RTV900 HST amount of magnet contamination?

[footsfitter]

Here's the maiden post....

Have a RTV900 2011yr in the workshop with 2722hrs on the clock. Have no other history about it, just acquired it recently.

Has had some servicing and someone has been into the inboard brakes by the amount of grey sealer compound sqidged out around the flanges. Going through it for a major service and on dropping the HST oil there seemed to be perhaps too much metallic contamination of the magnets. It would of been nice to of known more about its service history, but suspiciously it has had both the HST and suction filters recently replaced and there is a test connector thats been left in the charge pressure port (60psi at idle 100psi at full throttle). Opening the two filters up revealed zero contamination.

My question is, seeing as other than an elderly KH36 I have little Kubota experience, would those more familiar with RTV900's consider this amount of contamination to be excessive??

EDIT: Changed picture linkhttp://postimg.org/image/w6w9xws2h/

 

[Shadow]

It's a bit excessive, but who knows the last time it was cleaned. More than likely, those are shavings from the gears. They may be wore a bit, but not enough that I'd tear into it. If it were HST shavings from the valve plates, they wouldn't stick to the magnet as they're a brass alloy. Not uncommon for someone to be in the axle housings, as they tend to leak around the shaft, and the axle seals also leak as they get older. I have a RTV900 with 1300 hours on it, that had a cracked cylinder head, all the plastics were cracked on it, and the bed was shot. I got it cheap and rebuilt it with new plastics that were new take-offs, and made a bed out of aluminum diamond plate.

 

[footsfitter]

It's a bit excessive, but who knows the last time it was cleaned. More than likely, those are shavings from the gears. They may be wore a bit, but not enough that I'd tear into it. If it were HST shavings from the valve plates, they wouldn't stick to the magnet as they're a brass alloy. Not uncommon for someone to be in the axle housings, as they tend to leak around the shaft, and the axle seals also leak as they get older. I have a RTV900 with 1300 hours on it, that had a cracked cylinder head, all the plastics were cracked on it, and the bed was shot. I got it cheap and rebuilt it with new plastics that were new take-offs, and made a bed out of aluminum diamond plate.

Seems to be a lot of it in there, refilled with fresh oil, filters and cleaned magnetic plug, drove 200yds to steam cleaner and back, pull plug & contaminated with about 1/3rd of first time. Not good seeing as someone has replaced the complete HST guts a few hrs ago, possibly without draining oil or more importantly finding the cause of all the debris.

Looks like its going back and we get a replacement or money back

 

[ShaunRH]

Not necessarily.

If something has been recently replaced, that could all be break-in metal that missed the cleaning processes at the factory. Magnetic force decreases with the amount of magnetized material and distance from the magnet so it wouldn't be unusual for you to get more if you cleaned and re did it.

I'd pull it again, cork it while I cleaned it, and keep doing that. If the shavings die off to nothing, then there is likely nothing wrong with it. New gears wear into the their 'perfect' mating with the other gears they mesh with and this contamination is not all that uncommon at the start. Usually this crap gets stuck in the filters and is why a new tractor has a 50hr filter change out then moves to a longer one.

I would start to worry if I kept getting the same amount after a few cycles of magnet cleaning. Then something is chewing heavily on something and is bad. I'd get it in writing from your dealer that they are willing to support it under that plan and you can bring it back if the shavings continue at the level you are seeing.

 

[footsfitter]

Well, things have progressed a bit. It turned out that the RTV had been traded in with a transmission fault, passed through the trade one of whom spotted its poor HST performance, was repaired by someone who ought to of know better and then sold to us with less than a couple of hours on the clock since the repair. It had the full HST pumps, motors and filters fitted, but surprisingly it appears that all the work was done without draining or replacing the oil

It would of been good to of taken a picture of the HST drain plug before we touched it as I'm 99.9% sure it hadn't been out for some time- mainly because of all the caked on mud around it. Least of all just an hour or two previously!
The supplying used equipment dealer gave us a full refund and took it back to his supplier.

With no written service history it looks like the original owner didn't service it by the book, the metal could of been either the HST side or perhaps the transmission gear side of the box.

Since then we have paid a bit more for this from a different dealer- only 14months and 100hrs old

 

[CaveCreekRay]

That one be "mo-bettuh!" Good for you!

Those are very nice vehicles.

Yeah, its amazing what people will tell you. I bought a tractor with 126 hours on it and the seller told me all the service "had been done at the dealer." When I got home and compared the old and new filters, I realized the installed filters were all painted the same color as the chassis, which means they got painted on the assembly line. Fortunately, with only 126 hours, the dealer manager told me I was fine. I changed everything I needed and subsequent PTO maintenance has replaced the hydraulic filters yet again.

I would be concerned too with that much metal on the magnet. Good for you it worked out nicely. Just one question: Does it seem odd with the steering wheel on the left?

I am a big fan of Wheeler Dealer and I am amazed that Mike can drive in England, hop a plane, and then drive in California like its no big deal. I spent two months in England and it still scared me making a left turn into oncoming traffic!!! I guess some people are untrainable. (ME!)

 

[D2Cat]

Shadow, would you post a couple pictures of your RTV900 and the bed you fabricated? I need some ideas on a bed. Thanks.

 

[footsfitter]

That one be "mo-bettuh!" Good for you!

Those are very nice vehicles.

Yeah, its amazing what people will tell you. I bought a tractor with 126 hours on it and the seller told me all the service "had been done at the dealer." When I got home and compared the old and new filters, I realized the installed filters were all painted the same color as the chassis, which means they got painted on the assembly line. Fortunately, with only 126 hours, the dealer manager told me I was fine. I changed everything I needed and subsequent PTO maintenance has replaced the hydraulic filters yet again.

I would be concerned too with that much metal on the magnet. Good for you it worked out nicely. Just one question: Does it seem odd with the steering wheel on the left?

I am a big fan of Wheeler Dealer and I am amazed that Mike can drive in England, hop a plane, and then drive in California like its no big deal. I spent two months in England and it still scared me making a left turn into oncoming traffic!!! I guess some people are untrainable. (ME!)

Plan to drop the HST oil and change the filters as we're not 100% sure if they were done, but it means if we do find anything then there is more chance of the supplier sorting it under the warranty, also I'm a big fan of annual servicing even if something is used just occasionally, here with vast temperature swings there can be some condensation build up- so oil changing to remove this can be prudent.


Being a left hooker isn't new here. We operated a MB Unimog back in the 80's-90's with its classic LH drivers postion, MF combines and many other brands used to be LH and most of our rough terrain telescopic loaders have LH cabs.

I used to have an Aunt who married a USAF serviceman in the late 40's and she settled back with her husband in his native Southern Georgia, when they used to come back visiting here uncle Linsay's advise about driving on the left was to remember that whichever country your in, just look at the passenger's position and then remember the saying "keep Mom nearest the ditch)!!

 

[CaveCreekRay]

LOL!!!

True all...

You know, I am considering getting a Japanese Mitsubishi or Daihatsu "Bongo pick-up" and the wheel is on the right. After a week, I'd probably never notice.

You are so right about the need for regular service in your climate. Moisture is insidious. I am always amazed at the undersides of British vehicles as seen on Wheeler Dealer. It looks like they were driven through the surf every week at Brighton. Edd will pop the bonnet and say, "Well, it looks pretty tidy in here!" and this guy is screaming in Arizona, "ED!!! GET SOME GLASSES!!! THE CAST HEAD COVERS AND INTAKE MANIFOLD ARE HALF EATEN AWAY!!! OMG!!!"

Routine service is the key to long-term survival, especially living on an island in the North Atlantic/North Sea area. Good on YOU!

Ray

 

[footsfitter]

LOL!!!

True all...

You know, I am considering getting a Japanese Mitsubishi or Daihatsu "Bongo pick-up" and the wheel is on the right. After a week, I'd probably never notice.

You are so right about the need for regular service in your climate. Moisture is insidious. I am always amazed at the undersides of British vehicles as seen on Wheeler Dealer. It looks like they were driven through the surf every week at Brighton. Edd will pop the bonnet and say, "Well, it looks pretty tidy in here!" and this guy is screaming in Arizona, "ED!!! GET SOME GLASSES!!! THE CAST HEAD COVERS AND INTAKE MANIFOLD ARE HALF EATEN AWAY!!! OMG!!!"

Routine service is the key to long-term survival, especially living on an island in the North Atlantic/North Sea area. Good on YOU!

Ray

Every time we have been to the States its pretty easy until you get comfy with driving and then pull off the highway into a parking lot, you get back into the car and instinctively pull away onto the wrong side of the road................
Have also returned home and on the 1st drive in our car done a "turn on a red" at traffic lights!! Driving in Australia is easy for us except I find the north american style road signs confusing- sometimes it makes me think we should be driving on the right !

Worse thing here for rusting car under-bodies is the salt we chuck all over ice and snow covered roads in our winters. In northern european countries they tend to use a lot more grit unlike us here

 

[CaveCreekRay]

My buddy in Ohio is meticulous about his cars. He is going nutso because the rust is starting to punch through the fenders of his otherwise mint Chevy Truck. He is actually thinking of leasing his next truck just so he can give the rust back to the dealer. He wants to buy my '99 4Runner just because its totally rust free. But, he won't drive it in winter because Ohio uses so much salt.

Yeah, salt is just evil...