Deep Water Crossings

[Anonymous Poster]

Any idea on how deep of water you can cross without damaging anything? Tractor is a Kubota 3130. My normal river crossing is only about 1 ft., but the beavers have built a dam downstream about 40 yd and the water is now about 2 ft, but no current. Picture shows low water condition. In the mean time I've been driving half mile to use the bridge on the county road. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[GaryG]

I didn't think California left that much water in Arizona. Looks like a nice stream. I would be real careful crossing the first time. I dumped a brand new Toyota Landcruiser in over the hood. Lucky a guy with a winch was on the other side of the swollen creek...

 

[Boondox]

AZ -- I've had my L3010 in water that came just to the top of the front tires with no trouble whatsoever. It was an accident! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif But after going over the tractor with a high level of anxiety I could find nothing wrong. The only thing that appeared different was my front axle was really clean!

Gary -- I didn't know there was enough open land left in San Diego for a tractor... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Pete

 

[Bird]

I'm not sure on the 3130, but assume it has a front axle vent like the B2710 and some others. The vent has the bend on the top of the tube that would help prevent a lot of water from getting into it, but I wouldn't want to get in deep enough to submerge that vent to test it. If I did, I'd probably be changing the oil in the front axle. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[JohnMiller3]

<font color="blue">...how deep of water you can cross without damaging anything?...</font>

I cross our creeks all the time, up to the top of the front axle... I haven't tried covering the front tires like Boondox.../forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif Don't think I want to... my front tires are 24"... /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Obviously, make sure the creek bottom is stable/solid and not muck... and go like a bandit... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[GaryG]

I have the last open 5 acres, kind of on a hillside...Just kidding, there is a quite a bit in the East County and North County. Of course the desert is wide open. If we had any water left to irrigate it... We also have a place we are going to retire on that is 396 acres about 20 miles from downtown San Diego. It needs a lot of brush hogging..

 

[GaryG]

picture of the ranch

 

[knucklehead]

Bird hit the vent thing, but a little more on that: if you have a hot or even good n' warm casting, dunking it in water could make it suck in it's breath, just like you do when you dunk yourself in cold water. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif If the vent is under water, it will suck in some water. Diffs on trucks sometimes have extended vent tubes - if you want to dunk your axle regularly, as in not driving 1/2 mile away to cross, it might be well to try to extend the vent with a piece of tubing - stick a little in line lawn mower fuel filter on the ends of the tubing to seal out dust and crud.

 

[GaryG]

Do most differentials have those vents? I guess I never thought about it when crossing streams with a four wheel drive vehicle.

 

[knucklehead]

I think pretty much all auto diffs do, mine does (87 Ford F150). Should be able to see it on top of the diff case - mine's just ahead of the brake lines, heading down toward where the ABS sensor goes into the diff (unless I'm looking at an odd fastener head). I just checked my tractor, too ('79 Ford 1700) and there's no vent on the front that I could see or feel (it's really dark here, but a balmy 45 F with a gentle Westerly breeze to remind you to pull down the sweatshirt when you're bent over the front tire) - just one up high on back under the seat. There is a lovely axle pivot grease fitting, and of course all the knuckle parts and such, down about axle centerline level. There's what appears to be a crankcase vent tube further back towards the middle, and it looks like I've got a small oil leak, or maybe it's just old fuel or oil spillage.

Maybe some of you guys with daylight left could check your 3010's and 3130's and such. And maybe your trucks. It'd be nice to compare wives' reactions to us hopping up form the PC, stomping outside with a flashlight, then back in, then out, then back in again (forgot to check truck the first time). She held off pretty well the first trip, and was making a good effort the second time, there, for a while.