Vintage Kubota?

[N80]

I have an opportunity to buy a 1970-ish Kubota L200. I've posted about this in the Kubota forums here at TBN and gotten a little info. There are some pics there if you are interested.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-owning-operating/124515-kubota-l200-good-restore.html

It is a 2 cylinder diesel, 2wd, has front and rear wheel weights. This was the first Kubota imported to the US. There are not many around. Internet searchs yield only spotty info. Shop and parts manuals can be found. I have not talked to the owner about price but something in the range of $2000. It runs. Sheet metal is quite good. Almost no rust. Had recent overhaul of hydraulics by a dealer. It has a modern alternator. I doubt this tractor has any resale value so I'm not looking at this as an investment.

My intention for this tractor would be restore it to the point where it looks as new as possible and functions properly as a fun project for my son and myself. We'd probably enter it in local tractor shows. I have limited mechanical experience but have done typical 50 hour service on my modern tractor. I have done basic auto engine work like bolting on headers and checking and adjusting valve clearance, timing, etc. But I've never done any work on engine or transmission internals.

I do not have the tools or experience or money to tear it down to the pistons and gears. Since it runs and does not seem to have any major mechanical issues, my thought was to clean it up. Get minor sheet metal damage fixed, have it repainted, etc etc. I want to do this in such a way that I don't screw it up in case I or someone else decides to restore it from the ground up some day.

So I have a few questions regarding resources, not necessarily specific to this machine but to old tractors in general:

This tractor is at least 38 years old. Is there any strict age requirements for a tractor to be considered 'vintage' or 'antique'. Do some shows have a cut-off?

Are there other resources besides TBN for someone like me looking to get into restoration? TBN is a good resource but it is much more oriented to the newer machines.

Are there any major do's and don'ts that a beginner needs to know before starting a restoration?

Are there any special tools a restorer just can't do without.... in general?

Any help, guidance and pointers would be greatly appreciated. I think this would be a great project for my son. We both like Kubotas. This is the Kubota that started it all and as the dealer mentioned it is highly unlikely that there would be another one like it at any tractor show. So it would at least be unique.

 

[flusher]

I have an opportunity to buy a 1970-ish Kubota L200. I've posted about this in the Kubota forums here at TBN and gotten a little info. There are some pics there if you are interested.


So I have a few questions regarding resources, not necessarily specific to this machine but to old tractors in general:

This tractor is at least 38 years old. Is there any strict age requirements for a tractor to be considered 'vintage' or 'antique'. Do some shows have a cut-off?

Are there other resources besides TBN for someone like me looking to get into restoration? TBN is a good resource but it is much more oriented to the newer machines.

Are there any major do's and don'ts that a beginner needs to know before starting a restoration?

Are there any special tools a restorer just can't do without.... in general?

Any help, guidance and pointers would be greatly appreciated. I think this would be a great project for my son. We both like Kubotas. This is the Kubota that started it all and as the dealer mentioned it is highly unlikely that there would be another one like it at any tractor show. So it would at least be unique.

I refurbished a 1964 MF-135 diesel that I bought in July06 for $3600. It wasn't a restoration because I did not have to tear down the engine, transmission or rear end and hydraulics. This was my first attempt at tractor refurbishment.

It was pretty beat up when I got it, but the sheet metal was OK. Only leak was at the rear seal on the pto shaft (a very slow dribble). I bought a new grill for the front end and a new steering wheel since the plastic on the old one was falling apart. I had to buy a top link for the 3pt hitch since it was missing.

I removed all the sheet metal, pulled the steering wheel, removed the console that carries the gauges. Had to rig up a home made puller to get that darn steering wheel off.

The radiator core was clogged so there was very little air flow. I had to clean the core by hand because my power washer was way to powerful and would bend the thin aluminum fins. However, that power washer came in handy for cleaning the rest of the tractor. I think I power washed the tractor 3 or 4 times and still had to detail the tractor to get all the grease and grime removed. Lotsa shop towels, paper tiowels, small wire brushes, and degreasing liquids (Dove dishwashing liquid works pretty well).

I rewired the tractor, installed new gauges (except for the fuel gauge and sender which were OK). I also rotated the exhaust system to vertical. It came with the muffler down low under the rear axle. I plan to use the 135 in the hayfield so I don't want hot exhaust system parts starting a grass fire.

Bought a $40 HVLP spray gun from Harbor Freight and repainted the entire tractor.

I need to redo the vertical exhaust system since the pipe interferes with the hood. I'll get around to that one of these days.

Other resources: check Yesterday's Tractors website.

Tractors from the 1960s and 70s are not generally considered "vintage". My impression is that the tractor has to be at least 50 years old to be considered vintage.

 

[N80]

Thanks for the reply and pics. How did you paint the 'chassis'? Did you just use spray paint? That is what I would probably do. I'd plan on letting a body shop do my sheet metal though.

 

[flusher]

Thanks for the reply and pics. How did you paint the 'chassis'? Did you just use spray paint? That is what I would probably do. I'd plan on letting a body shop do my sheet metal though.

All the painting on my MF-135, sheet metal and chassis, was done with that Harbor Freight HVLP spray gun. I used my $80 HF 2-gallon pancake air compressor to run the spray gun. I think the air pressure was about 45 psi. You have to experiment to get the best pressure for your particular gun. Used Valspar tractor paint from Tractor Supply Co (TSC) and thinned it with VM&P naptha. Put 3-4 coats of silver paint on the chassis and 4-5 coats of red paint on the sheet metal. Stripped most of the paint off the sheet metal, sprayed on grey primer and then the red color.

 

[California]

All the painting on my MF-135, sheet metal and chassis, was done with that Harbor Freight HVLP spray gun.

Flusher, I see several HVLP guns on HF's page:
Harbor Freight HVLP list

Do you recall which one it was?

Thanks!

 

[flusher]

Flusher, I see several HVLP guns on HF's page:
Harbor Freight HVLP list

Do you recall which one it was?

Thanks!

This one.

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

For the relatively small painted surface area on my MF-135, this detail spray gun is more than adequate.

I clean it after each use with ordinary paint thinner. Direct the spray on a paper towel until the spray is clear. It's easy to disassemble for a more thorough cleaning.

 

[JESSE1]

Dad bought an L210 Kubota that had 50 hours on it back in '72. Had a Woods RM59 rear finish mower. It was basically the same tractor as the L200 you are looking at. We kept it for about 3 years and traded it for a new L260 Kubota. These were very tough little tractors.

 

[N80]

All the painting on my MF-135, sheet metal and chassis, was done with that Harbor Freight HVLP spray gun.

Ugh. I was hoping not to get into serious painting. I have a 145 psi pancake compressor. I really don't want to have to learn all that. But I can if I have to. I wouldn't think a body shop would charge that much to paint the sheet metal since it will already be prepped and won't require any masking and I'm sure they'd do a better job than me. But maybe I could buy a spray gun to do the frame, engine and running gear.

 

[California]

This one.

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

For the relatively small painted surface area on my MF-135, this detail spray gun is more than adequate.

Thanks!

I bought a similar gun at HF and I was wondering if it is really suitable for this kind of work. Mine is 96387. I don't see it in their current list.

I just bought a small compressor that I described here and got it set up today, including the 25 (30?) gallon extra tank I already had.

Based on your comments, this setup should work great.

 

[California]

I have an opportunity to buy a 1970-ish Kubota L200. I've posted about this in the Kubota forums here at TBN and gotten a little info. There are some pics there if you are interested.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-owning-operating/124515-kubota-l200-good-restore.html

It is a 2 cylinder diesel, 2wd, has front and rear wheel weights. This was the first Kubota imported to the US. There are not many around. Internet searches yield only spotty info. Shop and parts manuals can be found. I have not talked to the owner about price but something in the range of $2000. It runs. Sheet metal is quite good. Almost no rust. Had recent overhaul of hydraulics by a dealer. It has a modern alternator.
...

Any help, guidance and pointers would be greatly appreciated. I think this would be a great project for my son.

Jump on that thing before somebody else buys it!

My elderly Yanmar seemed about as intimidating before I bought it. I found it was designed to be user maintained, and its about as simple as a hammer. I'm sure that L200 Kubota is similar, the sort of design where you look at it and the function of each part is obvious. Just the thing for introducing your son to how tractors work. Kubota's quality is excellent. I would bet it doesn't need much aside from the appearance renovation.

This might not be your style, but once I put my 'antique' into service I forgot about the appearance renovation - I'm having too much fun just using the thing. Maybe some day.