300 HR SERVICE COSTS

DonaldTC35D · Sep 3, 2004

Sounds like your in for some bad weather down there this weekend Don. I hope both you and your TC18 make it through ok. Up here in West Virginia, we usually get some heavy leftover rains from hurricanes but without the winds. Let us know how things turn out.

jinman · Sep 3, 2004

(I just finished the 300hr changes plus greased the backhoe, loader, and tractor.) 

Donald, it feels good to get all that done, doesn't it? It's also a confidence builder to know all the spots that need service. If you take your 16LA loader off, there is one additional zerk fitting you need to grease while it's off. Did you find that one? It's near the bottom, back side of the loader's post. There is a small hole your grease gun can fit through and inside is a zerk that greases the sping-loaded latch mechanism. I just wait until I have the loader off and grease that fitting before putting the loader back on.

I have almost 700 hours on my tractor now. Around 500 hours I backed over a small stump and punched a hole in my hydrostatic filter. I lost most all of my oil and had to put a new filter on. That means I'm coming up on the next hydraulic change at 800 hours.

Last weekend I decided to finally do a cleanup of the battery area and I wasn't happy with some residual damage I had from an earlier battery acid leak. I've removed the entire battery shelf, refinished it, cleaned and replaced old and rusted hardware, and am reinstalling everything with a battery box this weekend. Some folks have gone to Optima sealed lead-acid batteries, but I want to keep my standard battery and just put a battery box to contain the acid. I'll post some pictures when I'm done. How was your battery area?

OkeeDon, I also hope you are safe during the upcoming storm. You've had enough "excitement" lately to last for a long time. Keep your head down! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

thcri · Sep 3, 2004

I'll be hittting 300 hours soon also. My dealer told me not to change the hydraulic fluid unless it is milky????? Just change the filter. But I am sure I will change it anyway not matter what the dealer says.

murph

DonaldTC35D · Sep 3, 2004

( If you take your 16LA loader off, there is one additional zerk fitting you need to grease while it's off. Did you find that one? )

Didn't know about this one but I am taking the loader off today for the first time so I will be sure to get that one /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif I am trying to get everything covered before good ole winter sets in around Nov.

( How was your battery area? )

Funny you should ask because I was just about to do a search on the battery area. I pulled both terminals off, cleaned em, and reinstalled with some petro jelly. While I was there looking around, I noticed the area underneath the battery didn't look to healthy /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif. Looks like I might have to clean that area up with some sanding, primer and paint. I am going to pull the battery off today to get a good look at the cooling lines and radiator. Let me know if you find a good battery box that will fit. Can't wait to see those pics /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

techinNY · Sep 5, 2004

I am curious as what you do with the oil after it is in the trash bags. I am assuming the bags are just to keep the bucket clean after you dispose of the oil properly?

jinman · Sep 5, 2004

( I am assuming the bags are just to keep the bucket clean after you dispose of the oil properly? )

That's exactly right. The large 5-gal buckets make it easy to drain the oil and then you can pour the old oil back into the empty containers after filling the reservoir. That allows you to dispose of the oil in the original containers. I just put the oily plastic bags into the normal trash. Since I live in the country and burn trash from time to time, I just pitched them into my burn barrel and they went up in smoke. My two 5-gal buckets are clean and ready to be used again at my next service. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

OkeeDon · Sep 13, 2004

So, it might turn out to be one of the longest and most expensive 300 hour services, ever...

I guess I'm pretty good at predicting. They called this morning to say it was done, two weeks after picking it up, with a slight loss of electricity, employees, etc. in the middle due to Frances...so it was probably on e of the longest.

As for most expensive, they charged me to pick it up, and possibly to deliver it, plus the cost of the service. The pickup and delivery was by the hour at $70' my guess is they figured 2 hours to Okeechobee and back with loading time (about 45 miles each way, and probably an hour from the dealership to my current location in Port St. Lucie and back, including unloading. So, that's likely to be around $200 or so just for transportation. That's one of the prices I'll have to pay for this danged disability; I have a truck and trailer, but I'm not up to loading and driving right now.

I haven't seen the breakdown yet, but they told me the total was $497. Back out the tax and that's about $467, less the transportation charges, or probably about $260 or so for the service. Since I've heard numbers in the $300 range, I'm not displeased with that.

Only problem is, the tractor isn't deleivered yet -- I'm calling them in the morning to make sure they didn'tdeliver it to the wrong place.