Kubota 3450 Owners, Clutch

[SPYDERLK]

Hi.
Does anyone see a way that some lube could be applied/sprayed onto the throwout bearing without splitting the tractor? The clutch is working fine but the bearing is dry. I can hear it coasting down when I take the tractor out of gear, release the clutch, and turn the engine off quickly. It coasts for several seconds unless I touch the clutch pedal and push in ~ 1". My witness port for adjusting the 2 stage clutch is covered by the loader. Anybody without a loader that can look there and see if there might be a way to hit the bearing with some lube?
Thanks!

 

[Dman1981]

Don't wait to split till eats thru fingers
Just saying

 

[SPYDERLK]

Don't wait to split till eats thru fingers
Just saying

Good point. The bearing is running freely though, judged by sound and coasting. Im on the symptoms like a hawk. Hope Im interpreting correctly. Im thinking if I could lube it at all Ill get 2 or more years of life. Maybe enough to wear out the clutch.

 

[rScotty]

Sounds to me like your throwout bearing is doing fine. Most of them are built so tight they won't coast like that. They slide and squeal instead of spinning so freely.

Or do you think that spinning for a few seconds after shifting is wearing it out?

If the sound of it free wheeling is bothersome, it may be possible to reach through the inspection hole with a long drift pin and ding the outer of the throwout bearing so it won't spin easily.

 

[Alan W.]

Dont appear to be a grease fitting.

 

[SteveS42240]

If the throw-out bearing is noisy, it is out of grease and will fail in a short time. You will be better off to change it out. While you have the tractor split, go ahead and change the clutch and pressure plate as well. I know it's an expensive solution, but it would be cheaper in the long term than waiting for it all to fail and leave you stranded.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Sounds to me like your throwout bearing is doing fine. Most of them are built so tight they won't coast like that. They slide and squeal instead of spinning so freely.

Or do you think that spinning for a few seconds after shifting is wearing it out?

If the sound of it free wheeling is bothersome, it may be possible to reach through the inspection hole with a long drift pin and ding the outer of the throwout bearing so it won't spin easily.

Yeah, up to this point. It just now started making audible sound with the clutch in - then paying attention I heard the coastdown with clutch released. I think youre right that the bearing is in pretty good shape. Im not worried about the coastdown per se, but the fact that bearing rotation is audible loaded or not. Its dry. Both damping and lubrication are very important in a bearing at speed. If if jingles it is rattling components not Santa coming to fix. Maybe a little, old, stiffened, remanent grease will be shaken into the moving elements, but I know Ive gotta get some "juice" in there soon or its all over.

I have that inspection hole in mind too, to see if I might rig a way to get something into the bearing. It would be trivial to take a looksee except the Woods loader on the tractor bolts right over that inspection plate meant for making adjustments to the 2 stage clutch. I wonder if that plate is obstructed on L3450s with a Kubota loader.

 

[rScotty]

SNIP....
I have that inspection hole in mind too, to see if I might rig a way to get something into the bearing. It would be trivial to take a looksee except the Woods loader on the tractor bolts right over that inspection plate meant for making adjustments to the 2 stage clutch. I wonder if that plate is obstructed on L3450s with a Kubota loader.

I agree that your description makes it sound dry. If so, free-wheeling isn't helping.

Photos of the Woods vs Kubota loaders might tell us something.
At worst, removing a loader is easier than splitting a tractor

I've always been mystified why there wasn't decent bell housing access to all the clutch components on every machine: Trucks, Cars, and Tractors. A lot of maintenance & repair could be done if only there was better access.
AFAIK, only JD ever addressed that problem.

Steps 1 & 2: get an L3450 throwout bearing and inspect it to see what is possible.
Then figureout how the job can be vdone through the inspection cover.

 

[SPYDERLK]

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Dont appear to be a grease fitting.

Excellent! Thank you for posting those shop manual pages. On your tractor, can you see that cover plate were the 2 stage clutch can be adjusted? I cant on mine w/o removing some massive parts of the Woods loader that is on my tractor. Getting there is surely worth the gamble as a last resort. -- But a 1st resort of finding somebody who has a L3450 where that cover plate is right out in the open and could open it and take a look in would be great. Can you/anybody see the throwout bearing through there?
Thanks!

 

[SPYDERLK]

I agree that your description makes it sound dry. If so, free-wheeling isn't helping.

Photos of the Woods vs Kubota loaders might tell us something.
At worst, removing a loader is easier than splitting a tractor

I've always been mystified why there wasn't decent bell housing access to all the clutch components on every machine: Trucks, Cars, and Tractors. A lot of maintenance & repair could be done if only there was better access.
AFAIK, only JD ever addressed that problem.

Steps 1 & 2: get an L3450 throwout bearing and inspect it to see what is possible.
Then figureout how the job can be vdone through the inspection cover.

The bearing definitely has clearance with the clutch out. The audible freewheel coast to a stop is really just the happenstance indicating the adequate clearance and the sound the dryness. Yeah, If there was only a grease fitting. The shop manual linked by Alan W. refers to "change or lubricate" a noisey bearing. No info I see on lubing it. MAYBE theres some way apparent behind that cover. Kubota would probably not provide an external grease point. ... Youve heard? "If a littles good a lot is better, and too much is just right." Doesnt work near a dry clutch!