L275 4wd problem...

[Joshua Zahn]

Hey y'all! Just found the site the other day and have been looking around.

My 4wd engages on my L275 but does not have any power. (If I roll the bucket to raise the front wheels off the ground they turn when 4wd is engage, but don't when its not). They really don't do much in action however. My buddy was using my tractor to plow snow up at his house today and stopped by an old timer's nearby. The old timer said that the reason the bucket was so slow and that the 4wd isn't right is both tied to a bad hydraulic pump. Does this sound feasible? The 3 point hitch hydraulics are very strong so we are thinking maybe a clogged filter? I drained the fluid tonight, changed the filter and dropped the transfer case to have a look at it. Everything inside looked fine, not worn, meshing properly. I used RTV to form a gasket and bolted it back in place. Will re-fill fluid tomorrow after it cures some.

Thanks, Josh

 

[traildust]

Hey y'all! Just found the site the other day and have been looking around.

My 4wd engages on my L275 but does not have any power. (If I roll the bucket to raise the front wheels off the ground they turn when 4wd is engage, but don't when its not). They really don't do much in action however. My buddy was using my tractor to plow snow up at his house today and stopped by an old timer's nearby. The old timer said that the reason the bucket was so slow and that the 4wd isn't right is both tied to a bad hydraulic pump. Does this sound feasible? The 3 point hitch hydraulics are very strong so we are thinking maybe a clogged filter? I drained the fluid tonight, changed the filter and dropped the transfer case to have a look at it. Everything inside looked fine, not worn, meshing properly. I used RTV to form a gasket and bolted it back in place. Will re-fill fluid tomorrow after it cures some.

Thanks, Josh

This aint any sorta answer you're look'n for but I can tell you one thing, if you want to reduce your tractor malfunctions by 99.99% make sure you are the only driver.

Just wondering but did your buddy help you drain the fluid, change the filter, drop the transfer case, look at it and put it all back together?

Just ask'n....

I do hope it all works out for you and the tractor is up and running for the next snow plow.

Scott

 

[Joshua Zahn]

Well Scott,
He didn't help with the work, because I didn't tell him I was doing it. He did come down to look at the transfer case after I dropped it then b@$ched at me for not telling him I was going to work on it. Coulda done it in his garage in the heat rather than in the snow....but I'm stubborn. I hear you that one operator cuts down on trouble but in this case I make an exception. Its an old used tractor that needs a little TLC and he happens to be a mechanic with some experience in automotive and equipment. We try to help each other out within our realms of relative expertise. I learned from my dad the hard way that plenty of "friends" wanna use you and your stuff but aren't there in return, so I'm careful who I trust.

 

[ipz2222]

My 4wd engages on my L275 but does not have any power.""
What do you mean "no power"??
4wd isn't right is both tied to a bad hydraulic pump"
4wd has nothing to do with the hydralics except lube.
Are you a member of trnw???

 

[traildust]

Well Scott,
He didn't help with the work, because I didn't tell him I was doing it. He did come down to look at the transfer case after I dropped it then b@$ched at me for not telling him I was going to work on it. Coulda done it in his garage in the heat rather than in the snow....but I'm stubborn. I hear you that one operator cuts down on trouble but in this case I make an exception. Its an old used tractor that needs a little TLC and he happens to be a mechanic with some experience in automotive and equipment. We try to help each other out within our realms of relative expertise. I learned from my dad the hard way that plenty of "friends" wanna use you and your stuff but aren't there in return, so I'm careful who I trust.

Hey there Joshua,
I apologize if my previous post came across harsh, it wasn't ment to be. When I go to my dealer for filters he tells me about the recent drop ins for repairs to there tractor. It's normally pretty big stuff like stomping on the differential lock with wheels spinning or shafts braking. The owners always tell him it was a neighbor, a friend or relative. Funny thing is though it's NEVER the owner. Kinda makes you think that it really is the owner but they are too imberised to admit it. None the less, there is always the horible feeling of using your car, tool, tractor or what ever after loaning it to somebody else and they say "No it didn't do that when I had it, everything was fine".

It's nice to hear your friend is a true friend and does pitch in when it comes to working on the tractor. Sad to hear you did all that in the snow, but that just toughens you up!

Take care,
Scott

 

[Joshua Zahn]

Scott,
No worries, I understood how you meant, this just happens to be the ONE guy I would trust with my tractor. A few months before my father gave be the Kubota , I bought an old Case 530 backhoe. An old acquaintance stopped by who is an equipment operator and gave me the same sort of advice.
Working in the snow isn't too bad as it was in the mid 30's yesterday and hit 40 today. Just easier that going the 1.5 miles to his house.

Ipz2222,
By no power, I mean that it makes no difference whether 4wd is engaged or not. Ever. I couldn't see where a hydraulic pump should affect it but didn't know for sure so I asked. Since I don't know of trnw so I am going to say, no I am not.

 

[Captjack]

I have the l235 dt which is the little brother to the l275 - a few observations after 3 days of moving snow. The loader gets slower and slower the more I used it. If I stopped and gave it a rest it seemed to perk back up. Im guessing this has to do with either heat or something with the hydro fluid.

Is/ was the fluid milky when you drained it ? If so you performance may get better with new fluid.

Another thing I noticed was that when lifting the bucket I needed to make sure that I was not holding the steering wheel. Mine has power steering and if I had pressure on the wheel it took away from the loader. This really became an issue with heavy wet snow. The same went for the 3 point - i would not have it all the way up when running the loader.

I am curious about replacing the pump on my tractor with a higher volume pump in order to get better performance out of the loader.

best of luck to ya

Jack

 

[Joshua Zahn]

The hydraulic fluid looked like the was my mother drinks her coffee, light tan in color so I knew it was bad. After the change, I think maybe the FEL works a little quicker but on the other hand I didn't think it was too bad before. I was told even on my little tractor it should work pretty quickly, though. It would be nice to have power steering but I don't so that's not an issue.

Josh

 

[traildust]

The hydraulic fluid looked like the was my mother drinks her coffee, light tan in color so I knew it was bad. After the change, I think maybe the FEL works a little quicker but on the other hand I didn't think it was too bad before. I was told even on my little tractor it should work pretty quickly, though. It would be nice to have power steering but I don't so that's not an issue.

Josh

Josh,
Do you by chance have a ballpark figure of the time limits it should take your FEL to move full travle? For instance checking "Specs" at the top of the forum my B7610 should lift to full height in 3.1 seconds and go all the way back down in 2.2 seconds.

I didn't see a listing for the L275, but maybe you can find an equal, or somewhat, to gauge your time against.

Scott

 

[daniel.ray77]

Joshua,
I am guessing the issue lies in one of three areas.
1. At the transfer case. (where the front drive shaft emanates)
2. At the Differential, or
3. At either wheel hub gearing (right or left side)

As a means of localizing where the problem lies with your 4WD,
1.Engage the four wheel drive lever. (engine off, of course)
2.With the tractor in gear, manually try to turn the front drive shaft,
3.If it can't be turned, the problem lies further down the line.
4.Next, disengage the 4wd lever and attempt to manually turn it again.
5.If you can, then the problem lies either in the differential or at either hub. (A broken differential or hub gearing)

From here you are going to have to tear into it and see where the problem is. If the differential is fine and one of the hubs is damaged, all of the power will go to that wheel. In my case, L225DT, my dad "exploded"the front differential twice and each time, we had to open the Differential case to see if, indeed, it was damaged. So, from personal experience, I would suspect that. If you need parts, a great source i found was Southern Global Tractor, 866-742-5748. Ask for Anna. She knows her Kubotas like nobody's business and their gray market counterparts.

 

[Joshua Zahn]

Thanks, Daniel !
That's kinda what I needed on the 4wd end....a good place to get started.

Scott,
I like the way you're thinking and will have to do some research on that end. One problem is that I don't know what FEL my tractor has and can't find any nameplates. I was trying to move a little more snow last night and now I really notice the problem. Unloaded the bucket was moving fairly quickly (I thought). As soon as I loaded it I got zero movement until I backed up a little from the pile then I got real slow movement. I hadn't noticed this happening before, must be what my buddy was talking about.

Josh

 

[Joshua Zahn]

Well, changing the fluid and filter DID NOT help my slow hydraulics. I used the tractor for a little bit the other day after about a 20 min warmup and they were fairly quick acting until I put any load on the FEL. Then I had to back away from the snowpile before the FEL would move (slowly). I am wondering if the L275 has that hydraulic screen I keep reading about but I haven't found it, even looking directly across from the large line on the bottom of the tranny. Does anyone know for sure if the L275 has this screen? It does have the screw on canister filter.

Thanks, Josh

 

[eserv]

Your L275 doesn't have a suction screen. It sounds to me like your hyd. pump is worn.
Ed

 

[Joshua Zahn]

Thanks, that's what I was afraid of. My brother rigged up a pressure guage to check the hydraulic pressure on his Kubota so when I see him next I'll borrow it to see if that is indeed the case.

 

[Joshua Zahn]

Hey guys!
Its been quite awhile since I've posted. (I've been too busy on other things to work on my Kubota). I took off the RH hub assembly and disassembled it. The gears were rounded off pretty badly. Upon further inspection it seem that the seal had given up which allowed all the lubrication to be lost and catastrophic failure. One bearing was disintegrated etc.... most of the pieces need to be replaced. I haven't gotten the parts and gotten it back together yet but maybe this will help the next guy.

Josh