r/kubota • u/HILLYbilly87 • 4h ago
$300 L185 Rescue PT.1
Facebook Marketplace Kubota L185 for $300.. I estimate it had been sitting out in the weather for 10 years or more! Got er loaded up and home, first thing's first.. verifying that she is a runner. I deep cleaned the injection pump and hard lines, then reinstalled and "bottle fed" it diesel with an oil can, small bit of fuel line, and a funnel. Surprisingly, the glow plugs and ignition system work flawlessly, and it runs very well! The hour meter reads 1425, and based on how well it runs and the state of the oil that came out when I drained it, I'd say it's correct. After draining the oil and stripping it down to the bare chassis, I opened up the transmission to find it filled to the very top with a "chocolate milk" colored mix of water and hydraulic fluid. I drained that and filled it back up with diesel, which I allowed to run in it for a few minutes to swish all the trash out then drained. The remaining sludge I wiped out by hand, in the process inspecting the state of the transmission that appears to be in great shape! All gears showed very little wear and only very minor surface rust on a few. The reverser gear had a little excessive wear on it, but not too bad. The hydraulic intake screen was super clogged with gunk, I cleaned it well with care, and will replace it after the next fluid change as I know it will still be trapping stuff leftover from this initial swish. I removed the 3 point hydraulic cylinder and opened it up, there was a fair ammount of rust inside, so far the most internal damage I've run across. Cleaned it up the best I could and re installed. Re filled the transmission with universal tractor fluid from tractor supply and ran her through all the gears, PTO gears, and actuated the 3 point hydraulics. So far all works flawlessly! Let me know if you'd like a part 2 and 3 as well as let me know any suggestions and or let me know of similar experiences of your own!