higher pressure and sensitivity to dirt.

A tale of 3 tractors I have owned and repaired: (this IS a tractor site)

1) mid/late 80s Kubota B8200 4x4 gear (dry brakes, suction filter only, 1700psi pump)
2) mid/late 80s Kubota B20TLB 4x4 HST (dry brakes, pressure-return filtration, PS, 2000psi implement pumps)
3) late 80s Kubota L2550DT 4x4 gear (wet brakes, pressure-return filtration, PS, 2000+psi pump)

Nowadays, compact tractors pretty much "all" have wet brakes, and even the gear machines run pressure-return filtration and pump pressures of 2000-2500psi for the most part. I am sure I am going to hear about exceptions.

Even relatively cheap modern hyd machines out there today (e.g. log splitters) use return filtration and run pressures of 2000psi or more.

Low pressure non-tractor systems (under 1500psi) out there today commonly do not use return filtration. They also do not have continuous-duty like a hyd motor. e.g. power steering in your car. The Nissan PS pump I use for my dump bed is only 1100psi, and has nothing more than an inlet screen. Contaminates are controlled by not sharing the system with other high-duty hyd motors and wet brakes.

Our minis use a simple gear pump and high pressures, plus experience medium-to high duty use. Those drive motors work really hard and generate a Lot of Heat. Back in 2018 when I was sharing experiences with 4-5 other Chinese mini-X "pioneers", a couple went naked on return filtration and had to replace their pumps after 100-200h.

I am just passing on what I have learned. Caveat emptor.

 

[oldrustysteel]

Our minis use a simple gear pump and high pressures, plus experience medium-to high duty use. Those drive motors work really hard and generate a Lot of Heat. Back in 2018 when I was sharing experiences with 4-5 other Chinese mini-X "pioneers", a couple went naked on return filtration and had to replace their pumps after 100-200h.

I am just passing on what I have learned. Caveat emptor.

I came to the same conclusion a bit ago and posted about it above. But you said it much better.

 

[oldrustysteel]

Has anyone considered changing the track drive controls to foot operated controls? Its bad enough to travel at 1mph, and much worse to push on those tiny sticks. That would be my favorite mod at this point.

 

[Rich B1]

Run an excavator hydraulic system without a return line filter at your own peril…….