First Post, First day owning a tractor, and I already need HELP! Kinda Long!

[HawkinsHollow]

When you go to look at tractors why not take some picture of what you're seeing that you have question on? Then the questions you have might get better answers, instead of guesses. Like definitions of "small", "puddle", "oil" "under front axle".

Like me saying it didn't take me long to get to work, I took the shortest route. Then tell me how much time did it take, and which road did I take.

General McArthur told his communications officer, "Don't ever issue a communique that can be understood, always issue a communique that can not be misunderstood"

Touche! By small I mean 2.5 inch diameter oil spot.

 

[DK35vince]

Just went and took a look at it. Pretty solid machine. It has 2 rear remotes as well, that is pretty sweet! LOVE the location of the loader controls. So much more natural than out in front of you! They might be dropping it to $11,800 WITH heavy duty bush hog. Is there anything to be scared about with this machine sitting for a year and a half with little to no use? There was a small puddle of oil under the front left axle, right were it goes into the wheel, what could that be?

Sitting for that period of time wouldn't concern me if it was stored out of the weather.
Did you drive it ?? Does it run and work OK ??

 

[rScotty]

It's most likely a leaking axle seal.

Do you know if the owners have the repair manual for this thing? It should hopefully show the breakdown sequence to get at the seal. Maybe someone with a similar unit can walk you through replacing it, if they've done one on theirs.

Have you run it? That's the critical thing. I can't help you decide on 200 hr BobCat vs new Branson. Both have advantages. But I will say that either one sounds better than what you almost got into. And I can help you with mechanical things.... here goes. I tend to talk & write too much....but that's just an oldster style. Stick with me. Some of it makes sense.

The leak you describe is probably a leaking axle seal. I believe that the Bobcat uses the the same basic design of driven axle used as is used on all compact tractors today and for the past 30 years. It is called a "bevel gear" drive or "tower gear" type. I'm trying to think of an exception but cannot. There used to be other types of driven front axles, but that type is standard today. Pretty much e]very front axle on every compact tractor today is built to some slight variation of that design. The first time I saw one was on a Japanese import back in the 1970's. As I said, there were several types of 4wd front axles before then, but this new type was clearly better.

It could be bearings, but probably not. Any mechanic can show you how to test for that in 30 seconds. Unfortunately, some leaking there is a fairly common problem with that type of front 4wd axle even when the bearings are fine. A bit of a weeping is normal, even a few spoonfulls/year doesn't affect much and is more messy than being a ral problem.
It is not nearly as bad as the leaking transmission seal or milky oil on the Branson.

The outboard seal that tends to leak is located where the axle hub passes through the end of the axle casting to bolt to the wheel. That is where the leak I'm talking about tends to come from. You'll sometimes see it when a tractor is sitting because if in use it just tends to coat the inside of the front wheel and not be as noticible.
Also, that eal is out there at the end of the axle where it gets all the stress and both sides do tend to take a "set" if the tractor sits in one location for awhile. The bad news is that once they if they begin to leak they rarely stop. The good news is that the rate of leakage doesn't seem to change much.

In fact, check some other compact tractors on any lot. Look at the inside of the front wheel. You'll find that many leak at that location to some degree, and the ones that don't will still show a that they weep a little oil there. A few spoonfuls a year is about normal - especially when they are just sitting. It's often just enough to make the inside of the front wheel oily. Stopping that leak completely will last a few hundred hours to maybe a thousand hours depending a lot on how hard the front end loader is worked or if the owner runs around in 4wd. BTW, you shouldn't keep any compact tractor in 4wd all the time. Just shift into 4wd when you need the traction and then out.

Back to the leak, stopping it usually calls for new seals. I hate leaks, but tend to ignore a leak there if it is small. If you have a good mechanic you might ask him what he charges for that job. Because all the compact tractor axles are so similar, anyone who can do one can do another. If you go for that tractor and the leak gets way worse or begins to bother you, a good general mechanic should be able to do that job as well as the dealer.

Keep in mind that because most brands of tractors are designed around commonly used universal size bearings and seals it is often possible to use standard parts for that particular axle job. However, just because all of compact front axles are similar and tend to use universal bearings and seals does NOT mean that other internal parts will interchange. In fact, they probably won't. But other than bearings and seals those front axles are pretty bulletproof. And most come apart and go back together the same way.

To your other question, I doubt if a year and a half of sitting inside a shelter is going to affect the internal fluids one way or another. The main thing to be aware of is that diesel fuel itself can go bad in that period of time and especially if it has condensation in the tank. But there's a trick: There's usually a clear plastic or glass fuel filter on the side of the engine that is designed to filter out crud and any condensed water. With a flashlight you can look at that filter if it is one of the clear ones and see if the filter has a layer of crud or water in the bottom. Half an inch there won't hurt anything, it means it is doing it's job. The filter sends fuel to the engine from the top.
rScotty

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Yes! It ran and drove perfect,I think. Is a hydrostatic tranny noisy? There was this air escaping/hissing type noise when the clutch was out. When it was engaged it was silent. Is that normal? If so, I did not notice anything to be alarmed about. The hydro tranny was nice.

 

[grm61]

Yes! It ran and drove perfect,I think. Is a hydrostatic tranny noisy? There was this air escaping/hissing type noise when the clutch was out. When it was engaged it was silent. Is that normal? If so, I did not notice anything to be alarmed about. The hydro tranny was nice.

Hydro trans does not have a clutch...You should by a new tractor with a extended warranty and a dealer close by......

 

[coobie]

Hydro trans does not have a clutch...You should by a new tractor with a extended warranty and a dealer close by......

++1 good advice.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

+++2 ......BUY A NEW TRACTOR! I have heard of people having a hard time getting parts for some of the Bobcat tractors, the equivalent Kioti parts wouldn't fit. You may spend the difference between used and new on repairs / transport costs / and don't forget about the headache and hassle.

 

[Hamiltonville Farm]

1. As others have said, that's what an oil and water mix looks like. Sort of milky. You've described it well.
2. No, there's no oil in there, just a 2" or so steel tube that shields a driveshaft that takes power from the the front output flange of the transmission and connects to the input flange on the center of the front axle differential. The shield can be one or two pieces generally connected together with a rubber boot.
Although there isn't normally any oil in the driveshaft shield, there is oil in the transmission and front axle. And there is an oil seal where the flange enters the transmission and the same thing at the front differential. It sounds like one or both of those oil seals are bad. That happens when 4wd is used a lot. It's common on used tractors and doesn't mean anything most of the time. If the seals can be replaced without opening the tranny or front axle then replacing them is maybe a 3 or 4 hour job at worst. If there is a U-joint on that driveshaft inspect it at this time, too.

2 1/2. What really matters is where the water came from. With a torn boot it could be that there is no problem at all and the water came from the DPO (Dread Previous Owner) doing FEL work in a creek or being maybe the tractor/trailer was towed through a heavy rainstorm. Or it could be just that the dealer gave it too aggressive of a power washing when he got it. He might have even caused the leak in the boot and not known it. It does look kinda soapy. Most water in oil looks more like chocolate milk and not so soapy. BTW, crappy oil & water won't hurt anything in the front driveshaft itself. After all, most driveshafts are open on cars. The only thing to lube in the shield tube is a U-joint if it has one and maybe some sliding splines. Degraded oil won't hurt either one.

But, there is a chance the water in the oil is in the transmission or front axle. Either one could lead to a bunch of problems that can take a year or more to surface. So If the dealer hasn't picked it up yet, be SURE to check the transmission oil and front axle oil for water. Maybe pull out a few ounces of each and label them. And take some good photos of the boot.
You be sure to check those oils too.

3. Mad?? Depends, read the paragraph right above. THere's a decent chance he didn't know about it, even though it is real common for tractors to leak a little bit there. Some do and some don't. I once bought a 30 hp used tractor that didn't show a sign of a leak there until a month had past and by then there was enough oil in the tube to start flowing out. My guess that time was that the DPO probably knew about the leak, but he had swabbed it out guessing that I wouldn't notice until it was too late to tell who to blame. But maybe he really didn't know.

As to how mad to get, it depends on how the rest of the tractor is working. If it's a nice tractor with a bad boot and decent driveshaft seals I'd let it pass. It really depends more on if the oily water is in the front axle (common in creek work) & might be OK or not depends on how long it has had water in it. Or if there is water in the oil in the transmission - which is very, very rare and would also mean that the hydraulic system has water in it - in which case you probably don't want the tractor.
Either way, get a warranty extension. Used warrantys typically start over at zero time if work has to be done. And time at the dealer doesn't count.
Luck,
rScotty
Oh, a set of new seals and aboot will cost from 20 to 50 bucks for parts takes half day to replace on most tractors, and should last 10 to 20 years depending on use.

That's a great response. Well said

 

[k0ua]

Hydro trans does not have a clutch...You should by a new tractor with a extended warranty and a dealer close by......

That one does. Many do. My Kioti DK35se does not. It is a dry clutch much like any other. The clutch on the 235 is to operate the PTO. My PTO is operated by an electric over hydraulic solenoid. No clutch needed.

 

[fried1765]

That might be true Jchon, but I bet a lot of guys on this site started out mechanically limited, and became decent mechanics as the years went by.

I know that is my story anyway.

YUP.... including replacing a clutch.