Kubota KX080 track motor oil level

[Muz]

Came across an interesting item today. Most epicyclic reduction hubs Ive been used to have a centre level plug so you only fill the hub half full of oil, the reasoning I'd been lead to believe is that it stops the drive motor causing pressure inside the hub, therby preventing the seals getting damaged on the hub casing. Anyway, I was servicing one of my Kubota KX080's today and began wondering why its got a strange plug placement on the hub face, with three plugs, and one thats marked Oil L ... which could never be read level while its in the middle of the hub if you see what I mean

IMG_0154[1].jpg

Anyway .. decided to consult an owners manual .. I mean Ive only had a pair of these 8 tonners for 8 years ... and never checked it once .. and discovered that this gearbox takes 1.3 litres of oil, which is almost a full box. So Ive been under filling them.

Fortunately I am very particular about changing the oil in these boxes as a failure is very expensive ... so I well exceed the manufacturers guidelines and do mine twice a year to prevent any failures. If your oil is coming out black and smelling of rotten eggs or natural gas, the oil is breaking down and will lose its lubricity and you should be changing it more often .. how often should you do it ? Totally depends on how much tracking the digger is doing .. some sites use them like wheel barrows, and this is very hard on the reduction boxes, which have a lot of gear area surfaces in them, so the oil gets some real punishment in there ... if in doubt .. whack it out

[Mattir]

The oil seem black.

What would you say of clear oil with some grains of sand in it?

[Muz]

The oil seem black.

What would you say of clear oil with some grains of sand in it?

That oil was about as far as I like to see them go ... Ive seen a lot worse .. this machine had been doing a lot of tracking, which is why I check them twice a year, I had a 2.5 tonner I serviced last week where the oil was quite smelly, clearly it was being used like a dumper on site

Any particulates in oil are generally bad news, (it wont be sand !!) if the oil is too black you wont see them ofcourse. Despite my strict change regime ive had a lot of volvo drives look quite silvery when ive changed the oil .............. AND please read this internetters ....its not been evidenced by any drive failures as yet !! Their drives dont seem to have as much gear bearing pressure in them , and I havent really seen any of them make the oil go black like kubota and Hitachi units do ... but I do see particulates .. and have been surprised how resilient they seem to be .. Ive never had one fail yet in 20 years. Sometimes I'll notice one side oil is always different to the other in colour ... yet they are on the same machine

[john87]

Hi All!!

That oil was about as far as I like to see them go ... Ive seen a lot worse .. this machine had been doing a lot of tracking, which is why I check them twice a year, I had a 2.5 tonner I serviced last week where the oil was quite smelly, clearly it was being used like a dumper on site

Any particulates in oil are generally bad news, (it wont be sand !!) if the oil is too black you wont see them ofcourse. Despite my strict change regime ive had a lot of volvo drives look quite silvery when ive changed the oil .............. AND please read this internetters ....its not been evidenced by any drive failures as yet !! Their drives dont seem to have as much gear bearing pressure in them , and I havent really seen any of them make the oil go black like kubota and Hitachi units do ... but I do see particulates .. and have been surprised how resilient they seem to be .. Ive never had one fail yet in 20 years. Sometimes I'll notice one side oil is always different to the other in colour ... yet they are on the same machine

I was talking the the VERY helpful people in the local Kubota dealers the other day about this sort of thing. Apparently they get people that cannot understand why drive motor oil has to be changed at 50 hours from brand new. Apparently, when you change it, you would be amazed at the quantity of "sparkly bits" that come out. Leave then in there, and expect the gearbox to destroy itself.. They did tell me that a bad one smells something terrible!!

john..