New BX2380 - Do I have a hydraulic fluid leak?

[comb92]

Hi everyone,

First off, big thanks to all of the contributors on this and other tractor forums. I've been lurking here for a couple of months now doing my research and deciding what I wanted before diving into my first real tractor. I settled on the BX2380 which I had delivered about 2.5 weeks ago.

Now to the potential problem: I've read that some hydraulic fluid drips here and there are normal and nothing to be concerned about but today I opened up the shed and saw quite a bit of fluid settled on the top right side of my MMM and on other parts of the tractor near the hydrostatic pedal and FEL quick coupler. I haven't driven it in a couple of days but I don't remember seeing this buildup last time I took it out. It seems like more than a few drips and got me concerned. I attached some pictures; they're not the best because it was getting dark and it was inside the shed but if it helps I can take some out in the daylight tomorrow. I will say the dealer greased everything up real nice so is it possibly just some grease residue? It looks more like hydraulic fluid to me but as this is my first tractor, I don't have any experience with it.

One picture shows the quick coupler which has a large drip of the fluid on the bottom of the grey piece to the right of the coupler and what looks like fluid around the cap ring. The other pictures show some fluid on the deck, coating the hydraulic lines, and, most obvious of all, all over the MMM deck.

I was hoping to get the thoughts of everyone here. Thanks in advance for any advice! Let me know if I can provide any additional info that would help.

Update: emailed the dealer last night with the pictures and explanation. Got a call this morning - no questions asked, they're sending a service tech to fix Friday morning. Thanks everyone for confirming my suspicions. Hopefully it gets buttoned up so I can start to put it to work!

Update 2: service tech came today. Super nice guy and very helpful. Walked me through everything I should keep and eye on and do before my 50 hour service as he was performing the service (regular greasing, filters, checking axle fluid, etc.). He said Kubota has acknowledged an issue with the quick couplers and that its hit or miss whether a new owner will have an issue. They knew as soon as I called what they needed to do. He ended up replacing both sides of the quick coupler and cleaning everything up nice. Topped the coolant off, left me the rest of the coolant jug and a quart each of oil and hydraulic fluid. Happy with my dealer's response on this one!

 

[mcfarmall]

I'd classify those as leaks. Go over each fitting and make sure all are tight. I had a few drips on my new tractor and found some loose connections.

 

[85Hokie]

I would say make the dealer aware of the problem and do NOT let them tell it is not a problem!

It might a simple wrench spin .......... but they need to fix .....

Now you might want unhook and hook back the quick couplers and see if that has any effect.

 

[xrocketengineer]

I would say make the dealer aware of the problem and do NOT let them tell it is not a problem!

It might a simple wrench spin .......... but they need to fix .....

Now you might want unhook and hook back the quick couplers and see if that has any effect.

Like he said. I just had all the couplers replaced on my BX1880 and I have not used the tractor enough to be able to tell if it is fixed. However, your leak looks much worse than mine. I only had a "wet" streak on the rubber mat.

Besides the other leak when the third function fitting started spraying oil all over the HST fan... and it hit the fan....

And the HST plugs that needed to be reinstalled with the Teflon tape because they were also leaking oil all over the transmission.... that probably hit the fan too.

 

[imnukensc]

Yes, you have a hydraulic fluid leak. It's probably the POS quick coupler. Lots of posts on here (and elsewhere) about them. Have the dealer fix it.

 

[greg86z28]

The 1 lever quick coupler sucks. Mine on my b2601 looked like yours too. I had it replaced. I think it can be finicky to hook up.

Make sure the connection is clean and it goes on straight.

note the hydraulic fluid will warp your rubber mat. The dealer replaced mine under warranty as well

 

[leveraddict]

These quick couplers need to be clean and must go on straight as suggested. If you are too far away and try to connect it while its crooked you will ruin the o rings and develop leaks. Mine is still tight and right since 2017 and I remove and reinstall my FEL quite a bit.

 

[comb92]

Like he said. I just had all the couplers replaced on my BX1880 and I have not used the tractor enough to be able to tell if it is fixed. However, your leak looks much worse than mine. I only had a "wet" streak on the rubber mat.

Besides the other leak when the third function fitting started spraying oil all over the HST fan... and it hit the fan....

And the HST plugs that needed to be reinstalled with the Teflon tape because they were also leaking oil all over the transmission.... that probably hit the fan too.

Oof, that's the kind of series of events I'm looking to avoid.

 

[comb92]

Update: emailed the dealer last night with the pictures and explanation. Got a call this morning - no questions asked, they're sending a service tech to fix Friday morning. Thanks everyone for confirming my suspicions. Hopefully it gets buttoned up so I can start to put it to work!

 

[xrocketengineer]

Oof, that's the kind of series of events I'm looking to avoid.

You have two years of warranty to take care of those things. Keep an eye on everything before and after use to check for leaks.
And make sure to check the front axle oil level! It is almost guaranteed that there is not enough oil in there. It seems that when the axle is initially serviced, the two vent ports on the wheel gearboxes were not removed and there is an air pocket preventing the oil from getting down there. Eventually, the oil gets there and the differential above can run dry.

 

[85Hokie]

Update: emailed the dealer last night with the pictures and explanation. Got a call this morning - no questions asked, they're sending a service tech to fix Friday morning. Thanks everyone for confirming my suspicions. Hopefully it gets buttoned up so I can start to put it to work!

It will take him hopefully 10 minutes to fix it! Glad your dealer is doing the right thing as all dealers should.

 

[comb92]

You have two years of warranty to take care of those things. Keep an eye on everything before and after use to check for leaks.
And make sure to check the front axle oil level! It is almost guaranteed that there is not enough oil in there. It seems that when the axle is initially serviced, the two vent ports on the wheel gearboxes were not removed and there is an air pocket preventing the oil from getting down there. Eventually, the oil gets there and the differential above can run dry.

Will do, thanks for the advice. I was going to go through all of the service info this weekend and put together a list of things to do and when to do them. I read similarly that the front axle fluid often gets neglected by people during self-service. I'll be sure to check the level now though...don't run to run the thing its first 50 hours with it low.