Replace Hydrolic Oil?

[robjw85]

Howdy,

First time tractor owner since last Monday. Got a used L2501 with loader/third function and 95 hours. Also bought a new land pride grapple/box blade.

Dealer put on the grapple and I think whoever assembled it might have been in a hurry. One of the hydrolic connectors in the middle came loose during operation and leaked a bunch of fluid. The next day one of the hydrolic cables on the left grapple cylinder broke as the elbow was at the wrong angle causing it to wear against frame of the grapple.

I wasn't sure how much fluid leaked during each incident. Couldn't tell looking at the sight glass if it was low. Didn't do enough research - went to TSC and got mystik iso 68 hydrolic oil. Ended up putting in 2 gallons, still no idea how full the resivor was looking at the sight glass. Got some John Deere dye today and it appears to be over filled.

After doing more research it appears the oil I added is not reccomended. I've only put 2 hours on it since adding it. My question is should I just drain the excess oil or should I go ahead and drain all of it and refill with UDT2? If i should replace all of it should I also go ahead and replace the hydrolic and HST filter?

 

[GeoHorn]

Only YOU can decide what will make you feel confident and comfortable with what’s in your tractor.
Chances are that nothing ill will befall you over the 2 gal mistake but you will worry about this forever and if anything ever goes wrong with your hydraulics you’ll always wonder.....

 

[85Hokie]

Rob,

welcome to the forum,

I would contact the dealer - and point out the problems and SEE if they will take care of it

or Plan B

Check and recheck all hydraulic connections.

I would drop the plug(s) and drain all fluids and replace all filters.
AND place back S-UDT2, Fill, check site glass with flashlight and continue to fill AFTER running hydraulics a bit (getting any air out of system).

YOU do not want to be replacing anything in the future in the hydraulic system!
AND remember ......... NOT all OILS are the same for ALL situations.

 

[CurtisC]

Two gallons is probably somewhere between 1/4 - 1/3 the total load. I'd definitely drain the oil, replace with SuperUDT2 and change both the hydraulic and HST filters while you're at it. The Kubota's HST transmission is a whiner to begin with and running the wrong oil will probably increase noise and decrease performance particularly in cold weather. IMO you want to get all of the suspect oil out that you can. Made a similar mistake on my B26 at 50 hrs. and put in oil the previous owner had given me. After talking with local Kubota mechanic decided to go a step further and flushed the system with basic UDT (cheaper than UDT2) then drain and refill with UDT2. Also learned later on to avoid WIX filters for the hydraulic system and only use Kubota. I had severe cold weather issues (tractor would not move and there was high resistance in the HST pedal) and high whine that only got tolerable after a long warm up. After changing back to Kubota filters problems went away. Cheap insurance against future $$$ problems......

 

[Tornado]

I will just tell you what I would do if I were in your shoes. I also own an L2501 btw, with just abou the same hours on it (Im at 80 hours atm). I would drain all the hydraulic fluid and replace it all with Kubota Super UDT2 fluid. It is rated to hold 6 gallons. When you get over 4 gallons put in start watching the sight glass very closely. The oil level will enter the very bottom of the glass and very quickly shoot past the top of the glass with a few ounces of oil. We have talked about this before on this forum, how sensitive this sight glass is. You can quickly over fill. you almost need a 2nd person watching the glass as you slowly pour the oil in, because of how fast the oil will zip past the sight glass. Make sure the tractor is level before doing this as well, just a very slight incline will cause inaccurate readings. Did I mention the sight glass is very sensitive? lol. While youre at it, I would replace or at least check/ top off the front axle oil as well. It uses the same Kubota Super UDT2 hydraulic fluid that you put in the tractor. I replaced both of these on my 50 hour maintenance and I am glad I did. The front axle tends to be a tad on the low side from the factory.

Also - I would replace both hydraulic and transmission oil filters at this time as well, given you're replacing the oil, its a good time to just do this as well. a couple hundred bucks in fluids and filters but you will be set then for a while, and to me its good peace of mind.

 

[old and tired]

To see the oil in the sight glass, read about JD dye in this thread...

Using John Deere Hydraulic Oil Dye

Any body use this stuff? I don't have a sight glass as I just have a little BX, but the SUDT2 is like Crystal Clear and REALLY Hard to see on the Hydro and front axle dipsticks. Just looking for some reviews from anyone that may have used it. Thanks!!!

www.orangetractortalks.com

 

[Roadworthy]

I'm with the guys suggesting replacing all fluids and filters - it was a used tractor and you don't know how it was maintained. A small flashlight works wonders for checking hydraulic fluid level. Kubota does not recommend using the John Deere dye in the system. Their words to me were that they would not be responsible for any damage to the hydraulic system caused by the dye. I play it safe and don't use it.

 

[UpNorthMI]

Another vote of replace all fluid UTD2 and both hydraulic filters, as commented top off the front axle too.

It is good to have a second person as the spare set of eyes to watch the sight glass, I've overfilled my L3200 in the past.

Disappointing experience with your grapple, hopefully things will settle down and you will have no more issues. Good luck.

 

[GeoHorn]

I'm with the guys suggesting replacing all fluids and filters - it was a used tractor and you don't know how it was maintained. A small flashlight works wonders for checking hydraulic fluid level. Kubota does not recommend using the John Deere dye in the system. Their words to me were that they would not be responsible for any damage to the hydraulic system caused by the dye. I play it safe and don't use it.

Kubota also will not cover your warranty if the aspirin you took last night can be proven to have caused the problem.

 

[Nicfin36]

Just adding to the thread. You have two 14mm drain bolts with copper washer on each side of the rear end. And two large drain bolts on the transmission. 22mm I think. I actually used a 24mm in ignorance because of the paint on the bolt heads.

 

[GeoHorn]

Don’t lose or forget those copper washers unless you enjoy leaks. The plugs will NOT seal without them.

 

[lugbolt]

call the dealer and demand a new tractor if they ain't willing to call kubota customer service

No, really, based on what I'm reading they (or the tech) made the mistake. Make them make it right. They owe you.

 

[robjw85]

Thanks for all the advice! Regarding the hydrolic hose on the grapple - I had emailed my sales rep and he offered to send someone out to fix it for free however it would have been 3 days out. I just went to oriellys and got a new hose for $40. This was before I contemplated replacing the hydrolic oil. Putting in sub standard oil was a rookie mistake on my end so I didn't ask for that.

Took everyone's advice and went to get UDT2, hydrolic and HST filters today. Unfortunately they only had 2 gallons of UDT2. Went with standard UDT for now and plan to swap to UDT2 at 400 hours. Dealer said UDT2 is not popular around here so they don't carry much inventory and some guy came in this morning and bought 16 gallons, leaving them with 2 left. Closest dealer that had it was a 2 hour drive (closest dealer from my house is 1 hour away). Need to get up and running as we have fence contractors out and I'm saving money on that project by doing a bunch of the clearing myself.

Looks like I made another rookie mistake.....thought only the 4wd drain plug picture applied so those are the only 2 I took out. Guess that explains why only 5 gallons versus 6.2 filled it back up. Should have checked here or watched a video. The drain plug that faces down did not have a washer - should it? Level ground is hard to come by on my lot. With the loader all the way up, grapple opened and 3 point up the line in the sight glass was right near the top of it. When everything is down the glass is full. Should the line be in the sightglass with everything down? I already had the John Deere dye and it appears my fluid will stay red even after oil changes - still red and easy to see.

Going to have stick with what I have until 400 hours. Wife will murder me if I drop another $200 on more oil. Feel good that I have mostly new OEM oil now and new filters. Learned some valuable lessons through this, thanks again for all the advice!

 

[robjw85]

Hydrolic hose routed incorrectly that started all this. Only had tractor for a week. Think dealer might have installed it this way as I can't see how normal operation could cause the elbow to move up so the hose wears against the frame.

 

[Nicfin36]

What you didn't get out was diluted already and you changed out most of it this time and diluted it further. It shouldn't be an issue in my opinion, and probably wasn't anyway.

I'm not quite understanding your drain plug question. Well, I think I do. I assume you only removed the two 22mm drain plugs and not the two on the rear end. If so, I noticed when I did mine, the plug facing down appeared to have a washer, but it was stuck to the metal and mostly covered with gray paint. I assumed it was stuck from being painted at the factory. I did not mess with it. I just screwed the drain plug back in. I think the washer came off with the other drain plug and not stuck like the other.

 

[robjw85]

What you didn't get out was diluted already and you changed out most of it this time and diluted it further. It shouldn't be an issue in my opinion, and probably wasn't anyway.

I'm not quite understanding your drain plug question. Well, I think I do. I assume you only removed the two 22mm drain plugs and not the two on the rear end. If so, I noticed when I did mine, the plug facing down appeared to have a washer, but it was stuck to the metal and mostly covered with gray paint. I assumed it was stuck from being painted at the factory. I did not mess with it. I just screwed the drain plug back in. I think the washer came off with the other drain plug and not stuck like the other.

Correct - did not remove the two plugs on the rear end as I interpreted the manual wrong. I bet my washer was probably stuck as well. Doesn't leak, have it parked in the garage and I check for fluid on the ground everyday before use so I guess I'll find out.

 

[tomstromie]

The previous owner of my tractor used a ‘universal’ fluid and it ate through all of the hoses and cylinder seals. Drain and replace fluid and all filters.

 

[GeoHorn]

All the keys to new tractors should have their keys taped to the inside-back-cover of the owner’s manual which cannot be accessed until the owner has read every page to that point.

 

[Motion]

With the price of hydraulic oil and filters, sealing washers are cheap and good to have in hand when changing your fluid. The same holds true for engine oil changes. Solid copper sealing washers get brittle over time and don't allow for the proper crush which leads to over tightening

 

[GeoHorn]

Copper does work-harden but a box of assorted copper washers are sold at HF...or... you can heat them with a propane torch until they glow and let them cool (do not quench) and then reuse them.