L2900 Hydraulic Fluid Leak at 3 Point Hitch

[Grif]

Hello! New to the forum and posting my first of probably many posts. Just bought a well-used L2900 and am starting with changing all the filters and fluids.

I have a hydraulic fluid leak at one of the lower links on the three point hitch, where it connects to the tractor. Is there a seal here that can be replaced? Not a large leak but enough to leave a small puddle on the garage floor every day.

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks.

 

[Grif]

Well, I was hoping for a better response. After further investigating, I have the leak traced down to this seal:

I have no idea what this is called but it's some sort of rubber-like gooey seal. It doesn't look easy to get at to replace but I want to fix it. Please help! Looking for any advice here.

Thanks,
Nick

 

[lugbolt]

Clean it up really good and verify that it's where the leak is.

That "seal" is called a "liquid gasket". Basically, silicone. Kubota uses a lot of it as opposed to paper gaskets. You're right, it's not that easy to fix but definitely not impossible. You'll have to remove the ROPS, then the right side axle housing. The axle housing is bolted to the brake case. Then you'll have to remove the brake case, and re-seal it. The re-sealing process involves removing ALL (every trace) of the old sealant, from the channels and all. Then clean the surfaces with some sandpaper. Just scratch them up. This gets you down to bare metal. Clean the surfaces with brake cleaner, including ALL of the oil, and reassemble.

One tip....the bolts are different lengths. Make sure to put them back in the same place you take them out of. I haven't done a 2900 in a while but I do know that on the bigger standard L's (L4400 is what is fresh in my mind), if you get the bolts misplaced, and a long one goes in where a short one came out, when you tighten the bolt it can/will break through the back side of a blind hole. Same thing can happen if there's any oil or sealant in the hole. Another pointer, the brake plate is actuated by balls. The balls have a tendency to fall out when reinstalling them. This can be alleviated by using some heavy grease on the balls.

Sealant. I like 3M Ultra gray. It hardens up and it paintable as opposed to staying flexible and being nearly impossible to paint. I like to paint the joint after it's all dried up, as it makes for a more professional appearing repair, and if the owner (or myself on my own stuff) should decide to sell it in the future, it will look factory and is one less question for a potential buyer.

 

[Grif]

Lugbolt- thank you for taking the time to type up your response. This is so helpful for a newbie like me. I'm going to give this job a try.

I assume the hydraulic fluid needs to be drained first, right?

Also, is there a particular paint I should use for a factory match?

Thanks so much!

 

[D2Cat]

Grif, welcome to Orange Tractor Talks. It's a shame folks show up with problems, but I guess that's what motivates people to find us!

You can get pictures of your tractor to help "see" what you have to dis assemble, and to find part numbers.

Just go to web site, click on "accept terms and conditions", then go down and enter you tractor model number. Have fun!!

http://www.kubota.com/part/partsList.aspx

 

[lugbolt]

Lugbolt- thank you for taking the time to type up your response. This is so helpful for a newbie like me. I'm going to give this job a try.

I assume the hydraulic fluid needs to be drained first, right?

Also, is there a particular paint I should use for a factory match?

Thanks so much!

yes drain all fluid, from all drain plugs (there are 3 or 4). Just use Kubota semi gloss gray paint as it's really high quality and it matches perfectly. It's actually VERY good paint. I painted a car once with a bunch of rattle cans, Kubota Bright Orange II, and it turned out great!

 

[Grif]

OK, I'm back after two weeks of working on this project...a little every night after the kids are asleep and before I go to bed. I tore the axle housing and brake case off, resealed everything and put it all back together. Definitely not a fun job! Put the wheels back on tonight, fired it up, and the leak is fixed but there's bad news: the right brake (the one I removed) is sticking. I put it in gear, the rear left tire spins and the rear right one drags. What could I have done wrong? I'm going to have to tear it down again, right?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Thanks guys.

 

[1970cs]

Try removing the brake rod from the lever and see if the brakes will relax also try pulling the brake lever to the off position. Did you remove the discs? If you did, you might not have splined them to the shaft properly or the balls on the ramp plate are stuck or indexed in the high spot so the plate is engaging the brake disc.

Pat

 

[Grif]

Pat, thanks for the tips. I was hopeful for a moment. I disconnected the brake rod from the cam sticking out of the brake case. I put a wrench on the cam but cannot get it to rotate. Something must be hung up inside. I did not remove the discs when I had it apart but I guess I could have messed up when reinstalling the plate, although it seemed pretty intuitive. Same for the balls; there's really only one way they fit.

Does anyone have any ideas before I drain the fluid and tear it apart again? I'm not sure how I'd do it differently next time.

Thank you!

 

[Grif]

Or the balls on the ramp plate are stuck or indexed in the high spot so the plate is engaging the brake disc.

Pat

Pat, can you please elaborate on this? I wonder if this is my problem. When I reinstalled I aligned the rounded indentations on the plate with the balls. It kind of fit together like a puzzle, I thought.

 

[1970cs]

I am assuming that the 190 plate 200 balls are ramped to the high spot or you could have a ball misplaced causing the plate to be pushed out. Or another thought that the 130 lever is above the index slot on the plate instead of being trapped between the slot tangs causing the plate to be engaged or rotated to the high spot or engaged.

Pat

 

[Grif]

Update: I bit the bullet and ripped it apart again tonight. I'm still not sure what happened but here's a clue: the plate (190) now has a wave in it near the cutout where it mates with the cam:

The torque specs are pretty heavy on the bolts so if it went together out of alignment, I can understand how the plate would bend.

On my bottom picture above, you can see 6 round indentations on the plate. When I put the whole thing back together, shouldn't the balls align with these indentations?

Any tips for flattening out the plate?

Thanks for helping me get through this project!

 

[1970cs]

Flip the plate over and show us that! I believe that the cam lever was not indexed properly so it warped the plate when you tightened the bell housing down. I'll wager that the photo will show a witness mark. Does the lever arm look damaged or bent?

You could straighten it, but that weakens the metal! And I would hate to see it break and then it sends little metal pieces through out the hydraulic system.

Looks like Bronsik and Bos in Mattawan is your closest dealer, Wolf (west mi kubota)in Byron Center and my dealership is 3rd choice in Charlotte.
Bronsik and Wolf are all good people. I have traded out equipment with both several times.

Pat

 

[Grif]

Thanks Pat. I think you're right although the back side of the plate looks OK to my eye. Here are some pictures:

What position should the cam be in when I reinstall? In the middle? The lever doesn't look bent as far as I can tell.

Thanks for pointing me to the nearest dealers. I'll see if i can locate a new plate.

Nick

 

[1970cs]

I see the pattern on the bell crank and the plate! The arm should be centered in the fork or between the tangs so that arm moves up or down it rotates the plate and raises(expands) by ramping up on the balls.

Pat