My BX is loaded with Black Soot!

[k8ny]

Well, I drove myself crazy for the last 2 days trying to resolve a soot problem on my BX-2200. It's a 2001 with 440 hours and I never, ever had a problem like this.
As the photo attachments show, it appears there is soot everywhere on my BX, even in the wheels. I had noticed this right after performing an oil and filter change (Rotella Syn & Kubota Filt) and starting to cut some grass. The soot was everywhere but most heavily on the mower deck and lower parts of the machine.
Thinking it may have been either air stoppage or bad fuel(doubtful) I went to the local dealer bought a new air filter and another set of fuel filters.The local Kubota mechanic said may be air filter or bad fuel, confirming my suspicion. Cleaned air filter housing and replaced with new filter - same problem. Removed deck, drained the tank, replaced both fuel filters and still leaving a soot deposit when I mow.
Hmm... driving me crazy!_____ Did a search on TractorByNet and came up with someone who had a similar problem way back in 2002. Looked at the response to his problem by Kubmech (what a great guy!) and he wrote this: "Mike, here's what I'm pretty sure the problem is. Has it been relatively hot and dry in your area? If it has, what you are most likely seeing is grass mold spores building up. Had this problem years back, cust. swore it was belt dust from the mower, came back several times and could'nt find anything wrong (pulled my hair out trying to find something). Found the answer in the John Deere dealer tech data base.".
Well, went out and tersted it today, sure enough the material coming out of my deck chute had a black tinge to it. How to test it was easy, since I didn't have anyone to ride along and test the output, I got a long 1"x1" and held it near the chute when I was cutting. Yup, there it was dark soot all over the wood.
By the way, it brushes off real easy, and I was able to blow it off with my air blower. Also, as I put rubbed some on my finger it appeared exactly like carbon soot but the key is how easy it dissipates.
Well thanks Kubmech and TractorByNet.. I only lost 1 night of sleep over this!

Bob

 

[mozark]

Yep, its a fungus, I had it a couple of years ago, thought I had chewed up a belt too. I have noticed several black "puff" balls this fall as I mowed, but no black on the tractor. I had 2 bouts of rust fungus this year, it turned everything brown on the tractor and mower. They say it is caused by too much humidity and not mowing often enough, only good thing is that it can't survive the winter here. I would wear a mask if you have a allergies.

 

[k8ny]

You're right, I did wear a mask last night but in my haste forgot to wear one today. Think I am paying for it now as my cold has intensified and my chest is burning.
This grass is my neighbor's property and I was doing them a favor since their lawn guy quit on them. True, they don't mow frequently and the grass was long, dry and discolored.
Oh well, as long as the BX still functions OK I'm a happy camper.
Watch out for those spores!!

 

[Killer_B]

On a somewhat unrelated note, I love those tires you have. I had them on my BX2200 as well. They grab like crazy in the soft stuff and yet are gentle on the grass. Too bad Kubota did away with them.

 

[crbr]

Yep, its a fungus, I had it a couple of years ago, thought I had chewed up a belt too. I have noticed several black "puff" balls this fall as I mowed, but no black on the tractor. I had 2 bouts of rust fungus this year, it turned everything brown on the tractor and mower. They say it is caused by too much humidity and not mowing often enough, only good thing is that it can't survive the winter here. I would wear a mask if you have a allergies.

Assuming that his opinion was indeed the culprit. There's a lot of other suggestions there too...

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-owning-operating/17991-belt-soot-bx-2200-60-a.html


I'd say it's the most likely.

 

[alchemysa]

Reminds me of something that happened a few years ago. We were holidaying in the outback, driving on a pretty isolated dirt road. Suddenly the smell of burnt rubber wafted through the cabin. I lifted the bonnet and checked belts, hoses, everything i could think of. Then checked brake hoses and everything under the car. Couldnt find the problem so just had to keep driving with my fingers crossed. (This was NOT a good place to break down!). The smell stayed with us. Back at the campsite I removed the wheels thinking maybe it was a disc or caliper problem. No luck. Next day we pulled into a little caravan park. When I went into the toilet/shower block I was hit with the burning rubber smell again. Turned out it was dead beetles! Christmas beetles they are called here. Sizable black critters that can fly. They smell just like burning rubber when they are squashed. I must have hit a few while driving and they got lodged in the air vents. The ones in the toilets get attracted by the lights at night and get crushed when people walk in. I'd never come across them before. A real relief to find it wasn't a mechanical problem but it almost drove me nuts for a day and a half.

 

[k8ny]

Assuming that his opinion was indeed the culprit. There's a lot of other suggestions there too...

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-owning-operating/17991-belt-soot-bx-2200-60-a.html


I'd say it's the most likely.

Well, I was able to test the theory of either mold spores or fungus as I fastened a test "pole" to my tractor and placed the end not too far back from the deck chute. Sure enough, one pass and it contaminated the pole with the black, I believe, mold spores.

The sad thing is that not wearing a mask seemed to have me inhale some of this stuff and the cold that I had really got worse. My chest was really burning and I did have a concern. Fortunately, today the effects are diminishing.

BTW, I did check the deck belt and pulleys, absolutely no belt dirt or material anywhere in the pulley or belt area. Belt still looks great after 6 years of mowing.

Thanks for your input.

Bob

 

[art]

On a somewhat unrelated note, I love those tires you have. I had them on my BX2200 as well. They grab like crazy in the soft stuff and yet are gentle on the grass. Too bad Kubota did away with them.

They have not done away with them. They are still available not only for the BX but for the rears of the B's there is a simular tire called bar turf. The hard facts are the most popular tire for compacts is the industrial for us.

 

[mrwitty_1]

What a Great Web Site ! I too had this same black soot last time I mowed, figured I too had a problem, but when I hosed off the tractor it came right off no trouble at all. Glad I found the answer, now I can rest easy ! Thanks a million ....

 

[k8ny]

What a Great Web Site ! I too had this same black soot last time I mowed, figured I too had a problem, but when I hosed off the tractor it came right off no trouble at all. Glad I found the answer, now I can rest easy ! Thanks a million ....

Well, I found out from my neighbor (who was a farmer) that there is a name to that particular type of grass and it can appear every autumn if conditions are right.
I cannot pronounce nor spell the name correctly but I will try to do a little research on it.
One of the characteristics is: black residue!