OrangeTractorTalks

We know at least one person who will be picking 'I wish my Kubota was not tipped over on its side in the woods'... special thanks to Jim Lillie for being a good sport and posting this image in our gallery.

Around here, we know and love our orange tractors, but, that does not mean that there is not room for improvement.

Our latest poll – what one thing you wish your Kubota had but does not already. Maybe you like the finer things in life like a cup holder – would certainly come in handy while you are clearing the driveway. Maybe you bought a 2WD model and are now kicking yourself for it. Or perhaps the simple things appeal to you – just more raw power. After all, there are a lot of tree stumps to remove and so little time… Choose wisely, you only get to pick one!

PS. In case you want to read the back story of how that Kubota came to be on its side, check out Jim’s account here.

Lately on the forums we have seen a few inquires from folks regarding where they might find their Kubota B or L series hydraulic suction filter. We are happy to hear that people are thinking to check this filter because it can often be hard to locate or just overlooked. Forgetting to check this filter is a definite mistake because it serves an important role and one that we will share with you today.

Role of the Hydraulic Suction Screen
The suction filter is housed internally within the transmission body and it filters and cleans the hydraulic oil of debris, metal flashing, filing from the gears, dirt, rust and other junk. The filter medium is a mesh stainless steel screening and a lot of oil passes over it every minute.

The suction filter medium is a mesh stainless steel screen.

Typical hydraulic pump output on a Kubota is anywhere from 5-6 gallons per minute. Running your tractor for an hour passes more than 360 gallons of oil through this filter! By the time it is ready for cleaning or replacement, it would have filtered more than 100,000 gallons of your Kubota’s hydraulic oil.

Not overly complicated or big but, serves an important role.

Which Kubota Models are Equipped?
All first generation Kubota B and L series models are equipped with hydraulic suction screens. That includes, L175, L185, L235, L245, B5100, B6100, B7100 and so on – primarily tractors built by Kubota in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Wait, what is that you say? You have a newer Kubota so now you can stop reading this article and get back to watching Discovery channel? Well, the reason Kubota stopped using an internal style suction filter has to do with…

Remembering to Service the Filter
Do not be mistaken – it is not hard to get to the filter, inspect and replace or clean it. The trouble with servicing the suction filters is that very few people remember to do it, or know where on their equipment to look. Because these screens are internal they have to be marked by a red dot on the chassis as to their location (more on this in an upcoming article). After 20+ years of rototilling tree shelter belts those red dabs or fender decals indicating filter location have long since faded away.

On top of that, after a tractor trades hands to second, third or fourth owners over the years, it becomes easier to see why a lot people just do not know what to look for. [Editor's note from Mr. K: Folks, do yourselves a favor an buy an operator's manual already!]

Canister Style Hydraulic Filters
Because suction screen type filters do such a good job of catching debris, they are prone to clogging up. Kubota recommends inspection and service every 300 hours if your tractor is so equipped. In the later part of the 1980s Kubota switched over to canister style hydraulic filters not because suction filters were bad, but because so many people forgot to check them.

Canister hydraulic filters are found on all HST Kubota B series, all L-1 series like L2050, L2250, L2550, L2650 and even the newer models from the BX lineup.

How do I know if I have a Blocked Filter?
A blocked suction filter is the number one cause of poor hydraulic system performance. All of these symptoms are indications that the hydraulic circuit is restricted:

• slow hydraulics
• shuddering on 3-point when lifting
• jerky loaders going up
• overheated transmission oil
• 3-point working at first and then slowly power fades out

Where is my Suction Filter?
Again, if you have an early B or L series Kubota (ie. a tractor not equipped with a spin-on canister filter), then you will find your filter screen on the left-hand side of the tractor’s transmission.

Check on the left hand side of the transmission just behind the foot rest for a cap covering the filter.

Look just behind and slightly below the footrest is where you will find a cap covering the filter. The cap will be secured with two bolts. The cover cap may look like a bump or a teardrop depending on your specific model.

A wider shot to give some context for the filter's location.

Removing the bolts will reveal the end of the suction filter itself. The end of the filter will look like it has a small stub sticking out of it (see left-side of second picture in article) about ¼” long and the diameter of a pencil. It may look like a shaft at first blush. If you have a B Series Kubota, the hydraulic filter screen is attached to the large nut holding the suction line against the transmission.

Owners of B series models will have to remove this bolt holding the suction line against the transmission.

To remove the filter you will have to grab that small stub-end with a pair of pliers and slowly withdraw the filter. Be careful to not twist it as you pull it out because it is essentially a tube of fine screen.

I’m Having Trouble. Any Other Ideas?
If you are having trouble finding covering cap and the filter screen underneath, find the area on the right hand side of the transmission where the hydraulic suction line enters the transmission. The suction line is the larger of the two lines hooked up to the hydraulic pump. The suction screen and cap will be located exactly opposite this point on the left hand side of the transmission!

Locate the suction line into the hydraulic pump on the right hand side - the hydraulic screen will be opposite this location on the left-hand side of the transmission.

Servicing the Filter
Before undertaking servicing of the screen be sure you drain the transmission oil first! If not you will soon find out what 9 to 15 gallons of hydraulic oil looks like on the floor of your shop or garage. I know what it looks like and it is not a pretty sight.

With the screen in hand, simply wash it out with diesel fuel or varsol. Once clean inspect the filter mesh for any holes, perforation, rust or tears. Compare your filter screen to the ones you seen in this article. If the filter looks out of shape, replace it rather than trying to work it back into a tube shape. It is out of shape from all of oil, debris, crud and scrum being pulled through it hour after hour.

When your B or L Series was new, Kubota placed an important service reminder on the left hand rear fender showing the service intervals and location of this filter. Kubota has warned us about “various troubles” if we neglect this service! You have been warned.

Close-up of the filter service decal Kubota affixed to early B and L series tractors equipped with screen filters.

Once clean and inspected, reinstall the filter and refill the transmission with fresh new oil. If you have not seen it already, watch our YouTube video on types of hydraulic oil to use.

There you have it – everything you have ever wanted to know about hydraulic suction filters. Now you can get back to Discovery channel.

Service Department Vic

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A classic example of a gray market Kubota - the L1501.

A little while back we posted a poll attempting to gauge how gray market Kubotas sit with readers of OrangeTractorTalks. We wanted to know what people thought of the gray market equipment that our friends at Kubota corporate have warned about. Would anyone want to actually own one of these?

Gray market tractors, specifically Kubota grays, have had an interesting history involving leaving Japan in large volumes and eventually arriving at their second homes all over the world. Emails and visitors from all around the world arrive asking questions about their gray market equipment. Folks from Greek islands, South Africa, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Iran, Ireland and closer to home too – Camrose Alberta or Moosejaw Saskatchewan.

Results
After 300 votes, almost 70% of folks feel they have no problem owning a gray market Kubota. A full 42% of those voting indicated they had no worries when it came to the special type of ownership that comes along with owning a gray market tractor. 7% were still on the fence – not sure if the hassle and lack of support from their dealership is worth it.

Some might say that the poll is skewed a bit. After all, this is an orange tractor enthusiast site, so any responses to the poll would likely reflect positive feedback for ownership of any orange units, even if they are labeled as gray market. I am sure owners of gray market tractors responded to the poll. If they have had negative experiences with their equipment I think we would have seen higher figures for the choices “no – not interested”.

Conclusion
Despite the rumors and supposed horror-stories, a lot of people can see value in those gray market Kubotas – enough so that 7 out of 10 would own one. It is true that your local Kubota dealer might not be all that helpful when it comes to the great deal you found in your local agri-trader that you now want to fix up. Fear not – there are places to find parts and helpful advice when it comes to that gray Kubota (hint: you are at the site now).

Stay tuned for another poll to come out in the next day or two!

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Own any of these new Kubota models?

B2320, B2620, B3200, B26
BX1860, BX2360, BX2660, BX25
Grand L 40 Series, L45
M59, MX5100, M100X, M110X, M126X, M135X
RTV500, RTV900, RTV1100, RTV1140
T1880, T2080, T2380, ZG222, ZG227, ZG327, ZD321, ZD326, ZD331

Updated Maintenance Schedules
Late last year Kubota Canada issued a service bulletin detailing that the above models would have their maintenance intervals extended as an attempt to “reduce overall maintenance cost”.

If you do own one of these models you may want to acquaint yourself with the updated service intervals Kubota released along with the service bulletin. These charts are handy when you need to quickly reference when that next oil, fuel or hydraulic filter is due. You can find the updated schedules here:

Kubota Turf maintenance schedule
Kubota RTV maintenance schedule
Kubota B and L series maintenance schedule
Kubota M and MX series maintenance schedule

What Has Changed
If you look through some of the changes highlighted in yellow on the updated schedules, you will see that the next interval after the first service has been pushed out anywhere from 100 to 300 hours. For example, transmission fluid changed at 350 hours instead of 200, or axle case fluid swapped at 400 instead of 300 hours.

Using the BX1860, BX2360, BX2660 or BX25 as an example – the new updates mean that the transmission fluid will be changed once in the first 400 hours of service, instead of the three times it was changed previously. The hydraulic filter is swapped out just about as many times as before. From our own experience we have seen that 50 hour transmission fluid looks pretty clean.

Why Extend the Next Service Interval?
Justin Derzaph, the AG/Construction Sales Manager at Pinnacle International Kubota (Redcliffe, Alberta) explains that some of the reasoning behind the service interval extensions and revisions are due to improved efficiency of Kubota’s new Tier 4 compliant equipment.

We will come back to this in a moment, but first a quick lesson on the state of diesel emissions legislation in the United States as it applies to agricultural equipment…

Understanding Diesel Emission Regulation
Diesel emissions are regulated in the United States by the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA for short. In Canada and most other countries a similar government body exists. Every 4 years since the year 2000 the EPA has required diesel engine suppliers to reduce emissions on new engines manufactured for off-road products – like your orange tractor for instance.

Diesel engines manufactured after January 1, 2008 must be Tier 3 or Tier 4i compliant. It was permitted to sell product with Tier 2 engines in 2008 so long as the engines were built in 2007.

EPA Tier 4i is an interim standard with lower emission levels than those required to meet Tier 3, but it is not as low as Tier 4 Final that comes into effect 2012. Tier 4i engines can be manufactured for an additional year before Tier 4 Final goes into effect.

Where Kubota Stands
Kubota has met the Tier 4 Final standard on their engines already so their diesel engine design will actually not need to change again for 8 full years at the latest. Kubota will likely not sit around waiting though – it has been known to be well ahead of the curve regarding emissions standards and probably already has folks looking into it.

The upgrades that go into making a Kubota run cleaner, more efficient also mean that some of those maintenance items can go an extra 50, 100 or even 200 hours. Saves you money too. Handy.

50 Hour Service Important
Justin reminds us that those items included under a 50 hour service are still very important and Kubota has not eliminated or changed any aspect of that first service and inspection.

There is a lot of flash left over from the manufacturing process that those first set of filters will catch. Change that oil and oil filter as per usual. You will want to keep your warranty in check and also maximize the performance of your new equipment – something that only regular maintenance can provide.

Special thanks to Justin at Pinnacle International Kubota in Alberta for shedding some light on Kubota’s service interval updates. If you are in the southern Alberta area and looking for Kubota sales or service, check out their shop just NW of Medicine Hat. Good guys.

Service Department Vic

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A little less of this.

A lot more of this.

Mr. K is back! From vacation that is. Time to get back to the business of Kubota 101.

Up until now Service Department Vic has been holding the fort and he has been doing a good job of that – we thank him. But the show must go on so we are going to work to bring some new site upgrades, more tractor specs, new articles and of course, handy Kubota videos.

Look for those new additions soon, until then check out our forums and sign up to post questions of your own if you have not done so already.

A couple of shots we snapped of new RTVs still in their packaging!

Even larger equipment is also stacked – B, L or M series included. The gents in the shipping department skip the wood frames in the case of larger equipment and stick to steel cages that better protect the orange paint. It is a long boat ride across the Pacific!

Here we have a M7040 that is folded up nicely to fit into its enclosure. I’d imagine a dozen or more of these would fit into a standard size shipping container. Better make sure your forklift is in good running order.

Anyone want to guess what is inside every orange box that is included? No really – I forgot to open it up and take a look when I had the chance!