Kubota B21 TLB complete driveline rebuild

[arrow]

I had to split my tractor just so I would have a continuance of its use as it was my only machine. You split a tractor because it was fun. I wanted to put a gun in my mouth several times during my take apart. You just merrily went along unfettered by any daunting situation that would arise. Why can't guys like me get guys like you for a neighbor. It would certainly prolong my life to have someone like you around while undoubtedly shortening yours to have someone like me around. I am marveled by your mindset.

Lou

 

[dfkrug]

You split a tractor because it was fun. I wanted to put a gun in my mouth several times during my take apart. You just merrily went along unfettered by any daunting situation that would arise.

Sorry it was an unpleasant experience for you, Lou. Sometimes one goes the
DIY route out of necessity, as when I was a teenager with my first car and
could not afford to pay others for mechanical repairs. It IS a good thing that
I enjoy deducing through disassembly and repair how things work. It can
lead to the desire to modify and improve, too. That is even more interesting.

But I would not make a good mechanic as a career because I do not enjoy
doing the same thing over and over. And some things I do NOT like at all:
working on old rusty machinery or installing drywall comes to mind. I either
avoid those or hire it out. I don't like deadlines either.

I am now actively looking for a skid steer, hopefully one that needs work.

 

[john_bud]

Lou, Don't dispare. Guys like dfkrug (and myself) have had alots of experience with frustration and failure repairing stuff. It all works out in the end and keeping a level head and positive outlook gets it done quicker and easier. Learned that from an old timer that just fixed the stuff he found broke. If he couldn't fix it, he bought a new one, if he couldn't buy a new one, he would make something just as good. Never got uptight. Just did what it took and moved on. Man, he made progress workin on stuff!

jb

 

[dfkrug]

Yeah, you got that right, JB.

Someone on TBN has the signature that goes something like this:
"Success is going from failure to failure and maintaining your enthusiasm."

I think the trick is to learn from the failures (and sucesses) of others, too.
Life is too short to learn everything the hard way yourself.

 

[arrow]

I start out with the best intentions because I like this kind of thing. Built race motors when younger and competed at a national level. An engine is so easy compared to a transmission. My trouble starts when things do not go as expected which they never do. For instance, loosening all the bolts holding on the pto in my mind should have it fall in my hands. Oh no. Had to have fabricated a tool to pull the darn thing off. I learn about the tool when I go up to my JD dealer 28 miles away and ask why the pto isn't falling into my hands. So the mechanic shows me what he uses. Of course he doesn't offer for me to borrow it and I don't even ask. This was right at the beginning and on and on it went for me. The tractor cost me $700 to fix. They would of charged $1100 with the labor. It took me 3 weeks to fix or about 80 hours. They would do it 24. I'm not sure its worth it for me. My difference is I don't settle into a problem as you guys do, I let it get to me and as hard as I try for it not to, it always happens. I now have a noise I never had in the tractor. If it happened like this to one of you, you'd just take it apart again. I just want to bring a shot gun to it. That's why I respect your kind of guys so much. I need to be rewired.

Lou

 

[crashz]

I'm like you Arrow, I enjoy working on things until I get frustrated, then things get crazy. My father is opposite and has the patience to see things through, even at a snails pace, under pressure and at all odds.

Dave had a much better situation as he knew that it was going to be a mess before laying a wrench to it, and had a open time table. Having no pressure is a huge deal.

Only until lately have I had the distinct oppurtunity to work on my own stuff (my old 1 ton truck) with that open time table. And things go so much more smoothly as I'm much better prepared, and when a snag occurs I drop it until I have time to research, prep and do it right. When this truck was my daily driver, I cut a lot of corners and patched things up very poorly to get me running again. The truck still has a huge dent in the door from when I kicked it.

BTW Dave - Great work on the B21!

 

[bandit67]

Experience makes the do-it-yourself tasks easier - meaning the more you work on things, the less intimidated you get, and the more smoothly things go. My dad used to rebuild entire cars when he was in his 20's. I was pretty handy at that age, but no where near as handy as my dad.

But as I've gotten older, I've realized that if you don't rush yourself too much, you can do just about anything. And if you're a bit unsure, get some books or get on the internet and do some research. And the other thing to keep in mind is that these things were put together by human hands, and not the hands of brain surgeons, so if it could be put together once, it can be done again.

It's also nice owning machines for a while, as you become more and more familiar with them as time goes by and you do repairs on them. There was a time when I thought I'd never be able to accomplish some of the things that I've done in the last 10 years, and I expect to continue to learn. But I have found that repairs get less intimidating and easier, and, maybe the best thing of all is that you get to own all sorts of neat tools, and who doesn't love tools.

"I came across this 1998 Kubota B21 TLB this summer, and I bought it as an interesting repair project."

Now that is quite the understatement, but you did a heck of a job dfkrug!

 

[arrow]

Some guys are just gifted with a brain-hand-figure it out mentality. I do things once and when the horror show emerges, I get through it but never do it again. In 85 when I was forty and thus mature (ha) I put together a 66 Mustang I found wrecked at a local farm. I'm lucky to be alive because I must have wanted to kill myself 700 times. I fixed more dents in that car than I started off with from punching and kicking it. Then when it came to rewiring it, that was the last straw. Its like I need another person with a better brain than I have just to keep the lid on. ( I'm only gonna ask once DF, will you move next door to me or not....last chance) I learned to build engines from such a guy. When I took my first tantrum, he looked me right in the eye and said "whadda yure beefin about, yure not good enuf to git so mad" I try to remember that to this day. Sometimes it works

 

[callawaycustom]

Great project and pictures. I have a b-21 with a broken diff. I just bought this tractor about 100hrs ago. I just got it all back together. I have been trying to figure out why it broke. I replaced everything broken and all the o-rings and bearings in each case. I did not look at any of the pumps like you mention on the front of the HST or the clutch housing filled with oil. Which pumps should I look at and any other suggestions. Thanks

 

[dfkrug]

I did not look at any of the pumps like you mention
on the front of the HST or the clutch housing filled with oil. Which pumps should I look at
and any other suggestions.

Any guesses as to why the differential broke?

In my case, broken parts from another part of the gearbox got in there. B21s are
known to have somewhat fragile range shifter mechanisms, apparently.

In the case of the HST, including the charge pump on the front of it, I had it all
apart and replaced anything I thought warranted it. I probably could have
reused the charge pump as-is. Broken internal parts from the gearbox can
not get into the HST, and vice versa.

My contaminated foot clutch was clearly chattering and slipping. That's certainly
not good. I don't think that directly caused the broken gearbox parts.