L 1500 Clutch finally gone...

[gomoorefast]

I have a L 1500 (L 175) and the clutch went out. I knew it was going to go, just a matter of time, the adjuster is fully out, and it had been making a grinding noise (intermittently) before it went out. I can put it in gear and let the clutch out and it does nothing, no movement, not even any whining or grinding.

I've looked at previous threads to see about splitting the tractor myself, and just don't have the equipment to support/lift the engine/trans, etc...

So the question is how much should it cost to repair the L 1500?

I have been quoted between 6-8 hours for labor @ $105/hr, which seems fair.

For parts, I saw a OTT clutch parts breakdown for a L 2350 @ $325, which seems in line. However, I called a Kubota dealer who told me parts could run $2-$3 thousand depending on what needed to be replaced, which seems outrageous.

I'm thinking $800 to $1,200 is a good est. for labor, and parts including new P. plate, disk, release bearing, etc...

What do you guys think???

 

[wvshooter]

There are clutch/pressure plate sets on ebay for them for $150 bucks.

 

[Stumpy]

That better be a hell of a mechanic for $105 an hour but that's about right time wise for an experienced mechanic. Avoid that dealer like they're carrying the black death, that kind of quote would've made me walk out the door without a word.

You should be replacing the clutch disc, throw out bearing, pressure plate springs, maybe some of the pressure plate hardware, and the flywheel might need to be machined. Everything else is disassembly\assembly.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

I've got an erie feeling the $105 an hour could be to due to its a grey market tractor here to the U.S. While we all know the L175 is the exact model of the L1500 the dealer is probably using that as an excuse to charge more money. Give you the run around that parts are hard to find and blah blah blah....

 

[dmanlyr]

Be careful trying to shop labor rates on a forum that not only covers all of the USA, but the world as well, as the shop rates vary considerably, without the shops trying to rip anyone off, it is just what they have to charge to pay for the land, buildings and payroll in there areas.

Well for example - the shop labor rate out here in Seattle proper, $105 a hour would be a steal. More like $125 to $150 a hour for qualified shop and good technicians at least here in this part of the country. Some shops are even pushing this up a bit.

Of course the medium price of a new home is over $400k, so I guess it is all relative.

Get away from Seattle proper, the labor rate goes down, as much as $50 a hour. And the medium price of homes as well drops significantly, to below $200k

Needless to say I do not live in Seattle - too liberal and too rich for me.

So a good rule of thumb is to call around your area just to compare. It can vary. Parts costs though should be comparable around the USA, or within some small percentage.

David

 

[jbeenemd]

I had the clutch go (almost) out on my L185. Started slipping and could not get more adjustment out of it. I lucked out as I already had the manual on it, however I don't have the tools and bad shoulder so could not do the job myself. About one mile down the road is a "shade tree mechanic". I talked to him about replacing my clutch. He had never worked on a tractor before. Showed him the manual and how simple it would be. He agreed to try it. I was able to get it up the hill and down the road to him. Bought the parts and he did all the work. Charged me $150 dollars which I gladly paid IN CASH. We were both happy with this deal. Now he can say he can work on tractors as well as older cars and trucks. I could not have even thought about getting the tractor to the dealer as I don't have a trailer or a way to pull one anyway.
Jackie

 

[Russell King]

I had the clutch go (almost) out on my L185. Jackie

Sorry for the attempt at high jacking the thread but...

Jackie,
Since you have a L185 do you have any pictures of the fenders and grab bars? I have 4 large holes on each of my two fenders and can not figure out what was in all of them. I have no lights on the fenders, no grab bars basically nothing. I would like to have a handle so I will stop grabbing the edge of the fender and having my fingers touch the tire.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Russell

Looking on Tractorhouse at L185's of the 4 for sale on there only one of them has grab handles on both fenders. The other 3 do not. Also I took a peek at a L185 on Ebay and no handles either. I have noticed looking at pictures of the years on the web the L1500 came with grab handles as its a grey market tractor. The U.S. model L185 didn't come with grab handles.

I guess us Americans dont deserve the luxury of handles.

 

[jbeenemd]

No grab handles on mine. Just the holes. I have toyed with the idea of buying some though. Have not looked into the price for these yet. I had an old B5100DT that had handles and had gotten used to holding onto them when using the box blade on that tractor.

 

[wvshooter]

...While we all know the L175 is the exact model of the L1500....

No, it's not. There are a lot of interchangable parts, but the biggest differences lie in the trasmission. The 1500 has a four speed PTO and the DT uses a completely different four wheel drive system than the North American models. I believe I read somewhere that the castings for the transmissions may actually be different, which is why I haven't invested in a L175 ROPS just to find out.

 

[jbeenemd]

I just looked up the part number for the handles (34150-29170) and I don't plan on buying any after looking up the price. YIKES!!! $144.85 @ Coleman Equipement. I would hope that is for 2 of them.

 

[Russell King]

Eric - thanks for the "look at tractor house for pictures" suggestion. That helps.

Jbeenemd - now you know why I don't have any of the factory parts for these. They seem to think they are made of gold!.

I think I can fabricate something from barstock, washers and nuts if I ever get time to try.