B7000 clutch job

[5thhorseman]

After delaying for a few years my clutch stopped working completely so I did what I had to do to get it into the garage. The hardest part of this job is getting started, especially since I'm not a mechanically inclined person. After leaving it to sit for a few months I finally got into it this week. Didn't take long to remove the dash, fuel lines & tank, two hydraulic lines, and a few other bits. The drag link doesn't pop off without some special tools but I have a puller that will work on the pitman arm so that's where I'll disconnect it (after marking it for correct reassembly later).



That leaves the last bit which is the front wheel driveshaft. The shop service manual says to loosen the protective cover at the joint case and then withdraw the drive shaft from the joint case. I did all but it doesn't seem possible to withdraw it. Is this shaft supposed to be telescopic like a PTO shaft? There is some side-to-side play though. I removed the joint case itself to see what is inside but there doesn't seem to be any means of disconnecting it there either.



Looking toward the rear of the shaft, it disappears up and to the body. There seems to be an inspection hole right of centre in the photo below, but access is blocked by the loader sub-frame. Do I need to take the sub-frame off to access the rear of the shaft and disconnect it there?

 

[Lil Foot]

That driveshaft assembly looks identical to my B7100. I recently removed & rebuilt the whole front axle assembly. Assuming yours is like mine: On the end of the differential pinion shaft, there is a u-joint with an internal spline, inside that funny shaped housing. The driveshaft spline that is visible in your pics will slide out of the u-joint. After removing all the pertinent bolts & stuff, I just rolled the axle forward & the spline slid out. I would suspect that when you split the tractor and roll the halves apart, the shaft will slide out. The trick may be having enough hands to get it re-aligned when you reassemble it.
I think.

 

[5thhorseman]

Thanks Lil Foot. Makes sense because of the side to side play in the shaft. If you're right, and I think you are, that will save me a lot of work. I want to split the tractor without taking the loader off and I think it can be done as the sub-frame can also be split.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Just like Lil Foot said, split it and it will slide out.

 

[5thhorseman]

So I finally managed to get the tractor split last weekend. The drive shaft slid right out like Lil Foot and NIW said (yay)! I also managed to get it apart with the loader still on it. The subframe still attached to the front half provided a convenient spot for jackstands and having the loader still on prevented it from swiveling on the front axle. The rear of the tractor just slid backwards on the floor jack with some gentle tugging on the 3PH.



Turned out the throwout bearing had completely disintegrated.



Which I guess caused all the wear on these levers which appear to actuate the clutch mechanism.



To my untrained eye the flywheel (or is this the pressure plate) looks good with no cracks. Do I need to get this machined?



So I guess I need a new throwout bearing and clutch assembly, but I'm having trouble finding the part numbers in the Kubota Parts Manual. I can't find the clutch shown anywhere. The bearing appears to be on Page 124 (item 12), part# 66611-5115-2. Or is it on Page 72 (item 4), part# 32150-1482-1? (Edit, now that I looked at it a bit more I think it's the first one). Can someone help me out?

 

[Tooljunkie]

Now if it was in a car, i would have it machined. The discoloration is hotspots from slipping clutch. It would grab better with a freshly machined surface. Your choice, i dont think it will make any difference.im sure the clamping force is much greater than in an automotive application.

 

[5thhorseman]

Thanks ToolJunkie. I checked with my bro too (he's an auto mechanic) and he told me just to rough it up with sandpaper (any grit). Sounds like the best way to get this tractor back on the road quickly.

I went through the parts manual again and found the clutch assembly is on page 48, part# 66591-1340-2.

So now I just need to confirm the throwout bearing part#, but I guess the guys at the dealership can confirm that for me.

Another question. Is there any bushing or part that needs to be replaced where the driveshaft enters the flywheel? Should I put some grease in there when I reassemble everything?

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

You could do this for the clutch assembly.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Kubota-Tract...367375?hash=item58cec87b8f:g:zxcAAOSwdvpWEBg8

Replace the pilot bearing and dust shield while your in there!
You will have to pull the flywheel to get to both of those, Mark the flywheel as the holes look the same but they are just a little off in spacing and will not go on right if not aligned properly.

Yes just a couple shots of grease will do the job on the bearing holder.

 

[5thhorseman]

You could do this for the clutch assembly.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Kubota-Tract...367375?hash=item58cec87b8f:g:zxcAAOSwdvpWEBg8

Hey, I was just looking at that very item this afternoon! I was checking for alternatives in case the dealer price is too shocking. During my search I found a 3rd party supplier that had it priced at over $800!!!

Replace the pilot bearing and dust shield while your in there!
You will have to pull the flywheel to get to both of those, Mark the flywheel as the holes look the same but they are just a little off in spacing and will not go on right if not aligned properly.

Yes just a couple shots of grease will do the job on the bearing holder.

I'll give that a look see. Is the pilot bearing something that usually needs replacing? Where the heck is the dust shield?

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Hey, I was just looking at that very item this afternoon! I was checking for alternatives in case the dealer price is too shocking. During my search I found a 3rd party supplier that had it priced at over $800!!!


I'll give that a look see. Is the pilot bearing something that usually needs replacing? Where the heck is the dust shield?

Yea, I seen that clutch supplier too, some people are nuts!

Yep the pilot bearing takes a big hit when the clutch goes out.
I am shocked that you were running that tractor that long with a bad clutch, 2011 if I read it right.
You are not even going to believe how smooth it will be with it rebuilt.

 

[5thhorseman]

Yeah, it was a long time but I don't put many hours on it, mainly tilling the garden, pulling trailerloads of firewood, pulling goat shed to new location, hardly any loader work. I can't wait to get it back together. Maybe I will actually start doing more loader work with it!!!

I'll see if I can find time to rip off the flywheel this weekend and see what it looks like back there. I also got to pull off the throwout bearing race which is a little bit stuck.

So what's been people's experience with these ebay suppliers. Are they good? I always wonder where the parts come from.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I buy a ton of parts off EBay, and I can honestly say in the 10+ years of buying parts that way I've only had one issue.
This seller has great ratings, only one negative (And it wasn't even a wrong part issue) so they appear to be a very good seller.

The money back option makes it really hard for a seller to take advantage of you.

If the part is wrong or bad they have to supply a return label for shipping, and refund or replace the part, I've only had to return one part and it wasn't the sellers fault it was the shippers fault, package was damaged and so was the part.

I tried to find you a Canadian seller as that can sometimes help with the price, but no luck.

Can you post a picture of the end of the shaft that goes into the clutch, I want to make sure it even has a pilot bushing (you can tell by looking at the shaft even though the bearing will be inside the end of the crank)

If you can get grey parts from a local dealer they might be able to beat that sellers price, and also if it needs it, get them to sell you the pilot bearing and dust seal (yes they are both under the flywheel in the end of the crank if equipped).
The b7100 and most other models of that same era had them, just not sure on the b7000.

Edit: Doing more research I'm thinking you don't have a pilot bushing/bearing, so it might be a mute point.

 

[5thhorseman]

Here's a photo of the shaft, just in case.



I find Ebay and Amazon both have way worse selection in Canada than in the US, so I often order from the latter and nip across the border to pick up the package.

So I called the dealer and the cost is similar to the e-bay deal:

66591-1330-0 Pressure plate assembly CAD 126
66591-1340-0 Clutch disc CAD 166

(Note that the original part numbers in the manual end in -2, but parts guy told me they change it to -0 when it crosses over, whatever that means.)

except the e-bay deal includes the throwout bearing.

I couldn't get a dealer price on the throwout bearing as the part number (66611-5551-0 or 66611-5551-0) didn't come up on their system, or rather the system said it is "no longer available".

Looks like I'll go for the e-bay deal as it has everything I need for a reasonable price, unless someone here is able to advise me on the right part#.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Buy the #'s you give, that parts are the same as the B7100's, this should work for almost everything at a cheaper cost!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/B4200-B5100...863615?hash=item5b20a75ebf:g:TPUAAMXQjFtRGDJt

It just doesn't have the seal, if you can't get it from your dealer it's not a super critical part.

Throw out bearing P/N 32150-14820
Pilot bearing P/N 66621-14120
Pilot bearing seal Seal P/N 09400-14247
Clutch disk Old P/N 66591-13300
Clutch disk New P/N 66905-13300
Pressure plate P/N 66591-13400

 

[5thhorseman]

Called the dealership and got prices on those parts. Strangely the Pilot Bearing came up on their computer as a bushing.

Throw out bearing P/N 32150-14820 CAD 33.21
Pilot bearing P/N 66621-14120 CAD 17.08
Pilot bearing Seal P/N 09400-14247 CAD 4.52
Clutch disk New P/N 66905-13300 CAD 123
Pressure plate P/N 66591-13400 CAD 166

So the new P/N for the Clutch Disk only saved me $3 over the old P/N.

So thanks for that other e-bay link! That looks like a deal I can't refuse. I can then get the pilot bearing/bushing and seal from the dealership, though I'll try to take the flywheel off first to see what's actually back there.

 

[5thhorseman]

So I got the parts off ebay about 3 weeks ago (good deal, saved me CAD 100 compared with dealership cost) but I've been delayed in getting back to working on the tractor. In short, we had 6 goat kids born in the space of a weekend, lots of bottle feeding as one of the does didn't make it, and then last week I was reducing my duck flock and making hoards of duck sausage! Busy, busy, busy!

Anyways, got back at 'er today and pulled the flywheel off. Even though it looks pretty good I think I will get it machined as Vic advises in one of his articles.



I was expecting to be able to access the bushing on the other side of the flywheel but alas, it is in a cavity at the end of the crank, I guess. I'm told you need an "inside out puller" but I don't want to wait for the weekend for a friend to bring one by. These things are brass so can I just go at it with a pick until I get a piece I can get some pliers on and yank it out?



Final question ... there is actually a huge gasket where the bell housing comes apart. Just wondering how essential it is to get a new one as I find gaskets for these machines are a bit pricey!

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Just use RTV on the Bell Housing gasket spot.

 

[kubotasam]

To remove the bushing from the end of the crank. First find a wooden dowel that fits a closely as you can to the inside diameter of the bushing. (this will not work if you put a 1/2" dowel in a 3/4" bushing.) Now pack the center of the bushing with grease. Next take the dowel and hammer it into the end of the bushing. The hydraulic force of the grease being pushed in will force the bushing back out.

 

[5thhorseman]

Thanks for the answers guys! Gonna hunt around for a dowel now

 

[5thhorseman]

Strange. The pilot bushing that came with the clutch kit turned out to be smaller than the one the cavity. I drove it onto the end of the driveshaft to see how it fit and it opened up (it's got a split down one side) by maybe 3/16. The one in the cavity not at all like that. Went to the dealership to get the "correct" bushing and theirs was exactly the same. So I think I'll just leave the old one in there as it doesn't look in too bad shape.

Flywheel machined and looks beautiful. Everything ready to go back together.