New (to me) BX and to the forum

[JimDeL]

...After one scary event just trying to lift a roll of fencing with my pallet forks,(rear wheels off the ground!)
I always use rear ballast with the FEL....

I have the old style ballast box on mine. (doesn't work with a Quick Hitch) Box is about 75 pounds, and I have 250 pounds of gravel in it. Works fine with the FEL.
There's a newer version of the ballast box that works with the Quick Hitch, but it cost well over twice what the older one did.

 

[The Evil Twin]

May want to do it yourself if you have the time and skills. I would do all fluids and filters to get a level set going forward. Bought my BIL’s B1700 a few years back and he had a stack of paperwork showing all maintenance. Well I did the full fluids and filters and found 3 o rings jammed in the fuel filter. Had to cut that filter apart to get it off. The other thing was the front axle oil was way low and dark and thick. Judging by the lack of witness marks on the drain plug, my BIL paid for several services on the front axle and got none. For comparison my B3200 is several years old and just closing in on 200 hrs. The oil is clean and clear. Probably the same on that fuel filter since it took me almost 30 min to remove it.
Anyway it’s a great way to familiarize yourself with your new tractor. I’d check all the grease fittings and lube those as well. Finally check your battery and make sure the terminals are clean and tight. Welcome to the forum

My front axle oil is really dark and nasty at 35 hours.

 

[JimDeL]

My front axle oil is really dark and nasty at 35 hours.

Mine's still clean and clear at 100. What oil is in yours - UDT or 80/90? 80/90 is a darker colored oil, so that might be what you're seeing.

 

[The Evil Twin]

Mine's still clean and clear at 100. What oil is in yours - UDT or 80/90? 80/90 is a darker colored oil, so that might be what you're seeing.

I assume SUDT2 from the factory. The whole rig has 35 hours. Given that it is the original fill, that explains why it is so dark so soon. All the wearing in of the bevel gears and such

 

[Dave Ogren]

Any reason to never use it on a paved surface? I know the turning radius suffers, where it will skip, at least that's how my truck's 4 wheel drive system works. I think the only time I'd want to use the 4x4 on a paved surface, is when using the snow blower. Maybe I've reading too much in to the word 'never'?

If the snow is slippery which it usually is that ( I assume) would be OK. When they say paved they mean no slipping , that would do damage.

 

[GreX]

Got the tractor back from the dealer, they did an oil change and a general service. They did discover that that leak I was seeing was from the rear PTO seal leaking, and it was two quarts low because of that - luckily the seals were covered by warranty. I will not be having them do general work on the tractor again, as they charged me $220 just for the pickup/drop off (they charge for the time the trailer is empty as well), as well as 1.41 hours to do the oil change... Pretty sure I could do the oil change in less than 30 minutes, and I've never done it on this machine. Kind of crazy that an oil change cost over $400, but at least I know the tractor is in good condition per the dealer. Now, I will be doing all service, unless its something wild or covered under warranty.

I did have them check the quick connect per the feedback here, all checked out there as well as the wheels being torqued. Anyways, thanks all for the feedback on this thing, now I can start learning even more

 

[WhatnxtBX]

Get news that all is well with your new ride.

Yes, the Dealership does cost $$$. That is why most do their own maintenance. And, if there are any questions, this site is a great resource, as you can see.

 

[JimDeL]

Yes, the Dealership does cost $$$. That is why most do their own maintenance. And, if there are any questions, this site is a great resource, as you can see.

I did the 50 hour service on mine myself. It took about an hour, start to finish.
Parts cost was just under US$200 for oil, UDT2, engine and tranny filters, air filter, fuel filters, and a quart of 89/90 gear oil for the mower deck..
The only hassle was the re-filling of the tranny. I had to rig up a funnel & hose for that, since the filler orifice is kind of awkwardly located.
I ended up not changing the fuel filters since they looked good and the WSM only recommends checking them, and not replacing them until 400 hours.

BTW, one of the bigger US dealers (Messicks) has recommended using this filter in the filler neck to keep extraneous debris out of the fuel tank. It's cheap, and it works.
Amazon.com: County Line Kitchen - Stainless Steel Filter & Infuser for Cold Brew, Iced Coffee, and Iced Tea - Use with 1 Quart Wide Mouth Mason Jars : Home & Kitchen

 

[GreX]

I did the 50 hour service on mine myself. It took about an hour, start to finish.
Parts cost was just under US$200 for oil, UDT2, engine and tranny filters, air filter, fuel filters, and a quart of 89/90 gear oil for the mower deck..
The only hassle was the re-filling of the tranny. I had to rig up a funnel & hose for that, since the filler orifice is kind of awkwardly located.
I ended up not changing the fuel filters since they looked good and the WSM only recommends checking them, and not replacing them until 400 hours.

BTW, one of the bigger US dealers (Messicks) has recommended using this filter in the filler neck to keep extraneous debris out of the fuel tank. It's cheap, and it works.
Amazon.com: County Line Kitchen - Stainless Steel Filter & Infuser for Cold Brew, Iced Coffee, and Iced Tea - Use with 1 Quart Wide Mouth Mason Jars : Home & Kitchen

I would have done the service myself, but buying new, I just wanted a 'stamp of approval' from the dealer. Also, I had them warranty the rear leaking seal on the PTO shaft, which I would not have wanted to do myself. Again, I'll only be doing these services myself moving forward, too easy, and good to know how to work on your own equipment.

Also, what's funny about that Amazon link, more than half of the images are of folks using it for their tractor fuel fill filter, kind of made me chuckle.

 

[BAP]

I would have done the service myself, but buying new, I just wanted a 'stamp of approval' from the dealer. Also, I had them warranty the rear leaking seal on the PTO shaft, which I would not have wanted to do myself. Again, I'll only be doing these services myself moving forward, too easy, and good to know how to work on your own equipment.

Also, what's funny about that Amazon link, more than half of the images are of folks using it for their tractor fuel fill filter, kind of made me chuckle.

Nothing wrong with having your dealer do that service particularly when you don’t know what had been done previously. Good way to make sure everything is fine with it, particularly if you aren’t a mechanic. Now that you know everything is up to snuff, you can read up and learn how to take care of it yourself. Ignore those that tell you they think you wasted money, in the end, it’s a good investment for yourself.

 

[Mossy dell]

GreX, I used Mobil 1 successfully in my first two Kubotas and a JD. I just checked to make sure the oils I used were diesel rated. In my current tractor, I run Amsoil 5-40.

On fuel treatments, I like Hot Shot's Secret, based on how high it rates in all the tests I've seen. Through the warmer months I put a little everyday treatment in with each fill. In winter I run their anti-gel product. One of the tests was by Project Farm on Youtube, as I recall. I highly recommend his product tests of all kinds, including on gas and diesel oils, screws, tools, you name it.

I use my tractor on mulch duty a lot. Mostly actually. For rear counterweight I've used my box blade, got a heavy one for that reason, but prefer my Heavy Hitch. The compactness is really nice, doesn't hang off as far, and my quarters and working areas are tight. Plus it has a receiver hitch for trailering or other Heavy Hitch attachments, such as a soil ripper.

 

[Downeaster]

I like you only had lawn mower garden tractors. I bought a used Kubota Bx1880 this past September. It had 80 hours on the tractor, and after I got it home I did a little inspection, only to find that no maintenance had been done at the 50 hr mark. I purchased new motor oil, and the Kubota Super UDT2 oil, all filters and did the service myself. I found that OEM oil filters are grey, while the replacements are White. There is a huge difference in the quality of Kubota oil filters compared to store bought ones. Get Kubota filters they don't cost any more. I also found the front rack and pinion boots were torn, so I replaced them. Checking the tires, none had the proper air pressure, and the lugs, were not properly torqued. I have a tinging sound that sound like a tin can bouncing around in the tractor, and think that is the fan belt is loose, and I will tighten that up once it warms up where I can spend some time on it. Oh BTW Kubota puts everything together it take a superman to remove an oil filter. I purchased a oil filter wrench from Harbor
Freight that works like a set of vice grips. I had 6 or 7 other can type but the only thing that worked was the HF wrench.

 

[GreX]

Luckily, the filters have now been changed twice by the dealer at just above 90 hours on the machine, so hopefully it'll be easy pulling the filters for the next oil change, but good to know Harbor Freight has those pliers if I run into a snag.

I do have a general question, yesterday, when cleaning up some mounds of snow, the FEL seemed really bothered and couldn't really move the bucket higher. I can't imagine a bucket full of snow being the max weight of what these machines are capable of, but it happened several times, and the only real solution was to dump slightly and go into reverse a bit, then move the bucket up and over the mound I was trying to clear. Is there a trick, is the machine actually maxing out, will adding some of the hydraulic line shims (https://www.bxpanded.com/pressure-tester) help with max load? I was just at a bit of a loss when it struggled so much with lifting snow, but maybe that's the limits of the bx2380.

 

[JeremyBX2200]

Luckily, the filters have now been changed twice by the dealer at just above 90 hours on the machine, so hopefully it'll be easy pulling the filters for the next oil change, but good to know Harbor Freight has those pliers if I run into a snag.

I do have a general question, yesterday, when cleaning up some mounds of snow, the FEL seemed really bothered and couldn't really move the bucket higher. I can't imagine a bucket full of snow being the max weight of what these machines are capable of, but it happened several times, and the only real solution was to dump slightly and go into reverse a bit, then move the bucket up and over the mound I was trying to clear. Is there a trick, is the machine actually maxing out, will adding some of the hydraulic line shims (https://www.bxpanded.com/pressure-tester) help with max load? I was just at a bit of a loss when it struggled so much with lifting snow, but maybe that's the limits of the bx2380.

I would definitely check your pressure. My BX2200 was a little low and struggled a little. I shimmed the relief valve up to 2000psi and it helped a lot, especially noticeable using the curl.

As far as the weight of a bucket of snow, I don’t think it should be too much for it to lift. I moved 40 tons of gravel and top soil this past spring/summer. Lifting a bucket full wasn’t an issue, but breaking it out of the pile took a little finesse. I couldn’t just ram it with the bucket and then lift. I would have to curl/lift and move backwards/forwards a little bit. Once I figured out the method it did great.

Like they say, the best mod for any machine is to tighten the nut behind the wheel.

Also, make sure you have rear ballast when lifting a lot with the FEL.

 

[GreX]

I would definitely check your pressure. My BX2200 was a little low and struggled a little. I shimmed the relief valve up to 2000psi and it helped a lot, especially noticeable using the curl.

As far as the weight of a bucket of snow, I don’t think it should be too much for it to lift. I moved 40 tons of gravel and top soil this past spring/summer. Lifting a bucket full wasn’t an issue, but breaking it out of the pile took a little finesse. I couldn’t just ram it with the bucket and then lift. I would have to curl/lift and move backwards/forwards a little bit. Once I figured out the method it did great.

Like they say, the best mod for any machine is to tighten the nut behind the wheel.

Also, make sure you have rear ballast when lifting a lot with the FEL.

Good to know, I ordered that kit a while ago, just haven't taken the time to throw the shims in, was planning to do that this weekend.

Agreed, I'm still very new to this thing, and continue to learn more each time I use it. I think I was doing a similar bit of movement you've referenced.

As for ballast, I've got the Land Pride SB1051 on the rear + loaded rear turf tires, so it never felt like it was struggling to keep all four on the ground when trying to lift, I would simply hear the whine of the hydraulic pump, and the bucket not moving upward..

 

[JeremyBX2200]

Good to know, I ordered that kit a while ago, just haven't taken the time to throw the shims in, was planning to do that this weekend.

Agreed, I'm still very new to this thing, and continue to learn more each time I use it. I think I was doing a similar bit of movement you've referenced.

As for ballast, I've got the Land Pride SB1051 on the rear + loaded rear turf tires, so it never felt like it was struggling to keep all four on the ground when trying to lift, I would simply hear the whine of the hydraulic pump, and the bucket not moving upward..

Sounds like you have a good amount of ballast. Once you verify the pressure then it just comes down to figuring out the best way work the machine.

 

[GreX]

Went out and checked it, was down below 1700 psi (~1675 ish), I added the two blue shims (.3mm/ea) and it's now coming in around 1950-1975 each time I operated the stick. Does seem a bit more fluid when moving the bucket around (maybe placebo) and it did seem to move the same type of snow a bit easier - still gets stuck when trying to move the arms upward with a load of snow, so not a magic wand, but did seem easier to move similar loads of snow out of the way. Sounds like its a good idea to check the pressure once a year or so and adjust accordingly to keep the pressure you're looking for.

 

[JeremyBX2200]

Went out and checked it, was down below 1700 psi (~1675 ish), I added the two blue shims (.3mm/ea) and it's now coming in around 1950-1975 each time I operated the stick. Does seem a bit more fluid when moving the bucket around (maybe placebo) and it did seem to move the same type of snow a bit easier - still gets stuck when trying to move the arms upward with a load of snow, so not a magic wand, but did seem easier to move similar loads of snow out of the way. Sounds like its a good idea to check the pressure once a year or so and adjust accordingly to keep the pressure you're looking for.

Glad it helped some. From my reading it sounds like the 1900-2100 range is a safe level that provides good performance

 

[Downeaster]

Insure you are giving the engine enough speed...

 

[JimDeL]

Went out and checked it, was down below 1700 psi (~1675 ish), I added the two blue shims (.3mm/ea) and it's now coming in around 1950-1975 each time I operated the stick. Does seem a bit more fluid when moving the bucket around (maybe placebo) and it did seem to move the same type of snow a bit easier - still gets stuck when trying to move the arms upward with a load of snow, so not a magic wand, but did seem easier to move similar loads of snow out of the way. Sounds like its a good idea to check the pressure once a year or so and adjust accordingly to keep the pressure you're looking for.

What RPM are you running it at? The FEL works best in the 2000 ~ 2500 range. Running it slower makes it sluggish to respond - pretty much like you're describing.