Who on here owns an old Kubota?

[StorminN]

Hi guys,

I'm thinking about buying an old Kubota, it's an L200. From what I can find, it's the first model they imported into the states, from 1969 to 1973. From what I can tell, this one is around a 1972? It has the lights on the fenders, not the in the grill...

My question is for the guys on here that have owned an old Kubota L200 or a similar (L175, L210, L225, L260) older two cylinder Kubota diesel... I went to check out this tractor the other day and when the owner started it, it took a while to start... he had to crank it over for a bit. This was with a brand-new battery, on a 60F day. He used the glow plugs, but I didn't pull them to confirm that they were actually working.

If I recall correctly, it smoked as it turned over, and smoked black smoke once it started to catch. I'd have to pay more attention next time. I don't have any experience with these two cylinder diesels, just newer three cylinder Kubotas and bigger stuff like six cylinder John Deeres. The only two cylinder diesel I've run was a little Yanmar (and it made a racket!)

Anyway, it seemed like this thing cranked over for too long for my liking, and when it did get going, it ran noisy and rough for the first little bit, like you would expect on a cold day, not a 60F day. So my question is... is this normal for these little engines, or should they start up quicker and not have so much rattle and clank? The one little Yanmar I have run in the past did clank like crazy – it sounded like a rod was loose, but the owner of that Yanmar told me that sound was normal...

Second question is - if this slow start / clanky behavior indicates something wrong with the top end on the engine, are these sort of parts still available for Kubotas of this age?

FYI, The owner is asking $1,200 for this tractor, which does start and run and shift and get down the road, and cosmetically looks good... it's not beat up, the tin is straight, looks like it's been kept mostly under cover, etc... it comes with about a four foot Rankin PTO brush mower, too...

Thanks in advance for any advice.
-Norm.

[D Hagens]

 I bought one of these used, it was the only thing that would fit in between the posts in the chicken barns. Mine was four wheel drive.
Yes their starting can be a pain, sometimes they start right away, sometimes they smoke first. The smoke is nothing to worry about.
The engine can be noisy as in sounds like a knocking but that's normal.
I never spent a dime on it and I ran it hard at cleanout time. No let me rephrase that, I ran it hard all the time.
I still have it and it always runs great and does what it's spose to. The engine is spose to be a hard kill one and I've proven that a few times!
Oh yeah one last thing, check the PTO and make sure it runs the right way. Some of the first ones out the PTO turned the wrong way.

[snowstorm]

Hi guys,

I'm thinking about buying an old Kubota, it's an L200. From what I can find, it's the first model they imported into the states, from 1969 to 1973. From what I can tell, this one is around a 1972? It has the lights on the fenders, not the in the grill...

My question is for the guys on here that have owned an old Kubota L200 or a similar (L175, L210, L225, L260) older two cylinder Kubota diesel... I went to check out this tractor the other day and when the owner started it, it took a while to start... he had to crank it over for a bit. This was with a brand-new battery, on a 60F day. He used the glow plugs, but I didn't pull them to confirm that they were actually working.

If I recall correctly, it smoked as it turned over, and smoked black smoke once it started to catch. I'd have to pay more attention next time. I don't have any experience with these two cylinder diesels, just newer three cylinder Kubotas and bigger stuff like six cylinder John Deeres. The only two cylinder diesel I've run was a little Yanmar (and it made a racket!)

Anyway, it seemed like this thing cranked over for too long for my liking, and when it did get going, it ran noisy and rough for the first little bit, like you would expect on a cold day, not a 60F day. So my question is... is this normal for these little engines, or should they start up quicker and not have so much rattle and clank? The one little Yanmar I have run in the past did clank like crazy – it sounded like a rod was loose, but the owner of that Yanmar told me that sound was normal...

Second question is - if this slow start / clanky behavior indicates something wrong with the top end on the engine, are these sort of parts still available for Kubotas of this age?

FYI, The owner is asking $1,200 for this tractor, which does start and run and shift and get down the road, and cosmetically looks good... it's not beat up, the tin is straight, looks like it's been kept mostly under cover, etc... it comes with about a four foot Rankin PTO brush mower, too...

Thanks in advance for any advice.
-Norm.  they need the glow plugs on an 80 degree day. have a b8200 that did not have power steering ......it dose now.... it can be done. be carefull with the bushog the old b2000 had some pto problems with a bushog

[StorminN]

Thanks, D Hagen... yes, the knocking sound is what I was talking about... almost sounds like a rod knocking... only other diesel I've run that sounded like that was a little Yanmar 2-cylinder tractor, and my friend who owned that one said that's normal, too.
I haven't had any equipment with PTO's... conventional PTO turns clockwise when viewed from the rear of the tractor, correct?

Snowstorm, did you have something to add?

Thanks guys,
-Norm.

[D._Frederick]

I have a L-185 Kubota 2 cylinders and it started like you stated. If you kill it by stalling it, it will start with out the glow plugs.

This model Kubota has the design of an American tractor that dates back to the twenties, it does not have a live power take-off! When you  push-in the clutch, everything stops.

Check the transmission, mine has shift problems. The sliding gears are worn were they slide on the spline shaft.

The dealer claims that these 2 cylinder Kubotas engines are good for 15,000 hrs, just make sure that there is NO water in the fuel.

[D Hagens]

Thanks, D Hagen... yes, the knocking sound is what I was talking about... almost sounds like a rod knocking... only other diesel I've run that sounded like that was a little Yanmar 2-cylinder tractor, and my friend who owned that one said that's normal, too.
I haven't had any equipment with PTO's... conventional PTO turns clockwise when viewed from the rear of the tractor, correct?

Snowstorm, did you have something to add?

Thanks guys,
-Norm.

And the knock actually sounds loud and comes from the bottom of the engine? Yup that's normal and sometimes it's there and sometimes it purrs like a kitten.
K I'm trying to think about the PTO and which way it runs, scrating my head on that one!
I know I had this bif 4 wheel Russian tractor years back that a brute and it's PTO worked backwards.

[isawlogs]

PTO on that one turns normal. Normal to me would be like the JD and the Mf.

[StorminN]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the replies!

Sounds like the engine noise is common, that's good.

I confirmed that the PTO does turn clockwise when viewed from behind the tractor (conventional US style, correct?), and it the PTO does stop when you push in the clutch (not great).

Had a few guys say I can't buy a decent riding lawnmower for $1,200 so I should jump at this one – but I'm still a little leery because I called my local Kubota dealer and the handful of parts he looked up for it were all listed as "discontinued". Do any of you guys know of a source for parts for these older machines?

D_Frederick, I will go back and run it again and run it through the gears. It's three speed + reverse and high and low range, so eight altogether.

Snowstorm, what sort of PTO troubles did you have with the brush hog? Did it tear up the PTO gears?

Thanks, all...
-Norm.

[isawlogs]

What are the number of parts he did run up for it , night be available at NAPA or other part store .

[Okrafarmer]

If a large enough # of them were sold in the country, used or rebuilt parts should be available from tractor junkyards, of which there are many. Search the internet.

[Pudge]

i'm not a guy but do own a little Kubota. It's a 70's did replace the glow plugs a few yrs back. Has the same knocking sound when starting, smokes too while starting and for a bit after, but runs like a charm. I mow with it all the time and love it. I'd probably casterate the first male that tried to take it from me.... :D :D :D Won't even let my grown kids use it.
Nailhead made a cover for the pto (I guess that is what it is in the front) just so no one would run into it.

[RSteiner]

There is an over running clutch you can get for the PTO.  It just slips onto the PTO shaft between the tractor and the drive shaft for say a brush hog or mower. 

When you try to stop the tractor by pushing in the clutch pedal a mower or brush hog can power the tractor forward for a few feet, not good if you want to stop and hard on the PTO parts.  An over running clutch protects you and the transmission.

Randy

[Stan snider]

My dad has a 225 and it had trouble with the pto. There is an internal overrunning clutch that began to give out. It would give most trouble with a rear tiller, intermittently catching then disengaging, then got worse with  a mower. This little tractor was used steady on a grain auger, mower, tiller,and anything else it was big enough for. The sprag clutch was several hundred dollars so we welded it up. I hated to do that but the internal parts were not available to fix it. It has run a lot since with no trouble. The steering box on it is sloppy and needs work again. We also put in a rear wheel bearing years ago.
It clatters when it starts but always has. Stan

[StorminN]

Thanks folks (gals included!) for the responses!

isawlogs, the parts he looked up were starter, regulator, and some tranny parts. I think you're right about the starter and regulator, I saw on one site that those are Denso starters and cross with some car starters, etc. The tranny parts are a different story, though... would have to find a junkyard that has one, like Okrafarmer said... or else call a couple of friends in Japan, if it came down to that...

Do any of you folks have a loader or any other external hydraulics on your Kubotas? I have seen some L200's in the internet with loaders, but it's my understanding you have to modify / replumb the hydraulic loop a bit to do it... anyone know what's involved?

I left a message with the owner that I wanted to buy this tractor, so wish me luck... will post pics if / when I get it!

Thanks,
-Norm.

[Pudge]

I get a chance I will take some pics of mine and TRY to post them......

[D Hagens]

Do any of you folks have a loader or any other external hydraulics on your Kubotas? I have seen some L200's in the internet with loaders, but it's my understanding you have to modify / replumb the hydraulic loop a bit to do it... anyone know what's involved?

I have a factory loader on mine, works great but very slow.

[snowstorm]

if it dosent have power steering forget the loader. mine has a flow control prority valve. if anyone an older kubota without power steering. i converted mine....its not that hard to do.it works real well.

[shinnlinger]

Norm,

I will just put it out there...  If your going to buy a Kubota that old, why not buy a 9n?  You can easily get parts for the ford and it doesn't sound like this Kubota has any features that separate it from the AMerican Iron and the Ford will hold it's value without costing you up front like a JD.  A Massey or International might also do the trick.  You will cob up stuff and patch the Kubota until it is worthless....

Dave

[StorminN]

Thanks folks, for the hydraulic replies. I'd more than welcome any pictures... better for me than words!

Good question about the 9N's, Dave – I was wondering when / if you would chime in...

Biggest reason to not go that route is because all those 9N's, 2N's and 8N's are like gold out here. One in the same shape as this Kubota would be $4k or more, easy... with no extras. Sure, occasionally I see a Ford, MH, etc. for under $2k, but they all need something... some are still 6V, some need tires (another $800) and I think all are 3 speeds, (unless they've got the added gearbox). Most of them are listed as "a great restoration project". I don't need another project, I need something that will work. My fiancée's Dad has a 1945? 2N in great shape, that he's had for 40-odd years. He loves that thing. His would fetch $4k or more here, and it's not restored.

This Kubota is a 6 speed, pretty darn clean, Hobbs meter says under 700 hours, it's a diesel, and it's $1,200... which to me right now somehow seems much more obtainable than $2,500 or $3,500. I'm not sure I'll own it forever, but I'm hoping to make it work for me for the next year or two, until I can get something else...

Thanks,
-Norm.

[shinnlinger]

Fair enough, N's are cheaper out here,  Maybe 60's Fords?  I hear you on not wanting to buy a project, but it sounds to me like that Kubota is going to become a project very shortly.  Especially if you want to add a loader.  I don't know if I would bother with that.  A small 2 wheel drive tractor with a loader will spin it's tires at the slightest reason.  It sounds like the factory hydraulics are too weak to power much of a loader anyway.  You could run a slip on PTO pump, but that just adds money.  I wouldn't be surprised if that kubota has a little rectangle hanging on the right side of the engine just in font of where your right foot would go.  You can sometimes get lucky and pull the plugs out of that and can run hydraulics from there.

I would look at 3pt mounted accessories.  YOu can make make/aquire forks or carryalls that will make moving things easier and put the weight where you need it, but make sure you have enough weigh on the front to keep you from flipping it over.

Good luck!!!!

Dave

[StorminN]

Yeah Dave,

A loader would be nice, but that's another project. If I happen to come across one that fits easily, I might go for it... but for now the rear 3pt is the thought. I've got a set of forks I made to go on a loader bucket, I plan on modifying those with a back rack and make them fit the 3pt hitch, if I don't just find a 3pt hitch carry-all before that. My soon-to-be BIL has a little set for his 9N-ish MF, and it works OK for him.

The other thing I might weld up is a little crane thingy like this, just to carry and skid stuff around.
http://www.everythingattachments.com/King-Kutter-500lb-Lift-Capacity-Boom-Pole-p/kk-bp-yk.htm

-Norm.

[shinnlinger]

THose boom poles are cheap and easy enough, but they bend in half real easy if you rub one up against a tree and they would probably be unstable for skidding anything too heavy, so if you make one, make it short and stubby...

Hey, shouldn't you be thinking about a marriage and not tractors right now?????

[Okrafarmer]

THose boom poles are cheap and easy enough, but they bend in half real easy if you rub one up against a tree and they would probably be unstable for skidding anything too heavy, so if you make one, make it short and stubby..

I've currently been using a factory built boom pole for skidding logs around our landing in preparation for setting up our sawmill. If you use a factory boom pole, you don't have to suspend the log from the far end. There are ways to attach your chain about half way along it, usually, and that works fine for just skidding them around.

They are pretty cheap new, and you can usually find them used even cheaper, don't go to the trouble of making one unless you have free metal on hand and have a welder and more time on your hands than money.

[ncguy444]

Bought an  L185 this summer. Got it for $1,800 cash delivered on craigslist with an old brush hog and a 5 foot pulverizer. Could tell it was mostly stored outside due to the slightly dry rotted tires and embedded leaf debris on the hood. I also have a old ferguson to30 that I use to plow snow with at my plastics shop. Really did not need another tractor but the price was too good to pass up. It is an 1980 model two cylinder that is really a nice tractor and starts up rather easy and has plenty of power to even run a 5 foot brushog if you take it easy. It is only a 18 horse with no live PTO. A live PTO is a really nice option to have when mowing or running farm equipment. Kubotas are known for their dependability  and resale value. If you bought the tractor you could use it for several years and resell it for more that what you paid for it. The only thing other than the obvious things to look out for is a thing called "grey market". This is when the tractor is made for Japanese farmers and resold in the USA  after they have been used for a few years. I guess it is hard to find and match up parts in these tractors. Check all the fluids and drive it before you decide.

[Okrafarmer]

Believe it or not there are grey market John Deeres too, that come in usually from Mexico or Canada and are models not sold in the US-- they can be fun getting parts for, too. And a few of them have the same model number as a US sold tractor, but are different!

[ncguy444]

Believe it or not there are grey market John Deeres too, that come in usually from Mexico or Canada and are models not sold in the US-- they can be fun getting parts for, too. And a few of them have the same model number as a US sold tractor, but are different!

I did not know that. Thanks for the heads up

[Okrafarmer]

Believe it or not there are grey market John Deeres too, that come in usually from Mexico or Canada and are models not sold in the US-- they can be fun getting parts for, too. And a few of them have the same model number as a US sold tractor, but are different!

I did not know that. Thanks for the heads up

Yes-- I'm not sure they come in such an organized way as the Japanese grey market tractors-- I think it is usually just farmers buying and selling from each other across the border, and so on. You have to realize John Deere has several tractor factories worldwide, and they also have at times sold "branded" tractors built by outside firms, including Goldoni, Zetor, and Renault, to name a few. These machines are generally not sold new in the states but are marketed in other countries. John Deere's main "medium-size tractor" factory is in Germany, and they used to make tractor models that differed for the European / old world market compared to the US market. Also Canada and Latin America had access to these other models. Some JD tractors have been built in many other places including Argentina, South Africa, Mexico, and I think, China. These models are generally not available in the US. The German JD factory however has traditionally built tractors for the US market that differed from the ones they built for the international market. That is not so much the case anymore, but some of those "European" models can still be found all over the world and oozing past the US borders from time to time. As you would expect, the closer you live to the border the more you can expect to encounter them. If you are interested in buying a used John Deere tractor, it is good to familiarize yourself with the model you are interested in purchasing. Figure out what model(s) would be acceptable to your situation, and then search for those particular models. One book that helps figure out a lot of the foreign market stuff is called "John Deere Tractors Worldwide."

A couple models I instantly know are grey-market to the US are the popular (in other countries) 3140, and the 1120. There are plenty others as well.

[StorminN]

Hi guys,

I finally picked up the old Kubota yesterday. It's a model L200, looks to be one of the early ones – the lights are on the fenders, not the hood... from other stuff I've read, that puts it somewhere between 1969 and 1972. It runs great, I bought it and drove it home (about five miles) yesterday. Glad to finally have a tractor, and I'll be fitting it with some sort of forks / carryall soon!

-Norm.

[Okrafarmer]

Congratulations, you're a tractor owner!
8) 8) 8) 8)

[StorminN]

Yep Okra, I'm pretty excited! Even though it's a little guy, it's going to be a big help to me!

-Norm.

[StorminN]

Hey folks,

So now that I have the tractor, I picked up a little carry-all for the 3pt hitch, I'm excited to try that out this weekend... man, I have needed something like this to move wood, pallets of stuff, save my back, etc.! I also have a line on a grader blade and a couple of other 3pt attachments, we'll see how that shakes out...

Next thing I'd like to do is tap into the hydraulics on this rig, so I can run remote stuff... a wood splitter, live top link, maybe a loader eventually... so I'm trying to learn how to do this.

This model has a hydraulic pump on the front of the diesel engine, and the hydraulic reservoir is built into the front part of the fuel tank. Hard lines run from the pump & tank, back to a single valve located under the right side of the operator's seat. In the operator's manual I have, it talks about tapping into the plug in the top of this valve to get hydraulic fluid for remotes, but it doesn't talk about where to tap into the return line.

One guy I've emailed with said that the hydraulic system on this tractor is an old English metric standard, and I'd need to find the correct pressure T, fittings, etc... but he didn't give specifics, and now he's on vacation for 3 weeks (!)... SO, I'm wondering if anyone has worked on the hydraulics of these older L-series Kubotas, and knows what standard they are and where to buy parts.

Below is a picture of the valve in question. The return line doesn't actually come out of the valve itself, it comes out of the housing for the 3pt hitch lift cylinder. The high-pressure feed line from the pump enters this valve on the under side, you can't see it in this pic. The front of the tractor is to the right in this picture.

Thanks in advance, for any help!
-Norm.

[snowstorm]

the fitting will be british paralell pipe the thread angle is one half of a drgee different than us pipe use oring fitting. it looks like that valve has a flow control. dose that knob turn? i have a b8200 that i made my own power streeing system for. mine has a flow control priorty valve. meaning it can run 2 cyl. at once. the return oil can return to tank anywhere dosent have to go thru the valve. i dont know the gpm of your pump mine is ony about 6gpm. i dont think you will have enought oil flow....gpm...to run a wood splitter...and run it well. you might want to look into a pto pump. mounts on the pto shaft.

[chevytaHOE5674]

As for a wood splitter from the hydraulics just get yourself a splitter setup with its own motor. I had mine powered from my tractor and it was pretty slow and got pricey to run (tractor had to be humming the RPMS to get the splitter to move efficiently).

Now have a 5hp B&S on the splitter and it will run a day on a tank of gas.

[StorminN]

Hi guys, thanks for the replies...

snowstorm, the flow control knob does turn... it controls how fast / slow the 3pt hitch drops. I got a reply on a Kubota forum, where a guy showed pictures of his L210... he said he took a hydraulic blade off of it when he restored it... the valve in this picture just had a street elbow screwed into it, and then under the hydraulic tank there was another pipe with a street elbow in it for the return. I looked closer at my tractor, and I have the same pipe, it has a plug in it. I haven't removed the plug yet to check the threads, because I'm not ready to drain the hydraulic fluid just yet...

I will do some research on the pump that's on my tractor... you guys are probably right, it won't be enough for a wood splitter, but I'd like to eventually have a loader, or a live top link, or maybe a dump trailer... so it will be good to learn...

Thanks for the help!

-Norm.

[StorminN]

Ok, so I've found out a little more...

snowstorm, the fitting is indeed BSPP, 3/8" size... getting an adapter to JIC soon. You and chevy are also right about the pump on my L200, from what I can find, it's only rated at about 3gpm. Now I'm trying to decide whether I should try and find a bigger pump that will fit the front of the engine, or if I should hang one off the PTO... those 2-stage 11 or 16 gpm pumps from Surplus Center look like they might do the trick...

-N.

[snowstorm]

for splitter i would get the pto pump........the pto shaft will turn about 540rpm so size the pump for that rpm

[StorminN]

Hi folks,

Another question, if anyone has one of these old Kubotas... the air filter on this tractor consists of a cyclone up top, and an oil bath filter below, with an air filter element above the oil bath (see diagram from parts manual below).

Here's my question... the air filter element that came with my tractor doesn't seem to match the diagram in the parts manual (but the parts manual is for both the L200 & L210, and there are other small discrepancies on other parts of the tractor, so it could be wrong)... but I can't figure out how the filter I have is supposed to work, in the housing that it's in...

As far as I can tell – as it is now, the intake air could come down the center tube from the cyclone, but it sort of dead-ends in the center of the air filter element... there's no place for it to go... and the way the element fits in the bottom pan, it's too small – so there's a gap, as it sits in the pan. I don't think it's supposed to sit in the pan at all, I think it's supposed to bridge the gap between the upper assembly, and the lower oil bath pan.

I've been scratching my head on this one, let me know what you think. I think all the intake air is bypassing the cyclone and the oil bath altogether, and just going through the element... here's some pics. Any guys out there with a L200 or L210, if you've got pics of your air cleaner setups, I'd love to see them...

Thanks!
-Norm.

[tyb525]

Norm,

The day I got forks for the rear of our tractor (IH 656) everything got so much easier. Moving logs, lumber, etc. Plus I used up a good amount of scrap, low-quality lumber I had around by building all kinds of pallets to carry things such as bowl blanks and firewood. Makes things so much easier to move around when you don't have to load and unload them all the time!

[beenthere]

StorminN
The pics of your air intake look like a simple conventional oil bath...air comes in and down through the screen, then down through the oil bath and up the sides into the air intake to the carb.  The screen takes out the chaff etc, the oil takes out the dust.   I don't see it matching the drawing shown.

[StorminN]

tyb525, you sure are right! I got the 3pt adjusters freed up last night, so I should be able to use the carry-all a little better this weekend... that is, if the weather cooperates!

beenthere, I kind of understand what you're saying... but in this case, the air comes in the top cyclone, and down the center tube. The center tube (unfiltered air) is separate from the outside space (filtered air) In this next pic, the outside part is where the filtered air is supposed to route after the oil bath and filter element, to feed to the engine.



But guess there are two other pictures I should have taken. One would be an overhead picture of the oil bath pan, because in the pics I've posted, you can't really see... the bottom of the center tube in the oil bath pan has no holes in it... so when the air comes down the tube from the cyclone up top, it has nowhere to go, it's a dead end. The filter element has no holes in the center part, either.



The second picture I need to get is of what the whole thing looks like when it's assembled with the filter element I have... the upper and lower assembly don't meet... because of the height of the air filter element, there's a gap all the way around the outside. I will get this pic tonight and post...

Thanks guys,
-Norm.