MAYBE time for fluid change on my Kubota B7100HST-D ??

[TerryKing]

Hi Everyone, I have a Kubota B7100HST-D which showed 800 hours when I got it (on a suspiciously clean and nice hour meter). I do not have a history on my machine; auction.

The fluid LOOKS nice and clear and smells (?unburned) .. On paper towel it looks clear.

So I started looking for signs of maintenance.. How about the hydraulic fluid filter? You need to remove the "tunnel cover?" below the steering wheel to get to it. BUT, BUT I can't unscrew the KNOB off the speed control to get the cover off.. Now What?? OK, hands can't do it. Careful pliers/rag: Nope. OK, Vise-Grips. OK it rotated a bit. Squeaking. But it's not showing any more threads.. Knob plastic rotating over the Freakin' Squeakin' threaded insert. OK, no more Mr. Chicken: PBlaster overnight then real TIGHT ViseGrips . It MOVED without Squeaking. Couple more careful tight visegrip grabs and it shows a thread emerging. Beating up the plastic on the Knob but OhWell. Finally got it off. Some corrosion. Wirebrush and oil and it can start back on better.

OK, 4 thumbscrews off and: ACK..

MAYBE a few ... Owner(s)? Tech(s)? People gave up on getting that damn Knob off. Sigh...

OK, IF a fluid change was done. Ever. Then the 3 drain plugs and the two big left and right suction pickup screens would have been removed. Any wrench marks??

PAINT looks good. Not sure... Other one?

Hmm. Not sure but not obvious... Drain plugs inconclusive...

Well. This is very probably the Last Tractor I will buy. And I LIKE it. So: CallTheDealer.
5 Gallons of Super UDT-2 $136.68 and no tax 60 miles away in New Hampshire. Drain plug gaskets and two sets of 2 Orings for the pickup strainers (THEY will tell me something.. HOPEfully nice. Tractor sounds and runs nice. See My Hat. HERE --ScrollUp-- ). I'll take the trip tomorrow..

PS: I know I could probably use TS Traveller or other fluids OK but I plan to run this tractor in RealCold weather to plow us out of our BackBack driveway and road. And after reading Many Discussions here it does seem that the UDT-2 is better in Cold Weather. Which we got. We have all 4WD (Subaru and Tahoe) so it does not need to be Squeaky (hate that word) clean. Usually Northern Decisive Driving makes it.

Comments, suggestions, critique welcome. But I stopped taking English Criticism from my high school English teacher Mr. Rapuano in 1957... He hated those 3 dots...

 

[85Hokie]

TS Traveller or other fluids OK ....................... NO, let me be clearer - HELL no !!!!!!!!!!

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

UDT would be fine and dandy for that model, but hey Knock yourself out go SUDT2.
Kubota filters are a must for the HST.

 

[TheOldHokie]

Hi Everyone, I have a Kubota B7100HST-D which showed 800 hours when I got it (on a suspiciously clean and nice hour meter). I do not have a history on my machine; auction.

The fluid LOOKS nice and clear and smells (?unburned) .. On paper towel it looks clear.
View attachment 139384

So I started looking for signs of maintenance.. How about the hydraulic fluid filter? You need to remove the "tunnel cover?" below the steering wheel to get to it. BUT, BUT I can't unscrew the KNOB off the speed control to get the cover off.. Now What?? OK, hands can't do it. Careful pliers/rag: Nope. OK, Vise-Grips. OK it rotated a bit. Squeaking. But it's not showing any more threads.. Knob plastic rotating over the Freakin' Squeakin' threaded insert. OK, no more Mr. Chicken: PBlaster overnight then real TIGHT ViseGrips . It MOVED without Squeaking. Couple more careful tight visegrip grabs and it shows a thread emerging. Beating up the plastic on the Knob but OhWell. Finally got it off. Some corrosion. Wirebrush and oil and it can start back on better.
View attachment 139385

OK, 4 thumbscrews off and: ACK..
View attachment 139386

MAYBE a few ... Owner(s)? Tech(s)? People gave up on getting that damn Knob off. Sigh...

OK, IF a fluid change was done. Ever. Then the 3 drain plugs and the two big left and right suction pickup screens would have been removed. Any wrench marks??
View attachment 139387
PAINT looks good. Not sure... Other one?
View attachment 139388
Hmm. Not sure but not obvious... Drain plugs inconclusive...

Well. This is very probably the Last Tractor I will buy. And I LIKE it. So: CallTheDealer.
5 Gallons of Super UDT-2 $136.68 and no tax 60 miles away in New Hampshire. Drain plug gaskets and two sets of 2 Orings for the pickup strainers (THEY will tell me something.. HOPEfully nice. Tractor sounds and runs nice. See My Hat. HERE --ScrollUp-- ). I'll take the trip tomorrow..

PS: I know I could probably use TS Traveller or other fluids OK but I plan to run this tractor in RealCold weather to plow us out of our BackBack driveway and road. And after eading Many Discussions here it does seem that the UDT-2 is better in Cold Weather. Which we got. We have all 4WD (Subaru and Tahoe) so it does not need to be Squeaky (hate that word) clean. Usually Northern Decisive Driving makes it.

Comments, suggestions, critique welcome. But I stopped taking English Criticism from my high school English teacher Mr. Rapuano in 1957... He hated those 3 dots...

The data are clear.

Kubota SUDT2, CNH Ultraction SSL, and John Deere LO-VIS HyGard (J20D) are BETTER cold weather and moisture tolerant formulations.

After that they are all pretty much interchangeable but will get the job done.

Dan

 

[Henro]

How long do you expect to own the tractor?

How much do you save by buying cheaper fluids and filters?

How much do you risk (if anything?) by buying cheaper fluids and filters?

How risk adverse are you?

When I add everything up, I buy Kubota fluids and filters. My tractors are now both over 20 years old (bought new) and I am a happy camper.

The small difference in cost averaged over time is not worth anything to me personally. YMMV...

 

[AOW162435]

Wow, maddening to see such obvious neglect. Sounds like the tractor has found a caring owner.
Kubota filters & fluids here.

Andreas

 

[TerryKing]

THANKS everyone! Like the Hokies and the Wolves. Sounds like a Country Band...

Today I Got It Done... Little trip to the dealer yesterday:

The whole procedure is basically:
warm up tractor, Drain (3 places), Remove (26 mm: GetOne) and clean pickup screens on both left and right sides, reinstall screens and drain plugs, replace the Hydraulic Oil Filter.

THEN refill with "about" 3.5 GALLONS of fluid. Check level at dipstick. Mine was full with 3.25 gallons.

WAIT~ Restart tractor with low rpm and DO NOT move it or run hydraulics for 10 minutes or more, so new fluid can reach all the internal places. I then ran medium RPM for another 10 minutes. Then cycle all hydraulics like Front end loader, 3pt hitch etc. So a little OLD fluid gets mixed with the new, the Hydraulic Filter gets filled etc. Shut down and check fluid level. THEN I ran it out of the barn and around and everything worked well.

You can see a detailed video I watched from the "B7100 series at Abundant Life HERE."

OK some details if you want:

Here is some fluid from one rear differential drain. I checked all drained fluid for "Sheen" or any particles of metal/other and saw NONE. YAY.

Pretty Dark.. Could not tell that on dipstick. Remember the OLD filter in photo above? Here's Comparision to a New one..:

Hmmm. Anyone know when the part numbers changed?? MAYBE that '4112' is a 2012 datecode?

Here is where one of the pickup filters came out from. There are two o-rings. I could not get to the back one and it felt OK so I kept it and replaced the front one.

The Left (HST) pickup filter AFTER being solvent washed with toothbrush. There were a few small metal flecks on it. Next is the black plastic solvent case showing a few flakes removed from the filter.

OFF TOPIC: I use that black case to look at engine oil when I break in a new Harbor Freight Etc. engine. 45 minutes of running and drain and see flakes like that (no oil filter) .. change and then clean after 5 hours.

WHAT I DID NOT WANT TO SEE: Flakes like this from that Video mentioned above. Phew.. I'm Real Happy to NOT see that:

REFILL TIME: This is what new Kubota Super UDT2 looks like.

OK, 3.5 Gallons carefully poured into a funnel. Used a piece of 1/2 inch heater hose which just fit the filler.

First that 2.5 gallon jug, followed by that 1/2 gallon pitcher for better control. Went to 3.0 Gals and not on dipstick (I used a chopstick so I could SEE the fluid on it and reach below usual dipstick bottom.) Then another quart (.25 gallon) and then the chop/dip stick showed a little high. I stopped at 3.25 gallons.

Then as detailed above I started the engine at slow, waited 10 mins then another 10 mins at medium RPM. Shut down, check still a little high. THEN cycled all the hydraulics and drove it around outside. Seems just fine.. Now I'll stop obsessing about the hydraulic fluid.

THANKS for all the info and research from Dan, many others..