50 hour service questions

[mdelmarcelle]

I recently did the 50hr service on my M7040. It was an expensive service. 12 gallons of trans/hydraulic and 3 gallons of engine oil. Two hydraulic filters and one engine filter. All said and done, the materials cost around $360.

I used the SUDT2 for the trans/hydraulic. From what I read on this forum, the manual, and the dealer, it seemed like Kubota SUDT fluid was almost a must. But, it sure was expensive. And it's one of those things where I can't really understand what is so special about it. And I don't really know what's so special about the inside of Kubota tractors (and all models of em) that they'd require their own special hydraulic fluid. But I took the bait. And so far, about 30 hours after the change, there hasn't been a catastrophic failure due to a loss of lubrication.

For the engine oil, I went with the Rotella synthetic (t6 I think it's called). I live in Wisconsin where it can get very cold in the winter, so the 5w/40 weight of the synthetic is nice in colder climates. The manual doesn't call for oil down to 5w, but it doesn't mention synthetic at all. It's reasonably priced at Walmart too.

 

[sal64]

in my oppinion no to hydro and filter doesnt need to be changed , at my work we have machines that have hydraulic motors and filters and put thousands of hrs on them a yr, we change hydro and filter every 5 yrs and never had problem, i have a jd950 25yrs old about 300 hrs now hydro never changed still running strong.

 

[wdchyd]

in my oppinion no to hydro and filter doesnt need to be changed , at my work we have machines that have hydraulic motors and filters and put thousands of hrs on them a yr, we change hydro and filter every 5 yrs and never had problem, i have a jd950 25yrs old about 300 hrs now hydro never changed still running strong.

Does your hyd systems at work go out into the dusty dirt and sit around in the cold and sun and rain......I think not.....If you want to give advice about not doing maintenance there are plenty of tractor dealers ready to sell new tractors........IMHO, that's just inviting trouble.......

 

[Lockport]

Considering the fact that these are not your $1500 sears LT, for me, cost was never the issue. That being said, your 50 hour service is a break-in service. Dirt and dust, as well as your expected metal filings from newly meshing components have to removed and this includes changing out contaminated fluids. In Canada's colder climate, Kubota UDT was really the the same refining standards as that marketed in the US as SUDT, but was simply a PetroCanada contracted refinement of Duratran XL, a semi-synthetic hydro oil recommended as a replacement for the basic Duratran, a summer hydro oil. There is a Duratran Synthetic and, although there is certainly truth to fluids in the loader and other hydraulic implements remaining that would mix, I would not refrain from using this higher grade because of that fear. In fact, that sounds more like a dealer passing on handed down pitch to get you to use something Kubota at least knows the make up of.

Synthetic oil, definitely, but I would allow a break in period. Not all will agree on the time frame, but I think when I had my BX I went to Mobil1 full synthetic at 100 hrs.

I am a firm believer that a great quantity of paper oil filters, much greater than one might expect, simply tear open at there bypass flow path of least resistance and circulate unfiltered oil, unbeknown to the user. I went out of my way to locate the tiny black, Japanese, Kubota branded oil filters with their synthetic media at around $20 a filter and bought a half dozen on Ebay. That may be overkill, but I would not go with anything less than a synthetic filter of any reputable filter manufacturer.

Again, these are not $1500 implements and I cringe when I hear people state and reinforce practices of running down to Wal-Mart because the Rollback on Tech2000 oil filters puts them at $3 each! :confused3: A little protection goes a long way towards peace of mind.

 

[Carl Bert]

Ok I went to the dealer today to pick up all necessary fluids and filters to do the 50hr service. Price was about $340, much more then expected. Anyway it is what it is. What surprised me was, when I asked for synthetic engine oil, the guy said that I was making a big mistake using synthetic. He said certain tractors he would recommend synthetic for, but definitely not for the B26. He said he had never sold synthetic to anyone with a B26, and highly recommends I do not use it. I said it makes no sense to me that only certain engines can take synthetic, and others can't. I don't see how a high quality synthetic can hurt an engine.

I have heard that you should stick to one or the other, and not switch back and forth. That I can understand.

Has anyone else ever been told not to use synthetic by the dealer?

 

[kuboman]

Ok I went to the dealer today to pick up all necessary fluids and filters to do the 50hr service. Price was about $340, much more then expected. Anyway it is what it is. What surprised me was, when I asked for synthetic engine oil, the guy said that I was making a big mistake using synthetic. He said certain tractors he would recommend synthetic for, but definitely not for the B26. He said he had never sold synthetic to anyone with a B26, and highly recommends I do not use it. I said it makes no sense to me that only certain engines can take synthetic, and others can't. I don't see how a high quality synthetic can hurt an engine.

I have heard that you should stick to one or the other, and not switch back and forth. That I can understand.

Has anyone else ever been told not to use synthetic by the dealer?

Dealer was having a bad oil day:laughing:
Never heard that one before. Use synthetic and be confident that your are doing the best for your engine. Just make sure it is diesel rated.

 

[lhansman]

I have used synthetic oils in all of my engines since Mobil 1 became readily available in the late 70's. When you compare starting an engine at -40 degrees with regular oil versus synthetic you will never go back. I have started truck engines and watched the oil pressure gauge waiting for it to rise with mineral oil whereas with synthetic the pressure is there immediately. Also keep in mind that synthetic oils provide much better protection at higher temperatures as well - particularly important if you have an engine with a turbo charger. Except for a few dollars more in cost per oil change, there is no down side to synthetic oils and the first time you crank your engine on a cold morning you will hear the benefits and your starter and engine will thank you.

Wrt to using synthetic in the B26 Carl, I have been running Mobil 1 Delvac in my B26 for 18 months and about 200 hours now with no problems. I change my engine oil and filter every 100 hours. I followed the same regimen for 6 years and 1800 hours on my B21 and never had a problem. When the dealer did the valve adjustment at 1,400 or 1,500 hours on the B21 the mechanic commented on the cleanliness of the valve train.

 

[Carl Bert]

I have used synthetic oils in all of my engines since Mobil 1 became readily available in the late 70's. When you compare starting an engine at -40 degrees with regular oil versus synthetic you will never go back. I have started truck engines and watched the oil pressure gauge waiting for it to rise with mineral oil whereas with synthetic the pressure is there immediately. Also keep in mind that synthetic oils provide much better protection at higher temperatures as well - particularly important if you have an engine with a turbo charger. Except for a few dollars more in cost per oil change, there is no down side to synthetic oils and the first time you crank your engine on a cold morning you will hear the benefits and your starter and engine will thank you.

Wrt to using synthetic in the B26 Carl, I have been running Mobil 1 Delvac in my B26 for 18 months and about 200 hours now with no problems. I change my engine oil and filter every 100 hours. I followed the same regimen for 6 years and 1800 hours on my B21 and never had a problem. When the dealer did the valve adjustment at 1,400 or 1,500 hours on the B21 the mechanic commented on the cleanliness of the valve train.

I am definitely going with synthetic, as the majority suggests. I would like to think that I could call my dealer and get an honest, knowledgeable answer to any question pertaining to the tractor that I bought from them. That definitely doesn't seem to be the case. Next time I will ask to speak to the service manager. Maybe then I will get a worthwhile response. Thanks guys.

 

[crazyal]

Follow the manual. If they think you should change your hydro fluid then do so. But I'm not going to in a few weeks when I do my 4240. The manual doesn't say to and changing it will just spend money for nothing. The filters job is to filter out metal filings, hence you change it at 50 hours. If there's any metal filings that made it past the filter then it's not doing it's job. 50 hours is a cautionary point where the filter will not get too much in it and go into bypass mode. But if the oil needed to be changed at 50 hours then it would need to be changed every 50 hours, not just the first 50.

If it makes you feel better and helps you sleep at night then do it. It's not going to hurt anything (other than your wallet). So I don't fault anyone for trying to protect their investment I just see things differently.

 

[Fred7539]

Personally I think following the manual, especially on the HST oil change is the way to go. I changed mine at around 100 hrs and I think it was a waste of time, money and resources. It was as clean looking as the new stuff I put in, with no metal that I could see. The two filters had been changed at 50 hrs.

I think the only thing you might want to accelerate the interval on is the engine oil and filter change. My dealer recommends 100 hrs. or once a year for that after the first 50 hr. change.

I agree,I change mine every 100 hr.or once a year.