First Service Recommendations

[rwork]

I was wondering when and how some of you other LS owners handled the first service on your tractor.

According to my owners manual, it calls for changing the oil, hydraulic, and HST filters at 50 hrs. It doesn't call for fluid changes until 300 hrs. That seems like an awful long time to me.

I'm coming up on 30 hrs., and was thinking of changing my oil and filter around that time, then changing the hydraulic fluid and the hydraulic filter and HST filter at 50 hrs.
Does that make sense?

What's your thoughts?

Thanks, Randy

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

 

[BlackDogTx]

Hi all,
I am interested in this topic as well as a new owner. I just bought a set of all the filters to have on hand for when I need to do the service (for sure I am changing the engine oil at 30 hours despite what the manual says, Firm believer in clean oil makes a happy motor), but would really like to hear thoughts on this to include, types of fluids etc.. I bought Rotella T 15-40 for the engine oil, but wanted to hear opinions and cheapest places to buy hydraulic fluids etc..
Thanks also!
..E

 

[Gary Fowler]

There is a reason that they want you to go to 50 hours with the break in oil. It is so the engine can wear in prior to changing the oil an filter. I dont think you will do any harm changing early, but it for sure isnt necessary. Changing oil at 30 hours would be like changing car engine oil at 1500 miles or less when the mfg says 6000.
Changing oil more frequently than recommendation just waste our valuable resources and drains your bank account without any gain to protection of equipment.
Stick to the book.
PS when I changed my engine oil/filter at 50 hours, it was clean and clear as fresh oil. I think that the breakin oil must have been ND type as most diesel engine oil is black within 5 minutes of running.
Changed filter on engine and hydraulic and that is it till next required service.

 

[Guesseral]

At my 50 hr I didn't change the hydraulic fluid just the fliter, there is a heck of a lot of hydraulic fluid in one of these units at a large cost. I ask the dealer and he said to change the filter, and just drain the hydraulic fluid clean off the magnetic plug and strain the old hydraulic fluid before putting back in. He said the only reasoning for changing the hydraulic fluid is to remove any small metal shavings that may be created when a brand new unit is being used. It made sense to me so that is what I did, and there really wasn't anything on the magnet or the cloth I used to strain the fluid anything must have been filtered out by the filter.

 

[rwork]

There is a reason that they want you to go to 50 hours with the break in oil. It is so the engine can wear in prior to changing the oil an filter. I dont think you will do any harm changing early, but it for sure isnt necessary. Changing oil at 30 hours would be like changing car engine oil at 1500 miles or less when the mfg says 6000.
Changing oil more frequently than recommendation just waste our valuable resources and drains your bank account without any gain to protection of equipment.
Stick to the book.
PS when I changed my engine oil/filter at 50 hours, it was clean and clear as fresh oil. I think that the breakin oil must have been ND type as most diesel engine oil is black within 5 minutes of running.
Changed filter on engine and hydraulic and that is it till next required service.

Gary, your response does make good sense as far as the engine oil goes. I will stick with the book on that one.
I am a little concerned about the hydraulic fluid change at 300 hrs, as I'm averaging about 15 hrs per month, and at that rate it would be nearly two years before I hit the 300 hr mark.

 

[bruceatlam]

I changed engine oil/filter at 20 hours and at 50 hours. Changed hydraulic and HST filters at 50 hours. Just topped off hydraulic oil after changing the filters --- lost maybe 3 quarts of hydraulic oil. I'm not going to worry about changing hydraulic oil until the 300 hour mark.

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

and it seems manufacturers change their recommendations a lot??

For the Kubota B-Series that are now recommending at 50 hours

Engine:
change the engine oil and replace the filter

Front axle:
Change the oil

Hydro Fluid
Change the oil (all the oil not a top up of lost fluid due to filter changes now)

HST Filter:
replace

Hydro Filter
replace

this came from a fax Kubota sent me yesterday which is different than the operator manual I got last year with the tractor

 

[BlackDogTx]

Just curious..When y'all do change out hydraulic fluid out of the big 5 Gallon containers, what's your preferred method of transfer? Do you use some sort of a siphon or transfer pump?

 

[kpbeddin]

Just curious..When y'all do change out hydraulic fluid out of the big 5 Gallon containers, what's your preferred method of transfer? Do you use some sort of a siphon or transfer pump?

I bought one of those plastic kerosene hand pumps to transfer my hydraulic oil. It is also handy in case you happen to overfill a bit.

 

[bruceatlam]

Just curious..When y'all do change out hydraulic fluid out of the big 5 Gallon containers, what's your preferred method of transfer? Do you use some sort of a siphon or transfer pump?

I use an old Tide bottle --- I pour from the 5 gal container into that bottle and then into the tractor through an appropriate funnel.