Losing power???

[intothewoods]

Hey gang.. I have a Kubota B7800 with 560 hours on it that has recently been losing power... It barely makes it up a maybe 20 percent grade that it used to zoom up.. The front loader seems weak too. I had lent it to a friend who said he put in more hydraulic fluid for me, then I found out it was the stuff he uses for his log splitter which is a lot lighter weight than the UD I normally put in it.. could that be part of the problem? Had it serviced about 80 hours ago so most filters should still be good... any other thoughts out there?

[aczlan]

Does the engine bog down, or is the tractor just slow?
If the engine bogs down, I would look at the fuel and air filters, otherwise, I would change the hydraulic fluid and the associated filter(s).

Aaron Z

[intothewoods]

Thanks Aaron, it feels more like it's just slow all the way around... from the moment I step on the gas. I just browsed an earlier thread that mentioned the filters, but I really don't think that's the problem because they're pretty new... so that's why I was wondering about the potential hydraulic fluid problem.

[aczlan]

How much fluid did he add? That takes 3.83 gallons (per Messicks), so a quart or so shouldn't have affected it much but a gallon would.

Sounds like it could be a fluid issue (assuming that there isnt something that was overlooked, like the transmission being in low range)

Aaron Z

[intothewoods]

Well... I've changed out the trans/hydraulic fluid and all filters including the fuel filter... don't really feel much of a change in it. It still really drags going up that little incline at anything under 2K rpm in mid gear and it used to roll right up it.... I've run out of daylight, but it seems it may be something that those simple procedures don't fix...

[Mark Page]

I had exactly the same problem with my 45hp Massey. It barely pulled a hill that was never a problem. The sight glass was clean, so a put in a new filter element anyway, same problem. Started pulling fuel lines from the injector pump to the gas tank and blowing them out with air, no blockages found until I got to the mechanical lift pump under the tank. There was a tiny pc of green material stuck in a screen type filter. Fired it up and it ran better than ever. I can't believe that little pc of debris could cause that much power loss.

[intothewoods]

Replaced the fuel, blew out all the lines, changed other fluids and filters as listed above and still no luck... I think it's time for a visit to the dealer... crud...

[ShenandoahJoe]

When my little Kubota started feeling that way, it was a clog in the air intake. But I'm sure you checked that already. How are the RPMs?

[intothewoods]

Thnx SJ...I did go through all the air intake possibilities, including new filter. Since rpm's are adjustable.. the engine, when I'm not moving or when there is no load, sounds fine... no brake binding.. it's rolls in neutral. I'm stumped unless it's something internal..

[mikehaugen]

If it is not bogging down (rpm's staying about the same) then I would say probably not engine related and more hydro- related, especially if you are noticing an issue with the loader. I recently bought a used loader for my tractor and when I put it on it would barely lift it's own weight. I already had the loader controls on my tractor, but after extensive investigating I found that there was an internal plug on my scv valve for an optional something or other. Long story short I either had the option or didn't but whatever the case was there was this plug that had backed out and was sitting loose inside the valve and allowing all of the fluid to bypass. Maybe there is something similar in your case? My tractor is geared so I did not notice a driving problem, also there was no affect on the 3 pt hitch.