That's the same attitude I have about the service on my cars, if I do it it's right, if I have it done it might be right. I'm just a bit edgy about doing the maintance on the L3410 myself because of my ignorance of the machine and hydro. I'm sure that other than the mess it's not that bad of a job but still unsure of alot of the different filters and screens. Maybe I should go and buy the shop manual because the owners manual is lame to say the best. I take all my old oils,ect. to the local lube joint and can dump it for free, but I'm not sure if they will let me get rid of hydro fuild or not.
50 hour service cost
- Thread starter Joeinindy
- Start date
- Views: 4545
Joe, I have the service manual and it is NOT much better than the owners manual. Just more detail on the insides of the equipment, no better drawings of plugs and such.
I just did the 50 hour service this weekend. I did the engine oil and filter - piece of cake. I also drained out the hydro fluid, messy, but OK to do. Checked the suction screen - took longer to FIND the thing than it did to check it. NO filing at all. Filled the sucker back up - pretty easy with 2 big funnels and a drill powered oil sucker/pusher that I use on my boat oil changes. (Yes, I rinsed it until it was clean before using it! Can't be too careful)
BUT, I didn't do the front axle fluid. On an L3410 HST what's in there? 80W-90 or hydro fluid? i didn't have enough of either to do the job, so I'm stalling until next weekend. But, I would rather have the stuff (what ever it is I need) on hand before cracking the seal! Any one changed the fluid ???
While it's still in my short term RAM, Here is what I learned on the 50 hour service.
1) The yellow hydro filter is on da_n tight! It has No "ribs" on it so the filter wrench slips. I had to use 80 grit sandpaper folded over between the wrench and the filter to get a grip.
2) All the filters dribble oil on you, and everything else. I used a big funnel to catch the fluid and direct it into the 5 gallon plastic jugs.
3) If you drain the high points first and completely, you don't get as much of a bath when you drain the low point by the mid-PTO.
4) I drove the tractor up onto some 4x4 posts to gain extra ground clearance. BUT, I NEVER trust that the tractor (or car) won't fall on and crush the living S__t out of me. I know someone that died that way. Not crushed to death, but just compressed enough to not allow any inhaling. Not nice. Your last 4-5 minutes are spent thinking, "Why didn't I block this thing up??". Always respect gravity, it don't care about you, at all.
5) The screen is a bear to get out. I undid a spring that goes to the hydro pedal to gain extra clearance, but it was still hitting on linkages and "stuff".
6) After spending a couple of hours under the tractor, I have to say that it's is a real nice piece of engineering. Everything is tucked up out of the way real nice. I would like to make a belly pan to go from the bottom of the FEL mount to the draw bar using the FEL frame as a mounting point. Anybody done that?
John Bud
I just did the 50 hour service this weekend. I did the engine oil and filter - piece of cake. I also drained out the hydro fluid, messy, but OK to do. Checked the suction screen - took longer to FIND the thing than it did to check it. NO filing at all. Filled the sucker back up - pretty easy with 2 big funnels and a drill powered oil sucker/pusher that I use on my boat oil changes. (Yes, I rinsed it until it was clean before using it! Can't be too careful)
BUT, I didn't do the front axle fluid. On an L3410 HST what's in there? 80W-90 or hydro fluid? i didn't have enough of either to do the job, so I'm stalling until next weekend. But, I would rather have the stuff (what ever it is I need) on hand before cracking the seal! Any one changed the fluid ???
While it's still in my short term RAM, Here is what I learned on the 50 hour service.
1) The yellow hydro filter is on da_n tight! It has No "ribs" on it so the filter wrench slips. I had to use 80 grit sandpaper folded over between the wrench and the filter to get a grip.
2) All the filters dribble oil on you, and everything else. I used a big funnel to catch the fluid and direct it into the 5 gallon plastic jugs.
3) If you drain the high points first and completely, you don't get as much of a bath when you drain the low point by the mid-PTO.
4) I drove the tractor up onto some 4x4 posts to gain extra ground clearance. BUT, I NEVER trust that the tractor (or car) won't fall on and crush the living S__t out of me. I know someone that died that way. Not crushed to death, but just compressed enough to not allow any inhaling. Not nice. Your last 4-5 minutes are spent thinking, "Why didn't I block this thing up??". Always respect gravity, it don't care about you, at all.
5) The screen is a bear to get out. I undid a spring that goes to the hydro pedal to gain extra clearance, but it was still hitting on linkages and "stuff".
6) After spending a couple of hours under the tractor, I have to say that it's is a real nice piece of engineering. Everything is tucked up out of the way real nice. I would like to make a belly pan to go from the bottom of the FEL mount to the draw bar using the FEL frame as a mounting point. Anybody done that?
John Bud
Bird
Rest in Peace
Don_Curley
Bronze Member
I will be taking delivery on my 2910 next week, but I am already looking towards the 50 hour service. Although I am sufficiently mechanically inclined to do the work I've read about in this thread (and I have all of the service & parts manuals on order), I am somewhat inclined to have my dealer take care of this first service. However, I live 160 miles from this dealer, and although they have offered to supply me with a trailer free of charge, that would be 640 miles of driving (4 x 160 miles) for me to get the tractor to and from them for this service. That would seem to be motivation enough for me to do the work myself. Here's my question ... how can I keep the tractor in warranty if I do the work? Is simply keeping the receipt for the lubricants and filters enough (with a notation on the hours at the time of performance)? And what other service intervals occur after the 50 hour one? (And I am sure that some future service is going to require either special tools and/or the servicing of some system/part that I don't have sufficient experience with ... what do you guys do in that case ... bite the bullet and head off to your dealer?).
Don
Don
Don_Curley
Bronze Member
Actually, on second thought, the mileage for me to get service done at my dealer's is far worse than I thought ...
1) Drive to dealer to pick-up trailer = 160 miles
2) Drive back home with trailer = 160 miles
3) Drive back to dealer with tractor = 160 miles
4) Drive back home = 160 miles
5) Drive back to dealer to pick-up serviced tractor = 160 miles
6) Drive back home with tractor = 160 miles
7) Take trailer back to dealer = 160 miles
8) Drive back home = 160 miles
So that represents a whopping 1,280 miles driven for one service visit (on the assumption that they can't perform the service while I wait ... which I wouldn't typically expect). Despite the "free" trailer, the above scenario is about as unacceptable as it gets. And by the way, I only have two Kubota dealers "near" me ... one at 154 miles, and the other (where I purchased the tractor) at 160 miles, so there's nothing closer.
Anyone know of an optional (and cheap) mass transporter to "beam" my tractor to and from the dealer? /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
Don
1) Drive to dealer to pick-up trailer = 160 miles
2) Drive back home with trailer = 160 miles
3) Drive back to dealer with tractor = 160 miles
4) Drive back home = 160 miles
5) Drive back to dealer to pick-up serviced tractor = 160 miles
6) Drive back home with tractor = 160 miles
7) Take trailer back to dealer = 160 miles
8) Drive back home = 160 miles
So that represents a whopping 1,280 miles driven for one service visit (on the assumption that they can't perform the service while I wait ... which I wouldn't typically expect). Despite the "free" trailer, the above scenario is about as unacceptable as it gets. And by the way, I only have two Kubota dealers "near" me ... one at 154 miles, and the other (where I purchased the tractor) at 160 miles, so there's nothing closer.
Anyone know of an optional (and cheap) mass transporter to "beam" my tractor to and from the dealer? /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
Don
Hmmmm, 1280 miles - and the mileage allowance today is around 40c - worth considering since you are towing ... that comes out at $512 just for the gas plus wear & tear. It's probably more than this since the figure is the allowance from the IRS and is for a mid-size car - not a truck.
Add in the labor on the service ($100) and I'd say you start getting a serious amount of cash to apply to new tools etc. Besides, there have been quite a few posts on the board about how well maintained Kubotas rarely need anything other than fluid changes and new seals.
Geez - for that kind of money you could even trade your tractor a few years sooner before any significant problems occur and probably still come out even.
I'd buy the tools though ...
Of course, another approach might be to ask the dealer if he would send a mechanic out to you if you threw in another $100. There might be one willing to do it on a weekend etc. The cash-in-hand approach works more often than not.
Add in the labor on the service ($100) and I'd say you start getting a serious amount of cash to apply to new tools etc. Besides, there have been quite a few posts on the board about how well maintained Kubotas rarely need anything other than fluid changes and new seals.
Geez - for that kind of money you could even trade your tractor a few years sooner before any significant problems occur and probably still come out even.
I'd buy the tools though ...
Of course, another approach might be to ask the dealer if he would send a mechanic out to you if you threw in another $100. There might be one willing to do it on a weekend etc. The cash-in-hand approach works more often than not.
Bird
Rest in Peace
Don, my dealer is only 50 miles away, and I have my own trailer, but no way would I have considered taking the tractor to the dealer to have the 50 hour service done. I can easily do it myself in less time than it would take to drive there and back (not counting the time it would take them to do the work). In other words, if I were you, I'd just do it, keep the receipts for the fluids and filters and note the date and hour meter reading when it was done.
Bird
Bird
GlueGuy
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2001
- Messages
- 1,654
- Tractor
- Kubota B7500
I change the oil and other stuff on our cars, but that's only 5 or 6 quarts at a time; not a big deal. The tractor will give me about 4 gallons on the first service, and that gives me pause for thought.
A nearby town ( a few minutes from where I work) has a re-cycling station where they collect all those kinds of fluids; oil antifreeze, and a bunch of other stuff too.
The GlueGuy
A nearby town ( a few minutes from where I work) has a re-cycling station where they collect all those kinds of fluids; oil antifreeze, and a bunch of other stuff too.
The GlueGuy
mdbarb
Gold Member
just how does one deal with 4 or 5 gal of fluid?
What do you drain it into? a drum would be too high, a shallow container too small or awkward...
What do you drain it into? a drum would be too high, a shallow container too small or awkward...
