BX23 Advice Needed

[weh111]

I recently bought a used 2004 Model BX23MLB, S/N 6657x with a 42 Silver Edge rotary and a 4' boxblade for 9.5k . It was garage kept with 448 hours and everything seemed to work fine with no apparent leaks. Subsequent to purchase I learned I should have checked the HST cooling fan and I've now learned it is damaged with only nubs of fins left. Also learned the boots of front tie rods and on driveshaft are damaged. I have not used it for more than 2 total hours since purchase with usages of 20 to 30 minutes at a time and it seems to function well in both speed ranges and stops immediately when pedal is returned to neutral position. Is there an easy way to determine if the HST is already damaged from overheating? Also any ideas what I might expect a Kubota dealer to charge for the fan repair? I assume it is worth repairing considering the glowing reports on these machines but admit to needing some educated opinions. Is this one of the earlier machines on which the fan repair may be easier, what series is it.
If I get the fan sorted out I am considering adding a small grapple to this unit and suggestions on how to best add a 3rd function valve would be appreciated as well.
Thanks in advance for any comments as well as help in the past.

Bill

 

[dodge man]

Its common the fan gets damaged. They make both factory and aftermarket guards to put on to help protect it once you get it fixed. In cooler weather its probably not a big deal having the fan gone but if you are working it hard it would be important to get it fixed ASAP. I wouldn't be to worried about damage, its to late now to do anything about it but I'd go ahead and change the fluid and filter just to be sure. There are all kind of threads if you do a search on fixing the fan. It takes a lot of work to take it apart and fix it but there are all sorts of short cuts.

 

[diesel85]

To save time, buy a new fan, remove the old one by unbolting it and cutting it off with tin snips. Then carefully cut the new one in half, and bolt it on. This way you don't need to take a whole bunch of junk apart. The fan is flimsy plastic anyways.

Also, yes like Dave said above, get some guards.

All those issues are easy fixes.

Time to get accustomed to your new-to-you tractor. Great learning experience.