L2850 Front Axle leak and repair question

[countryguy1225]

Watching w/ keen interest for the report out. I will need to do this as well. My front left is leaking, but really just a small one.

Here are a few videos for 'L' front seal replacement. Maybe it too can help us.
Kubota front axle top seal replacement - YouTube
and
Kubota tractor how to front axle knuckle seal replacment teardown - YouTube


Also wondering if folks are using UDT in the axle or the SAE 80-90? Saw some posts both ways. No issues if you do UDT I'm seeing but also some prefer 80-90 as it's heavier and some noted this can keep tiny ooze in check... Just wondered where folks sit on this.

 

[CADplans]

My JD had a small leak,, the axle had hydraulic-transmission oil in it,,
I decided that I would try 140W gear oil,, before picking up a wrench.

Well,, it has been 18 months now, and not one drop of oil has come out,,,

My brother told me about him making this switch in an old AC dozer in the late 1950's,,
he also had great luck with stopping the leak.

 

[repete]

OK Randall, thanks for that link to that thread....I don't know why I didn't find it when searching but I am very happy you sent it along.

After reading , I am going to give it a go.

There was other useful information in that thread, as well. My front wheels are reversed because the fellow I bought it from had the same kind of hilly property I have. Nothing is level so a wider stance helps with stability when sideways on a hill. I didn't think about the consequences of having a widened stance on those axles. Also, what is a "reasonable" weight to pick up with the FEL? After reading the comments about the extra stress on the front axles with heavy FEL loads (plus the reversed wheels), I remembered what I had last done prior to the axle leak in the picture. I had just purchased a box scraper which I brought home on my trailer. So I attached chains to the FEL and lifted the box scraper off the trailer and used the tractor to move the box scraper about 100 feet to where I set it down. My guess is that the BS weighs about 300 pounds. Would that be enough weight (out at the end of the FEL) to create the stress on the front axle to cause that seal to puke as it did? No leaking occurred (clean driveway) until the tractor was parked and shut down.

300 pounds is nothing. It should handle it easily. Remember, just because it can hydraulically lift it does not mean the load path to ground can handle it. Also, as you drive with a load in the bucket think about the affect bouncing it over rough ground can have. I have rebuilt/reinforced loader arms and replaced two beveled gear housings because of fine cracks . They are good little tractors but they are not commercial loaders...

 

[bdhsfz6]

Both the axle seals leaked on my old L3430 HST. I was using Kubota Super UDT2 oil which isn't much thicker than water. Both leaks stopped completely after I switched to 90W/120 gear oil. There was also a slight decrease in gear whine.

 

[CobraTom]

Look at the WHM for your tractor.
From the factory these come with UDT transmission oil in the front axle. This is for the "Break in period" only as stated in the manual.
After this, you are required to switch to 90W gear oil. This should stop all leaks.

 

[dieselcrawler]

Coming in late here, but I've had an L2850 front axle apart before, but its been 5+ years... dont recall needing any special tools, any bearings and seals needed were supplied by Messick's in short order... I may have posted details in a thread about it, not only did I repair the front axle leak, I split the tractor, replaced the clutch, trans case, damaged PTO gears, rear axle seals...

Edit: Check this thread at post 13, and see if it helps.

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/parts-repairs/308600-need-kubota-l2850-wiring-harness.html

 

[repete]

Coming in late here, but I've had an L2850 front axle apart before, but its been 5+ years... dont recall needing any special tools, any bearings and seals needed were supplied by Messick's in short order... I may have posted details in a thread about it, not only did I repair the front axle leak, I split the tractor, replaced the clutch, trans case, damaged PTO gears, rear axle seals...

Edit: Check this thread at post 13, and see if it helps.

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/parts-repairs/308600-need-kubota-l2850-wiring-harness.html

The picture Greg shows in the thread is great as it shows removal of this unit from the axle housing itself. I have done it with the angle housing both on the tractor and off the tractor. Off the tractor is the ONLY way to do this repair. You will need a long set of good external snap ring pliers though if I recall correctly as one needs to go rather deep inside the case.

 

[Walter Clark]

Today I finally got around to replacing the seal between the bevel gear case and axle case on my 1985 L2850 that has been leaking a lot lately.

Everything went smoothly until I tried to reinstall the axle case onto the bevel gear case. Then I found out that the machined surface of the bevel case on which the seal rides is 5mm larger in diameter than the seals ID that was supplied me by the dealer.

The Kubota IPL shows the original seal number is 31353-43874 but is NLA and has been replaced by 32330-99600, which is what I have (according to the packages). The newer seal also has a metal "dirt" shield that my original lacks.

Anyone have any idea what is going on here?

 

[dfkrug]

Hmmm. It has been years since I did the front seals on my old L2550DT. I wonder how many of those parts are even sold by Kubota anymore.

I am now working on a John Deere 955 front axle, and the seal and bearings I bought are all aftermarket. Note that I am only replacing these parts for the hub and not the kingpin. In the latter case, the seal is kinda special, as for the Kubota.

I would go by size whenever possible.

 

[Walter Clark]

I am taking the old seal and new one to the local dealer tomorrow. I find it hard to believe Kubota would make this kind of mistake...replacing an old part (and dropping it from the catalog) with a new one that doesnt fit. Its not like Kubota claims they did any running revisions to the bevel gear case for the 2850, so I would assume they are all the same. The literature that accompanied the seal claims the new seal is for all L2850D and is a direct replacement for the old.