Kubota W5021-sc lawn mower

[dnsdean]

Hi canucklehead, Thank you for your input. Sorry I didn't see the email-it was in SPAM. Believe it or not, the mower healed itself. Must have had something stuck like you mentioned. Do you know what plug and gap Kubota recommends for this 5hp? Thank you again for spending your time answering my question. You're hero of the day!

 

[canucklehead]

just got back from Phoenix..was hot and back to rain.

Not sure of plug. Kubota's website has parts diagrams, a bit of work to look through but you'll find them. OR, try google search for Kubota sc5021 spark plug. Or your local Kubota dealer. I am cheap and don't like to overpay, but sometimes it's worth splurging for a few small items at Kubota. They look after me by answering questions, etc... So an extra $2 for the same plug or jug of oil... I bite the bullet.

I will try to remember and look at mine. I always use NGK. Gap.... even though I check the spec and always check my plug, they are almost always gapped to the correct spec out of the box. It is rare I actually have to adjust the gap.

 

[Jode]

I am going to share with you my expertise on these awesome Kubota self propelled mowers. First off, you can get every exploded part diagram from Sears. Just lookup Sears Kubota W 5021. You can also buy most parts from them still in fact virtually every nutbolt, washer, screw, muffler, wheel, engine part etc. All prices are on their website. Sears Kuboat W 5021. I have owned one of these for 15 years and it is a bit worse for wear now.....but......here are some tips. They are not sold any more in the USA or Australia, because they do not meet the emissions standards. You can however still buy these new ex France, Kubota. They obviously don't have the same standards there. They are about US$1200.00 plus shipping. Answers to problems above. Drive problems.....sounds to me like a simple load problem as the wheels have to push 50kilograms... 25 lbs for you people still in the dark ages...we changed to metric figures in 1966! Check the spark plug lead and plug. When engaging the drive the engine has no power. Simple. Tilting the mower will certainly get clouds of WHITE smoke from the oil entering the carbie. Undo air cleaner, wash out, rinse sponge, soak in petrol. Clean spark plug. been there done that. Most drive problems are also fixed by slight adjutment to cables at handle bar. Just a few millimetres (for all you people in the dark ages) is all it takes. The bases tend to shatter on these. You can buy new cutter bases from Sears. If you are lucky you will have the commercial model with the "sacrificial" steel replaceable liner, the front bulbar and the tougher wheels. I just fixed a drive problem myself. After 15 years the ball bearings exploded inside the tranmission housing. well, I did let the oil run out of the transmission about 8 years ago and never bothered to fill it up again. It took me 36 hours of pulling the thing apart and putting back together and 23 cents worth of three brand new quarter inch (for all you peole inn the dark ages) ballbearings and a fist full of grease to hold them in. I got the exploded transmission diagram from Sears site. if they publish these sites here the following will be of awesome value to you die-hards. Just click on the part and all the component prices will come up. http://www.searspartsdirect.com/par...s/Model-W5021-SC/1320/1500600&shdMod=W5021-SC By the way, the cloth catcher is friggin useless so why anyone wants one is beyond me. They just fill you full of dust. I have one sitting in my garage. You look like sambo when you have finsihed mowing the lawn. The chute is no longer available.

 

[canucklehead]

great post jode. can you add gear oil to tranny easily, somewhere?

we converted to metric in '76. 50 KG=110 lbs.

I had wheels bearings go on mine, and that's about it.

what are you cutting to get so much dust? My grass catcher works great, but we are in a rain forest climate.

 

[Jode]

Yes, Kubota made lawn mowers for two years. I bought mine in MD in 1993. A W5021-sc. Best lawn mower ever made. It has worked at least once a week since 1993. However this last week it just died, like it ran out of fuel. So I go online and find they still make parts, put a new exhaust and muffler on (didn't need it), replaced the fuel lines and fuel filter. Ordered an air cleaner not here yet. Put gas and in it and runs like top. Out mowing and working. Not bad. Once every twenty years you would expect some down time. This thing is a tank. Anyone else own a Kubota lawn mower like this one have a similar experience.

HS

Sorry Guys but as far as I am concerned "Kubota" is Japanese for BREAKING DOWN! They might be OK when new but when they break they are Expennnnnnnnnnnnsive. The little transmission gives up on them purely due to wear. It has a ball bearing clutch that eventually wears through the drive shaft. The bases are also brittle and end up like eggshells. Try $700 for a new transmission. That's more expensive than a Pontiac. Try $600 for a new base. Even wheels are $45. I have owned once for about 20 years and it has died several times. i have ratted oparts around the place but now......it's time to throw away.

Once they are F...d that's it. They arent sold any more except in France because of the emmissions requirements in the USA and just about everywhere else. They belch out too much CO2. Once that transmission has gone it is a 50kg lawn mower.

 

[canucklehead]

all the others that posted seem very satisfied, including me. I've never owned a push mower that has lasted this long. Mine has been used hard, for large areas. others have said the same. aluminum deck is cat'sass. my self propel still pulls me hard and i have to hang on. I just used a 1 year old Toro and it was a deluxe model, blah, blah, blah...it was a POS compared to this. I owned it for a monbth and sold it.

my honda wasn't this good. Any of the Briggs I have owned (Sears Crapsman) haven't lasted anywhere near as long. I also have a Kubota T1560 ride on and it is a lot better than the JD ride ons I've owned (there are many good JD ride ons, I have only owned a couple that weren't their best models, but they sure weren't their cheap Home Depot models either).

I agree, parts can be expensive. Just like my JD stuff I own. Not sure what mower you'd prefer.

 

[Jode]

great post jode. can you add gear oil to tranny easily, somewhere?

we converted to metric in '76. 50 KG=110 lbs.

I had wheels bearings go on mine, and that's about it.

what are you cutting to get so much dust? My grass catcher works great, but we are in a rain forest climate.

Yep, you can add proper gear oil to the little transmission. Firstly, grab this drawing...Model # W5021SC | Parts.Sears.com

Part no. 70 is a sump oil bolt. This is where the oil goes in. Unfortunately it is on top of the transmission so the easiest thing to do is to take the rear wheels off (two bolts) then undo the next two bolts where the wheel height lever is (one each side of frame), and undo the bracket on top of the axle/transmission that holds it to the base. The whole axle will then come away from the base and the transmission drive slides away from the engine. There are no oil leaks from here so just drop it out. Take that bolt off and either fill or change gear oil. DO NOT take the little bolt off next to it! (That's part no. 260.) It has a spring and a ball bearing underneath and it provides the resistance to the gear change lever.

 

[Jode]

There is one other way to add transmission oil but I don't know how you get it out first other than tip the mower upside down.....Take the transmission plastic or metal cover off that covers the engine drive shaft. This exposes the transmission and cable. You can then see this bolt to undo on the top of the transmission (the bigger one) and fill with oil. If the oil hasn't leaked out I really don't think there is any need to add oil or bother messing with it. But if it has leaked out the transmission WILL eventually fail. The transmission splits in two but at the opposite end to where the gear shift is it has a gear that lodges into the end cover. Once you pull the covers apart it is possible the washer will fall off the end of the gear and you wont get it back on. You can't see it but what will happen is as you press the two covers back together if the washer has fallen off the end, it will push itself through the end cover. The other problem is the three ball bearings that sit inside the clutch mechanism. They fall out too. Tt takes a while but with the diagram you can work out how they go back in by first glueing them in with grease....

 

[Jode]

I am on a hilly block of land just outside Melbourne, Australia now near the bush. It gets a bit dusty during summer. It is by no means a bowling green lawn. More like grass and rocks....In 20 years I have hardly used the catcher. Pain in the ***. Designed for you yanks and confederates who have 6 inch lawns like in the movies with mum baking a pie inside ready for when you get in from a hard days work.

 

[MGHoosier]

I've been looking for one to buy for myself for YEARS and can't seem to find one.

I have a W5021, though not the self-propelled model. I am moving from Acton, MA to Indiana this week to a location where I will get a small 4WD diesel Deere or Kubota. The mower I have isn't "Mr. Natural" - the right tool for the job there. Also, it needs the fuel system cleaned out as it has sat in my garage for awhile - I used a Husqvarna YTH1848XP which I sold last week. If you are interested, send me an e-mail and we can talk about how we might get it to your location.