Opinion$ Needed on Value of ebay 2012 L3800 HST, with FEL and Hoe...

My Hoe · Mar 17, 2014

K0ua said:
The oil filter is up on the engine and hopefully it has been changed. No way to tell from the photos as it is not shown. I

Bluegill2 said:
Could see the oil filter in one photo and it was original grey.

****...you guys are not only the BEST, you are mind-readers!

I was just going to try to figure it out via the (kindly-provided, by Fallon, WSM) but Bluegill2 has (I think) answered one of my three questions:

1. Where is the ENGINE oil filter,

2. Is it also GRAY, originally?

3. Is it STILL GRAY, now?

And, from what I gather from you, BlueGill2, the answers to (2.) and (3.) are:

2. Yes, it's gray, originally, and

3. This one is gray.

So we have to assume 265 hours on an ENGINE oil filter that should have seen only 50 hours, and;

265 hours on ENGINE oil that should have seen only 100 hours.

Do I have that correct?

I do encourage all feel these waay overstretched service intervals are problematic to please feel free to voice their opinions on this deal?

I mean, the engine oil (non)change interval is troubling to me, especially since the first oil change is, IMO, supposed to be, in part, to clean out the bulk of any leftover manufacturing swarf and other F.M. (foreign matter). 215 extra hours is an "Ugh..." for me, even IF it's a Kubota--I mean, I would like to give such a fine piece of equipment the best of care, by at least hitting the service intervals, and now I feel that this one has almost certainly suffered accelerated internal engine wear. Please feel free to agree or disagree, as needed.

My feelings about the hydro oil filters are less emphatic, as at least the oil change interval, itself, hasn't been exceeded (even though the 400 hour figure was predicated on proper filter changes).

I thought I might even change the hydro oil at the time of purchase, if I bought it, so that the early oil change might, in part, mitigate the delayed hydro filter(s) changes.

But the engine oil being strung out 2.5+ times beyond the recommended interval...I don't know. If it wasn't the first oil change, that would be somewhat less critical to me, as well, but it IS the first change that was skipped....

I do agree that this lack of maintenance is also a "deal maker," as was pointed out, by K0ua. I'm just not sure that someone with my level of OCD could "walk this one off," as it were. Even if it took a couple-three thousand off the price, one could not repair a (prematurely) failed, major component for that price difference. And that kind of haunts me....

Which is a shame, as the tractor's cosmetics appear to be so strong.

I do appreciate all of your input, thus far, and look forward to any further thoughts on this one.

Thanks again,

My Hoe

My Hoe · Mar 17, 2014

K0ua said:
Agreed, not a deal killer, but a "deal maker".. It is not the end of the world that the filters were not changed when they should. Does it do the tractor any good? NO, but it will likely survive. The hydrostatic filter is on the other side from the Hydraulic filter. It is the more expensive filter, and is a high pressure filter with finer filtration media to ensure the hydrostat gets cleaner fluid than the other hydraulic componets that all use fluid from the common sump (the transmission case). The hydraulic filter is on the right side of the tractor under the floorboard, and is a suction filter in the suction line of the hydraulic pump to keep crap from going thru the pump. It is the least expensive of the two filters. The oil filter is up on the engine and hopefully it has been changed. No way to tell from the photos as it is not shown. I believe Fallon gave you the schedule for the filter changes. 100 on the oi land its filter 200 on the hydraulic and hydrostatic filters and hydraulic fluid at 400. I dont think there is any bypass on either the hydraulic or hydrostatic filters.

K0ua,

The above was very helpful and informative.

And if correct, I'm actually glad if there's not bypass-function to the hydro filters, as that would mean that the filter media itself is not yet clogged, or the machine would not operate properly. Since the owner is offering a PPI (pre-purchase inspection) he obviously has no reservations about how it operates.

Re: the engine oil filter, however, I was under the impression that ALL (modern) engine-oil filters were bypass-equipped. Which is good as the bypass-function prevents starvation, but bad if the filter is no longer filtering, at 2.5+ times it's recommended, 50 hour interval. *sigh*

Anyway, thanks again, to all--very helpful.

I will report back when I have contacted the seller about the oil and filter change intervals.

aczlan · Mar 17, 2014

My Hoe said:
****...you guys are not only the BEST, you are mind-readers!
I was just going to try to figure it out via the (kindly-provided, by Fallon, WSM) but Bluegill2 has (I think) answered one of my three questions:
1. Where is the ENGINE oil filter,
2. Is it also GRAY, originally?
3. Is it STILL GRAY, now?
And, from what I gather from you, BlueGill2, the answers to (2.) and (3.) are:
2. Yes, it's gray, originally, and
3. This one is gray.

And the answer to 1 is "Its the round grey thing just above the right front tire, between the fuel filter (clear) and the black plastic filler plate/vent in curve of the hood"

Adding a remote for a thumb wouldn't be a big deal. You would tie it into the "high pressure line in" for the backhoe and add a line going back to the tank.

Aaron Z

k0ua · Mar 18, 2014

yep, I see the oil filter now.. missed it the first time, and also found the Hydrostat filter. (horizontal on left side, you can see it thru the step). Yep, gray too....