ROUGH idea of potential service costs

[briandamkroger]

Hi Everyone

Can anyone venture a rough, general ballpark sort of estimate for service work on my BX24?
Background:
I typically use it twice a day for perhaps 1 hour of stop/go, on/off work each day, occasionally more.

I bought it used ~5 years ago, have no knowledge of the hours on it because the gauge was broken when I bought it, have no knowledge of it's service history, and have only changed fluids and filters while I've owned it.

Here are my issues, in order of severite and concern:

1) the transaxle leaks from both the front and rear

2) the wheels/axles often make a clicking or popping noise when I turn (tightening the lug nuts as tight as I can stops this for a while but it returns)

3) it could stand a general going-through and service

4) it runs rough at idle but smooths out with any increase in rpm

5) it smokes a little on start-up. Not enough to be worrisome or have any effect on the oil level, though.

Whew. My thoughts are to get the transaxle done and do whatever general service is easiest and least costly to do while it's apart. The other three would be something to take a look at, but likely not do unless critical, because I suspect they're costly to address.


Finally, I truly apologize if this info is already here, but I couldn't find it.

Thanks. I hope everyone is having a great weekend. It's time to go feed the horses. Actually, it's late, so I'll probably "get the butt" from them.

Brian
Livermore, CA

 

[Tractor Seabee]

No dealer shop can price your problems until they get into the diagnosis and usually even get it torn apart. Shop cost around up here is $125-$150/hr. Figure the amount you are comfortable with ans set that as the point they call you for further consultation of probable/possible costs. I always set that at 4 hours. They can price routine maintenance based on the machine hours and what you want done. No clue there as I do all my own maintenance and repairs not requiring special tools/equipment or if covered by KTAC insurance. LOL, based on your description you could have some expensive issues; such as, shaft seals could be leaking because one or more bearings on that shaft are worn. While spending money it might be worthwhile to get a new hour meter so you can track maintenance issues better.

Ron

 

[MHarryE]

Item 1 is the concern. Item 5 is normal if it's black smoke. Indirect injection diesels have that problem, especially when cold. Wheels coming loose continually - are the holes worn because they were run loose once by the previous owner? Still any time there is a seal leaking there is the possibility that there is a bad bearing associated. That can get pricey but you never know until it's checked out.

 

[jeff9366]

My Kubota dealer bills the mechanic @ $70 per hour. No complaints, the mechanic is really efficient.

You should have the wheel problem addressed now. It will only get progressively worse. Periodically tightening wheel lugs requires a powered impact driver. You cannot get nuts sufficiently tight with a socket.

#4 + #5 may be related and MAY only require a tweak.

You have put 2,000 hours on the tractor, yourself, give it what it needs to be reliable through the next 2,000 hours.

Some would consider 2,000 hours on a tractor equivalent to 70,000 miles on a diesel engined truck.

While spending money it might be worthwhile to get a new hour meter so you can track maintenance issues better.

 

[newbury]

<snip>
You should have the wheel problem addressed now. It will only get progressively worse. Periodically tightening wheel lugs requires a powered impact driver. You cannot get nuts sufficiently tight with a socket.
<snip>

Why can't you

get nuts sufficiently tight with a socket.

?

I've read that one should not trust an impact driver for getting proper torque. Take them off with an impact driver, put them on until they touch with an impact driver, Then haul out the socket on a torque wrench to tighten correctly.

With my tractor tires I used s big socket, and extender and calculated the weight needed to achieve the proper torque.

I just moved the rears on my M4700 so I could get it on the trailer. They (/edit - the manual ) called for about 200 or 225 lbs. I didn't have a torque wrench that went above 140. So I put a 210 lb weight (my son) on the end of a foot long wrench.

 

[Clint S]

My Kubota dealer bills the mechanic @ $70 per hour. No complaints, the mechanic is really efficient.

You should have the wheel problem addressed now. It will only get progressively worse. Periodically tightening wheel lugs requires a powered impact driver. You cannot get nuts sufficiently tight with a socket.

.

A quick search gives the BX's torque values at 120 front and 100 rear, easily attainable with hand tools. Not from the manual, but from the interweb so may not be correct. That being said tightening wheel lugs or bolts with an impact is NOT necessary and could have potentially caused your issues. It can overstretch threads and cause the bolts/nuts to actually loosen damaging the wheels. Depending on the wheel and what it is made of it can damage the wheel and other components. I have a harbor freight special torque wrench to torque my wheels. Checked it against my buddies Snap on and within 3 #'s. That's close enough for wheels. Torque values given in manual are there for a reason.......

You may have bad wheels, bad studs, bolts, lugs.

 

[jeff9366]

You should have the wheel problem addressed now. It will only get progressively worse. Periodically tightening wheel lugs requires a powered impact driver. You cannot get nuts sufficiently tight with a socket.

I may have over-extrapolated from my experience.

My new L3560 arrived with loose wheel bolts. The Kubota mechanic's air impact wrench was dying but this was not evident until my tractor.

I attempted to tighten nuts with a socket and my (then) 67 year old body but failed; bolts loosened shortly.

With a new, CAREFULLY ADJUSTED impact wrench, the Kubota mechanic tightened the wheel nuts (br---rut, br----rut) and they have remained snug through 485 hours. (Tractor had second dealer service at 400 hours.)

 

[k0ua]

I am guessing that the posters wheels have "egged out" and the holes are no longer round. This allows the wheel to move under the lug nut as the centering function of the lug nut is no longer viable. The wheels will have to be replaced or perhaps a good welder could weld them back up and redrill. Take the tires off first. Remove the wheel and do a visual inspection to validate my theory.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

My Kubota dealer bills the mechanic @ $70 per hour. No complaints, the mechanic is really efficient.

Sure wish we had labor rates like that up here; I might send more work their way. Shops doing tracked equipment and construction type equipment are charging $175-$200 for shop time.

Ron