Rammed a branch under the tractor...

[cal1]

then I hear s loud noise and something cracking. I thought I smelled hydrolic fluid but was not sure. This all happened in a couple of seconds and things went back to normal. I knew something was not good but my BX24 didn't start to overhear or continue to make noises. After driving around in a circle I found these on the ground. How come there are no skid plates to protect anything? Does anyone make an after market add on? Could I have prevented this by somehow watching for sticks pointing a certain way. Geese this seems like a crazy idea. I admit I'm a newbe to the tractor world but no one warned me tractors could cost $ fixing things like this.

After further investigation I figured out ti was a lower HST fan driven off of a drive line much like one on a car (with universal couplers etc.) Amazing that they don't have something protecting entry. I'm gonna fab a skit plate to cover this area. Cost me about $10 from the kubota dealer for the part. They estimate it will take a few hours to install (have to remove the deck etc. to get access from above).

Cal in WA

 

[Eric McCarthy]

I cant for the life of me figure out what exactly I'm looking at in the picture. It kinda looks like bits of plastic but I have no clue what could be plastic under the tractor. There's not a great deal of plastic if any on a Kubota, its all metal and rubber on the tires. Have you inspected under the tractor to see if anything is broke or missing? Perhaps maybe everthing is fine and whatever you have there in the photos could have been something already laying on the ground and you just broke whatever it was by driving over it.

A good habbit to get into espically when mowing or running a bush hog is to walk the area and make sure its free of debris that can cause damage to the tractor, the equipment and even yourself.

 

[cal1]

I was out in the field running a landscape rake. These white pieces are the plastic fan blades off the HST cooling fan under rmy tractor. The fan sits directly infront of the transmission housing. Amazing that there are no skid plates under there. Dealer had them instock and indicated that it's not unusual for folks to get a stray branch that takes something like this out. I live in WA, lots of trees and downed branches. This was not that big a branch but alder is a hard wood so it stripped the fan blades off lickey split.

Now the question is can I run the tractor without this fan? It is a white plastic bladed fan about half the size of the cooling fan by the radiator. I'd like to wait until winter to do the project. I don't run this mahcine hard but there is no transmission fluid temp gage to tell if anything is overheating.

 

[B7100]

I was out in the field running a landscape rake. These white pieces are the plastic fan blades off the HST cooling fan under rmy tractor. The fan sits directly infront of the transmission housing. Amazing that there are no skid plates under there. Dealer had them instock and indicated that it's not unusual for folks to get a stray branch that takes something like this out. I live in WA, lots of trees and downed branches. This was not that big a branch but alder is a hard wood so it stripped the fan blades off lickey split.

Now the question is can I run the tractor without this fan? It is a white plastic bladed fan about half the size of the cooling fan by the radiator. I'd like to wait until winter to do the project. I don't run this mahcine hard but there is no transmission fluid temp gage to tell if anything is overheating.

Would Kubota go to the expense of fitting this fan if it wasn't necessary?
Personally I would not but then I'm a belt and braces man .
Dave

 

[cabu]

Now the question is can I run the tractor without this fan?

Yes, you can. The question is how long...

I don't run this mahcine hard but there is no transmission fluid temp gage to tell if anything is overheating.

If you really don't want to fix it in the next time. Maybe you buy an normal thermometer for 2-3 bucks, with an "outdoor" sensor on a 6' cable. Fix the sensor tide at the hydraulikcase, the display somewhere suitable and make a testride.

But the professional answer is still, if the cooling is broken: fix it. Otherwise it will cause costs it's not worth tho wait for...

Don't harm your little friend...

carl

ps
By the way, my Yardman lawn tractor has also a cooling fan for the hydraulic drive. It is made out of rubber and it don't mind if a brush get in his way, you just stop, remove it and go ahead.

 

[Davemerq73]

I would be a bit concerned about even putting a skip plade to protect the fan. The plate may hinder the air flow....

Does anyone know about any alternitive, or additional coolers for the hydro? I am thinking like an oil filter/cooler kit similar to what would be sold for a pickup truck...

http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS-Performance-Products/555/51711/10002/-1?parentProductId=1032937

This may allow the fan to be removed, and an alternate/additional cooling put in place.

 

[hodge]

hydrostatic systems produce a lot of heat, and the fan helps to dissipate the heat. It may not be the best design, but it is necessary. I think a skid plate could be fashioned while still allowing airflow.
A lot of hydrodrives have fans, but not all of them are in such a precarious location.

 

[GWD]

The fan breaking on a BX is very common. TractorByNet has hundreds of posts about it.

BroTech makes a skid plate that protects the underside - both the fan and the hydraulic filter. It is a bit pricy. Kubota has increased the protection on later models but it still is lacking from what I've read.

I just bought some expanded metal from the metal shop, sized it, and bent it to fit. Well, some nuts were welded to the frame to keep it bolted on so it is not that simple of a job.

The expanded metal also allows sufficient air flow.

As far as replacing the fan goes, some people have found it necessary to split the tractor to get the fan on/off. The driveshaft does not just flop off.

 

[hodge]

If Kubota isn't going to make a better design, then they should at least install a collapsable driveshaft, so that the fan can be changed easier. I love Kubota, and any manufacturer has one or more engineering oversights- but this could be corrected...

 

[ipz2222]

Someone had the same issue recently and told how he split the fan and slid it over the shaft and then bolted it up, it worked.