How much is SUDT now? $160 sounds real cheap for a 50hr service. I know my L3000 take 10 gallons. You must have got a super deal on your fluid.
First 50 hr service
- Thread starter jgator
- Start date
Breeze
New member
Equipment
L3700, Box Grader, 60" Bush Hog, Rear Grader Blade, York Rake, Boom Pole.
Right up front, my intention here is not to disrespect dealers with quality operations, skilled and responsible mechanics or owners.
That said, my guess is that you fall into one of two categories.
1. Those that get some dirt under their fingernails
2. Those that don't
If you are a #2 you probably don't have the place, the tools, or the experience or desire to do a 50 hour service. That's fine as I'm sure you are outstanding at other tasks and they hopefully allow you to afford dealer service and the smarts to select a good one.
If you are a #1, a 50 hour service is easy and greasy.
The argument that Kubota won't honor a warranty is fiction. Keep receipts for materials and done. The possibility of a "bad" dealer is eliminated because you know what is done and are confident that it's done right.
Checking wheel bolts is on the list but loader frame bolts are not? My new tractor was shipped with half the front axle oil it required and in the first two hours of operation dropped a tie rod nut due to lack of a cotter pin.
Unless you plan on trucking to the dealer for each issue you encounter, the best start to learning about the machinery under your hind part is taking an active part in maintaining it, starting with a 50 hour service.
Take the money you save by "doing it yourself" and spend it on the best materials available, factory filters, hydro oil, etc. Spoil the tractor with more frequent grease and extra time looking around it and referring back to the operators manual for anything you may have missed.
That said, my guess is that you fall into one of two categories.
1. Those that get some dirt under their fingernails
2. Those that don't
If you are a #2 you probably don't have the place, the tools, or the experience or desire to do a 50 hour service. That's fine as I'm sure you are outstanding at other tasks and they hopefully allow you to afford dealer service and the smarts to select a good one.
If you are a #1, a 50 hour service is easy and greasy.
The argument that Kubota won't honor a warranty is fiction. Keep receipts for materials and done. The possibility of a "bad" dealer is eliminated because you know what is done and are confident that it's done right.
Checking wheel bolts is on the list but loader frame bolts are not? My new tractor was shipped with half the front axle oil it required and in the first two hours of operation dropped a tie rod nut due to lack of a cotter pin.
Unless you plan on trucking to the dealer for each issue you encounter, the best start to learning about the machinery under your hind part is taking an active part in maintaining it, starting with a 50 hour service.
Take the money you save by "doing it yourself" and spend it on the best materials available, factory filters, hydro oil, etc. Spoil the tractor with more frequent grease and extra time looking around it and referring back to the operators manual for anything you may have missed.
If you're asking me, I didn't change the SUDT. Just bought 2.5 gals to replace any I lost when changing the filter. I did the engine oil/filter and hydro filter. Only lost about a quart of SUDT. Don't remember the exact amount, but it was no more than $160 and probably a good bit less.
Not wanting to start a war, just sharing my opinion. After having 5 Kubotas on my farm, 4 of them bought new. The 50 hr service is the most important of the tractors life. It by far has the nastiest oil that will ever come from the transmission and front axle. If I was going to skip a oil change it wouldn't be this one. Of course I plan to be able to give my tractors to my kids when I get old. A good PM program is much cheaper than repairs or a replacement.
I actually agree with you. But my manual says change hydro filter at 50. Trans and front axle fluid at 400 hrs. I have gear drive if that means anything and the trans oil was crystal clear at 50 hrs.
My trans oil wasn't real bad but did have a few metal shavings in it. The front axles are were the bad stuff is. Draining the hubs about made me sick. The oil looked like metal flake paint. All my manuals say to change oil and filters at 50 hrs. Both my 9000's said after the 50hr to change the filters at 300 and then do a full service at 600hrs. The other 2 are both 50 and then 400hr. My orange iron is part of the family, a nice drink of fresh oil and new filters keeps them happy happy happy.
Well I thank everyone for the replies, and I just did my first 50 hr service myself on my 2012 L3800 HST 4wd. I did not replace the hydraulic oil because the operators manual says to only replace the 2 hydraulic filters and to replace the oil at 400 hrs. I used my car ramps and put it up leaning on one side, changed the filter the put it up on the other side and changed the filter on that side. On the first side (the smaller of the 2 filters) hardly any oil at all came out, just what was in the filter, then on the other side I lost about 1.5 qts. I topped it off with SUDT2. Then I replaced the engine oil and filter using SAE 15W-40 oil with an API of CF-4. It took 6.5 qts to top it off. I did check the Front Axle oil and it was full, book says change at 400 hrs. I took small sample of the used engine oil and hydraulic oil to have annalized as my wife works at a lab that does this and its free for me. The used hydraulic oil was only slightly darker than the new oil and had very little metal shavings on the magnetic ring on old filter. I plan on always using the SUDT2 because that is what it came with, and it only needs changing every 400 hrs. Also I did check with my dealer and he said I needed to bring in the tractor and have all the fluids changed. He quoted me around $450.00 to $525.00.... Now that its done I feel alot better and it was much easier than I expected. I also greased everything, checked the clutch adjustment and torqued the wheel bolts like the book says. Love my Kubota!