L35 Jerky boom and numerous other newbie questions

[Telstar2112]

1. I seem to do all right with all the other movements on the backhoe but the boom extend and retract seems very hard to do smoothly. Sahkes the whole tractor a lot and also makes me drop stuff from the bucket. The side to side rotation is a little jumpy as well although I'm a little better at that one. Even when I am very careful the boom extend and retract seems very jerky. I'm sure I'll get better with it but seems like ther should be a flow control or some way to adjust it. Any ideas? Can this be added? I am already doing this at barely above idle speed on the RPMs.

2. Am I supposed to be able to move the boom, dipper and bucket at the same time? Seems as if I move the boom while extending or retracting the dipper, the dipper stops moving. I find it would be best if I could move all three at once. (especially if I get better at 1. above!)

3. Machine seems so very tippy, some here have recomended wheel spacers but not sure where you find something like that. Anyone with any experience with this for an L35?

4. Which bring me to another question...anyone have much luck with the search on here? I do find things but seems as if I can only search by "any" of the words I type into the search. How do you get it to search for "all" the words? I tried the "+". L35+wheel+spacer but seems to get results for any of these words. I also tried quotes and &.


Thanks...as I am finding out with my real first tractor of any kind...there is a lot I do not know!

Steve.

 

[kiotiken]

Well, I would say reduce the RPM's, but it sounds like you've done that. You don't loose any power as the hydraulic pressure delivered to the bh stays the same, it's just the flow that drops. You will get better at it with practice.

On my Woods bh, you couldn't really use all functions at the same time, it prioritized one over another. That kind of sucked, but I got used to it.

I always fully dumped my bucket and then put it down in the upside down position instead of flat on the ground. That and the stabilizers down meant there was virtually no weight on the tires at all and it was very stable, you may want to try that.

Searching on TBN is almost useless. Here's the best way I've found, use Google instead! In the Google search bar, type the search you want followed by "site:www.tractorbynet.com" That gives you all the searching power of Google and limits the results to TBN.

 

[Carl_NH]

Hi Steve,

The L35 rear wheels are bolted directly to the axle shaft so the only way to widen is to add a spacer but usually these machines aren't tippy. Are your rear tires loaded? Check by putting the valve stem towards the bottom and release some air or if filled it will be fluid.

On the BH operation you can do two functions at one time like curl the bucket and move the boom or dipper stick. You should also have what I call a "crowd" function moving the lever at a 45* angle works two valves at one time.

Your boom shouldn't shake the tractor it should be smooth. I usually run about 1200-1500 RPM for most digging unless I need more power then 2K or so. It may be a cylinder seal or valve problem not allowing a even flow of oil - you can test by swapping the lines on the valves.

Before you do this maybe go to a dealer that has a L35/L39/L45 - explain the issues, and try out the dealer machine and if it operates the same manner - well its the operator then

 

[BeezFun]

I used to rent L35s all the time, they're great. My experience is the hydraulics are all smooth, including boom extension. I had a problem like that with a manlift, turned out it was air in the lines that had to be purged. Not sure if that could be your problem or not.
Yes it's possible to use two controls at once on backhoe, not sure of the exact combination you're asking about, but I know the dipper and bucket can both move together.
I never experienced any sense of it being tippy. I always lifted it up on the outriggers and bucket edge before digging.

 

[Telstar2112]

Thanks. Yeah, I seem to be able to do two functions but not the boom and dipper at the same time.

If I am real careful I can move the boom slowly and smoothly but it is tough. Guess I'll get used to it.

The tippy I was worried about is while driving it around my very hilly, rocky, uneven property. Just feels so top heavy sitting up that high with that narrow a stance. I'll check into the ballast for the rear wheels.

Steve.

 

[gwdixon]

With all four wheels off the ground, as described by kiotiken, the tractor should be very stable for digging.

When transporting, the boom is a high source of weight so raises the center of gravity. That will make it feel a bit more tippy. Make sure the front bucket is as close to the ground as practical. You might even consider scooping up a bucket of dirt to lower the center of gravity. You could also lower the boom to as close to parallel to the ground as you can - although that would be a desperate measure that could cause other problems.

On the boom shutter/jerk, it may be the oil thinning out too much. I know you have searched but there are a few threads on the subject. I had to use Amsoil 10w-30 hydraulic oil ($$$) to keep my L48 from shuttering so much when hot. So if the backhoe doesn't shutter when the oil is cold and does when hot you may have your answer.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-owning-operating/247262-l39-hydraulic-shudder-when-hot.html

There are certain backhoe functions that work together but then there are ones that don't. I believe this is to allow certain functions to take full advantage of the pump's gpm to apply the most force. My L48 does the same thing and it has three hydraulic pumps.

 

[rmk700]

The L35 is no where near as freindly as the large newer backhoes but does ok.

Here is a video i made operating mine that may show a little info for you.

Kubota L35 - YouTube

 

[Telstar2112]

Rmk, that is certainly much smoother than me. Probably just the operator! Wow, I wish I had soil like that, by the time I finished a trench today for a culvert and looked over at my "dirt" pile all I saw was a big pile of rocks!

 

[sandyc]

Take it from me, you will get used to the controls. Yesterday I was "teasing" a few small stumps out of a path thru some woods and noticed that I wasn't thinking about what control to use....It became automatic. The control to swing the boom is very touchy but over time I have developed a feel for it. The controls become an extension of your hands. Takeit slow and you'll find that after a few hours you will get the hang of it. If you have a practice field, or a my calls it, my sand box, that will help to hone your skills. Good luck

 

[rmorey]

My 7' backhoe did the same thing. When you tried to extend the dipperstick and lower the boom at the same time, sometimes it would shake up and down violently. It was caused by a small pressure leak in the stabilizer legs letting the pressure off the legs slightly. When it happens again, add pressure to the stabilizer legs and see if it stops.

 

[Telstar2112]

I am getting better. The boom swing seems to have some play in it which highlights any sudden moves. Tractor ,in theory, has only 500 hours so I am not sure how much play there should be.
Some of these big rocks all jammed into this sticky clay are sure teaching me a lot of finesse!

More newbie questions:
If your out in the woods and a hydraulic line were to break, are you dead in the water? Or can you still drive the tractor assuming no implements were dragging?

Any negatives to putting the fluid in the rear wheels?

Any issues digging a 4-5 foot deep swimming hole in a stream running through my property? Operating the backhoe completely submerged? Any tips, I imagine it should be gradual so as to not collapse. Is this something people do?

 

[rmorey]

The water wont hurt the hoe, but you may run foul of the natural resources folks if they get wind of you digging in a stream. Find out what is allowed in your area vis-a-vis the rules for streams.

 

[Carl_NH]

On the Hyd lines, if one breaks unless its the boom or bucket lift cylinders (or feed lines) you can "go home" as once you stop sending fluid to the cylinder the leaks stop except for some drips usually.

The chance of a line breaking due to age is very low, but higher chance of damage is hitting something and breaking a line.

Putting fluid in the rear wheels is not cheap, but will give you better stability.

Digging in a stream - no problem for the machine, but I would just make sure you have good soil for the stabilizers. Also, this will likely fill back in quickly unless you make some waterfall of rocks on the upstream side. Digging in a stream is tough as you cant see what your doing when the water is murky.

 

[Port]

In reference to Digging in a creek or stream. The trout fishermen on the beaverkill will have an eco hunt you down. You cant legally dig in any NY waters without a dec permit. If you file for a permit, you need to tell them it's to move a gravel bank a spring flood created or bridge work, not a swimming hole. Do your work late in the day use some hay bales to keep the plume down, or do as stated above build a waterfall. Fun to do, nobody bothers you, after a couple of good rains it'll dig to bedrock.

 

[Kickstand]

Regarding feeling "tippy", you probably already know this but I routinely use the backhoe boom as a counterweight, sometimes fully extending it low to the ground to the uphill side when traveling on a side slope. I'll also extend the downhill stabilizer close to the ground in case it tips. And that's the one time I wear the seat belt too...

God luck!

 

[Telstar2112]

To build the waterfall I'm guessing you would need to put some very large rocks across the stream otherwise they would just wash away. Do you know if anyone ever walk the streems tlooking for any signs of tractor work? We used to make dams by hand as kids but sure would be easier with the machine. At most we got it 3 feet deep in one little spot.

The stream is actually a bit of a wreck after that last major flood, seems weird they worry so much about little inconsequential things like this but I guess they need to.

I was thinking about that with the backhoe to the high side, just wasn't sure about it. I'll look into the fluid.
Thanks