Hi all, I'm new to forum- never done this, anyhow I have my old L3000dt that I bought new 20 years ago. I love my tractor but recently I,ve had the usual 20 year old tractor stuff happen, i.e ( plastic fan blade shreds, starter, muffler, overheating, etc. NO biggies until my power steering gearbox starting leaking. 1st not much then pouring out the pitman arm seal. ok I put new seal in but all it did was slow down the leak. I've looked extensively online for a seal kit or overhaul kit to no avail, talked to 3 separate kubota dealers (NO HELP) they all want to sell me a $2000 + dollar gearbox. I have thought about swapping to a 2600f type manual gearbox and steering, has anyone ever done this or have any advice on overhauling my old one, all advice welcome. thanks!!!
steering gear blues
- Thread starter toad9144
- Start date
Your story has a familiar ring to it.........
From memory, it was preciously pointed out that the outer pitman arm seal was not for keeping oil from leaking out but to keep water/dirt from getting in.
The real oil seal was one called a gasket #30 but really a special rubber seal deeper in the case.
I cannot guarantee this part will solve your problem but it gives you some hope for a modest cost.
Dave
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thanks Dave, I did see that diagram before but never thought seal. I didnt have to pull the box to do the outside dust seal, but I'll need to remove it now anyway. i'll try to get as many of those seals from the diagram as possible since the box will be out of the tractor. will let you know! thanks again!
Although not the usual approach, I would confine myself to jsy the one seal.
Reason, with power steering, there are adjustments than might be affected.
With the pitman arm off, can you not get the sector shaft out with the box in place?
I do not know your tractor so you will be the best one to judge.
Dave
ok, I ordered the #30 seal last nite, I'll see if I can go into the back side of the box but theres not alot of room w/it still on the tractor, will keep you posted, thanks again!
Pau7220
Well-known member
Equipment
L3650 GST, Landpride TL250 FEL w/ Piranha, 6' King Kutter, GM1084R Finish
Not a huge surprise.... try to get you to spend 2K+ when $30 worth of seals and a little effort will fix the problem. Kind of sickening.
You're also going to need the o-ring on the cap where the adjusting screw is for the sector shaft.
Keep everything nearly sterile during replacement... wrong place for dirt. Pressure wash before removal / disassembly if possible.
Both the sector shaft (where it meshes with the ballnut) and the pitman arm need to go back where they came from... mark them if they're not before removing them.
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yeah, I would probably let someone overhaul this box that knew what they were doing,but the all 3 dealers told me they dont go into steering gears any longer cause they all leak again. what a crock! I wish I would have ordered that O ring already, now it'll be another week and trek to the dealer when it arrives cause I'm tired of paying $20 shipping on top of my parts everytime I order online from kubota! thanks again & we'll keep posted!
Pau7220
Well-known member
Equipment
L3650 GST, Landpride TL250 FEL w/ Piranha, 6' King Kutter, GM1084R Finish
Yep, even a new box will leak again at some point in the future.... laziness. Or they're not doing it right.
If you have a local hydraulic shop, they will probably have the o-ring in stock.... but you'll have to get it out to go match it up first.
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hadnt thought of that! found the O ring at Amazon though, my other parts should be here friday from kubota &that'll give me the weekend to work on it. thanks for the suggestions!
update to all! finally got around to tackling this gearbox, 1st attempt at doing it on the tractor proved impossible so I went ahead & took it off. I first read my shop manual & checked the gear back lash at the pitman arm, ( thank God )cause when I turned in the adjustment screw to remove the cap on backside of the sector shaft I lost count of the turns (it sounds easy to just mark & count turns, but I fouled it up) Anyhow, once I got the sector out it was all straight forward then I replaced the "gasket" internal seal, the cap O ring & dust seal at pitman arm side then reassembled the box. reset my backlash & reinstalled gearbox on the tractor, No more leak, I want to thank all who responded & commented on this post, so THANKS guys! sometimes its good to challenge our skills & try something we dont think we can tackle, I can only imagine the money I saved doing this myself.
Pau7220
Well-known member
Equipment
L3650 GST, Landpride TL250 FEL w/ Piranha, 6' King Kutter, GM1084R Finish
