First Tractor, First Leak

[texican]

I tried tightening it. Is there a seal I should replace? This is my first leak to deal with. Is it pressurized so that when I loosen the nut it will start spewing? Does anyone know what the area outlined in kubota orange is called

 

[Russell King]

You are real close to the tractor for us to be sure what you are looking at. But I think that is the rear end of the tractor between the short upper three point arms.

I tried looking at the illustrated parts list but couldn’t locate that area to see what belongs there.

But I believe that is an opening to put oil into the HST transmission and rear differential case. It then looks like it was modified so that some hydraulic line (tank return from a valve?) was installed into that port.

So you probably need to just clean it up real well to see where it is leaking. It really depends on what was added as to how it was sealed. But there should be some type of sealing method in place. There are a multitude of different ways to seal (sealing washer, tapered threads, flair fitting). Your picture makes it hard to tell what is there.

But the hose end may be a JIC female tapered swivel fitting. That would screw onto a fitting with a tapered male end pointing up. That joint can be tightened with a couple of wrenches,

Below that the fittings may be screwed together with some sort of thread. Could be NPT or straight machine threads.

Then the thread into the tractor case where the larger fitting goes should be BSPP threads and there could be an o ring under there or nothing at all.

You might just take it apart and see what is going on with each joint, take pictures and post them. At least back up a bit and take a picture from the side or bottom side so we can see the side view of the fittings where you have the top view only.

 

[texican]

You are real close to the tractor for us to be sure what you are looking at. But I think that is the rear end of the tractor between the short upper three point arms.

I tried looking at the illustrated parts list but couldn’t locate that area to see what belongs there.

But I believe that is an opening to put oil into the HST transmission and rear differential case. It then looks like it was modified so that some hydraulic line (tank return from a valve?) was installed into that port.

So you probably need to just clean it up real well to see where it is leaking. It really depends on what was added as to how it was sealed. But there should be some type of sealing method in place. There are a multitude of different ways to seal (sealing washer, tapered threads, flair fitting). Your picture makes it hard to tell what is there.

But the hose end may be a JIC female tapered swivel fitting. That would screw onto a fitting with a tapered male end pointing up. That joint can be tightened with a couple of wrenches,

Below that the fittings may be screwed together with some sort of thread. Could be NPT or straight machine threads.

Then the thread into the tractor case where the larger fitting goes should be BSPP threads and there could be an o ring under there or nothing at all.

You might just take it apart and see what is going on with each joint, take pictures and post them. At least back up a bit and take a picture from the side or bottom side so we can see the side view of the fittings where you have the top view only.

Hey Russel. thanks a million for reply. I will take a more distant pic tomorrow. its behind the seat on my non HST trans L3000F...the hose that comes from that joint connects to the FEL loader control handle. I will also clean it all up, take the joints apart and put it back together like you said. And will take some pictures of the fittings when apart. Youve given me several things to read up on JIC, BSSP, etc. I appreciate the detailed reply. I will start on this tomorrow after work.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Like Russell said, that's is a low pressure return.
They have installed fittings that are not quite right.
You'll need to remove the fitting and use some good pipe joint compound on the threads to seal them.

 

[GBJeffOH]

I tried tightening it. Is there a seal I should replace? This is my first leak to deal with. Is it pressurized so that when I loosen the nut it will start spewing? Does anyone know what the area outlined in kubota orange is called





View attachment 158113

I don't think you have a vent now.

 

[texican]

Like Russell said, that's is a low pressure return.
They have installed fittings that are not quite right.
You'll need to remove the fitting and use some good pipe joint compound on the threads to seal them.

ok. so, being a low pressure return..I dont have to bleed after cracking it open, correct?

 

[texican]

You are real close to the tractor for us to be sure what you are looking at. But I think that is the rear end of the tractor between the short upper three point arms.

I tried looking at the illustrated parts list but couldn’t locate that area to see what belongs there.

But I believe that is an opening to put oil into the HST transmission and rear differential case. It then looks like it was modified so that some hydraulic line (tank return from a valve?) was installed into that port.

So you probably need to just clean it up real well to see where it is leaking. It really depends on what was added as to how it was sealed. But there should be some type of sealing method in place. There are a multitude of different ways to seal (sealing washer, tapered threads, flair fitting). Your picture makes it hard to tell what is there.

But the hose end may be a JIC female tapered swivel fitting. That would screw onto a fitting with a tapered male end pointing up. That joint can be tightened with a couple of wrenches,

Below that the fittings may be screwed together with some sort of thread. Could be NPT or straight machine threads.

Then the thread into the tractor case where the larger fitting goes should be BSPP threads and there could be an o ring under there or nothing at all.

You might just take it apart and see what is going on with each joint, take pictures and post them. At least back up a bit and take a picture from the side or bottom side so we can see the side view of the fittings where you have the top view only.

Hey Russel, here is further out pic. I cleaned it good, after i took this, I mean real good..with tootbrush and hit all the fittings with soapy water..I then had my wife raise the bucket up and down about 10 times while I stood back there with a light on the joint..havent seen anything leak yet. Do you think I should crack it or wait until Im working it and then get off every now and then and see if I can see where its coming from first?

 

[PoTreeBoy]

Ah ha! That's the fill port. When they installed the loader, they used the fill port, as is commonly done, for the tank return line. But, on your model the case vent was located in the fill plug, not in the axle case as on many models. So when they did away with the plug, it left the transmission case unvented. Pressure can build up with heat and cause a leak. Maybe there's a port where that return line could be rerouted to, or you could modify that fitting to allow a vent.

 

[PoTreeBoy]

I went back and looked. Your loader is installed like it's shown in the parts diagram. Here's how the newer L2501 is vented.

EDIT, this model also has a vent on the transmission housing, so this vent is redundant.

 

[Daren Todd]

My bet is mud dobbers have found that candy cane vent and stopped it up.

 

[Russell King]

Hey Russel, here is further out pic. I cleaned it good, after i took this, I mean real good..with tootbrush and hit all the fittings with soapy water..I then had my wife raise the bucket up and down about 10 times while I stood back there with a light on the joint..havent seen anything leak yet. Do you think I should crack it or wait until Im working it and then get off every now and then and see if I can see where its coming from first?

View attachment 158219

Honesty I don’t think it’s really leaking very much and I would probably just keep an eye on it to see if you think it needs to be fixed or not. I’m fairly tolerant of leaks that are slow and not making a big mess.

Do you have a fill port or vent under and in front of the seat? See below for diagram. If so you don’t need to worry about venting much.

In your photo of the connection here is what I am seeing, the hose has a JIC female swivel end that attaches to a 90 degree fitting. That has a JIC male end connected to the hose. That joint can be tightened with wrenches if it leaks which is doubtful. The other side of the fitting is threaded into a bushing. That thread is unknown but possibly an NPT or BSPP (NPT is tapered BSPP is straight). Then the bushing is threaded into the tractor which is probably a BSPP thread and needs an oring or sealing washer there.

I would guess if it is not vented it leaks due to pressure build up when it heats up. If it is vented I guess that the bushing or the fitting need to be sealed.

And you don’t need to worry about bleeding the hydraulics on these tractors normally. The air is pushed out of the system by the pump as you use the equipment. Operate the cylinders if they are new and they are filled with fluid. A new hose is filled like turning on a hose Bibb fills a garden hose. Don’t worry about it!

 

[D2Cat]

To help you see/determine where the leak is, after cleaning put some baby powder or talcum powder on the area. The leak shows up easily.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Russell covered all of it.
Check the vent where he showed.

 

[texican]

Honesty I don’t think it’s really leaking very much and I would probably just keep an eye on it to see if you think it needs to be fixed or not. I’m fairly tolerant of leaks that are slow and not making a big mess.

Do you have a fill port or vent under and in front of the seat? See below for diagram. If so you don’t need to worry about venting much.
View attachment 158238

In your photo of the connection here is what I am seeing, the hose has a JIC female swivel end that attaches to a 90 degree fitting. That has a JIC male end connected to the hose. That joint can be tightened with wrenches if it leaks which is doubtful. The other side of the fitting is threaded into a bushing. That thread is unknown but possibly an NPT or BSPP (NPT is tapered BSPP is straight). Then the bushing is threaded into the tractor which is probably a BSPP thread and needs an oring or sealing washer there.

I would guess if it is not vented it leaks due to pressure build up when it heats up. If it is vented I guess that the bushing or the fitting need to be sealed.

And you don’t need to worry about bleeding the hydraulics on these tractors normally. The air is pushed out of the system by the pump as you use the equipment. Operate the cylinders if they are new and they are filled with fluid. A new hose is filled like turning on a hose Bibb fills a garden hose. Don’t worry about it!

Hey Russel...been working 12s and playin catchup with everybody. So i looked at the vent which seems to be in good shape..squeezed it and shined light down in there and does not seem to be clogged.

10-4 on the not worrying about that caliber of leak. Ill just watch it I reckon. I keep it 4 counties over on a remote farm, so remote I have to walk about 1/4 mile back into the tractor because the "road' is pretty bad and I get stuck alot, therefore I have to walk tools back in there and there is no electricity for air. So, I brought it home last week to find and fix anything on it that needed attention then take it back. So i have combing over it. I know now that type of threads my tractor hydo system uses (npt (tapered) and bssp) I looked up more info and found the acronyms stand for National Pipe Tapered and British Standard Pipe Paralell. Good to know these hoses are like turning on a hose bib and not under pressure., for when I have to crack one open one day. Learned alot from this post and I thank your for sharing your knowledge and your time.

 

[texican]

To help you see/determine where the leak is, after cleaning put some baby powder or talcum powder on the area. The leak shows up easily.

Hey DCAT, been on some long shifts and playing catch up. thanks for that tip. Did not know that. Def going to sprinkle some on tomorrow. I guess even if its really slow leak it will make a paste, eventually yeah?

 

[texican]

Like Russell said, that's is a low pressure return.
They have installed fittings that are not quite right.
You'll need to remove the fitting and use some good pipe joint compound on the threads to seal them.

thanks. just any reg joint compound is fine?

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I use Tru-Blu, you can get it at HD.

 

[texican]

I went back and looked. Your loader is installed like it's shown in the parts diagram. Here's how the newer L2501 is vented.

View attachment 158228
EDIT, this model also has a vent on the transmission housing, so this vent is redundant.

ok..so the candy cane vent that is on top of the oil fill hole in front of my seat does vent the area behind the seat where I have the link? Thanks for dropping this graphic in the your post, im studying on it right now.

My bet is mud dobbers have found that candy cane vent and stopped it up.

thats def possible here where i live. I gave the vent a good look over...I dont think theyve gotten me....yet.

 

[texican]

I use Tru-Blu, you can get it at HD.

Thanks.. I like to just go with things that works well for others.

 

[Russell King]

Hey Russel...been working 12s and playin catchup with everybody. So i looked at the vent which seems to be in good shape..squeezed it and shined light down in there and does not seem to be clogged.

Good to know these hoses are like turning on a hose bib and not under pressure., for when I have to crack one open one day. Learned alot from this post and I thank your for sharing your knowledge and your time.

So you do have the vent in front of the seat so that is good.

As far as the pressure goes, just always be careful since the fluid can be forced through your skin by higher pressures so use eye protection and leather gloves to protect your self. Getting the fluid injected is really bad and can lead to serious health issues. There is high pressure in some of the lines at some times so just treat them all like they are dangerous if the tractor is running. Try to never work on the hydraulics if the tractor is running or something is held up by the hydraulic system to be safe. Since the ones you asked about are returning fluid to the sump there is only low pressure in that hose.

This will help you read how to identify threads and at least give you a lot more information about the different threads used.

https://www.swagelok.com/downloads/webcatalogs/en/ms-13-77.pdf

It is pretty tedious but good information if you are interested in learning more about it.