TBN member Rbargeron is the resident authority on the L5450. Search his name for recent posts. I have one, but have no knowledge of the lift arms breaking. My lift arms do have a 1/2" x 2" flat bar welded to the bottom of each arm, presumably to reinforce them. They were done that way when I bought it.
Long 360, John Deere 3005, Farmall Cub, Case IH495, Fordson Power Major
Awesome. My father in law was using a 6' rototiller on his when it broke. He got it rewelded and used the rototiller, and it broke on the same side same place again. Either way a new bolt tat keeps breaking is $150 which is ridiculous anyway. Thank you for the info geneP
Long 360, John Deere 3005, Farmall Cub, Case IH495, Fordson Power Major
That's exactly what it is. It is an expendable bolt for the purpose of breaking instead of the ear of the housing breaking. It just broke twice in one month with the same implement. Just curious if this is an issue for other people or if it is just a coincidence.
Those bolts actually mount in ears on each 32590-28163 brake housing. That part is around $600 (there's one on eBay for $250 that includes the bolt and other parts). The bolts have a fancy shoulder I think but I couldn't find them on the parts website.
Haven't heard of these failing - can imagine a long attachment being hit from the side?
Long 360, John Deere 3005, Farmall Cub, Case IH495, Fordson Power Major
Well the ears haven't broken...yet. The bolt simply sheared off. I think the bolt was faulty and broke it broke a second because it had been welded. I know when my father in law check at Kubota it was about $150-200 just for the bolt. Fortunately the housing ears are still good.
The bolt is probably a zoot alloy or has been heat treated so it needs extra steps to repair to full strength. Easier to just buy a new one if available.
The L5450 does have two clutches but not a conventional 2-disk progressive setup. The travel clutch is the multi-disk hydraulic clutch pack they call the Ever Clutch. The foot pedal actually just operates a fancy hydraulic valve. The pto clutch is a separate dry disk, operated by a linkage and hand lever beside the seat, disengaged up, engaged down.
It's a little unhandy - lever has to be up to start the tractor, then it's supposed to normally run engaged, lever down, to reduce wear on the release bearing.
Long 360, John Deere 3005, Farmall Cub, Case IH495, Fordson Power Major
That's what my father in law and i believe is since it is such a high pressure point that when wielded back together it just wasn't able to handle the high pressure. That's why we decided it would be best if we just bought a new one. On a different note the PTO clutch handle that is beside the seat never has operated correctly. It is either because the linkage is bent unhooked or broken but for whatever reason if you put down the handle the clutch will engage and you will no longer be able to operate the PTO without intense maintenance to repair the issue. He did buy this tractor used I feel that it may have been used hard before he bought it. It did have some blow by when he purchased it but since then has rebuilt the engine. I feel that the bolt shearing off and the PTO clutch handle not operating correctly may be a result of poor maintenance or lack of TLC. But I wanted to check to make sure that these issues we're not a common failure on these particular tractors. I have used John Deere, Kubota, Case IH, and LONG tractors and each tractor has their own set of issues some more than others however they are all great tractors. I have been thoroughly impressed by the Kubota l5450. Is there anything else that you could tell me that might give me a heads up what to expect? What are some of its strengths and what's are some of its weaknesses?
The L5450 and other L3 models using the same chassis are among the best-built, most trouble-free Kub machines ever offered. At one time I had an inside contact in Columbus who said the L3 machines were very well regarded by the company. Dealers were fans too.
For general PTO interest this thread describes conversions I've done on two L540s to add a second pto speed like the older L3 models had. If your FIL's rig has an ailing pto, the problem could be in the gearbox - it's located at the back end of the machine and is readily accessible.
...... On a different note the PTO clutch handle that is beside the seat never has operated correctly. It is either because the linkage is bent unhooked or broken but for whatever reason if you put down the handle the clutch will engage and you will no longer be able to operate the PTO.........
How many hours are on the machine? Maybe the prior owner was in the habit of leaving the pto lever UP most of the time and the release bearing eventually failed. With the lever up it's the same as stepping on a regular clutch pedal - it loads the clutch release mechanism and bearing. Can you hear noise coming from the middle or back end of the tractor?
Hello Dick! Not to hi-jack this thread and take it in another direction, but just wanted to let you know that since I changed the hydraulic filter again and changed the hydraulic oil to the Wal Mart brand I haven't had the hydraulic light come on any more. Thanks for your advice! Still enjoying retirement?
which is ridiculous anyway. Thank you for the info geneP
