New to me L345DT

motionclone · May 7, 2018

New to the orange club. I just picked up an L345DT. Runs great and have fixed a few minor electrical issues/leaks and tach drive/cable.

Youll see in the pics the wheels are reversed and at first I thought it was done by PO for widening the rig for stability but I turned them around and they come into contact with the loader frame with a hard turn. Will this offset hurt anything? Are these the correct wheels for an '81 L345DT?

Im going to call my local dealer about the Rops program so I can get one on my rig for low cost.

motionclone · May 7, 2018

I bought one of the "service " manuals off the internet but appears incomplete. Where is the best place to get a complete one?

rbargeron · May 8, 2018

I've owned 2 L345s and a L355 (nearly identical but with hydraulic shuttle) - all rugged long-lasting machines. Back when I bought my first L345, there wasn't a Kubota WSM for the L345 & L345DT but when they introduced a WSM for the L355 it was close enough, so I've used that.

I notice now that eBay offers a reprint of what appears to be a real WSM for the L345DT L345 - says it has 188 pages ?? link here.

BTW, there's not much point in reversing the fronts - axle swings on a center pivot anyway so all the stability comes from the back.

Good luck, be safe, have fun. Dick B

North Idaho Wolfman · May 8, 2018

I've sent you an email to download of what I think is a good WSM for your tractor.
Your front rims don't look to be stock.
Just by the color they look to be newer.
What size tires are on it?

motionclone · May 8, 2018

North Idaho Wolfman said:
I've sent you an email to download of what I think is a good WSM for your tractor.
Your front rims don't look to be stock.
Just by the color they look to be newer.
What size tires are on it?

Hey thanks so much, that manual looks like it has a lot more info than the ebay one I bought.

I had suspicions that the front rims were not stock. They have an offset different than ones Ive seen in pics of other 345dts. And when reversed so they look more correct, it sets the rims in too far and contacts loader frame. Ill update this with a tire size.

motionclone · May 8, 2018

rbargeron said:
I notice now that eBay offers a reprint of what appears to be a real WSM for the L345DT L345 - says it has 188 pages ?? link here.

BTW, there's not much point in reversing the fronts - axle swings on a center pivot anyway so all the stability comes from the back.

Good luck, be safe, have fun. Dick B

yeah I bought a similar ebay Manual and it only had 2 real involved sections in it about Dual clutch and Power steering. Its like its missing a bunch but Wolfman gave me a link to a better Manual that seems to have more info.

Yeah the rims were reversed by PO to clear the loader frame but not sure if they are even the right wheels

motionclone · May 10, 2018

North Idaho Wolfman said:
....
What size tires are on it?

They are 8-18 front and 13.6-28 rears. Im searching around now for stock size and have only found the 345 non 4x4 and its a 6-16 tire

Luckystars · May 10, 2018

There are the rims with the tires and the wheel centers. It looks like your wheel centers are backwards. Take the rim off the center, then take the wheel center off the tractor hub and reverse it. Put the wheel back on either outside the wheel center or inside/behind the center for less offset.
Now you can cross the front rims and put them on in the other direction on the other side for 2 other choices.
It sounds confusing typing this but it'll give you 4 different widths for the front

motionclone · May 10, 2018

Luckystars said:
There are the rims with the tires and the wheel centers. It looks like your wheel centers are backwards. Take the rim off the center, then take the wheel center off the tractor hub and reverse it. Put the wheel back on either outside the wheel center or inside/behind the center for less offset.
Now you can cross the front rims and put them on in the other direction on the other side for 2 other choices.
It sounds confusing typing this but it'll give you 4 different widths for the front

The fronts are 1 piece rims. If I reverse them they contact the loader frame on hard turn. Based on some pics around the net it looks like my rims have a different offset than what ive seen others have and It also looks like the rims/tires are the wrong size.
Edit:IN my Ebay Service Manual it does list a 8-18 front tire size for some variant of the L345DT so maybe thats why 4x4 feels/works just fine. Must just be the wheels are reversed?

Luckystars · May 10, 2018

I see that now. Coleman shows that as a one piece wheel/rim with a 9.5x16 tire. Are the tires bigger than that?

motionclone · May 10, 2018

Luckystars said:
I see that now. Coleman shows that as a one piece wheel/rim with a 9.5x16 tire. Are the tires bigger than that?

Yeah mine are 8-18

Luckystars · May 10, 2018

MAYBE 8-18 are not the correct choice with a loader?
On my tractor there is a rim position that will make the tires rub the FEL

North Idaho Wolfman · May 10, 2018

8-18 are the right size, And no you can't change the tire size to suit the loader.

The issue is that you have an aftermarket loader that wasn't exactly made for that model tractor.

My suggestion would be to flip the rims and figure out how much offset you need and figure out either different rims or wheel spacers to keep it as close to the inside as you can to reduce stress on the front axle.

Edit Correction: from mistype 8-16

motionclone · May 11, 2018

North Idaho Wolfman said:
8-18 are the right size, And no you can't change the tire size to suit the loader.

The issue is that you have an aftermarket loader that wasn't exactly made for that model tractor.

My suggestion would be to flip the rims and figure out how much offset you need and figure out either different rims or wheel spacers to keep it as close to the inside as you can to reduce stress on the front axle.

ahhh, sounds like a good plan. Is there a bolt pattern to look for? Like does my bolt pattern fit 1950-2018 L series tractors?

that would be nice but...

rbargeron · May 11, 2018

On both of my L345DT's the original front tire size is 9.5-16 on fixed-center rims. Their rolling diameter is large enough to "lead" the rears a little which is common practice for off-road 4wd.

Motionclone: The 8-18's on your L345 likely "pull" a little since the rim is taller but the rubber is shorter, making a similar OD to the 9.5-16 original size. This is more in line with your edited post #9 above

North Idaho Wolfman · May 11, 2018

rbargeron said:
On both of my L345DT's the original front tire size is 9.5-16 on fixed-center rims. Their rolling diameter is larger than an 8-16, causing them to "lead" the rears a little which was (is?) common practice for 4wd for off-road use.

My L355ss has 8-16 front tires and they do much less scuffing if left in 4wd on pavement. I'd expect the 8-18's on your rig to "pull" a little since the rim and rolling diameter are bigger. Maybe not optimal for loader work.

Did you do the same as me and swap #'s around, 16 in place of 18?
Kubota shows 8-18 as stock on the L345DT.
Kubota shows a 8.6-16 for the L355SS.
I'm wondering if 9.5-16 has the same or close RC as the 8-18?

rbargeron · May 11, 2018

Wolfman, - I've checked my wording and numbers - and have checked 2 machines still in the family. The tires on my current L345DT are definitely 9.5-16. Kubota's website does mention an 8-18 tire but the listed part number 70000-00229 is in fact 9.5-16.

When I bought my first L345DT, I like that the front tires were 9.5-16, which were bigger the Blue or Green brands had at the time. I also priced a new replacement once so the size has stuck in my head.

On our L355ss the front rubber is actually 8.3-16. And its rear rubber is somewhat smaller OD than the L345DT has. K's website parts list is silent about tires for the L355ss. Our machine is all original. I think the original front rims on L345DT, L355ss rigs are all 16" with fixed centers.

Back on motionclone's "8-18" front wheels, I'm wondering if 8-18 tires on adjustable-offset 18" rims may have been a dealer modification by the installer of the Great Bend loader? Do you know of any Kubota model that has 18" adjustable 6-lug rims?

Take care, Dick B

North Idaho Wolfman · May 11, 2018

rbargeron said:
Wolfman, - I've checked my wording and numbers - and have checked 2 machines still in the family. The tires on my current L345DT are definitely 9.5-16. Kubota's website does mention an 8-18 tire but the listed part number 70000-00229 is in fact 9.5-16.

When I bought my first L345DT, I like that the front tires were 9.5-16, which were bigger the Blue or Green brands had at the time. I also priced a new replacement once so the size has stuck in my head.

On our L355ss the front rubber is actually 8.3-16. And its rear rubber is somewhat smaller OD than the L345DT has. K's website parts list is silent about tires for the L355ss. Our machine is all original. I think the original front rims on L345DT, L355ss rigs are all 16" with fixed centers.

Back on motionclone's "8-18" front wheels, I'm wondering if 8-18 tires on adjustable-offset 18" rims may have been a dealer modification by the installer of the Great Bend loader? Do you know of any Kubota model that has 18" adjustable 6-lug rims?

Take care, Dick B

I think he said they are a fixed offset rim?

But i think we can agree that they were probably put on to clear the loader.

The basic point is that it's hard on the front end for them to be pushed out so far.

rbargeron · May 12, 2018

North Idaho Wolfman said:
I think he said they are a fixed offset rim?

But i think we can agree that they were probably put on to clear the loader.

The basic point is that it's hard on the front end for them to be pushed out so far.

He did indeed say they are one-piece (and said it again in an edit) I don't know why I missed it - maybe got faked by post #8, which doesn't apply here.

Wider tire spacing is harder on the front end but at least the L345 has double supports on each end instead of just one like the later models.

I think the detachable loader is an advantage over the normal 1720 fixed loader - it may add more axle life than wheel spacing takes away.

Leaving it alone is an option, but your post #13 is good advice.

motionclone · May 12, 2018

rbargeron said:
He did indeed say they are one-piece (and said it again in an edit) I don't know why I missed it - maybe got faked by post #8, which doesn't apply here.

Wider tire spacing is harder on the front end but at least the L345 has double supports on each end instead of just one like the later models.

I think the detachable loader is an advantage over the normal 1720 fixed loader - it may add more axle life than wheel spacing takes away.

Leaving it alone is an option, but your post #13 is good advice too.

The other problem I see with them being wide like they are is they extend beyond the width of the bucket so that may be a little trouble for some tasks. I like the wheel spacer idea if I can find some. Not sure what other models or years may have the same stud pattern.

Has anyone cut the welds on the centers, moved then rewelded? That doesnt scare me one bit, I can weld good.

New to me L345DT

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