Hydraulic HST filter change

[Frustrated one.]

Please: need desperate advice.
I am trying to change hydraulic filter on L4701 HST.
It appears after reading other comments that this project can be a challenge !
So far I have ruined 4 wrenches and out over $100.00+. The cartridge must be welded on.
I have not resorted to sticking a hole through the unit and attempting the screwdriver routine........sounds like a possible nightmare.
I live 50 miles from a dealership and have no trailer.
Does anyone have the solution. So far I have approx 10 hrs in this project with no results and a bench of broken tools. Yes I am using the lefty loosy...............Please give me the secret sauce if you have it. So incredibly frustrated.
Thanks orange fans.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Usually a good 'rubber strap' wrench,snug, at the base and a good stout pull will remove the filter. Just LOOK where you're at, PLAN ahead ,in case it lets loose real fast.
When flesh hits steel, steel ALWAYS wins....

 

[85Hokie]

Have you tried the cups? with the 3/8" ratchet? I find that sometimes they will slip - but a small paper towel or piece of sand paper INSIDE the cup will get it to stop from slipping.

 

[chim]

My largest Channellocks handled the filters on the last three tractors. You might be able to get a drift punch in one of the "teeth" on the filter and give it a few sharp taps. A 16 ounce hammer will probably work better than a three pounder.

Run a shop vac in the fill hole and the negative pressure will yodel the fluid to keep it in the housing. (Assuming you are not changing the fluid.)

 

[whitetiger]

A pair of channel lock 480 pliers or an air hammer will quickly remove the HST filter.
Do not use a vacuum on the reservoir. The filter is pressure-fed, meaning you will only lose a cup of hydraulic fluid plus what's in the filter.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

I would invest in a good "strap wrench" if there is room to use it.


https://www.amazon.com/GEARWRENCH-3529D-Heavy-Filter-Wrench/dp/B00B2LV4DS/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1XTXTUGWHW7TF&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.kdltLOlMZWDt8eLMhwfudaCzHDC4gb2I2y6fRtmnKGNnA5BpXmxJ7J0wJCd4RPM_-To2IQzLwJ973mr9meb7-nqnyOc26dh-53YeX-TmuIP_hk07J0Bg0xbMNt8Iy4XFZ5sR4Amg4uEp63p80qvxX4xCDYJwSFXSs05nNPXznZ4iQbfOeGYzsPijtSE52MmDuM4vRXTHarjFleCWsb0q4Q4o1DQAEljaMPXkGZijHeU0VZhhOfZeToADyRbeZwGH19DUxRxFZQKVMq6el9gxCBke4hvevAfJUz1jGGFVt2s.ZekA_n27q0kQy4ntA6Y_ytY6qEUjB-SHc9_g5ZMLc0w&dib_tag=se&keywords=strap+wrench&qid=1731321492&s=automotive&sprefix=strap+wrench,automotive,129&sr=1-4


or this one

https://www.amazon.com/OTC-7206-Multi-Purpose-Strap-Wrench/dp/B000RHZO7U/ref=sr_1_9?crid=1XTXTUGWHW7TF&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.kdltLOlMZWDt8eLMhwfudaCzHDC4gb2I2y6fRtmnKGNnA5BpXmxJ7J0wJCd4RPM_-To2IQzLwJ973mr9meb7-nqnyOc26dh-53YeX-TmuIP_hk07J0Bg0xbMNt8Iy4XFZ5sR4Amg4uEp63p80qvxX4xCDYJwSFXSs05nNPXznZ4iQbfOeGYzsPijtSE52MmDuM4vRXTHarjFleCWsb0q4Q4o1DQAEljaMPXkGZijHeU0VZhhOfZeToADyRbeZwGH19DUxRxFZQKVMq6el9gxCBke4hvevAfJUz1jGGFVt2s.ZekA_n27q0kQy4ntA6Y_ytY6qEUjB-SHc9_g5ZMLc0w&dib_tag=se&keywords=strap+wrench&qid=1731321492&s=automotive&sprefix=strap+wrench,automotive,129&sr=1-9



The old "punch/chisel" would be a "last ditch effort" for me.

Those nylon strap wrenches, when used properly, are amazing and I have never run into a filter that they could not get off.

 

[jimh406]

I agree strap wrenches are very good to break the overtightened filter or paint.

 

[mikester]

https://www.princessauto.com/en/12-in-adjustable-slip-joint-oil-filter-pliers/product/PA0009297649

 

[NCL4701]

Much excellent advice above. If not the one that came on it from the factory, the below is inapplicable.

If it is the first time it’s been changed it may have been installed before the tractor was painted and the paint has it glued on. Not hard to tell even if you’re not the original owner; if it’s the same color as the tractor they were probably painted at the same time.

That was the case first time I changed mine. It was hesitant to come off. Carefully ran a razor knife around the joint to bisect the paint at the joint. Decent strap wrench took it right off.

 

[JimmyJazz]

I also had a hard time removing my filters and went to the local auto parts store and bought a removal wrench with some nasty teeth that did the trick. Under $20 from what I remember.

 

[Oleracer]

. If you dont have a strap wrench an old belt that holds up your pants works. After 10 hours i would just punch the hole. Let it drain. Than push a big punch through. That doesn’t work just cut the can off and use a punch/ chisel on the seated flange of filter. It will come off. In the shop when charging for labor i wont spend more than 1/2 hour on a filter than its time to get nasty. Just becareful with can… its sharp and will cut you good.

 

[Grandad4]

Interesting bit of tractor trivia... those filters have been installed by descendents of King Kong on the Kubota assembly lines for at least the last 25 years!

Maybe one can consider it a rite of passage... true Kubota mastery is not achieved until one gets that da## filter loose.

Mine defied mere human efforts to loosen. Won't explain exactly what finally got the filter loose but it involved a really good strap wrench, a towing line and a truck.

 

[D2Cat]

The attachment that doesn't like to give up is caused by the filter being installed then the tractor is painted. The paint is difficult to break loose the first time, that's when most folks post a question/complaint.

 

[Frustrated one.]

Very many thanks to fellow Oranges !
Forgot to mention I am 80 yrs old.......
I asked a neighbor friend if he had a solution......
He is 40 yrs old.......came over with a large channel lock and put his 240lb muscle on it !
5 seconds later cartridge busted loose .
I was in a bad state last night........today I feel I won the lottery.
Thanks to you all who offered advice.

 

[Frustrated one.]

Interesting bit of tractor trivia... those filters have been installed by descendents of King Kong on the Kubota assembly lines for at least the last 25 years!

Maybe one can consider it a rite of passage... true Kubota mastery is not achieved until one gets that da## filter loose.

Mine defied mere human efforts to loosen. Won't explain exactly what finally got the filter loose but it involved a really good strap wrench, a towing line and a truck.

Love your comment. 'Rite of passage'...... was right on.
Thank you

 

[McMXi]

Very many thanks to fellow Oranges !
Forgot to mention I am 80 yrs old.......
I asked a neighbor friend if he had a solution......
He is 40 yrs old.......came over with a large channel lock and put his 240lb muscle on it !
5 seconds later cartridge busted loose .
I was in a bad state last night........today I feel I won the lottery.
Thanks to you all who offered advice.

That's good to hear!

I've been lucky over the past 9 years servicing four Kubota tractors. I never had a hard time removing the painted grey filters on those four tractors, and that's the oil, hydraulic and transmission filters. The last filter I remember struggling with was earlier in the year and it was the oil filter on a friend's Toyota Prius. What a pain that was for such a tiny little filter! In the end I removed a bunch of panels from beneath the engine compartment and managed to get it off.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Thank you lol for your words of wisdom. I’m a new L48 owner. The original hydraulic filters are still on it...22 years later. I used a combination of strap-wrench with duct tape and sandpaper to get the filter moving. The problem is that the filter body spins but the filter is not loosening off the tractor. It seems likely that the threaded-plate part of the filter is slipping where it connects to the body. Any suggestions?

22 year old filters!
Best advice, sell the tractor!

If the top is spinning you're going the need to cut off the shell to get to the base plate of the filter, then you will be able to use a punch to remove it.

 

[D2Cat]

There has to be a story behind the filter being there for 22 years! I'd like to see what the filter trapped over those years.

 

[RCW]

If the top is spinning you're going the need to cut off the shell to get to the base plate of the filter, then you will be able to use a punch to remove it.

NIW sums it up well.

First, if possible (may not be), try getting the strap (or other) wrench as close to the filter base plate as possible. I once had luck with a pipe wrench, but that filter was on an older truck with lots of room to maneuver.....

Whatever you do, be very careful about lateral/side-torque on the filter. That puts side/lateral torque/pressure on the nipple the filter threads on to.

Only want to apply force in the direction the filter spins off, if that makes sense.

Those threaded nipples have been known to break off.......you don't want to go there.