2005 Kubota BX 23 Mid PTO shaft problem

[TV Kubota BX 23]

Hello, I am new here to the site. I have a Kubota BX with a 60” mid mount mower, was mowing and all of the sudden my mid pto lever started shaking and a loud noise coming from below. I turned off the mower and went back to the shop, removed the mower deck and the turned the shaft on the mower and it seemed fine, I then sat a large bag of fertilizer on the seat to activate the safety switch, turned on the mid pto and looked below. The shaft was not turning,I then tried the rear pto and it turns. Tractor drives in both 2 wheel drive and 4 wheel drive. I am thinking the shaft for the mid mount pto broke off? Has anyone replaced one, does the entire rear assembly need to be separated from the tractor or can this be done from the rear of the tractor. I am concerned this will become a very expensive repair, I am mechanically inclined and can work on things. Any help,input would be greatly appreciate.

Thank you,

 

[85Hokie]

I would UNHOOK the pto shaft from the PTO under the tractor - and then re-engage the MMM - that way you can see IF the pto is spinning or not.

IF you are lucky - the PTO coupling may have come unhooked or damaged.

Report back what you find

 

[Henro]

I would UNHOOK the pto shaft from the PTO under the tractor - and then re-engage the MMM - that way you can see IF the pto is spinning or not.

IF you are lucky - the PTO coupling may have come unhooked or damaged.

Report back what you find

Unless I misunderstood what the OP already did, I think what you suggest is already done and reported on...

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Are you sure the selector is set for mid PTO function?

 

[TV Kubota BX 23]

Are you sure the selector is set for mid PTO function?

Yes I have tried what you suggested. I failed to mention I did hit a small stump, however this was several weeks ago. There has been noise coming from the pto for quite some time now, I thought it might be the gearbox on the mower, had that rebuilt last summer. When the midmount pto is on its doesn’t spin and I can turn it freely which tells me something is broke inside the case. Question is do I have to remove the entire rear transaxle or can I repair from the rear of the tractor without separating the tractor/transaxle assembly. I have not worked on kubotas much other then routine service. Thanks again for any input.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Yes I have tried what you suggested. I failed to mention I did hit a small stump, however this was several weeks ago. There has been noise coming from the pto for quite some time now, I thought it might be the gearbox on the mower, had that rebuilt last summer. When the midmount pto is on its doesn’t spin and I can turn it freely which tells me something is broke inside the case. Question is do I have to remove the entire rear transaxle or can I repair from the rear of the tractor without separating the tractor/transaxle assembly. I have not worked on kubotas much other then routine service. Thanks again for any input.

Being you have a 2005 BX23 I'm betting you have a BX23D and not a BX23S (much newer model)
Do you have the WSM (aka service manual)?
And yes you'll have to split it and remove quite a bit to get to the gears.

 

[TV Kubota BX 23]

Being you have a 2005 BX23 I'm betting you have a BX23D and not a BX23S (much newer model)
Do you have the WSM (aka service manual)?
And yes you'll have to split it and remove quite a bit to get to the gears.
View attachment 116619

I do have the manual and will review, has anyone completed this job on their own on this forum? Just curious what kubota would charge to complete this job. Thank you for your input, much appreciated sir.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

I think that removing case #060 will gain access to the gear,so maybe not a huge job BUT according to CDN KUB the PTO shaft/gear #070 in NIW picture is NLA ( No Longer Available ) !!!!
If cover can come off as tractor sits, I'm thinking 3-4 hours of shop labour ? 500-750$ ??

I think hitting that stump chewed off a few teeth of the gear and/or it's mate ? If so I'd also drain all the oil,change filter(s) too.

 

[DustyRusty]

Whenever you hear strange noises coming from underneath your tractor, it is better to investigate the source of the noise rather than just ignoring it till the noise goes away and whatever you are doing stops working. Considering the age of your tractor and new parts availability you are staring down a black hole. If you get lucky you might find someone that is parting out a similar machine that will sell you the parts that you need. It might be less expensive to buy a ZTR for grass cutting and keep the BX23 for loader and backhoe duties. Most likely its grass-cutting days are over.

 

[TV Kubota BX 23]

View attachment 116626 I think that removing case #060 will gain access to the gear,so maybe not a huge job BUT according to CDN KUB the PTO shaft/gear #070 in NIW picture is NLA ( No Longer Available ) !!!!
If cover can come off as tractor sits, I'm thinking 3-4 hours of shop labour ? 500-750$ ??

I think hitting that stump chewed off a few teeth of the gear and/or it's mate ? If so I'd also drain all the oil,change filter(s) too.

Thank you for getting back to m, I will call local dealer to see if they can locate this part by chance? Also discuss my options. Appreciate your help this sir.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

KU SHAFT GEAR BX2230D *

Shaft Gear Bx2230D. Part No. K256111710. Used. Kubota. HK250-11710.

www.wengers.com

 

[TV Kubota BX 23]

KU SHAFT GEAR BX2230D *

Shaft Gear Bx2230D. Part No. K256111710. Used. Kubota. HK250-11710.

www.wengers.com

Excellent news! I did speak to my local kubota dealer and he is going to get me a price for the part and labor. I will keep everyone posted once he gets back to me. Again thanks for taking the time to research the part and everyones response.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I hope you have your nitro pills handy as I'm pretty sure the Greensvillejay's estimate is WAYYYY to low.
I'll put that repair in the $3K to $4K range minimum.
It's probably a 5+ hour tear down with a couple hours to repair and then reassembly.
All of this is based on if your tractor is in good shape to make tear down easy.
There are a lot of parts that need to be removed to get to that part and to get it out of there.
There will be $500 in shop supplies, and then fluids and filters on top of that.

 

[TV Kubota BX 23]

I hope you have your nitro pills handy as I'm pretty sure the Greensvillejay's estimate is WAYYYY to low.
I'll put that repair in the $3K to $4K range minimum.
It's probably a 5+ hour tear down with a couple hours to repair and then reassembly.
All of this is based on if your tractor is in good shape to make tear down easy.
There are a lot of parts that need to be removed to get to that part and to get it out of there.
There will be $500 in shop supplies, and then fluids and filters on top of that.

Can the cover be removed with the trans unit in place or do you have to remove the trans unit from the tractor? If I can remove the cover and get to everything, then I will probably go ahead and do the job. If the trans has to be totally removed from the tractor I will see what the cost is from the dealer, suppose to get back to me next week. Thanks

 

[GreensvilleJay]

I don't have your model but based on the dwg in my post #8...I suspect you'd have to drain the HST unit, remove driveshaft, obviously remove MMM.... then maybe case #060 could be removed ???
Biggest challenge for me is getting the tractor high enough to comfortably access it !
I'd hope the WSM would explain what's required, but really a good look and few pictures should tell you how to proceed.
Hopefully wherever you begin, you CAN leave it there for a few days ! THAT could be a big challenge too !.

 

[whitetiger]

If I can remove the cover and get to everything, then I will probably go ahead and do the job.

There is no way that you could repair it with the transaxle still in the frame. Some posters seem to be under the assumption that the front cover is just a cover which it is not. Almost every component mounts into or through the cover which also has an HST assembly mounted to the front of it.

The Flat Rate Manual lists labor at 8.2 hours.

 

[TV Kubota BX 23]

There is no way that you could repair it with the transaxle still in the frame. Some posters seem to be under the assumption that the front cover is just a cover which it is not. Almost every component mounts into or through the cover which also has an HST assembly mounted to the front of it.

The Flat Rate Manual lists labor at 8.2 hours.

Understood and thank you for the information, I am assuming the 8 hrs is just for the removal or is the 8 hrs to complete the job, just curious. Thanks again, valuable information you have provided for sure.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Time would be the complete job...remove/repair/return....
Depending on your skill level and tool box contents, maybe 10-16 hours 'real time', as you're bound to get interrupted a few times and for sure ,turn off the cellphone !!! Use it to take pictures of the progress though !!!
'book' a weekend to do the job.

 

[TV Kubota BX 23]

Time would be the complete job...remove/repair/return....
Depending on your skill level and tool box contents, maybe 10-16 hours 'real time', as you're bound to get interrupted a few times and for sure ,turn off the cellphone !!! Use it to take pictures of the progress though !!!
'book' a weekend to do the job.

I heard back from my local kubota dealer with regards to the repair cost. They are saying 8-10 hrs to split tractor and another 8-10hrs to reassemble, then a few hrs to fix problem at $129.00 hr plus a 10% shop supply fee, I have read the repair manual and be,I’ve I can split the tractor and possibly replace the pto shaft along with two new bearings. Worse case scenario I will split tractor and take to dealer to make repair then I will reassemble myself. I am going to order the PTO shaft. Thanks again, will keep you posted as things develop, may not start disassembly until later in December.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

yeesh, must be a lot more complicated than I'm led to believe and at $100/hr...$2K + 1K for the 'fix' AND $300 for 'shop supplies', which probably won't include HST oil.

WT's line ... The Flat Rate Manual lists labor at 8.2 hours.

I assume that's the total repair..of remove/fix/reinstall which sounds right. Say 3hrs to remove and tear down, 1hr fix, 3 hrs reinstall, 1hr coffee breaks.