frogpond
Silver Member
I have just fixed the apparently common problem of slow and powerless reverse on my bx25d. I have put almost 900 hours on the tractor, and the problem has been gradually getting worse during the past 50 hours or so. I am very grateful to all those who posted videos and text posts on this subject before.They led me right to the source of the problem. I would like to add a few hints on the procedure for the benefit of those who run into this difficulty in the future.
After checking the rocker pedal to make sure it wasn't clogged with dirt or sticks, and that the fitting was greased, I went on to the next step. The pedal operates a rod that connects to the transmission. The aft end of the rod is connected to the piece coming out of the gearbox by a bolt, which is secured by a nut (5/16"--24UNF), and if, as in my case, the nut comes loose and falls off, there will be so much slop in the connection that not much happens when you push on the reverse pedal.
So here are a few hints:
1. You will end up cursing, for sure, and the job will take a while.
2. I got the replacement nut from the Kubota dealer, but I bet that any source will work fine. The Kubota nut is just a plain one, but a lock nut would probably work well. I used red loctite, instead. I really don't want to do this job again! The Kubota part number is 75599-31022. The parts guy said it has been changed to 0y204-50050; but he could only find the stock under the old number.
3. You can find the offending part by looking above the hydraulic filter, and operating the reverse pedal by hand. Clean the bolt threads with a spray can of carb cleaner. The position of the connection is really inconvenient. In order to access it at all, it was necessary to remove my bxpanded skid plate (not difficult), and remove the hydraulic filter while keeping a drip pan below it. It's tight around the filter, so a band wrench was the way to go. I found that I lost a little less than a quart of hydraulic fluid; so make sure you have some on hand. Once the initial flow stops, you will get only drips thereafter.
4. Use a long screwdriver to pry against the rod, which will push the bolt through its hole, and allow you to thread the nut onto the bolt. This is the most annoying part, as there is barely enough room to get your finger and thumb up there to rotate the nut. I found that the only position that worked was lying under the tractor with my feet sticking out on the left (brake pedal) side, and using my right hand. Your mileage may vary.
5. There is no room up there for a socket or the closed end of a wrench, ratcheting or not. Use the open end. Yes, it's slow. You would have a wider throw for your wrench if you removed the factory fan shield, but I didn't, and it worked okay.
6. Don't forget the loctite! I used the gel to keep it from dripping on my face.
7. Then you put it all back together. I re-used the same filter, taking care to keep clean the filter and the base it screws onto. You may now curse Kubota for not securing the nut better to begin with. Check the hydraulic fluid dipstick on the back of the tractor, and top off as needed.
8. Enjoy the remarkably improved performance...it's really not a complicated job, but it is pretty frustrating. If you are a little lucky, the nut will be only loose, not missing.
Once again, many thanks to those who showed me the way. TbN has been a constant source of knowledge and ideas in my tractor learning curve.
After checking the rocker pedal to make sure it wasn't clogged with dirt or sticks, and that the fitting was greased, I went on to the next step. The pedal operates a rod that connects to the transmission. The aft end of the rod is connected to the piece coming out of the gearbox by a bolt, which is secured by a nut (5/16"--24UNF), and if, as in my case, the nut comes loose and falls off, there will be so much slop in the connection that not much happens when you push on the reverse pedal.
So here are a few hints:
1. You will end up cursing, for sure, and the job will take a while.
2. I got the replacement nut from the Kubota dealer, but I bet that any source will work fine. The Kubota nut is just a plain one, but a lock nut would probably work well. I used red loctite, instead. I really don't want to do this job again! The Kubota part number is 75599-31022. The parts guy said it has been changed to 0y204-50050; but he could only find the stock under the old number.
3. You can find the offending part by looking above the hydraulic filter, and operating the reverse pedal by hand. Clean the bolt threads with a spray can of carb cleaner. The position of the connection is really inconvenient. In order to access it at all, it was necessary to remove my bxpanded skid plate (not difficult), and remove the hydraulic filter while keeping a drip pan below it. It's tight around the filter, so a band wrench was the way to go. I found that I lost a little less than a quart of hydraulic fluid; so make sure you have some on hand. Once the initial flow stops, you will get only drips thereafter.
4. Use a long screwdriver to pry against the rod, which will push the bolt through its hole, and allow you to thread the nut onto the bolt. This is the most annoying part, as there is barely enough room to get your finger and thumb up there to rotate the nut. I found that the only position that worked was lying under the tractor with my feet sticking out on the left (brake pedal) side, and using my right hand. Your mileage may vary.
5. There is no room up there for a socket or the closed end of a wrench, ratcheting or not. Use the open end. Yes, it's slow. You would have a wider throw for your wrench if you removed the factory fan shield, but I didn't, and it worked okay.
6. Don't forget the loctite! I used the gel to keep it from dripping on my face.
7. Then you put it all back together. I re-used the same filter, taking care to keep clean the filter and the base it screws onto. You may now curse Kubota for not securing the nut better to begin with. Check the hydraulic fluid dipstick on the back of the tractor, and top off as needed.
8. Enjoy the remarkably improved performance...it's really not a complicated job, but it is pretty frustrating. If you are a little lucky, the nut will be only loose, not missing.
Once again, many thanks to those who showed me the way. TbN has been a constant source of knowledge and ideas in my tractor learning curve.