Right place?

[Thomasone]

Hello:
I ended up here through a search for 'Kubota lawn tractor forums' but I am beginning to suspect that this may not be the place for me??

Perhaps someone can help me with a general question; all things being equal, and if reasonable care is given, approximately how long can the diesel three cyl, 18 hp engine be expected to give reliable service in a lawn mowing application, 1,000 hrs?, and are there any known issues with the 2001 edition of this powerplant and lastly, does ulsd negatively affect the earlier small diesels ???

Tnks in advance and my apologies if this place is for the bigger boys...

Tom

 

[lt230s]

Tom,
Welcome to Orangetractors!
I am in no way an expert, but I would think that 1000 hrs. for diesel just mowing grass would not be a problem, as long as maintenance was done as outlined in the owner's manual.
I have a '73 Kubota 2 cylinder diesel I bought almost 20 years ago and the hour meter read 700+/- hrs. then and was broken. I have since put at least another 1000 hours on it and it is still running strong.
Is there a specific problem that you would care to elaborate on, because I'm sure others here can help you if there is a major concern.

 

[garyf]

@1000 hrs and with proper care a quality air cooled gas powered engine would still be OK with a small high speed diesel you should see 2000-3000hrs min(I have a JD430 that shows 3200 hrs and it will start in the dead cold of winter)however things do break. Best people to answer are the lawn care folks they really use their equipment!

 

[daniel.ray77]

My '76 Kubota L225DT has over 7,700 hours and still runs like it is brand new. Its all about how you care for it. Treat it right and it will last.

 

[dpmizell]

It should last well over 1000 hrs, i have a L2350 3 cyl tractor that i bush hog with and run a finishing mower with, i dont know how may hrs are on it because the hr meter broke on it years ago, but before the numbers faded from the sun it had a little over 800 hrs on it. its still kicking, uses no oil and no blow by. just change to oil in it regularly. as far as the ulsd, i always run power service premium in my fuel, just because it sets around for a while. i personally havent had any problems out of the ulsd. hope this helps.

 

[Thomasone]

lt230s, garyf,daniel,dpmizell; thank you for the replies.

Can you provide some basic evaluating suggestions? normal v abnormal observations?? for an engine with roughly 400 hours-would any leaks be considered normal ?
Of course I will remove the air filter and take a look, I have found that this is generally a good indication as to the quality of maint and of course I will try to sniff the hydro fluid, and take a peek at the coolant/overflow, but other than this I could use some help,
I am very familiar with the diesel engine having owned six vehicles so far, but nothing this small.
I had thought about pulling an oil sample but............

 

[kuboman]

I have seen these 3cyl diesels with 12000+ hrs on them running reefers and generators. Any leak is abnormal but they all do it depends on where and how much. Use a fuel conditioner with a lubricant in your older ones.

 

[Thomasone]

kuboman, that is an impressive run time, if that were on a mower it would be roughly 420 years worth for the average homeowner.

Granted the operating conditions are far less hostile when on a reefer, wonder how often the oil was changed?

 

[dpmizell]

lt230s, garyf,daniel,dpmizell; thank you for the replies.

Can you provide some basic evaluating suggestions? normal v abnormal observations?? for an engine with roughly 400 hours-would any leaks be considered normal ?
Of course I will remove the air filter and take a look, I have found that this is generally a good indication as to the quality of maint and of course I will try to sniff the hydro fluid, and take a peek at the coolant/overflow, but other than this I could use some help,
I am very familiar with the diesel engine having owned six vehicles so far, but nothing this small.
I had thought about pulling an oil sample but............

do the usaual fluids and filters change, smoke is ok as long as its not constantly blowing black. other than that just run it and forget about it. its a kubota. these little tractors and engines are tough, the tractor that i have now has went thru 2 teenagers that thought that it was everything froma fourwheeler to a bulldozer. if the tractor can run over it the bushog will take care of the rest of it.

 

[Thomasone]

Aside from the engine my biggest concern is the hydro unit as replacement is pushing 2 large.
The design of TG series, from what I am told, makes it difficult to both check and replace the fluid in the drive motor, so my plan is to bring my hand oil sample pump and try to get an ounce out to both examine for metal and smell for burned fluid.

Any other suggestions would be apprecitated, I realize that some money will have to be put into the mower at some time and I am prepared for belts, spindles, a hydraulic service, and filters.

The other complicating issue is that the wife maintains it is wiser to put the money for the used machine down on a new one and be done with it. Something to be said for that, its just that I don't like to buy new anymore.

 

[kuboman]

Aside from the engine my biggest concern is the hydro unit as replacement is pushing 2 large.
The design of TG series, from what I am told, makes it difficult to both check and replace the fluid in the drive motor, so my plan is to bring my hand oil sample pump and try to get an ounce out to both examine for metal and smell for burned fluid.

Any other suggestions would be apprecitated, I realize that some money will have to be put into the mower at some time and I am prepared for belts, spindles, a hydraulic service, and filters.

The other complicating issue is that the wife maintains it is wiser to put the money for the used machine down on a new one and be done with it. Something to be said for that, its just that I don't like to buy new anymore.

New is always nice but not always the best spent money. There is no reason for the engine or the tranny to have any problems unless they were abused. I find it hard to abuse either of these components mowing lawn. I realize some people can ruin anything, but with normal service any of these diesel unit will run thousands of hours with very little trouble.

 

[Thomasone]

Kuboman, generally I would agree however Kubota has acknowledged and updated defective hydrostats as recently as '06. I have tried to determine what model hydro was used in the '01 TG series but have had no luck.

The internet postings on this model-all of seven or so- seem to be evenly divided between those who have had issues and those who have not had any problems.

People seem to report that a 'good' Kubota hydro will stop abruptly when the foot is taken off the pedal at full speed and one that is going bad will -coast- to a stop.

Do you , or anyone else, share this thought?

 

[EliteAviationTech]

Kuboman, generally I would agree however Kubota has acknowledged and updated defective hydrostats as recently as '06. I have tried to determine what model hydro was used in the '01 TG series but have had no luck.

The internet postings on this model-all of seven or so- seem to be evenly divided between those who have had issues and those who have not had any problems.

People seem to report that a 'good' Kubota hydro will stop abruptly when the foot is taken off the pedal at full speed and one that is going bad will -coast- to a stop.

Do you , or anyone else, share this thought?

We have a BX2200, thats the big brother to the BX1800 that I think you mentioned looking at.. our Hydrostatic drive was replaced a few years ago due to lack of maintenance by the original owner and currently when you remove your toe from the pedal it will stop abruptly.

If the reverse is quickly depressed it will spin the tires in an attempt to stop the forward motion.. (not something I recommend you try) ours has a rather powerful drive and we keep it in 2WD most of the time. One of our guys did so and nearly found himself over the hood.

I've seen these little beasts in the snow and honestly a good drive unit will propel the tractor in any direction you want as fast as you want it to go with little to no hesitation and a flurry of spinning should traction be lost.

I have noticed that as heat builds up, this abruptness will fade slightly.. I assume thats normal.