BX25 Front axle Pressure to Vent or not to Vent? If so how?

[Joe.G]

Just wondering what are your guys thoughts on venting the front axle, I have SUTD fluid and a slight leak on the left side, When I take dip stick out I do get a burst of pressure. I am unsure if I should vent it or switch to Gear oil before changing seals.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Fix the leak would be a good start.

 

[Joe.G]

Yes, I will But from what I am reading they say it comes back quick because of the pressure that builds up and that is what is most likely causing the leak so I would like to address both.

 

[whitetiger]

from what I am reading they say it comes back quick because of the pressure that builds up and that is what is most likely causing the leak

Did "they" also say there are tens of thousands of BX units produced that do not leak?
Kubota has never vented the BX front axle; a few of them leak.
If a seal is leaking, replace the seal.
It's really a very simple dilemma: if it's not broke, don't try to fix it. If it is broken, repair it.

 

[Toyboy]

Some have switched to 75-90 gear oil

 

[Joe.G]

I do know that most axles are vented, Maybe they felt the BX didn't produce enough energy/speed/Heat to need it? I don't see how it would hurt.

 

[07wingnut]

I have a BX23 and have put in in axle vent. Don't know if it has prevented seal leaks due to pressure, but when unscrewing the dipstick, there never seems to be a pressure differential, and this is with gear oil in the axle, never had SUDT in there. The access to the axle is in two places, one on each side. One has a Dipstick that unscrews, the other just special bolt that screws into the hole. That bolt can be modified by doing the following. Find a short piece of plastic tubing with a diameter small enough that it will fit into a hole drilled into the side of the bolt head. Drill a hole in the threaded part that meets the one coming in from the side of the bolt head. Insert plastic tube into the hole in the bolt head, should be a snug fit, then find a small bolt the will thread into the plastic tube, not too tight a fit, since the pressure differential in the axle will bleed in, or out between the inside of the plastic tube, and the small bolt threads. Equalizing the pressure will be slow, since the passage is very tiny, and if the axle becomes submerged in water, it would have to be there for a long time to bleed into the axle.

 

[whitetiger]

I do know that most axles are vented, Maybe they felt the BX didn't produce enough energy/speed/Heat to need it? I don't see how it would hurt.

The vast majority of Kubota tractors do not.

 

[Russell King]

I think Kubota does not vent things that they assume are going to be submerged under water. Remember their history is (probably) designing tractors for farming rice paddies not grass lawns and flat dry fields.