M7040HDC 50 hour hydralic oil change

[Marr]

Its time for my 50 hour hydraulic oil change and filters. Some say just change the hydraulic filters since you can not get all the oil out of the system. Some say that is the reason for the filters(two)! But, Kubota recommends hydraulic oil change. Tractor is not in warranty, it is all mine. This is a lot of hydraulic oil and is not cheap. Is it worth time, labor and price of oil?? I have a M7040HDC. Other tractors brand do not change the hydraulic oil at 50 hours.
Why Kubota?

 

[TripleR]

Maintenance, especially the initial is among the most contentious there is. My dealer said they don't recommend a full change on any of the M Series. I guess do what lets you sleep soundly.

 

[nickelplated5s]

Change the filters. My local auto parts store runs 'commodity' sales in the fall. If you're lucky enough to have that stock up on oil. My neighbor buys pallets. I asked one of the boys why they didn't buy barrels and he said it was easier in the field.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

At 50 hours, just change the filters.

 

[Dave_eng]

At 50 hours, just change the filters.

Wolfman
On a related note which this owner will face at the two year mark, concerns the antifreeze.

Kubota says in my manual drain and flush every two years.

I was having the dealer do my 300 hour service at my shop. It was around the two year mark and he changed and flushed the system. What surprised me was all the other products he brought with him had Kubota labels on them and were unopened.

The antifreeze was from a brand I did not recognize.

Should I insist on them using Kubota antifreeze? I may have been charged for it.

With low hours of use per year are there other services I should be having done just because of the time and not the hours?

Dave M7040

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I think the antifreeze thing is only critical to a point, as long as the antifreeze is good for aluminum parts and good quality then it's all good.
Most newer anti freeze will perform well for more than 2 years, my personal recommendation is to test it every year and change when needed.

And yes I agree there is times when just shear time plays a bigger role than actual hour of use, Antifreeze can break down, oil can be contaminated with diesel and water, hydraulic fluid can absorb water, Hydraulic filters can break down, air filters can be come dry and cracked or wet and moldy, fuel filters can become ineffective for many reasons, and I would say the # 1, if your not using the fuel often, you should consider draining and replacing it often, and a full tank is better than a partial tank, as it will absorb less water.

Granted these are all opinions on my part, but I don't normally have any break downs caused by following this train of thought.

 

[altonwelch]

My dealer also didn't recommend changing all the hydraulic oil on the 50 hour service on my M6040HDC-1. They were of the opinion there just isn't enough contamination to justify it.
What about the front axle and hubs? Did your dealer recommend changing that oil? Mine didn't.

 

[lugbolt]

Antifreeze breaks down over time, and heat cycling. This is exactly why you see some older cars and trucks developing "soft" and therefore leaky radiator hoses.

The coolant gets acidic.

You have an aluminum radiator and a cast iron engine. 2 dissimilar metals.

What do we know about batteries? They make electricity. How? Acid, and 2 dissimilar metals inside them. Same applies to engines. The acidic coolant + iron engine + aluminum radiator = battery. Voltage builds, and tries to run through the coolant hoses. The hoses get soft and then they start leaking.

Occasionally the coolant will get so worn out that it'll contribute to erosion of the cylinder walls from the outside in. You don't want this either. Some International diesels had issues with this, and the repair bill was usually more than the value of the truck (engine replacement) if the truck had a GOOD engine in it.

You can usually test the coolant; in a number of ways. I use a voltmeter. When the DC voltage of the coolant gets up above 0.5 volt, it's time to change it. At 0.7v, it's transferring enough juice through the hoses that they'll soften. 0.4v is about what new coolant runs in most Kubota's.

This is particularly important with today's EFI engines that are use with the 60 series and now the M5's, M6's and M7's. The electrical current generated by the coolant can mess with the sensors and make stuff act weird.

 

[Marr]

The Kubota Operator's Manual & WSM recommend the following at 50 hrs. hydraulic oil filter(replace), engine oil filter(replace), transmission fluid(change), front differential case oil(change) and front axle gear case oil(change).

 

[TripleR]

The Kubota Operator's Manual & WSM recommend the following at 50 hrs. hydraulic oil filter(replace), engine oil filter(replace), transmission fluid(change), front differential case oil(change) and front axle gear case oil(change).

Same thing mine said, but the shop foreman said they don't recommend it and don't do it unless a customer specifically recommends it.

 

[altonwelch]

Same thing mine said, but the shop foreman said they don't recommend it and don't do it unless a customer specifically recommends it.

Same here.