Impulse buy! Kubota L2900 GST

audi200TDI

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Kubot L2900 GST
Jul 5, 2014
21
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CT
A tractor forum is the last place I though I'd ever sign up, but here I am...;)

My father's friend had a Kubota L-series that he was very much fond of. That thing helped a ton while we were in the process of remodeling our house when it came time to landscape, and ever since we've wanted one of our own.

Last week he came across a Craigslist ad selling a Kubota L2900. My father saw the ad at 10am while browsing CL on break at work, and at 6pm he was there to see it in person.

The tractor looked to be in excellent condition. Owner had "abandoned" it on his farm after the "clutch had let go on him" a little over a year ago, and bought a newer, bigger one. It was in about 2 foot tall grass and hadn't been moved since. Just sat under a tarp. Before the clutch went, the owner added a new stator, alternator, and seat. There wasn't a drop of oil anywhere on the engine.

My father checked the oil level, checked the radiator fluid, and decided to give it a go. It started up as if it had never sat a day in it's life. 17XX hours on the clock. Long story short, the owner got $5000 and we called a friend with a flatbed to bring her home.

Some of the controls have some "slop" in them, a hydraulic hose has a pinhole leak...but it'll make a fun summer project! And I'll never have to shovel my driveway again! But for now, we'll focus on getting it driving. The clutch pedal is stuck in the "down" position.

PICS:

















So, we already ordered the repair manual from EBAY, and we're getting ready to "split" the tractor.

Anybody want to make any recommendations as to what else I should do while I pull this thing apart?

Can anybody recommend a good clutch kit?
Where can I find some good engine covers?

Anything else you would do if you were to totally "tune up" a tractor like this?

Eventually once's it running we'll sandblast and repaint everything and make it look like new. But first things first....

Anyways, HI EVERYONE!:D
 
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North Idaho Wolfman

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Sounds like you got it for a good deal!
You can go to Kubotabooks.com and download the operators manual too.

Did you get the Backhoe mounting sub-frame too, or the three point arms?
 

audi200TDI

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Kubot L2900 GST
Jul 5, 2014
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CT
I've got the mounting subrame too! The backhoe needs some work to the pins and bushings. I haven't taken a great look at that just yet!

I think I'll be able to split it tonight!
 

Billdog350

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Kubota L3710 HST,L2230A QT,forks,Takeuchi TB125, 60" Luck Now pto Snowblower
Jan 6, 2014
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East Hampton, CT
Stick with a Kubota clutch if you can. Their parts always fit and usually last the life of the tractor unless the tractor is abused. When you get into aftermarket, you don't really save much money (if anything) and the quality isn't there.

I have bought Napa filters in a pinch and paid MORE than what I would pay for a Kubota filter. Furthermore, I removed a NAPA HST filter from my machine when I bought it and found the insides had collapsed and the filter wasn't doing anything. Never seen that with a Kubota filter.

I see you're in CT, not sure where. There are several good dealers in CT; Kahn tractor in Franklin, East PBE in Newington, and F&W Equipment in Orange. Avoid Midstate Equipment like the plague, they're horrible. They take forever to get you parts, charge you twice what normal dealers charge, and have an attitude the whole time. I tried to get 10 gallons on UDT for a customers machine plus filters and I called and they said it was all in stock and ready to go...after waiting over 2 weeks. When I got there to pick up parts to service the machine, they didn't have any 5gal in stock and were missing half the filters. A complete waste of my time and they don't even stock normal things like UDT!
 
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audi200TDI

New member

Equipment
Kubot L2900 GST
Jul 5, 2014
21
0
0
CT
Hey all, pulled most of the superficial stuff off and have gotten it out of the way.

I've fabricated some "brackets" that i'll mount to some heavy duty wheels so that when it comes time to split this thing I can (presumably) just roll the front half away while the rear stays jacked up.

Again, I've NEVER worked on a tractor, nor have I ever owned one. Any advice and recommendations are much appreciated.

Billdog, I'm about 20min from the shop in Orange, so I'm sure I'll swing by eventually!


So again, nobody might have an idea as to why the clutch stayed stuck in the disengaged position? I've read several times about the clutch getting stuck ENGAGED and people bumping them free, but for it to remain stuck the way I've got it?

Either way, I'll continue with the pics when I get it apart this weekend.

THanks!



 

audi200TDI

New member

Equipment
Kubot L2900 GST
Jul 5, 2014
21
0
0
CT
She's split!














The problem is that the clutch fork SHAFT is frozen within the bell housing. Even with a 3ft pipe on it for leverage it barely budges. Any ideas for how to remove it, clean it, grease it, etc?

What would have caused it to seize up like this?

In the meantime, I had already ordered a new clutch, throw out bearing, etc... so even though the original stuff looks pretty good, I'll swap them out for factory new units, and keep these as 'backup'.
 

85Hokie

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Great pictures!

If that 3' cheater bar aint moving it, something is really wrong! :eek:

First thing, get rid of that WD40..........go to your local store, get some PB Blaster or Kroil or acetone/UTF ......all three will get into the nooks and crannies better than WD40.

If you decide to use HEAT, be careful with it, too little doesnt hurt, too much costs $$$$$.

Ifn me, spray some penetrating oil - go away for a while - cheater bar a bit, spray, repeat. IF THAT doesnt work, maybe heat.

After it frees up, get that shaft apart and polish those surfaces. Find out what caused the lock up.

Report back with more pictures.
 

audi200TDI

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Kubot L2900 GST
Jul 5, 2014
21
0
0
CT
So I let her (I should come up with a name for her, come to think of it... Do you guys name these things?) sit in some PB Blast marinade overnight.

Gave it another go after my coffee this morning, and with the help of some heat, as well as a brass punch and a BFH (big fu*kin' hammer), she broke free!




After a bit of cleanup...


Anything I can do to prevent this in the future? Any way to get a grease fitting in there? I'll figure something out...

I'll keep you all updated with pics, etc! I'm starting to think it was a pretty good buy considering there's nothing really 'broken' with her like I feared.
 

CaveCreekRay

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Jul 11, 2014
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Somehow I think we are going to see this machine get the complete restoration it deserves after being abandoned. I really like your home made "wheelie bar" to hold the front of the tractor level for the split. Nice!

Can't wait to see the pictures of this project over the next few months.

:)

Welcome (I'm new too!)
 

85Hokie

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Jul 13, 2013
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So I let her (I should come up with a name for her, come to think of it... Do you guys name these things?) sit in some PB Blast marinade overnight.

Gave it another go after my coffee this morning, and with the help of some heat, as well as a brass punch and a BFH (big fu*kin' hammer), she broke free!




After a bit of cleanup...


Anything I can do to prevent this in the future? Any way to get a grease fitting in there? I'll figure something out...

I'll keep you all updated with pics, etc! I'm starting to think it was a pretty good buy considering there's nothing really 'broken' with her like I feared.

Aw ....yes....that is much mo better!!! :D

Place a little dab of grease on that shaft, rub it all around and remove the excess, stick "her" back together and tell us how good that clutch works. Nice job btw!
 

skeets

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Yeppers I think you got it on the ropes now,, and Ray I was thinking the same thing,, anyone that comes up with something like that,, aint gona have no problems
 

audi200TDI

New member

Equipment
Kubot L2900 GST
Jul 5, 2014
21
0
0
CT
Hey all, I'm still not totally pleased with my shifting!

I've drained all fluids, and replaced with genuine Super UDT and Kubota OIL, as as well as Kubota Air/Fuel/Oil/Hydraulic filters...

But it still doesn't seem to want to drive well. It will only want to drive after it gets "hot" (as in, idiling in my driveway for half an hour), and even then, there seems to be excessive lag in the shifting.

I won't budge when it's "cold" a minute or two after startup. Hmmm.... I'll post a vid after work.


In the meantime, I rebuilt the bucket loader linkage. It used to have a 14" inch throw either up or down, or side to side until hydraulic pressure was applied and the bucket moved. I had the bushings replaced, etc etc, and now it's about a one and a half inch "throw" to get it to engage. Much better, and much more predictable.
 

North Idaho Wolfman

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It will only want to drive after it gets "hot" (as in, idiling in my driveway for half an hour), and even then, there seems to be excessive lag in the shifting.
I won't budge when it's "cold" a minute or two after startup.
I have the same exact problem with mine, it got worse after digging out 30 some VW size tree stumps, 3 things can cause what your describing, low or high pressure to the GST shift mechanism, bad seals on the GST hydraulic clutch (I think that's what is wrong with mine), or bad or worn hydraulic clutch disks.