L48 rust

[kjsifer]

Thanks to all the great posters here I decided to purchase a used L48. I think this tractor is going to be a great addition to the farmstead. This is my first post.

I do have a question about rust on the fenders of my L48. The unit I purchased used is a 2006 model. It only has 280 hours on it. It has obviously been kept outside most of it's life as the paint is faded on the loader and the wheels. The worst part I found out when picking up the tractor was the rust on the fenders. Right where the two halves of the fenders meet, there is rust bubbling up. It hasn't broken through the paint yet, but it obviously will.

Is this a common problem with L48's? Is there an easy fix? (Ya, right) Do most guys just ignore the problem or is it something that will eventually rot the fender apart? Any recommendations/comments are appreciated.

 

[wushaw]

Yes most don't worry about it and let the fenders rot.

It's yours now and you can address it anyway you wish.

I would have to fix it myself since it is such an investment, I would like my investment to look decent as long as I have possession of it.

 

[monkeymonk]

fenders? rear.superficial id say. quick fix would be to sand the bubble area,buy a can of kubota orange spray paint and touch it up.

My l48 has about 300hrs, 2006 as well,been kept outside its whole life. so far so good paints a little faded i do keep it in the shade when possible.Rust on mine is from impacts and scratches,non-bubble type. common i would say no i know 3 other 48's, not many but hey 3's a crowd. I also beat the crap outa mine logging,lifting,mining,tilling....on and on i havent found something this thing cant do.Remember its a tool a tough one to.

your gonna have a blast with this thing.Got any attachments? forks are a must in my world, Thumb to. Thumb also gives extra balast weight when side hilling. enjoy. post a pic.

 

[kjsifer]

So far I only have a post hole digger for an attachment. I have a manual thumb on order. Mine has the quick attach bucket so I am looking for a set of forks for the front end. I also need a box scraper and a brush mower, so I'm shopping.

The first thing I will be using this for is building our new house. Then, I will be doing some "casual" logging in our 70 acres of timber, which is the main reason I wanted the L48. You guys all talk about how tough it is and that's what I need, fairly compact but tough.

I also needed loader capacity for logs and that is another reason I settled on the '48. Not that I will be lifting them, but I will be rolling and skidding them and maybe lifting one on a trailer here and there. A logging winch is hopefully in my future, but I don't need it right away.

I bought this machine from an ad on Craigslist and had to drive over 500 miles to get it. The price was right and there are not too many of this type of tractor here in Iowa. Actually none for sale that I could find. So, after driving all night I was actually a little disappointed to see the rust. But, what was I going to do, the machine was in great shape otherwise and I had just driven 9.5 hours. It runs great and I'm sure it will be a great little TLB.

Kevin

 

[Charlesaf3]

How much did you pay? I think that would decide how much the rust pained me...

 

[Dyer retired]

I bought a couple cans of Kubota Orange from the Dealer and painted my snowblower. The fenders would be a pretty easy job....sand it down, prime it, spray some orange. The paint that comes in the cans from Kubota is enamel and I found that it sprays great, gives you a great shine with just a couple of coats, but don't drag anything across the new paint or set anything on it for a few weeks. The solvents in the enamel is slow to evaporate and therefore, the paint slow to harden. You could probably do the fenders for under $20.00. Dyer, retired

 

[LarryRB]

I have an 04 model with 600 hrs... The paint faded so badly it makes the machine look like it was made around the late 60's. I have no rust, and pressure wash and clean the machine quite frequentl. To date, no notice of any rusting anywhere,, If and when I do,,, grind it down, re-primer and re-paint is in order,.

 

[kjsifer]

Here's a picture of the new/used L48. I took some rubbing compound and shined it up a little, then put some wax on the parts I could get to. It should help the paint from fading so badly.

The other picture is a close up of the rust on the fender. They must have used this tractor to clear snow off the road and got into the salt.

 

[Dyer retired]

Here's a picture of the new/used L48. I took some rubbing compound and shined it up a little, then put some wax on the parts I could get to. It should help the paint from fading so badly.

The other picture is a close up of the rust on the fender. They must have used this tractor to clear snow off the road and got into the salt.

Have you decided whether or not you are going to bother with the rust? It is a nice rig and the fenders would be a pretty simple job to paint. Have you seen rust like this on any of the other surfaces? I've spent the week clearing trees killed in an ice storm years ago....I wish I had your
L48 with that backhoe for some badly needed stump work! Have fun. Dyer, retired

 

[LarryRB]

I use mine every winter where the state and towns go by our place with tons of calcium in the winter, I don't have anything like you are showing,, As I said, badly faded orange paint but nothing else.

 

[curtisfarmer]

That L48 must have been used to load salt!! Mine has no such issues, echoing Larry's comments about using ours up here in NH plowing through salt and everything else. If it where me, I would sand and paint to stop any rust problems from spreading. The rig looks good, get a thumb for sure.

 

[artfull dodger]

Working at a Kubota dealer, I have seen even 1 year old new tractors that sit outside fade from the sun, seems the orange Kubota uses is very susectable to UV fading. I plan to build a small lean to on the side of our place to keep my new B7100 out of the sun and weather. I second the guys, sand out the bubbles, prime and paint, then let it cure good. Mike

 

[kjsifer]

I'll probably just leave it as is right now. Unfortunately, the bubbling is on both sides of the fender and it is right on the line where the two halves meet. Therefore, if I grind it out, I'm going to have a hole since the rust goes all the way through. That would involve getting out the welder and welding a patch on, which is going to be difficult to do without welding the two halves together and having an odd looking patch. I'm in the process of building a house and just don't have time to go through what it's going to take to make it look right.

After reading some of the posts here, I'm finding it hard to conceive what they could have exposed this tractor to in order for it to rust so badly in such a short time. I'm starting to wonder about a manufacturing defect. Especially since the rust is only isolated to a couple of spots on the fenders. If the former owner would have been rolling through salt water, I would think the whole fender would be rusted out not just a few spots.

I highly doubt if Kubota is going to fess up to any defects, but I don't know. What kind of warranties do these tractors carry on rust, if any?

 

[Patches]

Go to your local tool rental and rent small sand blaster;the kind you can operate without getting suited-up, and some fine grit blasting sand. A couple of minutes and you'll have both fenders ready to prime/paint.The problem will reappear if you dont take the fenders apart so as to remove all the rust, but it will surely slow it down until you have more time. Be sure to use a good zinc oxide primer to help slow the rust