B2601 first maintenance

[Chapel Hill Vann]

My manual does not list any maintenance until 50 hours. I have read and heard about a first maintenance at 20 hours.
What is the consensus here?
i want to take care of this equipment properly. so I feel like I need to do a t least a preliminary "pre-maintenance'" at 20 hours.
I assume for the first (20 hour) maintenance I need to change the engine oil and oil filter, top off the transmission fluid and front axle fluids, grease all zerks, check the lug nuts, check the cooling fluid level, clean the air filter and check the fuel filter. I will check all nuts/connections for tightness.
I plan on using Kubota super udt fluid and Kubota oil filter. It seems that engine oil ideas vary widely. I am thinking synthetic 15-40 rotella if I can find it in my area.
Any other thoughts?
Thanks
Vann

 

[85Hokie]

Vann,

One can change oil TOO often - but on the other hand, if you changed it every month - you would at least have "piece of mind" and a check book that has less in it.

The first change is probably the most important one - lots of little stuff gets caught up in the movements of fluids, so getting it "filtered" early is important.

YOU do what you want to do - but it will not hurt to allow it to get to 50 either!

 

[bbxlr8]

I would double-check all those things as delivery service sometimes misses things - 50H is fine for an oil change - I went easy and varied rpm as much as possible but some just go at it.

Oil & grease topics are wildly entertaining, but you can't go wrong with Rotella or any diesel oil that meets spec.s. FWIW - I use syn Rotella in 5W-40 but gets much colder up here in PA

 

[RCW]

Good advice thus far. If it were mine, I wouldn't worry an oil change at 20 hours.

However, I would follow @bbxlr8's advice and double check delivery things like lug nuts/stud torque, front axle level, HST level, loader mount torque, etc.

Some of these become problems in the first 50 hours or so, and you can avoid later damage by checking early and often.

Using front axle as an example, many folks have found their new machines were not filled properly upon delivery.

My own tractor HST was full upon delivery, but in less than an hour was 1+ quarts low. Low enough that it didn't show on stick - definitely got my attention. Just an air bubble, but I caught it early on.....

FWIW - I also use Rotella T6 5w-40, but upstate New York gets much colder than Chapel Hill (so I'm told..).

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

don't forget the grease zerks.

Sometimes at the factory a zerk may not accept its shot of grease leaving the joint dry. Good to go through them to make sure they are open/accepting grease and a little shot never hurt IMHO>

 

[mikester]

follow the manual not the church ladies gossip

 

[PaulL]

I did my B2601 at 50 hours. Earlier than that, in my opinion, is wasting money. That 50 hours is for use in the hardest conditions, perhaps in a rental fleet or similar. Sure, I run high revs (I mow a lot so you have to run target revs), but I don't work it that hard. It's very unlikely I'll wear my tractor out before I wear myself out - a B2601 will easily do 2,000 hours in light duty, at 50 hours a year that's 40 years. If I'm still driving the same tractor in 40 years I've done something wrong.

 

[GrizBota]

It’s your tractor. Servicing it at 20 hours won’t hurt it, but it’s a waste of money to do the full 50 hour service twice in the first 50 hours. Although checking lugs and frame mount bolt torque and greasing is a great idea. You could do that everyday if you don’t mind grease all over everything.