My experience with the 50 hour service.

   / My experience with the 50 hour service. #1  

G31

Silver Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2014
Messages
101
Location
FL
Tractor
LS MT347HC
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:
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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:
F9283BCE-B2A4-4B5F-B245-E0FBB3CB6BDA.jpeg


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:
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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:
D12C94DC-718D-4BBE-9421-BEDFC0AFC217.jpeg

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.
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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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   / My experience with the 50 hour service. #2  
When I did my 50 hr. I did the same trick on the engine oil filter.... Why so tight, why is that damn line right there.

All my filters were TIGHT, except the hydrostatic filter, like yours.

On keeping the fluid in the tranny, I ground down a piece of 3/4'' pvc pipe to fit the check/fill port, duct taped it to the shop vac nozzle... Fired up the shop vac and the only lost oil was what was in the filter 😁
 
   / My experience with the 50 hour service. #3  
Thanks for posting. For my warrentee I let the dealer do my 50. I last week got all LS filters, oil & fluid and keep the paper work in a folder for the next change I think is 250 hours.
 
   / My experience with the 50 hour service. #4  
every filter on both my kabota tractor and rtv were way too tight!
 
   / My experience with the 50 hour service. #5  
Great post thanks - on about 35hrs now so thinking about the 50hr service which I should hit with the first snow storm.

Too bad my tractor dont fit in the somewhat heated garage.

Where is everyone getting filters for the 50hr service.

OP did you also change your oil right??
 
   / My experience with the 50 hour service.
  • Thread Starter
#6  
I changed the engine oil but not the hydro oil. It’s not in the checklist, so I didn’t do it. I got my filters from the dealer, however there is a place selling the filters online in CO. Legacy tractor maybe??? It was close to my dealer pricing. Maybe a little higher...

My dealer sells Warren Premium fluid, and said the Traveller Premium from TSC is fine too.
 
   / My experience with the 50 hour service. #7  
I changed the engine oil but not the hydro oil. It’s not in the checklist, so I didn’t do it. I got my filters from the dealer, however there is a place selling the filters online in CO. Legacy tractor maybe??? It was close to my dealer pricing. Maybe a little higher...

My dealer sells Warren Premium fluid, and said the Traveller Premium from TSC is fine too.

" My dealer sells Warren Premium fluid, and said the Traveller Premium from TSC is fine too"

Did your dealer also SAY that he will warranty your Kubota hydraulic system ?
 
   / My experience with the 50 hour service.
  • Thread Starter
#8  
It’s an LS (my previous was a Kubota and I only used SUDT2) and yes it just needs premium fluid per dealer. I would think it is next to impossible to void out the warranty for off-branded fluids, as the manufacturer does not offer their fluid anywhere that I’m aware of.
 
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   / My experience with the 50 hour service. #9  
JMHO - the filters are so very tight because the engine is painted AFTER the filters have been installed. The dried paint adds to the removal difficulties. The paint creates a bond between the filter and engine block.

Take a sharp knife - run it around the base of the filter. This will break the paint bond and make the filter easier to remove.
 
   / My experience with the 50 hour service. #10  
If we think about it, paint contributes very little if anything at all on how stuck a filter gets. Unless they would apply the paint on the filter seal, then it would really change things out.

Assembling the filter on the factory with a dry seal along with overtightening is what really gets the filters stuck.

None of the filters on my tractor were painted, yet the mechanic still had to struggle quite a bit to take the engine oil filter out during the 50 hour service. I have yet to change the hydraulic filter, however, I can already tell it will be quite a pain to take off, just by looking on how much squished the rubber seal is.
 
 
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