Buying Advice First Time Buyer and Considering a 8540 Rehab Project....Lots of Questions

[BackwoodsHogging]

Hey there,

Thanks for letting me in the forum! So while I致e driven a few tractors for work and play, I致e never actually owned, repaired, or maintained one. Have the bug for one to run at the deer lease and call me crazy but I kind of want a project.

Looking at a rough 8540. It hasn稚 run in a few years and hours are unknown with the dead battery. Here was kind of my plan for feedback and questions for getting it going, if possible:

1) Put power to it and get hours
1b) Replace front tire. It痴 gashed. Just have to bite the bullet here and do it.
2) Change engine oil/filter.
3) Drain and replace diesel
4) Service water separator
5) Try to start it. Any risk here with starting before I go through the hydraulic service/inspection? I won稚 try to drive or operate it. At this point if I don稚 have power I can probably still get out of it in parting it out and scrap, maybe a little bit of loss for the gamble.
6) Service hydraulics/transmission. This is my biggest concern. I知 going to run an inspection camera down in the fill cap at the pto tomorrow. Dipstick is dry although it does seem a little short.
7) Operate it and see what else is wrong with it.
8) Replace hood. Man these look expensive.

Where could I get a copy of the workshop manual? Found one on manualslib.com and it helped a lot with my first round of inspections but the graphics look like they didn稚 scan over well.

If it ends up having major hydraulic and/or transmission issues, what is the worst case scenario for rebuild costs?

I値l post some pics. She痴 NOT a beaut Clark....

 

[BackwoodsHogging]

Not sure what is up with apostrophes getting scrambled...

 

[Farmer495]

The operator's manual should have all the basic stuff to check to get it running.

Everything you want to do other than change the tire and the hood are in the manual I have for a 7040SU.

I'd want to know why it was parked.

If the engine oil looks ok and it up I'd try it. Def replace it once you confirm it runs. Same with hyd, you could crack drain plug and see what comes out, if it looks ok, close it up and top up with correct fluid, change oil and filters once you confirm it runs.
Same with diesel, crack drain and see what comes out, if junk drain it and dump 5 gallon in. Water separator should have a float in it, if it's not rising you've got diesel, not any water.

 

[ovrszd]

Welcome to TBN.

This is a huge crap shoot. Doesn't sound like you know any history of the tractor. Until you get more information you better buy this tractor at Salvage Yard price. People don't tend to park tractors for several years without a reason. Death in the family, old age of the owner, etc.

You need to do a lot of research and spend enough time talking to the owner to know if he's honest with you.

 

[kthompson]

Does the hour meter not show the display without power? I would think that age of Kubota has a mechanical hour meter and not a digital.

overszd has good concerns there. It is easy to find a tractor the repairs will cost more than the tractor will be worth even when repaired. Yet as he also said the person who owned and use the tractor passed or lost ability to use it or such does happen. However those are still normally parked in shelter.

 

[ovrszd]

It's a digital hr meter.