oil dipstick

bbxlr8

Active member

Equipment
L2501 w/R14s, LA525, BH77, SGC0660, CL 5' BB, CL PHD, WG24 + Ford 1210 60" mmm,
Mar 29, 2021
362
226
43
Eastern PA

Outnumbered

Well-known member

Equipment
Kubota L3901, FEL, BB1260, RCF2060, FDR2572, Titan Forks, Caryall, 5' Tiller
Oct 26, 2019
195
315
63
Moseley, VA
Reading this makes me want to dab some orange paint on the dipstick of my L. I probably will next time I'm using orange paint.
I painted the tip of mine white to make it easier to find while in the shed with less than perfect lighting....old eyes don't help either. ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

lugbolt

Well-known member

Equipment
ZG127S-54
Oct 15, 2015
4,968
1,689
113
Mid, South, USA
I have griped about this kind of thing for DECADES, to Kubota (and Deere).

First off, the older tractors (pre L-01 series) had a loop on the dip stick that you could grab. Even though they were a little tough to see and get to on a few of them, most of them had that little loop that made it at least slightly easier to check the oil. Then the L-01's came out, no loop on them, just a rubber button on the tip. You can't see it, you can't grab it, so John Q. Customer doesn't check his oil, burns his engine up and then Kubota potentially gets to buy an engine or three. But I guess the Enginerds have it all figured out, they saved $.02 by not putting a loop on it and they saved $.006 (6 tenths of a penny) by not painting the darn stick so the average user can see it well enough to check the oil, regardless of what equipment the engine is installed in/on. Some of them are indeed in boxes, but generally speaking if the stick is way down inside the box, they'll usually change the dip stick such that it can be accessed from a location that is "easier" for the user. usually but not always.

And one more of the many things that us techs (at least I) do/did was that during PDI I'd pull the dipstick out, check the oil, if ok (usually was very close to full), I'd paint the loop or the tip of the stick with orange paint, let it dry while checking the other fluids, tires, etc. I was one tech of thousands nationwide, that made it at least a tiny bit easier for the end user to take care of their stuff, and I did this with no "thank you's" to speak of. Truly, a thankless job of which I don't miss. Actually about the only time I ever heard anything about doing stuff like this was when the boss was bitching about spending $9 or whatever it was on a can of paint, twice a year. The last 2 years I was there I just bought it myself so I didn't have to hear him griping about it. But half of you still think that techs are crooks right?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users

jyoutz

Well-known member

Equipment
MX6000 HST open station, FEL, 6’ cutter, forks, 8’ rear blade, 7’ cultivator
Jan 14, 2019
2,630
1,715
113
Edgewood, New Mexico
No
In Colorado….That would be the operator. ;)

The reason dipsticks are so tightly/effectively secured is because tractors operate in VERY DUSTY/DIRTY conditions and a loose dipstick would contribute greatly to engine-oil contamination and wear. I’m man enough to be able to pull/check a dipstick and I like it.
Nowadays that would include a lot more states than Colorado.
 

MapleLeafFarmer

Well-known member

Equipment
Lots incl. B and L kubotas
Dec 2, 2019
603
457
63
E.
I am new to Kubota and have a new l3901. Having trouble pulling the engine oil dipstick out. I realize it is in a really tight spot and hard to get to but is there a trick or easier way to pull it out?
If you still struggle with getting the dipstick out, check out the L02 dipstick for the L3302 and L3902 which is yellow in colour, has a loop on the end and extends further out of the block.

I haven't compared myself in hand but should be same.

Should help those who could not figure out how to get the L01 version to work.

1644949347807.png