I’m just over the 50 hour mark on my MT347HC. I bought LS branded filters and it ran me about $125 for all three, engine oil, hydrostatic, and hydraulic. I don’t mind a few dollars extra every few years for the peace of mind. Now, for the work...
The concept is simple. Spin off 3 filters and put new ones on. Easy, right?
First was the engine oil filter. It was on pretty tight but came off with moderate force. I ran into one big hinderance trying to take it off. A metal line runs right under the filter and rubs it as you spin it off. It was tight enough to create a dent in the old filter, creating a ring around it:
I used a pry bar and gentle force to move the line out of the way enough to get the new one on with no damage. What a ridiculous thing to deal with. Here’s what I mean:
Next, I went after the big filter under the right side. The past posts stating it was put on tight were not wrong. I was afraid I was going to bend some lines trying to get it off. Once the filter wrench teeth grabbed on, I was able to keep it in place long enough to get a foot on it from outside. I grabbed on the back wheel and the front grab bar and pushed as hard as I could. It finally started giving up. There was no way I was getting it off any other way. DO NOT put a screwdriver through it. I’ll explain next. Here is the new one in place after smashing one finger and cursing up a storm:
I saw a video about it only letting out a few quarts of fluid then it stops leaking. The guy could then leave it and get lunch if he wanted with no urgency because it quit leaking. That is total bull for this model. I rushed as fast as I could to get the new one on and lost this much fluid:
Putting a screwdriver through the can might have created a slower flow, but it would have been a huge mess. Also, the new filter would not spin on fully until I grabbed it with a cloth and twisted. Then it went like it should. It might have been a small burr in the thread path, as that is what it seemed like. I wasn’t going to pull it off again to check though. Notice the old filter is crushed and gouged to hell. Black paint flakes are all over the concrete as well from the wrench. You will not be using a strap-type wrench on this filter. No way. Get giant channel locks or something with jaws.
Finally, I got to the vertical HST filter. It was the easiest by far. Spun it off with very little force using a band/strap filter wrench and leaked a few ounces. I almost wondered if I did something wrong because it was too smooth.
Prior to my LS, I had a Kubota. Nothing on the Kubota was this hard or unfriendly. But I saved a lot of labor cost and learned something. Anyway, if you’re going to do your own, you better plan for the worst and maybe it’ll work out better.
The concept is simple. Spin off 3 filters and put new ones on. Easy, right?
First was the engine oil filter. It was on pretty tight but came off with moderate force. I ran into one big hinderance trying to take it off. A metal line runs right under the filter and rubs it as you spin it off. It was tight enough to create a dent in the old filter, creating a ring around it:
I used a pry bar and gentle force to move the line out of the way enough to get the new one on with no damage. What a ridiculous thing to deal with. Here’s what I mean:
Next, I went after the big filter under the right side. The past posts stating it was put on tight were not wrong. I was afraid I was going to bend some lines trying to get it off. Once the filter wrench teeth grabbed on, I was able to keep it in place long enough to get a foot on it from outside. I grabbed on the back wheel and the front grab bar and pushed as hard as I could. It finally started giving up. There was no way I was getting it off any other way. DO NOT put a screwdriver through it. I’ll explain next. Here is the new one in place after smashing one finger and cursing up a storm:
I saw a video about it only letting out a few quarts of fluid then it stops leaking. The guy could then leave it and get lunch if he wanted with no urgency because it quit leaking. That is total bull for this model. I rushed as fast as I could to get the new one on and lost this much fluid:
Putting a screwdriver through the can might have created a slower flow, but it would have been a huge mess. Also, the new filter would not spin on fully until I grabbed it with a cloth and twisted. Then it went like it should. It might have been a small burr in the thread path, as that is what it seemed like. I wasn’t going to pull it off again to check though. Notice the old filter is crushed and gouged to hell. Black paint flakes are all over the concrete as well from the wrench. You will not be using a strap-type wrench on this filter. No way. Get giant channel locks or something with jaws.
Finally, I got to the vertical HST filter. It was the easiest by far. Spun it off with very little force using a band/strap filter wrench and leaked a few ounces. I almost wondered if I did something wrong because it was too smooth.
Prior to my LS, I had a Kubota. Nothing on the Kubota was this hard or unfriendly. But I saved a lot of labor cost and learned something. Anyway, if you’re going to do your own, you better plan for the worst and maybe it’ll work out better.
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