BX23S Shims = More Pressure - Better/Worse?

[BX23S-1]

How many of you BX23S owners actually added shims to the pressure relief valve/spring to raise the pressure so that the FEL would work better (?)
I guess what i`m asking is, is it worth doing it? And those who've added the shims to increase the pressure, do you think you really benefited from it?

How about some part numbers to the shims... i`m thinking about trying it to see if its much better. I`ve heard people say not to go over 1800psi (???)
Have any of you put a gauge on your tractor before/after adding the shims. What was your stock pressure vs new pressure after shim install (?)

 

[BX23S]

How many of you BX23S owners actually added shims to the pressure relief valve/spring to raise the pressure so that the FEL would work better (?)
I guess what i`m asking is, is it worth doing it? And those who've added the shims to increase the pressure, do you think you really benefited from it?

How about some part numbers to the shims... i`m thinking about trying it to see if its much better. I`ve heard people say not to go over 1800psi (???)
Have any of you put a gauge on your tractor before/after adding the shims. What was your stock pressure vs new pressure after shim install (?)

Here you go, shims included: https://www.bxpanded.com/pressure-tester

 

[shiraz627]

Most definitely. I checked the pressure before and after. I had 1700 psi(3200 rpm) at the power beyond port on the rear of the machine before shimming. After adding a total of .5 in shims I had a pressure of 1850psi @3200 rpm. I now very happy with the performance of the machine. Now Kubota claims you should get a 39psi increase for every .1 shim but I only got a 30psi increase. I did notice both the FEL and the BH are a little more twitchy till you get used to it.

 

[85Hokie]

I guess what i`m asking is, is it worth doing it? And those who've added the shims to increase the pressure, do you think you really benefited from it?

How about some part numbers to the shims... i`m thinking about trying it to see if its much better. I`ve heard people say not to go over 1800psi (???)

Shims are placed in the on the relief spring - to make the spring a little stiffer, thus making the PSI raise to force the fluid to bypass the spring pressure.

I did it to my BX25D 7 years ago - went from 1750 psi to right at 2000psi.

Did it make a world of difference? YES - the amount of different in the FEL was easy to see and feel.

Remember - the measurements of the thickness of shims are in tenths of MM !!!! Not inches.

so a .1 is a 1/10 of MM - which does not seem like a whole lot but it makes a difference.

Shims range from .1 to .4 - so you might need to combine them to find the number you are looking for.

It is not hard to do at all - the gauge is what costs the most, and if you have the correct know how - you can buy all the parts for about $35.

And 2000 psi is max - not 1800 - I have not seen any problems with my machine in the last 7 years - no leaks or line problems.

 

[ehenry]

I shimmed my 18 year old BX22 to a tick over 2000 six years ago and havent seen any bad issues yet. The only thing I'll say is if you shim it you'll find the weak spots in the plumbing ie: hoses, cylinder seals and whatnot. Since shimming mine i've replaced almost all hoses on the FEL and BH and only have the left side BH stabilizer cylinder left to rebuild and it started leaking just last week. All others have been rebuilt.

And to answer your question, Yes it was worth it, glad I did it and it was a simple thing to do.

 

[85Hokie]

Here is a better understanding of what it will do for your machine:

He has the numbers and specifications based on what he did:

 

[BX23S-1]

Here you go, shims included: https://www.bxpanded.com/pressure-tester

Thank you for the link.

I have a friend of mine that actually makes a very nice kit. His kit comes with the gauge, the proper shims, nice storage case, compartmentalized so that the shims aren`t rolling around.

I hadn`t realized he had started making the flat faced coupler kit until i talked to him this morning about these test kits on the internet. I bought his kit instead. I`ll leave a link below so that you can see it. I`ve never worried once about what Mike builds, its always high quality and no BS.

https://bxtractorparts.com/shop/ols/products/bx-pressure-test-kit/v/BX-MDL-PRS-TST-NEW-BX

 

[BX23S-1]

Here is a better understanding of what it will do for your machine:

He has the numbers and specifications based on what he did:

Thanks for posting that. I saw that video earlier. I`ve seen most of the videos on youtube where people have boosted their bota`s hydraulic pressure. I`m always leary about adding things to equipment. If things were meant to be there, the factory would have installed them. I wanted to wait this out and see how it worked for others before i tried this on my own. I`ve been burned a few times with adding things to equipment in the past. I just didnt want to hurt my tractor. At least if i buy the kit, i`ll be able to see what pressure its running at. Just the gauge alone and knowing what its running at, is always a plus and piece of mind. If its running at the least 1800psi, i`m not going to mess with it. If there is one valuable lesson i`ve learned MANY decades ago, if the tractor isnt up to handling the job, you need a bigger tractor.

 

[whitetiger]

If there is one valuable lesson i`ve learned MANY decades ago, if the tractor isnt up to handling the job, you need a bigger tractor.

The right tool for the job.

 

[Mark_BX25D]

Thank you for the link.

I have a friend of mine that actually makes a very nice kit. His kit comes with the gauge, the proper shims, nice storage case, compartmentalized so that the shims aren`t rolling around.

I hadn`t realized he had started making the flat faced coupler kit until i talked to him this morning about these test kits on the internet. I bought his kit instead. I`ll leave a link below so that you can see it. I`ve never worried once about what Mike builds, its always high quality and no BS.

https://bxtractorparts.com/shop/ols/products/bx-pressure-test-kit/v/BX-MDL-PRS-TST-NEW-BX

That kit does not fit the BX23:

********* THIS KIT IS FOR THE 50,60,70, 80 SERIES BX TRACTOR comes with proper coupler **********
*********BX 1870,2370,25,1880,2380,23s,2670,2680*********
***********************************Will not fit older BX22,2200,23D,they have dif hydraulic arrangement******************************

 

[85Hokie]

The hoses are typically rated at 3000 psi.

And the factory sets the pressure at 1750 ish - for safety or ??????

the main reason the pump is set to "X" psi is so that you cannot pick up something and have your ass end come off the ground....... safety !

I will tell you this ...... it was the 6th best thing I ever did to my BX.....

toothbar
hooks
under armor
canopy
lights....

I could go on ..... but there is no need to.

I understand your question - and your question answered......


Do as you think is best....


but if you decide to shim and you place .1 mmin there....and test ...... you will be back again to add more......

 

[BX23S-1]

That kit does not fit the BX23:

You`re absolutely right Mark, it does not, as the link i provided is for the BX23S, which has the flat face coupler`s. There is a pull down menu on the link in his site, you click it and then click the tractor model you want.

This is right from his site. It is clearly stated what this kit fits:

********* THIS KIT IS FOR THE 50,60,70, 80 SERIES BX TRACTOR comes with proper coupler **********
*********BX 1870,2370,25,1880,2380,23s,2670,2680*********

***********************************Will not fit older BX22,2200,23D,they have dif hydraulic arrangement******************************

He does have the other gauge for the older tractors without the flat face couplers.

Just email or call Mike, he WILL help you out. He`s a great guy, and stands behind everything he builds 100%.
I bought the AUX fuel filter kit from him, it is a awesome built kit. No more crawling under the tractor to change the rear fuel filter.

 

[BX23S-1]

I have to agree with this guy in the video below. As i said earlier, if i`m averaging around 1800psi, i`m not touching it. My tractor is still under warranty, and i dont want to get turned down if i have to have something fixed under warranty. Factory spec is 1850psi. Thats good enough for me, for right now.

 

[BX23S-1]

Update: 11/2/2020

I checked the pump pressure on my BX23s with Mike`s gauge & shim kit, its showing an average 1,700psi.
A shout out to Mike, what a awesome gauge kit. The gauge is very steady, and he sends 3 shims with his kit. The kit comes in a super nice case, and it has a separate compartment for the shims inside the case.

Thank you Mike! Your quality stands highly above everyone else`s products.

 

[Henro]

Update: 11/2/2020

I checked the pump pressure on my BX23s with Mike`s gauge & shim kit, its showing an average 1,700psi.
A shout out to Mike, what a awesome gauge kit. The gauge is very steady, and he sends 3 shims with his kit. The kit comes in a super nice case, and it has a separate compartment for the shims inside the case.

Thank you Mike! Your quality stands highly above everyone else`s products.

View attachment 50146 View attachment 50147

I'm confused. I looked back and did not see you mention what the original system pressure was. I may have missed it.

Are you saying you got the kit from Mike, and when you checked your pressure it is 1700 PSI, and you are going to live with that? I guess you bought the kit assuming your pressure was on the low side.

I also assume you plan on installing shims to raise the pressure?

 

[BX23S-1]

I'm confused. I looked back and did not see you mention what the original system pressure was. I may have missed it.

Are you saying you got the kit from Mike, and when you checked your pressure it is 1700 PSI, and you are going to live with that? I guess you bought the kit assuming your pressure was on the low side.

I also assume you plan on installing shims to raise the pressure?

Without ever doing anything to the tractor, the pressure was 1700psi from the factory.
I will add enough shims to bring the tractor up to factory spec (which is 1850psi)
I dont intend to push the tractor higher than the factory pressure setting.
Some people push these tractors above factory specs, i will not.

My thought is, if your tractor isn`t getting the job done, you probably picked the wrong tractor for the job that you`re trying to accomplish. I`m a firm believer that there are the right tools for the job at hand.

 

[BX23S-1]

UPDATE: 11-6-2020

I ended up with settling on adding .3mm shim.
This got me to the target of 1850psi of what i was looking for.

We`ll see how this works out. Wifey will be running the loader today.

A shout out to Mike & Sandy at botaproducts, what a GREAT pressure kit! Worked FLAWLESSLY.
These folks make 100% perfect products for the BX tractors. Once again, another perfect product!

Thank you Mike & Sandy!

 

[hagrid]

That measurement was taken hot or cold?

 

[BX23S-1]

That measurement was taken hot or cold?

Warmed up until the temp gauge was at normal operating temp.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

re: My thought is, if your tractor isn`t getting the job done, you probably picked the wrong tractor for the job that you`re trying to accomplish. I`m a firm believer that there are the right tools for the job at hand.

Well I've seen LOTS of 'right tools' in the hands of the WRONG person in 6 decades.......
...just saying it's NOT always the 'wrong ' tool !!