L345DT hydraulic issues

[Delta dooler]

Hello everyone!! Been a long time lurker, and this forum has helped me tremendously. Figured it was about time I started contributing!

I'm pretty well versed on older kubotas, I've owned 5 and everyone of them has served me well. My newest though, has been giving me fits for about a year and I'm ready to get it acting right!

It's a L345DT with about 2900 hrs on it, looks great, and runs great. About a year ago, I noticed the hydraulics getting weaker and weaker, my 1st attempt to repair was to pull strainer and clean it, it was fairly clean when I pulled it, so I cleaned it and put it back together, no change in performance,

my next attempt was a total hydraulic fluid change, again no change in performance.

Attempt 3, I pulled 3pt lift piston and noticed the seals were bad, I replaced seals and just knew I had fixed it...... No change , lift is slow and weak, may pick up 275# at best.

The "head" of the lift cylinder was boogered up by previous owner, by this I mean he had broken off lift adjustment knob, drilled out broken bolt that attached to knob, and seal welded it..... So there is no adjustment now, and can only assume that I am getting full hydralic flow to lift cylinder. (It worked fine for the 1st year I had it)

Now I'm thinking hydro pump is bad, I ise tractor all the time to keep up the homestead so I plan on attacking pump as a winter project as soon as fall garden is complete.

In hoping too see something wrong with pump when I tear it down so I can fix it and have a good tractor, has anyone had any experience with a l345 pump? Is the pump re-build able? I've have searched the Internet till my finger hurts and cannot find any info on this.

Thanks in advance for the replies.

 

[rbargeron]

I've had 2 L345's and a L355 - but no experience with weak hydraulics. The pump is not made to be rebuildable - the original part number was 35340-36100 - a recycler might have one. The current part number is 35340-36102 (around $1100).

Before going after the pump check out the relief valve ?

Edit - sent you a PM

 

[Ryan Johnson]

Hey guys! I have an L245 DT with a potentially similar issue. I just plumbed in a pressure gauge and show less than 500 psi on my system when the tractor is running. It won't even pick me up when I stand on the hitch arms. I've been through the 3pt unit and cleared a random sliver of metal from the control valve. I've also been through and cleaned the relief valve on the left side over the rear axle. Everything in the back of the rig looks as it should, and I've isolated the hydraulics to the tractor itself - away from the front end loader.

Am I looking at the hydro pump as my culprit?

I bought this tractor a few weeks ago, and the hydros seemed to work ok at first. After a hard morning moving dirt with the loader, things started to come apart. I noticed that the blade on the back kept falling down, like I'd bumped the 3pt lever with my leg, but that was never the case. About the time I noticed this for the 3rd or 4th time, I realized that the loader performance was getting crappy as well. I parked it for the afternoon. When I cam back to it the next morning, neither the 3pt nor the loader would raise off of the ground.

 

[Delta dooler]

I'll be checking relief valve next before I pull pump.

 

[rbargeron]

... I have an L245 DT with a potentially similar issue......... I bought this tractor a few weeks ago, and the hydros seemed to work ok at first. After a hard morning moving dirt with the loader,.......I parked it for the afternoon.....the next morning, neither the 3pt nor the loader would raise off of the ground.

Maybe similar to original post - maybe not. Yours failed quick - sounds like contaminated oil, low level, maybe plugged suction screen in the trans. (L345 and L245 have different suction filtering)

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

A leak on the suction side can cause all of those issues, so check that also.

 

[007kubotaguy]

Hello

I have a good used pump. Send me a PM.
Thanks Lance