BX1870 Questions

[bamashooter]

Greetings all. Newbie here. Recently began using my deceased FiL's Kubota BX1870 to mow my MiL's yard. Close to 2 acres. Love the diesel, hydraulic deck, power steering, and 4wd. Good enough speed. Just a tad slower than my Z mower but more than good enough. Phenomenal fuel mileage. Believe it's a 2012 or 13 model. Other people have been using it for the past 5 years. Perhaps annually, only during those 5 years, it would be "serviced" annually at the dealership. I'm trying to bypass that expense if possible. I can turn a wrench better than Cher or Goldie Hawn but, possibly not much more. I know nothing about diesels.

This morning

I topped off the radiator coolant which wasn't visible in the burp bottle and a solid inch beneath the radiator cap opening. The burp bottle level is now correct as well.

Oil was 2/3 quart low. Seems like I read the diesel only has a capacity of 3.06 qts. Looks like that's with filter; 2.9 without. Topped it off with some Rotella I found. My understanding is a diesel requires diesel - specific motor oil.

Found a screen between radiator and instrument panel cowling. Removed and cleaned. Vey filthy. Went to insert it, looked down in that narrow space and it was jam packed with packed dead grass. Got it all cleaned and sprayed radiator well. I believe the mower sighed in relief.


1. No manuals. I see several in ebay, etc with bold type on top; WSM. They mostly range from high 20.00s to high 30.00s. Are they worth having or junk? If decent enough, are they thorough enough where I don't need the basic operator manual?

2. Throttle lever vibrates to less throttle if not held. I found a youtube showing basically a near-floppy lever on a similar Kubota. Corrected by removing lower screen, accessing a couple of nuts and tightening them and using a thread locker. Hopefully this will correct this specific issue. Suggestions welcome. I was told this issue started a month or so ago.

3. The knob for setting deck height lowest limit is very messed up. Pretty sure it doesn't work and has a set of vise-grips on its shaft. I turned the grips easily but it did nothing regarding height limiter. Would really like to have that working. The hydraulic side of the deck works fine. But sometimes I have to bump it for changing heights if needed. Bumping is a royal pain. I need a lowest setting limiter. The lowest now is in the dirt.

4. Yesterday evening I left the deck stored in its highest position. This morning it had leaked down to the ground. Is this common? Major repair?

5. The right hand instrument panel is dark. It looks like on the internet there should be both a fuel gauge and coolant temp gauge. Thoughts?

That's about it for now.

Thanks.

 

[PoTreeBoy]

Greetings all. Newbie here. Recently began using my deceased FiL's Kubota BX1870 to mow my MiL's yard. Close to 2 acres. Love the diesel, hydraulic deck, power steering, and 4wd. Good enough speed. Just a tad slower than my Z mower but more than good enough. Phenomenal fuel mileage. Believe it's a 2012 or 13 model. Other people have been using it for the past 5 years. Perhaps annually, only during those 5 years, it would be "serviced" annually at the dealership. I'm trying to bypass that expense if possible. I can turn a wrench better than Cher or Goldie Hawn but, possibly not much more. I know nothing about diesels.

This morning

I topped off the radiator coolant which wasn't visible in the burp bottle and a solid inch beneath the radiator cap opening. The burp bottle level is now correct as well.

Oil was 2/3 quart low. Seems like I read the diesel only has a capacity of 3.06 qts. Looks like that's with filter; 2.9 without. Topped it off with some Rotella I found. My understanding is a diesel requires diesel - specific motor oil.

Found a screen between radiator and instrument panel cowling. Removed and cleaned. Vey filthy. Went to insert it, looked down in that narrow space and it was jam packed with packed dead grass. Got it all cleaned and sprayed radiator well. I believe the mower sighed in relief.


1. No manuals. I see several in ebay, etc with bold type on top; WSM. They mostly range from high 20.00s to high 30.00s. Are they worth having or junk? If decent enough, are they thorough enough where I don't need the basic operator manual?

2. Throttle lever vibrates to less throttle if not held. I found a youtube showing basically a near-floppy lever on a similar Kubota. Corrected by removing lower screen, accessing a couple of nuts and tightening them and using a thread locker. Hopefully this will correct this specific issue. Suggestions welcome. I was told this issue started a month or so ago.

3. The knob for setting deck height lowest limit is very messed up. Pretty sure it doesn't work and has a set of vise-grips on its shaft. I turned the grips easily but it did nothing regarding height limiter. Would really like to have that working. The hydraulic side of the deck works fine. But sometimes I have to bump it for changing heights if needed. Bumping is a royal pain. I need a lowest setting limiter. The lowest now is in the dirt.

4. Yesterday evening I left the deck stored in its highest position. This morning it had leaked down to the ground. Is this common? Major repair?

5. The right hand instrument panel is dark. It looks like on the internet there should be both a fuel gauge and coolant temp gauge. Thoughts?

That's about it for now.

Thanks.

You can download free Operator's Manual and Work Shop Manual at KubotaBooks.

The throttle lever probably has an adjustable friction.

 

[bamashooter]

You can download free Operator's Manual and Work Shop Manual at KubotaBooks.

The throttle lever probably has an adjustable friction.

Thank you. Luckily after posting, I went looking and quickly landed on that site. Download 3 PDFs. I believe that video I watched would have indeed shown that "fix" to have been on an adjustable friction - type mechanism. This one has the same 2-nut mechanism. Will soon find out if that takes care of it.

 

[JimDeL]

Your deck height can/should only be adjusted with the deck fully raised.

You're correct about adjusting the throttle's friction.

The deck and 3-point hitch leaking down overnight is normal - nothing to worry about.

Good catch/call on cleaning the radiator screen. Check the engine air filter, too.

Check the hydraulic fluid (yellow dipstick adjacent the 3 point hitch, right side). and the front axle (left side, yellow cap). If the hydraulic fluid is low, use ONLY(!) Kubota fluid.

Grease the deck - about half a dozen zerks on the deck, and one on each bogey wheel. While you have the grease gun out, look for a zerk at the forward/reverse pedal area. Current models have a flap in the floor mat with a zerk under it. YMMV.

 

[bamashooter]

Your deck height can/should only be adjusted with the deck fully raised.

You're correct about adjusting the throttle's friction.

The deck and 3-point hitch leaking down overnight is normal - nothing to worry about.

Good catch/call on cleaning the radiator screen. Check the engine air filter, too.

Check the hydraulic fluid (yellow dipstick adjacent the 3 point hitch, right side). and the front axle (left side, yellow cap). If the hydraulic fluid is low, use ONLY(!) Kubota fluid.

Grease the deck - about half a dozen zerks on the deck, and one on each bogey wheel. While you have the grease gun out, look for a zerk at the forward/reverse pedal area. Current models have a flap in the floor mat with a zerk under it. YMMV.

Fantastic. Yep, the vise grips were loosely on the deck shaft. Tightened well and indeed discovered the deck needs to be elevated to adjust its 1/4" increments. Hope to make it function without the grips but for now, better than nothing.

The air filter was acceptable and went ahead and removed it, cleaned well. Blew out housing and engine compartment with air hose.

Greatly appreciate the intel dump.

 

[bamashooter]

Received WSM and operator manual. My only intent for the tractor is as a mower. The operator manual had pretty much nothing regarding the mower deck. The WSM appears to have enough info regarding leveling, etc of the deck.

Picked up only 1 gallon of the UDT fluid for topping off if necessary, hydraulic fluid filter, oil filter, air filter.

Upper radiator hose seeps at thermostat housing. Factory clamp appeared to to tighten any. Managed to finagle a zip tie lower than the clamp. Seepage has stopped. Will replace clamp this fall unless required sooner. Greased forward / reverse pedal zerk. More fittings soon. "Fixed" the throttle lever from slowly down - throttling. Need to get the fuel / temperature gauges working. If nothing else, I'll mount an aftermarket water temp gauge if compatible with sending unit. Perhaps an oil pressure gauge since none of the idiot lights work. Hoping all of this is a bad common ground. Can't have too many grounds that I've ever seen. Thanks guys.

Fun Fact: One of the youtubes I was watching had this stainless coffee strainer installed into the fuel filler neck. Fits as though it should have a Kubota parts number. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075L531TR

Here's the youtube:

Another youtube refers to a tapered - version which might be required for other models:

 

[JimDeL]

...Fun Fact: One of the youtubes I was watching had this stainless coffee strainer installed into the fuel filler neck. Fits as though it should have a Kubota parts number. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075L531TR

Here's the youtube:

Another youtube refers to a tapered - version which might be required for other models:

I put one of those tapered filters in my BX2380 and have been surprised at how much very small debris it has caught. Seems strange that there'd be so much considering I only use on road diesel from Sheetz. I'd thought it should've been cleaner.

 

[whitetiger]

The operator manual had pretty much nothing regarding the mower deck.

The MMM is not part of the tractor, so it is not covered in the manual. You will need the manual for the mower deck to get mower information.

 

[Henro]

Just a small point, and it may have been mentioned by somebody else above, but specifically it’s really important to grease the spindles of the mower deck.

You can find the grease fittings at each spindle on the outside and also one on the center spindle that has the gearbox and such associated with it

I’m not sure greasing every 10 hours is necessary, but that’s what Kubota recommends for my deck on my BX 2200. Over greasing can’t hurt, but under greasing certainly can.

By the way. Sounds like you are a good son in law…

 

[bamashooter]

Greetings once more. Tractor runs great and I appreciate the help and tips. Man, this is one fine "mower". Can't even imagine having one from brand new and taking good care of it. Keeps me busy mowing 2 very large yards.

The tach works fine but no other gauges, idiot lights, etc are functioning. I'm hoping something like a common ground but really have no clue.

If push comes to shove, can I at least get a single water temp gauge and install it or is it not that simple on this 1870? My experience with temp gauges is simply hooking a gauge to the temperature sending unit wire and any illumination which isn't needed here. Thanks.

I see I already mentioned the instrument panel issue. Oh well.

 

[07wingnut]

Received WSM and operator manual. My only intent for the tractor is as a mower. The operator manual had pretty much nothing regarding the mower deck. The WSM appears to have enough info regarding leveling, etc of the deck.

Picked up only 1 gallon of the UDT fluid for topping off if necessary, hydraulic fluid filter, oil filter, air filter.

Upper radiator hose seeps at thermostat housing. Factory clamp appeared to to tighten any. Managed to finagle a zip tie lower than the clamp. Seepage has stopped. Will replace clamp this fall unless required sooner. Greased forward / reverse pedal zerk. More fittings soon. "Fixed" the throttle lever from slowly down - throttling. Need to get the fuel / temperature gauges working. If nothing else, I'll mount an aftermarket water temp gauge if compatible with sending unit. Perhaps an oil pressure gauge since none of the idiot lights work. Hoping all of this is a bad common ground. Can't have too many grounds that I've ever seen. Thanks guys.

Fun Fact: One of the youtubes I was watching had this stainless coffee strainer installed into the fuel filler neck. Fits as though it should have a Kubota parts number. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075L531TR

Here's the youtube:

Another youtube refers to a tapered - version which might be required for other models:

You may have noticed while rowing thru the many post on this site, that a common ailment is lack of fuel flow to the engine due to garbage in the fuel tank. If you value your time, get one of those filters because down the line it could save you a lot of headache.

 

[bamashooter]

You may have noticed while rowing thru the many post on this site, that a common ailment is lack of fuel flow to the engine due to garbage in the fuel tank. If you value your time, get one of those filters because down the line it could save you a lot of headache.

Thanks. good to know. Have not run across those threads yets. I purchased 2 of those strainers. I get my diesel and gas free. My brother's-in-law have a fuel transport business. They have a large diesel tank and gasoline tank where the drivers dump their overages. Both tanks have factory-style pumps with filters that are changed regularly. Right across our pasture which is less than 5 minutes on the Kubota. Speaking of, the Kubota has very good speed. But I did install the strainer. The fit is so perfect you'd swear it's factory.

 

[DustyRusty]

Just a small point, and it may have been mentioned by somebody else above, but specifically it’s really important to grease the spindles of the mower deck.

You can find the grease fittings at each spindle on the outside and also one on the center spindle that has the gearbox and such associated with it

I’m not sure greasing every 10 hours is necessary, but that’s what Kubota recommends for my deck on my BX 2200. Over greasing can’t hurt, but under greasing certainly can.

By the way. Sounds like you are a good son in law…

Overgreasing the spindles can cause the seals to blow out. I have seen spindles that have seals on both sides of the bearings, and all you are doing is filling the void above and below the bearings with grease. This is important to know the type of bearings that are installed in the spindles so you know what you are greasing. You should know this from a discussion a couple of months ago where you were part of the discussion.

 

[Russell King]

Greetings once more. Tractor runs great and I appreciate the help and tips. Man, this is one fine "mower". Can't even imagine having one from brand new and taking good care of it. Keeps me busy mowing 2 very large yards.

The tach works fine but no other gauges, idiot lights, etc are functioning. I'm hoping something like a common ground but really have no clue.

If push comes to shove, can I at least get a single water temp gauge and install it or is it not that simple on this 1870? My experience with temp gauges is simply hooking a gauge to the temperature sending unit wire and any illumination which isn't needed here. Thanks.

I see I already mentioned the instrument panel issue. Oh well.

The tach is probably mechanical and the rest are electrical. There should be a fuse (or more) involved in the dash wiring so you might need to look at the fuses and replace some to get the dash working.

On the temperature gauge yes you can buy an external electrical or mechanical gauge and sensor. The sensor in the tractor currently may be bad so I would recommend replacing it if you go the independent electrical route with one that comes with the gauge. the mechanical gauge will need a sensor that is part of the gauge. But the new sensor will need to match the threads in the tractor- that might be the hardest part of the swap. Getting a gauge for Japanese cars might be the best place to start. Don’t just force something into the tractor threads and mess them up.

I would personally try to get the dash gauges working correctly. I believe you can buy a replacement dash if needed. But there is also the possibility that the wiring connection on the back of the dash is just loose or corroded and needs to be fixed.

 

[bamashooter]

Thanks.

The tach is probably mechanical and the rest are electrical. There should be a fuse (or more) involved in the dash wiring so you might need to look at the fuses and replace some to get the dash working.

On the temperature gauge yes you can buy an external electrical or mechanical gauge and sensor. The sensor in the tractor currently may be bad so I would recommend replacing it if you go the independent electrical route with one that comes with the gauge. the mechanical gauge will need a sensor that is part of the gauge. But the new sensor will need to match the threads in the tractor- that might be the hardest part of the swap. Getting a gauge for Japanese cars might be the best place to start. Don’t just force something into the tractor threads and mess them up.

I would personally try to get the dash gauges working correctly. I believe you can buy a replacement dash if needed. But there is also the possibility that the wiring connection on the back of the dash is just loose or corroded and needs to be fixed.

Yep, I want to troubleshoot the panel first and see if it's something like a bad connection, ground, fuse, etc. That'd be good perhaps short of chasing down hidden a short somewhere. fortunately, cooler weather is sliding in making it more comfortable to wrench along with nearing the end of mowing til March or so. Thank you.

I'm sure there are those more than willing to sell a new instrument panel. Perhaps a working used one online somewhere.

EDIT: Tach is driven from a signal output from the alternator.

 

[bamashooter]

The non-working instrument panel. Got it removed without shattering housing or other.

Removed 16-pin connector. Trouble

Though difficult to see, multiple pin are broken due to corrosion and most others aren't far behind.

Not knowing what I'm doing, with key on, I tested for hot on a couple of pin receptacle's on the connector. Got nothing though the test was poor. Tomorrow I will stick pins / needles in those females and retest.

If it's only the 16 pins on the board, looks like a simple replacement for a good solderer. However, I can't separate the board from the "face" and those pins are inserted from that other side..

No way am I purchasing a new board.

I do want coolant temp, oil pressure, and preferably a tach. Prefer Kubota gauges from whatever / wherever but not required.

Hoping the rpm signal from the alternator is compatible with both the analog Kubota and aftermarket.

Located the coolant temp sending unit and idiot-light oil pressure sending units. From what I have read, Kubota and most other products of Japan use a mix of both NPT and BSP (Brit) threads. That can be dealt with in 3 different ways.

Considering fabbing an instrument panel, cutting holes for analog gauges, install, etc and be done with it. No experience with diesel anything and enough other to embarrass myself. I might also do an indicator light or 2 for glow plugs, etc. At a minimum, I must have water temp and oil pressure gauges.

Pics are difficult to see the missing / broken pins.

When you don't take care of your gear, this is exactly what happens. Today, I introduced it to the diesel supplement Howes. No idea if needed or not here in Alabama but it's so affordable and takes very little, I said what the heck.

Thoughts, suggestions, other are very welcome.

Thanks.