A New Forum!

[Mr. K]

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3. Is this thing on? Yes, this is the first post in the new forum. I think this just might work...

Myself and Service Department Vic have been running OrangeTractorTalks for several months now and we feel the time is right to open the door a bit and invite others in. We want others to share their experiences and knowledge of our favorite orange tractor right here on these forums.

Have a look around, setup your profile and discuss whatever comes to mind. Help each other out and who knows - maybe you'll learn something new too.

Enjoy!

[RevDoc]

Hi Mr. K k k k k k k k

Quite an echo o o o o

Hope it fills up fast!

[Mr. K]

Hahhaa a funny guy. :D Yes, the forum is brand new and quite empty at the moment, but everything has to start somewhere. We are starting to see people signing up and coming in to take a look... hopefully folks get in the habit of remembering that our little space on the web has a few people that are willing to give their advice when it comes to servicing and maintaining all those orange units out there.

[Kubota_Girl]

I'm looking forward to reading other Kubota owner's advice. This forum is a great idea!

[Mr. K]

Hey there Kubota girl - welcome to the site! We don't get very many lady-types around here. Gents gotta be on their best behaviour!

[Jamie]

Hi. Not sure how to go about this, but have been reading with interest. I bought a grey import ZenNoh Z1501L about 8 years ago and have had quite an education since then. There is no back up here in Zambia, but we are quite good at improvising. Getting parts is really hard here, despite there being a Kubota agent. Can not, for example get replacement air filters.

One problem I did manage to fix very easily was when gear oil started coming out of the top of the housing at the base of the gear levers. Local mechanic said I needed to overhaul the gear box, but it turned out that a "mud-builder" wasp had blocked the breather pipe for the gearbox. A real problem in his part of Africa - mud-builder wasps seek out small holes and build a mud prison/nest in them, in which they deposit a stunned prey and lay eggs on it. Breather on my tractor is situated under the seat on the left hand side. A small bit of fine mesh gauze fixed over the cleaned-out tube with a cable tie easily prevents repeat blockages.

Battery is my current headache. Fit a new one each year and always have to assist the starting with a battery booster. Even with new batteries. Any idea the correct battery size/rating for this tractor? Z751 engine.

[Service Dept Vic]

Jamie, I'd be checking that charging circuit first. make sure belt is tight, alternator is putting out, and the voltage regulator is operating correctly. A battery a year is a sign that it's not charging!

[Michael]

On my old Kubota L1801 I also was having a no a charging problem and so I replaced the belt, took the alternator off and had it tested and it was fine. I then took the dash apart and found the problem. I found a wire going into the regulator had been worn though by rubbing on a sharp edge. I soldered the wire back together and wraped up the soldered wire with electrical tape and I had a good charge.

I then got some plastic wire ties and proceeded to tie the wires together and made sure that they were not touching anything metal. for added protection I also used additional electrical tape and taped everything in the wire harness together to keep the bundles neat.

[Jamie]

Thanks Vic and Michael,

Have checked and repaired the alternator. It gives out 13V, which isn't great but should do unless the battery is oversized. This is why I would like to know the recommended rating for the battery

It is not unusual for batteries to last only a year in Zambia. All are imported and many are filled with mineralized water when they get here, which doesn't do them much good. Sealed batteries are really expensive.

Front mounting doesn't help either. Battery plates take a lot of hammering when mounted at the front of a tractor, which is done on small tractors, I suspect, to keep weight forward. Battery plates are made of lead laced with antimony for rigidity, which makes them brittle and prone to cracking and breaking. I pack rubber matting under the battery to help reduce the shock.

[Amishkingpin]

I was reminiscing last night after reading some informative post (while having some beers) by fellow OTT contributors thinking what a great website this has become and the genusis of Mr. K and Vic to create this in the first place.

Either they had foresight and vision from dealing with Kubota tractor owners asking tons of repetitive questions(i.e. I ran my tractor out of fuel, now what?) that was the inspiration or just had a brain spark after a night of curling and beer drinking to dream this site up with those training videos. I bet there is a good story here...

Mr. K and Vic - I was wondering if you get any positive feedback from Kubota Dealers or Kubota Corporation for providing a open forum for us to share our experiences and gain knowledge of our favorite orange tractor from OTT?

Thanks again,
AK

[handyman]

:DCongrads Mr K and Vic we need to watch our p and Qs with a lady on site . Thanks to you both for coming up with it. I would also like to know same thing amishkingpin ask hope Kubota corp is giving you and Vic feedback? :)If not they should be because you 2 have done a lot to help their corp.handyman

[Will In Tx]

Ok no more pictures I will not place up....respect........

[DsBota]

What I love about this forum is it seems not everyone has a brand new bota. And the Canadian connection;). Great work guys.

[Mr. K]

Wow - I did not expect to see this thread kicked back up to the top anytime soon. I has almost been a year and half since the forum opened with this first post and almost 2 since OTT first started in September of 2008.

In that time, the visitors, traffic and forums members have been steadily growing month after month and continue to do so. It has been a great ride to watch the site grow and is fascinating to watch complete strangers meet, virtually, and help each other out. It takes a lot of time to put together informative posts or articles (a lot with pictures), and I see it being done, every day, right here on the site. Very good to see.

AK - regarding your question about support or feedback from Kubota corporate. I do know that Kubota execs on both sides of the border (Canada + USA) have seen the site. I have not received direct feedback from them (Kubota), but, I have other sources that tell me that they thought the site was interesting and supportive. This is good news because sometimes we can be a bit critical of Kubota and how they have handled certain 'situations' (cough grey market tractors cough).

The goal and objective all along for OrangeTractorTalks has been to be the premiere knowledge base for everything Kubota. We still have lots to do, but we are getting there.

[Service Dept Vic]

And I promise to finish my homwork assignments that Mr K gave me last fall, namley writing part 2 of the Steering Box Overhaul, alternator overhaul, PTO shaft universal joint replacement, and a tire and wheel interchange selector.

I can speak for Mr K and myself in saying that it's getting harder to answer the tidal wave of personal PM's, and information requests that we get from Kubota owners/operators all over the world.

We appreciate everyones support and input, there are many experts on this forum that contribute every day and we really appreciate all the effort and dedication they have given in growing our site. Thanks from the bottom of my tool box!

[beech35]

Through the Forum Listers' their assistance has enabled me to identify my "grey" Japanese Kubota as being equivalent to the American market's L275DT. I now need to replace the rubber housings located in both sides of the bonnet channel that secure the top horizontal edge of the engine side covers (has this created confusion ? ). Anyone able to advise me who could supply them ? They may be common to a few models. Thanks from DownUnder