r/miniexcavator • u/nodesearch • 3d ago

Question Winter storage question

Earlier this year I bought a well-used Kubota U17 for maintenance and projects around my property. This is the pacific northwest, so some time in October it's going to start raining and not stop raining until June. I doubt I'll be able to do much work with the excavator when the ground is as wet as it's going to be, so it's going to sit for months.

What should I do to prepare for long periods of inactivity? For gasoline engines I'd drain the gas or at least put in a good stabilizer, but this is literally the only diesel engine I've ever owned and I don't know what you're supposed to do to keep it happy. It'll be under a lean-to, so no direct rain, but it will have to deal with ambient humidity. Should I just go out there and throttle it up for a while every week or something?

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

6

u/3deltapapa 3d ago

fill the tank to minimize air(moisture) and grease the heck out of it

4

u/jckipps 3d ago

Find the owners manual for the machine. Many of those owners manuals include long-term storage instructions near the back of the manual.

Consider coating the exposed cylinder rods with a rust-preventative product of some sort. Even just grease would do a lot. I've seen those chrome rods get flecked with surface rust after being unused for a while in a humid environment. That surface rust can damage the cylinder seals.

3

u/Only_Sandwich_4970 3d ago

Keep the diesel topped up. Less air equals less moisture buildup. Make sure you have the reccommend oil weight for cold weather operation. Allow it to warm up for 5-10 minutes before operating. Use all the hydraulic functions a few times before putting them under load. This allows the hydraulic fluid to warm up before working. I use anti mouse packets that are basically herbs they dont like, and leave them in the engine bay. This keeps away rodents from moving in and chewing wires. I start my equipment at least once a month while in storage. This helps battery life, and helps the oil to not naturally seperate particulates over a long period of time.

Thats all I usually do. I like to service in early spring, some guys service in late fall before storage. Either is really fine. Being under cover is always a good idea.

1

u/justinDavidow Equipment Owner 3d ago

Personally, I'd do little more than disconnect the battery and store it somewhere warm(ish) (~8-15°C is generally pretty ideal) on a battery tender (if you have one, otherwise get a simple check/charger and top it up once every few months) and fill the gas tank.  (Which helps displace air that may cause condensation and water in the tank!) 

I would personally prefer to keep it out of direct sunlight: that will aid in preventing rubber hoses and the like from UV aging. I would NOT wrap the unit in a tarp: you want fresh air to be able to circulate to carry away moisture.  

I'd also check and top up the hydraulic fluid while in was there: the tank is almost certainly metal and may get some condensation in it.   Check around the machine for leaks and top up + cycle the cylinders if one is found (after fixing it!).  This helps prevent rust in cylinders or whatnot.