Kubota B2400 LF rim freezes below 32F

[bfdow]

As the title states, my left front wheel freezes in cold weather. It happened today when I went out to plow. After rocking back and forth for 10-15 minutes it freed up and worked normally. It's a 4 wheel drive, HST.

I would assume there is some water in there. How do I fix this?

I will use a heat gun to warm up the rim and hub to see if that helps.

Thanks for any and all thoughts.

BFDow in snowy Vermont.

 

[torch]

What do you mean by "freezes"? Do you mean it won't turn? Or it has a flat spot? Or???

 

[85Hokie]

As the title states, my left front wheel freezes in cold weather. It happened today when I went out to plow. After rocking back and forth for 10-15 minutes it freed up and worked normally. It's a 4 wheel drive, HST.

I would assume there is some water in there. How do I fix this?

I will use a heat gun to warm up the rim and hub to see if that helps.

Thanks for any and all thoughts.

BFDow in snowy Vermont.

I'm with torch, shoot us some more info -

by what you are describing, you do have only water in the tire, thus it is getting rock hard when cold.

Roll tire so the valve stem is at 6 o'clock - pull the valve stem core out, the tool is easy to find and is cheap to own - allow all water to come out, you might have to take the tire off and shake it to get all the water out. Replace valve stem core and re-inflate.

https://www.autozone.com/tire-repai...emover-tool/slime-4-way-valve-tool/487510_0_0

 

[torch]

I'm with torch, shoot us some more info -

by what you are describing, you do have only water in the tire, thus it is getting rock hard when cold.

On the other hand, if the problem is that the wheel won't rotate, I would suspect water has gotten into the 4wd hub, making a thick, gooey, white-ish emulsion when the gears beat it into the oil but which separates out into the bottom of the casting after sitting for a few days or so.

In that case, and assuming your model has separate drains for each front hub, I'd drain at least that side and refill with fresh gear lube.

 

[D2Cat]

85Hokie, is that link you posted showing an attachment for a necklace?

 

[boz1989]

Is there snow up around the tire? My 2910 exhaust blows on the LF, and snow loves to stick to the tie rod/tire area. I just remind myself to clean it when I'm done.

Sent from my LGMP260 using Tapatalk

 

[bfdow]

Thanks for the replies.

What I mean is that the rim of the wheel does not rotate on the axle. When I move the tractor, 3 wheels rotate as normal, the left front wheel just slides on the snow.

I attached a few pages from the Kubota repair manual. I think draining the front axle will be the first step.


BFDow

 

[85Hokie]

torch nailed it ......you have moisture in the oil.

You will need to get the oil "hot" to get that gunk out! Might need more than a hair dryer!

 

[torch]

What I mean is that the rim of the wheel does not rotate on the axle. When I move the tractor, 3 wheels rotate as normal, the left front wheel just slides on the snow.

Try to warm the axle/hub up as much as possible before draining. Maybe wrap some plumbing heat-trace and some sort of insulation around it if you can't pull it into a heated garage. Or at the very least, warm with your heat gun. Emulsified oil/water can be very thick and slow to drain, especially when cold. You want to get as much of it out of there as possible.

Edit: Hokie is fast off the draw this morning! Must've posted that while I was typing.

 

[85Hokie]

Edit: Hokie is fast off the draw this morning! Must've posted that while I was typing.

you had it right all along! you get the credit!

 

[bfdow]

Thank you very much! I'll change the gear lube/oil as soon as it gets above freezing.

 

[bfdow]

Thank you! I will change the axle oil as soon as it warms up a bit.

 

[bfdow]

Try to warm the axle/hub up as much as possible before draining. Maybe wrap some plumbing heat-trace and some sort of insulation around it if you can't pull it into a heated garage. Or at the very least, warm with your heat gun. Emulsified oil/water can be very thick and slow to drain, especially when cold. You want to get as much of it out of there as possible.

Edit: Hokie is fast off the draw this morning! Must've posted that while I was typing.

Will do. Thanks!

 

[torch]

you had it right all along! you get the credit!

It's more accurate to say that I was suspicious.

Besides, it's not really a contest. You know that, right?

 

[bfdow]

Yesterday we had temperatures nearing 60. Perfect day to drain the axles. The oil and water had separated and the water was clear and plentiful. Unbelievable how much water was in each side! (But only the left wheel would freeze.)

Thank you so much for your help!

BFDow

 

[torch]

I'm glad you found this and drained it before there was sufficient pooled water to freeze, expand, and split the casting!