L285 Burned

[daveo1]

Hello , I have a L285 (with a loader) that caught on fire . knobs and gauges are
melted , all wiring is gone. Before the fire it was in good condition .

My questions are :
would it be economically possible to restore this tractor ? What are the things to look at that would make it impractical to restore.?
What would its scrap value be ?
If I pulled the loader off would it fit anything but another Kubota L285 ? ( I don't know what model the loader is).

Thanks, would appreciate any help on this . Daveo.

 

[gurn]

Sorry that happened to you If all it is is burnt wires and paint it should be an easy restore. What happened, was there a hyd.leak on the exhaust or what? All parts are still available for it also.

 

[Orange Tractors]

It doesn't look like it got all that hot to me; The hydraulic hoses appear to still have rubber on them.

I would rewire it and replace the knobs, etc. then repaint it and have a good tractor for many many years.

The first thing I would do i pull the valve cover and look inside, a good mechanic told me once that if the valve cover gaskets hadn't burnt chances are the enginge is still good.

As to scrap price, around here scrap iron is going for about $200 a ton, So I would definately be rebuilding the Kubota, unless you had insurance on it.

Robert

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Do a search on the treads here at OTT, there was a fellow several months ago who's tractor was a total loss in a fire. Chared alot further on his tractor then yours and he has plans to fix his up.

 

[daveo1]

The story behind the fire is : I got a call from my daughter, who lives next door, at 2:30 am Wednesday that something was on fire at my house. When I looked outside it was pouring rain and my tractor was burning like a house on fire.
I called the fire department and they and the county sheriffs dept responded. It looks as if someone tried to steal it and backed it up and got it stuck on a stump. I don't know if the fire was caused by someone trying to hot wire it or it was set on fire deliberately. The insurance company has to send an appraiser over as yet.

 

[firejunkie]

A few close up pics might help as well, but from my standpoint the fire damage is not that bad, did not even warp the steering wheel or sheet metal, it is worth the repairs, the tractor has a value range somewhere in the 3-5k range. Considering that age unit did not have a lot of electrical wiring,your cost for new electrics may only be a few hundred.Check some dealers ask around, there may be a few units that were totaled that you can rob parts from at minimal cost. And at worst a few hydraulic hoses, some o-rings and seals and she should be fine. I am willing to bet less than $700 in parts to get her working again. If you had to pay a Mechanic to do the work, maybe $1,500-$1,800 total.

 

[daveo1]

Hi , thanks to everyone for their help. I attached more pictures.

The rubber is burned off the hydraulic hoses , except for the ones at the front of the loader .
I asked a dealer if the loader could be taken off and fitted to another tractor ,
he said it would fit only another L285.

The hydraulic control box for the loader has been damaged , one lever is frozen and the other has water in it.
The dealer told me it would cost $300.00 to replace that "Dukes" control. Is that correct ?

 

[firejunkie]

I don't think you would have to replace your valve just a rebuild, new seals,o-rings and a good cleaning probable $30-$40 in seals and a hour in labor Total about $150 for someone else to do it, find a hydraulic shop, had them all the hoses, valves and other bits and they will be cheaper than a dealer.

 

[corvette57]

Hi, I'm looking for a winter project.. Would you be interested in selling the L285 or have you decided to rebuild it ?

Thanks

 

[DickSnyder]

Dave01, not to disagree with your dealer, I have a model 1200 loader and the Kubota manual I have says on the front page that it fits the following: L175, L185, L185DT, L225, L225DT, L245, L245DT and L285. If in fact your loader is a 1200, it will fit the models listed above. If you like, pm with your emai address and I'll gladly shoot you a copy and see if it helps you to identify yours. Sorry about your mishap, I'd be upset if that happen to my L185DT.
Dick

 

[ipz2222]

I stopped at a tractor junkyard last mth and was surprised to see so many tractors burnt. JD and Kubotas mostly. Do they have wireing problems, rats chewing into the wires or being burnt for insurance???
I have a batt shut off switch on my JD sabre, I think I'll add one to the Kubotas.
Sorry to see you'rs burnt.

 

[aquaforce]

Kinda makes me wonder about that antiquated old remote regulator mounted up under the dash. Those things burned cars down years ago they could get a tractor too.

I have never liked mine and when my alt or regulator goes on the fritz I will change the charging system over to internal regulator.


Best of luck fixing up the old orange.

 

[smog]

I stopped at a tractor junkyard last mth and was surprised to see so many tractors burnt. JD and Kubotas mostly.

I just can't see how a diesel tractor can catch fire; it take a lot of heat to light diesel fuel and let's say there's not much plastic to burn on our tractors...

I would definitely rebuilt it if there's no insurance on it and I would try to buy it back from the insurer if they replace it (you could get it for as little as 800$)