Trouble Pulling Hills (BX23)

[maronha]

Hi everyone. Long time lurker first time poster. I have a 2004 bx23 950 hrs. I have been noticing lately that I don't have the normal power when mowing hills and driving up my driveway. It seems to be excessive whining and has become more and more prevalent. And yes I am using low speed. These hill used to be a piece of cake when my tractor was younger. The other morning i decided to go out and mow the hill first thing when the tractor was cold. Well to my surprise it pulled right up the hill with no problems. Anyone have the same issues OR is my tractors just starting to show its age. The problems are only when it warmed up and hot(normal operating temp). Thanks

 

[jeff9366]

Check level of hydraulic fluid ASAP.

 

[countrybumpkin]

Also when was the last time it was serviced and filters changed?

 

[maronha]

I am coming up on my service interval. I will Double check fluid level tomorrow. I will go ahead and service the tractor and see how everything works after.

 

[oldnslo]

More HST power when cold is normal. At 950 hrs something could be worn a little but without some testing it would be difficult to confirm this.

Have you checked to see if the plastic cooling fan is not broken? Is the tranny covered with grass clippings or dirt? Keeping the tranny clean will help it run cooler and last longer.

 

[maronha]

More HST power when cold is normal. At 950 hrs something could be worn a little but without some testing it would be difficult to confirm this.

Have you checked to see if the plastic cooling fan is not broken? Is the tranny covered with grass clippings or dirt? Keeping the tranny clean will help it run cooler and last longer.

I will check all that. Is the cooling fan supposed to run all the time or does it run off a temp sensor?

 

[maronha]

Went out and checked everything. The fluid level was at the first mark on the dipstick. Added some fluid to bring it up to the 2nd mark on the dipstick. The fan was all in tack with all its blades and working fine. The transmission looked clean and not covered in clipping and dirt.

 

[Recoveryhill]

A Diesel engine is an air compressor. Warm it up and check compression and you will know more than you do now. This is not a complicated or expensive test. 950 hours on a Kubota diesel is not much, even a small displacement unit. 3 cyl Kubota engines are frequently found on refrigerated containers and mean time before replacement is over 16,000 hours. Excessive whining screams transmission, btw. I assume it is hydrostatic? My L4700 whines if I forget to release the brake!

 

[maronha]

A Diesel engine is an air compressor. Warm it up and check compression and you will know more than you do now. This is not a complicated or expensive test. 950 hours on a Kubota diesel is not much, even a small displacement unit. 3 cyl Kubota engines are frequently found on refrigerated containers and mean time before replacement is over 16,000 hours. Excessive whining screams transmission, btw. I assume it is hydrostatic? My L4700 whines if I forget to release the brake!

Yes it is a hydrostatic. The brake has been left on for sure over my 15 years of ownership. Good thing is it tells on itself fast.

 

[RickB]

If the engine is maintaining RPMs while the travel speed is inhibited disregard all advise about testing and troubleshooting engine systems and components. Consider a hydraulic oil and filter change and cleaning the suction screen. If your symptoms persist, you may want to have a competent service facility do charge pressure and drive pressure tests on your transmission.