L185 3 Point Hydraulic Pressure Relief

[ShaneOC91]

Hey folks!

Long time lurker but first time Kubota owner.
I run a small engine and vintage motorcycle shop out of my property and recently took ownership of a banged up (but well loved) 79 L185 2WD.
Its been handy so far and i got it for a steal even with its minor quirks.

Long story short, i've got the typical "won't lift under load" issue with the three point arms.
Once its lifted up, it'll hold the weight just fine and i just did a fluid change on it this week with mostly the same results.

From reading other posts here, sounds like I need to get into the rock-box and redo the seals.
Though ive rebuilt my fair share of motors and know my way around an ol tractor (started on a 9n with my pops) I'm not as well versed with hydraulic systems.
My shop and skills are pretty well kitted out to do most anything so I'm not afraid to tear in.
I'm leery on the safety side of things though cause working on buses with lift gates i've heard high pressure release cautionary tales so I want to make sure I'm doing things safely.

My two questions are:

1. Is there a procedure to be sure that the pressure has been relieved from the rock-box/lift arm system before disconnecting the lines?
2. Once i get the darn thing off and diagnosed, does anyone have a recommendation on an all in one seal kit for the hydro cylinder head and such?
   1. I keep hitting a dead end with $50 single rings from the local dealer and am hoping to get a seal kit for this particular service.

Thanks in advance everyone!

 

[TheOldHokie]

Hey folks!

Long time lurker but first time Kubota owner.
I run a small engine and vintage motorcycle shop out of my property and recently took ownership of a banged up (but well loved) 79 L185 2WD.
Its been handy so far and i got it for a steal even with its minor quirks.

Long story short, i've got the typical "won't lift under load" issue with the three point arms.
Once its lifted up, it'll hold the weight just fine and i just did a fluid change on it this week with mostly the same results.

From reading other posts here, sounds like I need to get into the rock-box and redo the seals.
Though ive rebuilt my fair share of motors and know my way around an ol tractor (started on a 9n with my pops) I'm not as well versed with hydraulic systems.
My shop and skills are pretty well kitted out to do most anything so I'm not afraid to tear in.
I'm leery on the safety side of things though cause working on buses with lift gates i've heard high pressure release cautionary tales so I want to make sure I'm doing things safely.

My two questions are:

1. Is there a procedure to be sure that the pressure has been relieved from the rock-box/lift arm system before disconnecting the lines?
2. Once i get the darn thing off and diagnosed, does anyone have a recommendation on an all in one seal kit for the hydro cylinder head and such?
   1. I keep hitting a dead end with $50 single rings from the local dealer and am hoping to get a seal kit for this particular service.

Thanks in advance everyone!

If it stays up the cylinder is not leaking. Time to pressure test the pump.

Dan

 

[ShaneOC91]

If it stays up the cylinder is not leaking. Time to pressure test the pump.

Dan

Thats what i was afraid of.
Pump rebuild kits are proving hard to find and most of the replacements I'm seeing are close to $300 ish.
Normally, I wouldn't worry as much and I'd commit but budget is tight at the moment.

I know these are kind of a pain to get a pressure tester on, do you have a recommendation on how to go about it on the L185?

 

[TheOldHokie]

Thats what i was afraid of.
Pump rebuild kits are proving hard to find and most of the replacements I'm seeing are close to $300 ish.
Normally, I wouldn't worry as much and I'd commit but budget is tight at the moment.

I know these are kind of a pain to get a pressure tester on, do you have a ou need av have on how to go about it on the L185?

The pumps are not rebuildable. $300:for a pump is not expensive but you need to test before replacing. Or for that matter before tsking things apart. Pressure test procedure is in the WSM

Dan

 

[ShaneOC91]

The pumps are not rebuildable. $300:for a pump is not expensive but you need to test before replacing. Or for that matter before tsking things apart. Pressure test procedure is in the WSM

Dan

Yeah a test was in order. I'd never swap parts just willy nilly. But was hoping these pumps were more serviceable from a rebuild standpoint.

And yeah $300 isn't bad for a pump, just might have to put it off for a month or so if thats the case and I'm hoping not.

 

[TheOldHokie]

Yeah a test was in order. I'd never swap parts just willy nilly. But was hoping these pumps were more serviceable from a rebuild standpoint.

And yeah $300 isn't bad for a pump, just might have to put it off for a month or so if thats the case and I'm hoping not.

White House Products used to have a good price on those pumps but the current import tarriffs probably eats that up.

Dan

 

[Russell King]

I can send you a WSM for the tractor.

Look for an envelope icon in the upper right hand corner of the page and reply back to that PM (private message) with your personal email address. The file is too large to post or send through this website.

 

[TheOldHokie]

Yeah a test was in order. I'd never swap parts just willy nilly. But was hoping these pumps were more serviceable from a rebuild standpoint.

And yeah $300 isn't bad for a pump, just might have to put it off for a month or so if thats the case and I'm hoping not.

A quick look online and I see lots of aftermarket pumps in the $100 range.

 

[ShaneOC91]

A quick look online and I see lots of aftermarket pumps in the $100 range.

I was seeing a few too but skeptical of my sources when I saw some in the $65 dollar range lol

White house Products you mentioned though for some reason i'm not seeing. You got a link to their direct site or are they typically a third party supply house?

 

[TheOldHokie]

I was seeing a few too but skeptical of my sources when I saw some in the $65 dollar range lol

White house Products you mentioned though for some reason i'm not seeing. You got a link to their direct site or are they typically a third party supply house?

WHP is a UK hydraulic supply company.

https://www.whitehouseproductsltd.com/home.

Years ago I paid $85 for the Kayaba pump Kubota used on those older tractors. Many people have had success with the aftermarket pumps. But we are getting ahead of the game - pressure test the pump.

 

[ShaneOC91]

Indeed we are. Good to know its at least not going to turn my wallet to dust if/when we get there.

One thing I'm now realizing is i did not realize the sump screen was servicable (my incorrect assumption before getting the shop manual was that it was similar to an engine oil screen.)

So now I'm kicking myself for not knowing it was there and pulling it to either clean or replace while doing the fluid originally.

We just moved to this new property and the shop, while nearly done, is still hiding some specialty tools in packed moving boxes. So I'll have to dig out my pressure test kit and see what results i get.

 

[Russell King]

You can drain the fluid into clean containers and then clean the screen and replace the fluid.

There is a spring involved in there also and an o-ring (or two?) for the cover.

The cover is a rounded bump that may be hard to get to if you have the exhaust pipe that runs underneath.

 

[ShaneOC91]

You can drain the fluid into clean containers and then clean the screen and replace the fluid.

There is a spring involved in there also and an o-ring (or two?) for the cover.

The cover is a rounded bump that may be hard to get to if you have the exhaust pipe that runs underneath.

Well I did just that and discovered the previous owner must have misplaced the spring under the cap.

More concerning was the fact that the sump screen was completely plugged. No daylight at all through the screen on that thing.

Blasted it with some brake clean and ran it in the ultrasonic tank and it came out pristine.

Put in an order for the spring and new o- ring for the cap. it should be here in a few days.

Found my pressure kit and of course it's not rated for hydraulic so I'll either get one on order or use the rental tool system nearby.

 

[Russell King]

You can get a gauge with a 3000 PSI max and a few fittings for not too much money. I think a lot of people use a grease gun hose for getting some reach on the gauge.

I got mine at a local hydraulic supply shop.