50hr service on L3540

[Bswope]

Hey guys im at my 50hr service on my L3540 already and Im wondering who has done their own service and how did it go? Ive got to take it to the dealer for a couple issues and for poops and giggles I asked them how much it would cost for them to do the service, they want $250 to do the service while its there but I think im just gonna do it myself.

Thanks fellas,
Buddy

 

[PHILIP8N]

I would do it yourself. The top Kubota mechanic in the shop is not changing oil and filters, probably a lesser experienced kid. Plus, you will get the satisfaction of knowing you did the job right. Have heavy duty filter wrenches ready for the hydraulic and hst filters. The filter on the left, not sure which one it is now, was a real bear to get off. Luckly, Kubota put slots in the base of the filter so you can use a screwdriver and hammer to get it loose. Good luck, have fun. Philip.

 

[Bswope]

I would do it yourself. The top Kubota mechanic in the shop is not changing oil and filters, probably a lesser experienced kid. Plus, you will get the satisfaction of knowing you did the job right. Have heavy duty filter wrenches ready for the hydraulic and hst filters. The filter on the left, not sure which one it is now, was a real bear to get off. Luckly, Kubota put slots in the base of the filter so you can use a screwdriver and hammer to get it loose. Good luck, have fun. Philip.

Thanks for the reply Philip, this will give me something to do Saturday!
Hopefully they wont have my tractor too long but ive got a feeling they might have a hard time figuring out whats going on with it!:confused2:

 

[Jay4200]

Hey guys im at my 50hr service on my L3540 already and Im wondering who has done their own service and how did it go? Ive got to take it to the dealer for a couple issues and for poops and giggles I asked them how much it would cost for them to do the service, they want $250 to do the service while its there but I think im just gonna do it myself.

Always do everything yourself. Always.

Are you going to change the transmission fluid, or just the filter? I don't think a full fluid change is part of the 50 hr service any more, but I'd change everything, including the front axle fluid. The dough you save doing it yourself will pay for all of it. If all the fluid, make 4 drain pans out of cut-down 5 gallon buckets You'll need all of them when doing the transmission, unless you have a really big drain pan. FWIW, filter's weren't a problem for me - standard $2 Walmart oil filter wrench was plenty. Also, it won't take more than an hour or two.

JayC

 

[bigbull338]

well my 50hr service time is fast approching.an im going to have the dealer pick it up an service the tractor.so i hope it dont cost $250 to service it.

 

[bp fick]

well my 50hr service time is fast approching.an im going to have the dealer pick it up an service the tractor.so i hope it dont cost $250 to service it.

Head's up!!!! There's been some astounding prices reported lately on 50 hour service by a lot of guys. You'd best have a rock hard quote to agree to ahead of time. Just sayin'.

 

[kevinj]

Head's up!!!! There's been some astounding prices reported lately on 50 hour service by a lot of guys. You'd best have a rock hard quote to agree to ahead of time. Just sayin'.

At the cost of UDT, oil, filters and labor that $250.00 number seems to be cheap.

There must be close to $200.00 in material for the 40 series tractors.

Some of the newer manuals show filter change only on the trans which will save a bunch of UDT cost, but I changed mine anyway.

 

[bigbull338]

oh ill know what its going to cost when i call them to come get the tractor.i was going to have it serviced,but they said oh no we want todo the 1st service on it.

 

[ZDB]

I did the 50 hour on my M7040 myself. Not a big task really just follow the directions in the manual or on the forum and it goes pretty quickly.

$250, I had more than that in my UDT!
My tractor gets worked hard on almost every hour so I did the full fluid change and will continue at the recommended intervals.

 

[kevinj]

oh ill know what its going to cost when i call them to come get the tractor.i was going to have it serviced,but they said oh no we want to do the 1st service on it.

They WANT to but they don't HAVE too. Now if they had the service built into the purchase price let them have at it:thumbsup:

I bought the filters and fluids from the dealer so I had a good record if there were any warranty issues down the road.

 

[ZDB]

I also bought all supplies for the 50 hour at the dealer and paid for Kubota fluids. I know they have to warranty it as long as supplies meet the stated requirements but I coverd my bases just in case.

I found a 10" long 1/8" dia piece of rubber in the hydraulic filter housing. Took it to the dealer and they wrote it off as sealant flash from the assembly process.

No performance issues at all before or after.

M7040HD ran me around $400 in supplies.

 

[ejkessler]

Make sure that quote is with the new Super UDT-2. If it is it's a bargain. They may be using non-Kubota oil to save money and in the short term it won't matter but when you get later down the road after the warranty is up and you have more wear than you would have otherwise you will be regretting it. Don't go broke saving money on the oil and components. Many dealers use oil that have required specs but that does not make it the same. Saving tens of dollars on equipiment that cost tens of thousands is being penny wise and dollar foolish.

 

[PHILIP8N]

The 50 hour service from the dealer will not include any fluids except for engine oil and what is required to top off when changing hydro filters. Hydraulic oil service on Grand L's is not required until 200 hours. The dealer is not changing any SUDT fluids. With that being said, I changed all fluids and changed all filters at my 50 hours service like many other members has said here as well. For my L3940, I bought 13.5 gallons of SUDT and had a little left over. If you do the front axle, drive it around for a while and check it again. I had to top off my front axle for some unknown reason. Great suggestion about cutting down 5 gallon buckets for the transmission. I will definetly do that next time. A 5 gallon bucket will fit under the transmission, but when it gets full, and oil is still coming out....lets just say I had to clean the garage floor. Philip.

 

[moship]

Just for fun I calculated the cost of replacing all filters and fluids using prices from Messicks's website. All dealers seem to sell of list, so it does not matter where they are coming from.

The total comes to $491.06 without tax for parts alone. (No labor!)

There would be a small amount of fluid left given the package sizes used in the calculation.


Fuel Filter $11.13
Air Inner $14.10
Air Outer $18.49
Oil Filter $10.49
HST Filter $73.95
Hyd Filter $40.78
Gear Lube $36.33 (7 qts at $5.19, holds 6.9 qts)
Oil $36.24 (2 gal at $18.19/gal, holds 7.0 qts)
UDT2 $249.55 (5 x 2.5gal at $49.91, holds 11.1 gallons)


I am not saying all fluids and filters need to be replaced. Just wanted to show the cost if doing so.

 

[arsenix2001]

Bswope, do it yourself and you know its done right, I cant belive that price is including everything that needs or in reality should be done. My supplies for the service were around 250 alone. Ive been doing services on kubotas from L48's to kx's to the 3540. Its easy. I recommend following the manual for engine oil/filter, hydrualic filter changes, but in addition i would also change the secondary trans filter, also a spin on type as well as changing your front differential fluid assuming you have been using 4wd. Replacement of the hyd fluids is definatly not needed but doing a FULL filter change/ front axle fluid is recommended as all the metal parts are mating together and you want to get those bits out of there. My only concern with you though is werent you having grinding issues that the dealer was going to check out at the 50hr?

 

[ejkessler]

Just out of curiosity was wondering if anyone has kept and filtered out there hydro oil to reuse? I did my own L3540 50 hr change and did all the fluids. When I took out the Hydro fluid it still looked like it was brand new. No discoloration. I put in brand new Kubota oil. I then transferred the oil I took out from one set of buckets to another using a pump to draw off all but the bottom couple of inches after leaving it stand for several weeks. I was going to go ahead and drop a couple of magnets in the bottom as well. Seems like such a waste if the oil is still like new. I know I have said just earlier in this thread not go broke saving money and was wondering what anyone else thinks.

 

[arsenix2001]

Just out of curiosity was wondering if anyone has kept and filtered out there hydro oil to reuse? I did my own L3540 50 hr change and did all the fluids. When I took out the Hydro fluid it still looked like it was brand new. No discoloration. I put in brand new Kubota oil. I then transferred the oil I took out from one set of buckets to another using a pump to draw off all but the bottom couple of inches after leaving it stand for several weeks. I was going to go ahead and drop a couple of magnets in the bottom as well. Seems like such a waste if the oil is still like new. I know I have said just earlier in this thread not go broke saving money and was wondering what anyone else thinks.

You answered your own question, if you read the manual, the hyraulic fluid isnt called to be changed until the 400 or 500 hr service (sorry exact number slips my mind). There is no need with newer fluids, just the filters. As far as re using what you have, i personally wouldnt as that oil was used during break in and kind of depends on your cleanliness. Might be a while too since it shouldnt be changed for another 500hrs or so assuming this was done recently.

 

[Bswope]

Bswope, do it yourself and you know its done right, I cant belive that price is including everything that needs or in reality should be done. My supplies for the service were around 250 alone. Ive been doing services on kubotas from L48's to kx's to the 3540. Its easy. I recommend following the manual for engine oil/filter, hydrualic filter changes, but in addition i would also change the secondary trans filter, also a spin on type as well as changing your front differential fluid assuming you have been using 4wd. Replacement of the hyd fluids is definatly not needed but doing a FULL filter change/ front axle fluid is recommended as all the metal parts are mating together and you want to get those bits out of there. My only concern with you though is werent you having grinding issues that the dealer was going to check out at the 50hr?

Yep the grinding issue is still there and hasnt gotten any worse or better, Im gonna take it to them and have them look at it and see what they say about this issue. After that gets taken care of ill do the 50hr service myself, BUT heck maybe they will find something and have to change the fluids under warrenty?

Thanks for all the replys fellas, ther is some good advice given here!!

 

[ejkessler]

You answered your own question, if you read the manual, the hyraulic fluid isnt called to be changed until the 400 or 500 hr service (sorry exact number slips my mind). There is no need with newer fluids, just the filters. As far as re using what you have, i personally wouldnt as that oil was used during break in and kind of depends on your cleanliness. Might be a while too since it shouldnt be changed for another 500hrs or so assuming this was done recently.

At the time, 2 years ago the recommendation for all replacing fluids at 50hrs was in place. It was a L3540 HST-1. I understand the new changes and will probably just give the fluid away to someone with an older hydro tractor. By the time I go to use it with my current machine will take quite awhile. It just seemed like such a waste at the time, especially since it still looked so fresh. I am a little old school in the sense of waste not want ont.

 

[TripleR]

Do your own service and save a lot of money. The only time I have had mine done by the dealer was when I was physically unable. My wife or son now assists me and we service all of our tractors. We lost about a quart of SUDT changing filters on our L5030. My son did the 50 hour on our M8540 and even that is not that big of a deal.

As to fluid/filter replacement, I go by the Operator Manual.