Loader oil capacity

[Roll]

Lots of questions here.... I've owned my first tractor all of 3 months.
B7300 20 yrs old, LA272 loader same age I believe. 3cyl Diesel 16HP.

According to the Loader user manual, the loader operates off the transmission. What the manual does not tell me is the oil capacity of the loader hydraulics. It says that after installing the loader and bleeding the air from the system I will have to add transmission oil.

How much oil does it hold? 2-3 quarts? That's purely a guess on my part.

Also, the tractor user manual goes into some detail about draining the transmission from three points, cleaning the screen and installing a new screw on filter. Total capacity it says is 3.17 gallons. Wow, that's a lot of oil but I get it, that reservoir handles the rear axle as well.

So if I change the trans oil, I should expect to add a slight amount of extra oil for the filter and whatever the loader takes.

I checked the transmission oil today and its as clean as fresh oil. Don't know how long it's been since it was changed but it sure isn't contaminated, (I had a hard time seeing it on the stick, it's clear). Since I don't know anything about hydrostatic transmissions, I have to ask, is nearly clear transmission fluid an indication it was changed recently or that it does not need to be changed? I don't know what to look for when examining the transmission oil.

Thanks for the help folks,

Roll

 

[RCW]

Roll -

Just my take, but since it's an HST, and you have no idea how long the fluid has been in it, or what fluid it might be, I would change it, along with filters, screens, etc.

Obviously clear fluid is a great sign. But how much moisture has it gathered over time? The HST does get hot with use, which helps drive out moisture, but an HST is a HUGE chuck of $$ to replace - many times are too difficult/technical to repair economically.

Then you will have a baseline for the whole HST system consumables.

As far as the loader goes - you really won't be draining it out, and I wouldn't open fittings to drain it. Too many issues/problems to risk. It doesn't hold enough to make much difference.

As far as fluid - it can be a hot topic - I personally use SUDT2 Kubota fluid. It's the latest synthetic - kinda pricey - but hey - you only change it every couple years or more.

PS - I would drain/refill front axle while your doing the HST while you're at it, for the same reasons I recommend changing HST fluid.

You reference user manual - do you have the Workshop Manual? If not, get one. Much more detail than an Operator's Manual. There's a "Sticky" thread on WSM in this section of the forum.

Good luck!

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Agree give it a 100% complete service and filter and fluid change front to back!

 

[Bulldog]

Agree with the others. A full service may cost you a little now but it could save thousands down the road. Not knowing the service history this will give you a base line to go from and with proper maintenance it should last you for years.

 

[lugbolt]

You don't have to treat the tractor any differently when changing the trans fluid if it has a loader. Just drain, then refill. You can't get it all out of the loader cylinders unless you remove their hoses and run the ram in and out manually. Makes a big mess if you do it that way, and is a pain to do it.

You're right. The oil is hard to see on the stick! It doesn't really change color to speak of with age/use. If anything, if it's well used (and been real hot), it'll become more of a golden brown color-making even harder to see on the yellow dipstick. But it's a good idea to change it, and refill with SUDT2. Don't forget the filter and clean the suction screen (if it has one...I can't remember on that tractor).

 

[Roll]

Thanks for the responses. Some additional background.

The previous owner gave me all the work orders he had accumulated over the time he has had the tractor.

It was serviced at a Kubota dealer locally. The last service (Oct 2016) was extensive in that they found a leak in the front axle and ended up replacing the entire axle assembly at considerable cost. They also serviced the crankcase, gas, oil and air filters but only cleaned the gas filter. They found the transmission a gallon low on oil (I'm not too happy about that) but rather then change it they filled it to the full level. Coincidentally he had a leaking hydraulic cylinder which they also repaired. They did change the transmission filter. From older invoices I can see he had the crankcase and filters changed periodically. The tractor was used primarily as a mower but he also did some driveway gravel, at least once.

All of this happened just 30 days before I bought the tractor and I've only put 2 hours on since (it now reads 1503 hours).

I think with this information I will drain all fluids and replace all filters. If the air filter looks good I'll keep it for emergency use. As the collective responses suggested, this way I'll know exactly where I am with routine maintenance.

My manual says to use UTD oil but I can use Super UDT2 which is what I bought. More expensive but also easier to find.

Thanks all,

Roll

 

[RCW]

Thanks for the responses. Some additional background.



The previous owner gave me all the work orders he had accumulated over the time he has had the tractor.



It was serviced at a Kubota dealer locally. The last service (Oct 2016) was extensive in that they found a leak in the front axle and ended up replacing the entire axle assembly at considerable cost. They also serviced the crankcase, gas, oil and air filters but only cleaned the gas filter. They found the transmission a gallon low on oil (I'm not too happy about that) but rather then change it they filled it to the full level. Coincidentally he had a leaking hydraulic cylinder which they also repaired. They did change the transmission filter. From older invoices I can see he had the crankcase and filters changed periodically. The tractor was used primarily as a mower but he also did some driveway gravel, at least once.



All of this happened just 30 days before I bought the tractor and I've only put 2 hours on since (it now reads 1503 hours).



I think with this information I will drain all fluids and replace all filters. If the air filter looks good I'll keep it for emergency use. As the collective responses suggested, this way I'll know exactly where I am with routine maintenance.



My manual says to use UTD oil but I can use Super UDT2 which is what I bought. More expensive but also easier to find.



Thanks all,



Roll

Yes, SUDT2 will work. May not have existed when the tractor was built.
It also quiets down the HST for some, including mine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk