50 Hr service...

[MacPhly]

I just finished the 50 hour service on my MX5200. All went well procedurally but I was a little surprised by the appearance of the HST oil and the amount of crud and metal slivers stuck to the magnet on the filter. So I'm just checking with you fine folks to see what you found when you did your first service.

I followed the maintenance schedule and replaced 3 filters and the engine oil. HST/hydraulic oil is not due till 400 hours as I read it so I did not replace it.

I understand that the job of the filter is to in fact filter so that point is not lost on me but still... the oil I poured out of the filter and the crud on the magnet gave me pause to question what I was seeing. I took pictures but have not been able to upload them from my iphone because this site does not like
HEIC format pics and I can't seem to find a way to convert them.

Any perspective is much appreciated.

 

[Creature Meadow]

What you saw is normal, mine as well had metal shavings stuck to the magnet. The magnet did it's job.

More will be along soon to let you know this is normal.

I did change my hydraulic oil near 200 hours instead of the 400 it states in the manual. I used SUDT2 and will now go with the 400 it says and do my filter at 200 hrs. Just a peace of mind for me.

For me about 50 hrs a year is normal so the filter once every 4 years is the plan. I change the engine oil every 2 years or equal to about 100 hrs.

Enjoy your Kubota, maintain it and it was last for years.

Jay

 

[MacPhly]

Great to read this Jay! Thanks for the reply!
I'll sleep much better tonight!!!

I Love my Kubota!

 

[Redlands]

My L3560 was much the same. Shavings on the magnets.

 

[Bulldog]

It's normal to see metal but that's why I have and will always do a full service @50 hrs. I guarantee you if you pull on of the bottom plugs out it will still have tons of metal fillings in it. No way I could stand to know it was in my tractor for the next 400 hrs.

At the minimum you should at least change the oil in the front axle. It doesn't have a filter and it's full of metal like the rest of the tractor is. I've bought 3 new tractors and all of them had metal in the fluid. The second change was clean on all of them.

 

[Redlands]

Makes sense, good to know.

 

[Russell King]

...but I was a little surprised by the appearance of the HST oil and the amount of crud and metal slivers stuck to the magnet on the filter.

... the oil I poured out of the filter and the crud on the magnet gave me pause to question what I was seeing.

I took pictures but have not been able to upload them from my iphone because this site does not like
HEIC format pics and I can't seem to find a way to convert them.

Any perspective is much appreciated.

Did you change all of the oil and was it oddly colored?

Or only the oil in the filter was oddly colored?

Most replies are assuming that you mean the second statement but you implied both, and there would be different replies to the first one.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Smokeless]

Boy, is the thread on time. I am at 187 hrs 3901, 50 hour service was engine oil and transmission filter per manual. I thought nearing 200hrs I would change transmission oil and filter. Believe I will do that even though manual only calls for filter. Guess I will opt for expensive oil to.

 

[Redlands]

Our machinery cost a lot. Repairs are expensive. Cost of good fluids is cheap compared to that in the long run.

 

[MacPhly]

Did you change all of the oil and was it oddly colored?

Or only the oil in the filter was oddly colored?

Most replies are assuming that you mean the second statement but you implied both, and there would be different replies to the first one.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

It was just the filter oil. Oil in the Hydraulic filter seemed cleaner than hst but not great. I will run it for the next 150hrs and change fluid with the next filter change.

Mac

 

[MacPhly]

As a side note on the subject of the 50 hr service... I had read or saw on YouTube that guys were losing up to 2 gallons of oil when changing the hst filter. Also read that parking tractor sideways on an incline would reduce oil loss. Might have read that here... can’t remember.... but that method works very well. I only lost about 1-2quarts. I highly recommend this method.

Mac

 

[Kevin1]

Really shows the importance of that first 50 hour. My 2380 screen was the same way. If you are not changing all the fluid on the 50 hour I found a #5 rubber plug works great when when you pull the screen out (that size works on the BX). You can get a bag of different size plugs on amazon very cheap.

 

[Bmbbm]

It's normal to see metal but that's why I have and will always do a full service @50 hrs. I guarantee you if you pull on of the bottom plugs out it will still have tons of metal fillings in it. No way I could stand to know it was in my tractor for the next 400 hrs.

At the minimum you should at least change the oil in the front axle. It doesn't have a filter and it's full of metal like the rest of the tractor is. I've bought 3 new tractors and all of them had metal in the fluid. The second change was clean on all of them.

Question for Bulldog. I was going to change the oil in my front axle on my BX. Got to reading the manual and it says at 400 hours< mine has 140> so i didnt. Do think it would be wise to go ahead and change it?

 

[Bulldog]

Question for Bulldog. I was going to change the oil in my front axle on my BX. Got to reading the manual and it says at 400 hours< mine has 140> so i didnt. Do think it would be wise to go ahead and change it?

I think it's wise to change all the fluid at 50 hrs. In fact the owners manual for my L3000 and M9000 specify doing a full service @50. Why they changed that is beyond me because the new ones have just as much crap in them as the old ones did.

Your front axle for example has the same metal fillings in it that the rest of the tractor does and it doesn't have any kind of filtration at all. So any metal in the case is rolling around all your bearings and gears doing what? Causing wear.

I believe if you change it now after seeing what comes out you'll want to kick your own a$$ for not doing it at 50. And after you see what's in the front axle you'll probably rethink waiting until 400 on the other fluid.

I understand the expense of doing a full service. Just for my 2 tractors is $1500+ but next time you're at you dealer ask them what a trans rebuild cost is for your tractor. I bet a lifetime of buying fluid is cheaper than the rebuild.

 

[Redlands]

I think it's wise to change all the fluid at 50 hrs. In fact the owners manual for my L3000 and M9000 specify doing a full service @50. Why they changed that is beyond me because the new ones have just as much crap in them as the old ones did.

Your front axle for example has the same metal fillings in it that the rest of the tractor does and it doesn't have any kind of filtration at all. So any metal in the case is rolling around all your bearings and gears doing what? Causing wear.

I believe if you change it now after seeing what comes out you'll want to kick your own a$$ for not doing it at 50. And after you see what's in the front axle you'll probably rethink waiting until 400 on the other fluid.

I understand the expense of doing a full service. Just for my 2 tractors is $1500+ but next time you're at you dealer ask them what a trans rebuild cost is for your tractor. I bet a lifetime of buying fluid is cheaper than the rebuild.

[emoji106]

 

[N7HEVN]

As a side note on the subject of the 50 hr service... I had read or saw on YouTube that guys were losing up to 2 gallons of oil when changing the hst filter. Also read that parking tractor sideways on an incline would reduce oil loss. Might have read that here... can’t remember.... but that method works very well. I only lost about 1-2quarts. I highly recommend this method.

Mac

Am late to the email, but yeah this above is no-joke!
Here's a video that shows it, it's the first filter he changes in this guide -

I just did my 50 Hour maintenance last week, and I did save the filters. It noticed the metal shavings as well.
My tractor is 3 hours away from home, so please bear with me, as I need a couple/few weeks to get back there. Will post up some pictures for you, for comparison to your filter change.

 

[03marauderman]

Excuse my ignorance here but, There's all this chatter about metal filings, shavings, ect and I don't see where anyone questioned or is concerned, other than its normal ? - Normal ???... I have to equate with other mechanical things that I have, and nothing else that I own or have owned, described has such an emphasis on metal shavings in oil or hydraulic systems....Try pulling your automatic transmission pan on your car or truck after 50 hrs. is it loaded with shavings? Is this debris a quality control issue with Kubota where the components are manufactured & not cleaned like some crude 3rd world nation? I would hope its not from the internals of the tractor itself....I can understand a couple of nuggets, but after pulling the filters & the remainder when you pull the plug is not normal in my mind.....I bought my tractor new & could have selected any other brand but chose Kubota as being the number one product. This internal debris issue doesn't really sit well & Its far from normal in my view.............

 

[SDT]

Excuse my ignorance here but, There's all this chatter about metal filings, shavings, ect and I don't see where anyone questioned or is concerned, other than its normal ? - Normal ???... I have to equate with other mechanical things that I have, and nothing else that I own or have owned, described has such an emphasis on metal shavings in oil or hydraulic systems....Try pulling your automatic transmission pan on your car or truck after 50 hrs. is it loaded with shavings? Is this debris a quality control issue with Kubota where the components are manufactured & not cleaned like some crude 3rd world nation? I would hope its not from the internals of the tractor itself....I can understand a couple of nuggets, but after pulling the filters & the remainder when you pull the plug is not normal in my mind.....I bought my tractor new & could have selected any other brand but chose Kubota as being the number one product. This internal debris issue doesn't really sit well & Its far from normal in my view.............

Manufacturing debris and normal for all manufacturers.

This is why manufacturer's recommend filters and sometimes lubricants be changed after a short period of field operation.

Auromobile transmissions are made in much higher volumes and not built to the tolerances that HST transmissions are.

Automobiles are also marketed to everyone and marketing pressures render initial fluid/filter changes prohibitive, regardless of the recommendations of the designers. Indeed, automobile manufactorers no longer recommend routine transmission fluid/filter changes partially because warranty analysis has shown that doing so causes more problems than it solves.

SDT

 

[NHSleddog]

Manufacturing debris and normal for all manufacturers.

This is why manufacturer's recommend filters and sometimes lubricants be changed after a short period of field operation.

Auromobile transmissions are made in much higher volumes and not built to the tolerances that HST transmissions are.

Automobiles are also marketed to everyone and marketing pressures render initial fluid/filter changes prohibitive, regardless of the recommendations of the designers. Indeed, automobile manufactorers no longer recommend routine transmission fluid/filter changes partially because warranty analysis has shown that doing so causes more problems than it solves.

SDT

There are also many surfaces that are honed to allow for better fitment. Like piston walls, all that honing comes off in tiny specs of metal.

Add to that that most tractors are diesel. Diesels have higher tolerances due to the compression needed and will not allow the same size debris in many cases which puts it back into the fluid.

My hydro at 50 hours looked like a light gray metallic paint. I changed it all.

 

[nbryan]

My hydro at 50 hours looked like a light gray metallic paint. I changed it all.

That doesn't sound good. Did you photograph the old fluid? Keep some? For proof that there was an issue with the fluid and/or hydraulic system in your new tractor at 50 hours. May help greatly if there's a warranty issue come up later.

My B2650 fluid at 50 hours, and at 200 hours when I changed the tranny filter, looked almost new, no metallic color, cloudiness. Just a very slight tan color, completely transparent. I'm 40 hours from my 400-hour full change, and will keep this thread in mind when I finally drop the original oil.

But at 50 hours having fluid that looks like silver paint sounds to me like something terrible is going on!