I Think I will Rebuild My Kubota

[BrokenTrack]

I think I will rebuild my Kubota. It is 21 years old and has 3100 hours on it.

I was using it yesterday and the clutch was jamming up on me. I kept busting it loose, but it is going to need a new clutch soon, so why put it off? With Black Swan Disease here, and time off from work, what better time to get it rebuilt.

The clutch was pretty cheap: $190 for clutch and throw-out bearing.

I also looked up some other parts that it needs, like new steering drag link, new tie rod, tie rod ends, park brake and some other small parts. That was all around $650. Since I have to pull some of that stuff off, it would be silly to put worn out parts back on.

With a new bucket, $450, and a few gallons of paint, it looks like the rebuild will be around $1400. With the new tires I just put on it, that puts the rebuilt tractor at $2200. Not counting depreciation, that puts the tractor at a cost ownership at 70 cents per hour. I think that is pretty decent.

 

[sea2summit]

Lets see some pictures of this project! Sounds awesome.
opcorntub:

 

[Roadworthy]

You didn't mention the cost of a pressure plate. Its springs are probably getting tired. Does Kubota use a pilot bearing? I don't know tractors that well internally. I was thinking of automotive clutch stuff.

 

[Thomas]

One thing I found out when rebuilding see something else may need attention or better idea or sprucing up which all good,but time slips and coins also.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

What about re-surfacing the fly wheel??? I'm betting it needs that too...

SR

 

[BrokenTrack]

What about re-surfacing the fly wheel??? I'm betting it needs that too...

SR

I usually just sand down my flywheel to clean it up. It is not as good as buying a new one I know, but it does clean it up fairly well considering the cost.

 

[BrokenTrack]

One thing I found out when rebuilding see something else may need attention or better idea or sprucing up which all good, but time slips and coins also.

Yes, I have run into that before too.

There is not a lot of hidden parts on a Kubota, so I am not aware of anything else that needs attention. I do have an exhaust valve that I think occasionally sticks, but I am hoping to make it to winter before I do a rebuild of the engine.

 

[shovelmike]

Sounds like a cost effective and worthwhile project, If you document it here I will be following along.

 

[BrokenTrack]

I think you guys might be disappointed. I found out yesterday that we might get students back in 3 weeks, so I got stuff to do with my tractor instead of rebuilding my tractor. So to that end I figured I would toss out an all out Hail Mary and hope for the best, and it seemed to work.

I heard that Kubota tractors had a lot of clutch left after the last of the adjustment on the clutch pedal was gone, so I tore that apart today and welded on a couple of extender nuts. (3) nuts proved to be too much, so I cut it back to (2) nuts, and readjusted the clutch. I'll be darned, but I think everyone was right: there is plenty of clutch left.

Now just to get the rest of the gravel hauled for my driveway, and get some more sheep fence built before the kids come back to school!

Sorry to disappoint you guys, but it is nice to have a Hail Mary actually work!

 

[VroomVroom]

where did you find the clutch plate at that price. I was wondering because I think my clutch needs adjustment but I won't be hope to check it out for another week. I've been gone for 2 already. The dealer quoted about 5000$ but I think that probably includes the whole assembly and plates of the two stage clutch and 20 hours labour. But when I search online I noticed Bills tractors sells the clutch assembly for 2500$ . But then I see lots of other places advertising the clutch plates for similar prices to what you stated. Its a bit confusing when the prices seem to vary so much.

 

[BrokenTrack]

where did you find the clutch plate at that price. I was wondering because I think my clutch needs adjustment but I won't be hope to check it out for another week. I've been gone for 2 already. The dealer quoted about 5000$ but I think that probably includes the whole assembly and plates of the two stage clutch and 20 hours labour. But when I search online I noticed Bills tractors sells the clutch assembly for 2500$ . But then I see lots of other places advertising the clutch plates for similar prices to what you stated. Its a bit confusing when the prices seem to vary so much.

That seems like an awful lot of money. I know the dealers around here charge about $1200 to put a new clutch in a 2501 Kubota tractor. I actually thought that was highway robbery.

I bought my clutch at the Kubota dealership for around $150 I think. I bought other tractor stuff that day, so I will have to check the receipt.

I have yet to start this project because from July 3rd to Mid-September it is all out war on roadside mowing, so between teaching and mowing I have not even sat on the Kubota. (I mow with a John Deere 120 HP tractor with 18 foot boom mower)

 

[VroomVroom]

Would the 1200$ be for parts and labour? The $5000 sounds a lot to me. But I didn稚 ask what that included either. He might have been quoting everything involved with a two stage clutch plus 20 hours labour. Also, I thought 20 hours seems long too. Maybe if I did it. But a dealer I thought could do it in 6 or 8 hours I would have thought. $1200 would be about $1600 here

 

[Jim Nelson]

Several years ago I had a B7200 that needed a throw out bearing, that old one was squealing real loud, The dealer quoted $1000 to tear it down and time and materials after that. I walked over to the parts counter and bought the bearing assy for around $25, went home and had it done that afternoon. It was a hydrostatic so very little clutch wear, the bearing had just seized up.

 

[VroomVroom]

Jim, yes that seems more like it. And the comment you made about wear on the clutch being a hydrostat. I’ve been thinking of that too. Once engaged after initial start up and shift the tractor in gear, the clutch remains engaged pretty much until you get off the tractor or decide to put it back in neutral and shut it down. No engaging and disengaging to reverse the tractor or shifting gears. You’d figure the clutches have to last longer just due to less engagement or disengagement alone.

 

[BrokenTrack]

Jim, yes that seems more like it. And the comment you made about wear on the clutch being a hydrostat. I致e been thinking of that too. Once engaged after initial start up and shift the tractor in gear, the clutch remains engaged pretty much until you get off the tractor or decide to put it back in neutral and shut it down. No engaging and disengaging to reverse the tractor or shifting gears. You壇 figure the clutches have to last longer just due to less engagement or disengagement alone.

I like a manually geared tractor because a clutch is so cheap. My tractor has 3000 hours on it and needs a $150 clutch. That is a cost of 5 cents per operating hour.

Filters for a slosh drive will cost in excess of $150 over 3000 hours of use.

But it really depends on what you do with the tractor. I do a lot of field work, so a geared tractor makes more sense. A slosh drive would be nice when I work in my gravel pit granted, but it also robs the tractor of a lot of power.

The only perfect combination I found was my bulldozer with a hydraulic reverser with geared tranny. Now why don't all tractor have that?

 

[mred2]

I like a manually geared tractor because a clutch is so cheap. My tractor has 3000 hours on it and needs a $150 clutch. That is a cost of 5 cents per operating hour.

Filters for a slosh drive will cost in excess of $150 over 3000 hours of use.

But it really depends on what you do with the tractor. I do a lot of field work, so a geared tractor makes more sense. A slosh drive would be nice when I work in my gravel pit granted, but it also robs the tractor of a lot of power.

The only perfect combination I found was my bulldozer with a hydraulic reverser with geared tranny. Now why don't all tractor have that?

Power shuttle. My hay guy has at least 5 bigger John Deere and they are old power shuttle. I think the first ones were called a reverser by Deere on their backhoes. I only have a 50hp and mine is a manual shuttle. But I still like it. Like you said the clutch is cheap and I do about 3 times as much field work compared to loader work.
I am around a lot of forestry equipment. But I work in office. A little timber land but my boss has a lot. A lot of pine trees in Alabama.

 

[CoyPatton]

Jim, yes that seems more like it. And the comment you made about wear on the clutch being a hydrostat. I’ve been thinking of that too. Once engaged after initial start up and shift the tractor in gear, the clutch remains engaged pretty much until you get off the tractor or decide to put it back in neutral and shut it down. No engaging and disengaging to reverse the tractor or shifting gears. You’d figure the clutches have to last longer just due to less engagement or disengagement alone.

That makes one huge assumption! It assumes that the clutch pack was properly adjusted and little to no slippage ever occurred. While both are possible, it is also possible that neither happened!