L3400 50 hour service

[canoetrpr]

Was just looking up the service schedule in my manual. 50hr is still a few hours away but I wanted to see if this is stuff I could do myself or if I had to pay for the dealer to take it away.

I expected at least an oil change would be required at the 50 hr interval but the manual basically just says to grease a few points and do some safety checks at 50 hours. I will be doing things like cleaning out the rad grill before that anyway.

Oil changes seem to be every 100 hours.

Am I reading this right? Is this what the rest of you are doing at 50 hours also?

I have to say that the 100 hour service didn't look half bad either. I'm not terribly mechanically inclined but it didn't look like stuff I couldn't do myself or ask a neighbour for help if I got stuck. Everything is so easily accessible. Heck I don't even have to take the hood off to get at the fuel filter. After 8 years of owning it I don't even know where the fuel filter is on my Honda Accord. 200$ s a lot to pay just for trucking the tractor over to the dealer if the stuff is as straightforward as it looks.

Do the rest of you send your tractors to the dealer for basic service like the 50 and 100 hr or do it yourself?

 

[hsvhobbit]

I've got a 4630 that I just did the 50 hr service on (I posted a topic on it, you can look it over if you like). Since I've got the HST it was a little more involved. But at it's simplest greased things, changed the oil/filter, and Hydro fluid's/filters.

 

[N80]

I did the 50 hour on my 4400 myself, and yes, it is fairly easy. On the L4400 you are supposed to change the hydro fluid as well at 50 hours. I suspect this is true on the 3400 as well. Is your 3400 an HST?

See the post hsvhobbit referred to above for more advice.

From my perspective the mechanical tasks are quite simple. Mananging fluids and avoiding a mess are the tasks that require some forethought and planning.

Make sure you have the appropriate filter wrenchs; getting oil and hydro filters off can be an issue.

 

[silverking]

On the L4400 you are supposed to change the hydro fluid as well at 50 hours.

2 service "manuals" and the service people at my dealer say no.

Got some info to support this claim? No bashing just looking to dispel myths.

 

[canoetrpr]

2 service "manuals" and the service people at my dealer say no.

Got some info to support this claim? No bashing just looking to dispel myths.

I found this interesting also. Most people here change their oil and hydro fluids at filters at 50 hour so this is what I was expecting to find in the owners manual.

I was surprised to see that the owners manual only talked about greasing about 6 to 8 spots and doing some saftey checks at 50 hour. I also have an HST and it does not talk about doing a fluid change until later I am quite sure. I will double check tonight.

I know that with my Honda (car / van), the dealer's service schedule has about 2 x more stuff more often than the owners manual. I just stick exactly to what the manual tells me to do. I hope this is not the same case with tractors.

 

[DanielTerence]

Here's what the Kubota web site says:

Kubota Tractor USA - Quick Reference Schedule

 

[canoetrpr]

Here's what the Kubota web site says:

Kubota Tractor USA - Quick Reference Schedule

The table is generic though. It says so. Although I would not expect vast differences. Unless I am missing something in my owners manual, the manual is at odds with this table wrt. the 50 hour service.

 

[N80]

Silverking, what am I supposed to say? The owners manual for my L4400 clearly says to change hydro at 50 hours. It also says to change the front axle fluid, and hydro filter at 50 hours. Short of scanning the maintanence schedule of the manual and posting it, I'm not sure how else to prove it. And I really don't have anything to prove anyway. I know what my manual says and I follow it.

I've heard several dealers tell people they didn't need to change hydro at fifty and I've heard of several that do the fifty hour service without chaging hydro. My dealer changes hydro at 50 hours for the 4400, I asked before deciding to do it myself. I followed my manual. I'd suggest everyone else do the same. If the L3400 manual doesn't call for changing hydro at fifty then there is no need to do it.

Also, the L4400 comes only in a manual tranny, no HST, no GST. That might make a difference.

 

[hsvhobbit]

FWIW, my manual for the 4630 HST definitely specifies changing the hydro/hst filters and fluid at the 50 hr mark. If "canoetrpr's" manual has a different maint schedule, then so be it. I can absolutely assure you that I would NOT have gone through the sweat, mess, and huge bother of changing all that fluid if the manual hadn't specified to do so.

Also, while the fluid itself looked 'fairly' clean, the filter's did NOT, in fact, the hydraulic filter had a very nasty deposit just inside the outer gasket. Dark grey and powdery as a matter of fact. When I poured off the old fluid there were also some bad looking particles in the bottom that I presume had settled out...So all in all, I think my 50hr service was a good thing.

As a second data point, at ONE dealership I talked to, they flat out told me that Kubota didn't recommend a hydro fluid/filter service at 50 hrs, said it wasn't required until 400 hrs, completely contrary to my manual...needless to say, I won't be asking THEM for advice in the future.

 

[wickedinhere]

My l2800 says to change the hydro oil and front axle oil also. The 2800 and 3400 are the same tractor just different hp.

 

[Marcussen]

The L2800/3400 manual maintenance schedule recomends changing all fluids at 50 hours (also oil filter, HST filter, and hydraulic filter)

 

[wushaw]

Yup that's what my L2800 manual says also.
50hr change is to get the break-in stuff out or the stuff that breaks off out.

 

[canoetrpr]

My l2800 says to change the hydro oil and front axle oil also. The 2800 and 3400 are the same tractor just different hp.

Looks like I'm going to get the eye glasses on a and will stare at the manual tonight! I would DEFINATELY not expect a difference between the L2800 and L3400.

 

[canoetrpr]

The L2800/3400 manual maintenance schedule recomends changing all fluids at 50 hours (also oil filter, HST filter, and hydraulic filter)

I am about 99.9% confident that I looked at the same schedule on my manual and it most certainly looked different from yours. I have no clue what is going on.

I'll try to scan it in so we can compare.

 

[Marcussen]

I have read other Kubotas have a screen for the hydraulic system but I have not found anything in my manual about it. All I see is the two filters. Does the 2800 have a screen in the hydraulic system somwhere?

 

[wushaw]

I have read other Kubotas have a screen for the hydraulic system but I have not found anything in my manual about it. All I see is the two filters. Does the 2800 have a screen in the hydraulic system somwhere?

Negative, only the two filters under the R/H & L/H foot platform.

 

[canoetrpr]

Don't I feel like a fool. Good thing I have you guys to set me straight.

Turns out the schedule on page 42 was pretty much stuck to the next page. Once I got it unstuck - there it was - clear as day all the stuff I had to do at the first 50 hrs for the break in - all the fluids and filters etc. etc.

The other 50 hour schedule I was looking at did not cover the first 50 hour service. The first one looks quite a bit more challenging than every other 50 hours .. so I'll think about whether I want to take this on myself. And I'll be sure to read up on all the posts you guys have done on the 50 hour service.

 

[hsvhobbit]

It's honestly not a big deal to do the service. Doing things over again (as mentioned before I just completed doing my 50 hr service), I could easily cut down my time to probably around 2 hrs or less. I could easily do some operations in parallel.

For example, I'd put a catch pan under the crankcase and another one under the main hydralic drain, then two small ones under the rear axel drains. I'd then take out all the drains in one operation and let them drain while I changed out all the oil/hydro/hst filters. (I did them all in series, just so I didn't forget anything). Next I'd refill the oil, then the hydro fluids. Then drain the front axel while I greased the front axel pivots and other grease fittings.

Check with your dealer and see how much he's gonna charge for the whole deal and see what your time is worth.