Am I going to have to split my tractor to fix this?

[4570Man]

I have a Kubota L3240 that has about 760 hours. It has a vent on the bottom side about in the middle of the tractor which is pictured below. It has been leaking small amounts of oil for a while, but yesterday it started leaking severely. It will sit and idle and not leak at least not very bad, but once it gets hot it starts leaking in nearly a stream of oil. Based on my limited research there is a seal that is blow instead the tractor. Based on the information I have gathered it is relatively inexpensive, but requires the tractor to be split in half to change. I'm not looking forward to doing that.

 

[rbargeron]

Since the front driveshaft was relocated/redesigned to run inside the housings, the seals at the clutch area have proven to be a problem. Normal leakage is little or none but the clutch housing has a bottom drain as a safety to keep the clutch dry. The oil that appears there is trans hydraulic oil so yes the tractor comes apart to replace the seal(s). Only you can decide when its enough of a nuisance to justify the job. In some cases putting oil-sorb diapers on it is adequate for a while.

 

[4570Man]

It is going to have to be fixed. Once hot it leaks out nearly a stream. That or trade it for an L45.

 

[TripleR]

Most likely it will, according to my dealer there is a seal at the front of the propeller shaft that can cause this, but most likely, it's something more serious. Mine failed under warranty and was replaced.

 

[Hersheyfarm]

I have a m59 that I'm dealing with this issue. Its basically the same seal and setup as yours, but my loader frame makes it a lot harder. I have a neighbor who is the community mechanic and he has replaced a clutch on a l45 with no issue so hopefully he will tackle this soon. I have ordered parts(seal kit) and hopefully will have pics soon. Incredible how kubota designed a $20 seal, prone to failing, behind $2000 plus worth of labor to get to. I was actually quoted $5000, but thats a m59.

 

[4570Man]

I'm definitely doing it myself because I'm not paying a dealer. The local Kubota dealer would probably charge $5000 if the going rate is $3000. I bought the tractor from a dealer in Wisconsin, but the tractor is long out of warranty. My tractor has a backhoe subframe that will have to be removed. That in itself is quite a project.

 

[Adiredneck]

I'm definitely doing it myself because I'm not paying a dealer. The local Kubota dealer would probably charge $5000 if the going rate is $3000. I bought the tractor from a dealer in Wisconsin, but the tractor is long out of warranty. My tractor has a backhoe subframe that will have to be removed. That in itself is quite a project.

Your BH frame bolts to the bottom of the FEL mounts, right? You should be able to unbolt it from there and leave the rest of the BH frame intact. The rear braces for my loader stayed in place when I split mine.

Do you have a shop manual? PM me once you get started. I ended up using two rolling floor jacks and an engine crane to support the two pieces of the tractor. When you get ready to do the split, get some help. I pulled the front away from the rear. It proved to be a huge help to be able to roll the front wheels independently to align the two halves when we re-assembled it.

Also, some wooden wedges kept the front from pivoting on the front axle. Just tap them in atop of the pivot stops.

Also keep in mind that having the steering assembly off makes pulling the fuel tank easier. Good time to check the valve clearance.

Plan on new o-rings for the hydraulic lines where they attach to the pump. They are super cheap, and having them in case the old ones get chewed up at all.

 

[4570Man]

I got the easy part done. I haven't ever driven my tractor without the backhoe or loader. It was kind of depressing.

 

[topbuilder]

Yes it is. Pretty naked.

 

[motownbrowne]

I got the easy part done. I haven't ever driven my tractor without the backhoe or loader. It was kind of depressing. View attachment 475603

I like driving mine without the loader! The power to weight ratio goes way up. It's fun to wind out the throttle and stomp on the go pedal.