Fixing The Kubota BX1500 Front Pivot Pin Leak

[@darandeushane9873]

I just did this on a BX2350. I used a 1/2 npt tap. Tapped the old bushings inside the axle tube. Screwed in a 3 or 4 inch pipe straight piece and installed 1/2 npt cap and drove it out from the other side with some long 3/8 extensions. Worked great.

[@willarddempsey5960]

Thank you for this video. It helped me quite a bit. I found that the pivot nut was loose so that will now be on the yearly checklist. I would add to note the steering rack orientation. It will go in the other way. (Posting that for a friend.) Tools required: Jack, stands, 10mm, (driveshaft), 14mm (steering rack), 17mm (tie rod ends), 24mm (pivot nut), pickle fork (tie rod ends), Hammer, side-cutting pliers (cotter pins), drain pan. Screwdriver or pipe tap and punch remove bushings. Axle housing is soft and will be marked by the screwdriver method. Not complicated and it came apart and went back together easily. Getting the steering rack back in and starting the bolts was the hardest part. Almost needed 3 hands.

[@IronOakSawmill]

Hello Willard, and I'm glad we were able to help out. With so little info on the BX1500 on KZbin, we wanted to change that. We replace the steering rack in another video, along with the final drive pivot seals. Check it out, if you need to.

[@user-ui1gl4yn4v]

Thanks Good work from Candler NC

[@dfbutler01]

Great Video, just did this on my BX after watching your video, it was a huge help. thanks! The one thing I did to help reinstall my axle was to place the axle on level blocks and carefully center where the pin was to go through. Rather than man handle the heavy axle I lowered the tractor down with the Jack until it was in the perfect position to put the pivot pin through. Thanks Again!

[@IronOakSawmill]

I'm glad it helped out David. I wasn't able to find a video, so I figured I would make one. Good idea on aligning the pivot pin. That axle is heavy and clumsy to handle.

[@joelnickerson6739]

You're like me Chuck. Don't have extra money to have someone fix what I can. I seen you wear knee pads too. Makes it easier to work on my knees. Awesome job my friend. Gotta keep the machines running right. Take care.

[@IronOakSawmill]

This little tractor deserves the extra attentions. I enjoy working on my own stuff, but I do know my limits with repairs.

[@kevinfinney8849]

Thank you for your time & insight I started on my 1850 yesterday waiting for new parts

[@IronOakSawmill]

Glad I was able to help. Hope your repair went well.

quite a leak of oil. Nice to know the solution to this. Thank you for sharing. Great greetings....

[@IronOakSawmill]

Thank you. I'm glad to help out. Stay well.

[@crxess]

Have to do a rebuild of my front axle soon. Bought it during a rain storm and the guy hid the fact the Pinion gear is damaged. Babied it for the last 2 summers(2WD only) but it is getting worse and hangs often while turning. Thanks for Very Clear understanding of how to easily remove the Axle assembly!

[@IronOakSawmill]

I'm glad the video helped out. These tractors are well worth fixing. Take your time, and it will be fine.

[@RobinRK1962]

I'm surprised a lip seal isn't used instead of an o-ring. Ty for sharing that process with us. I live in Midland Canada and I'm looking to upgrade from what I have for a mower to a BX1500. I hope to find one that's been cared for. I just sold my sawmill, and the BX1500 is what Ill be putting my money towards.

[@IronOakSawmill]

Hello Robin. The BX1500 is a great machine. I wondered thensame thing about that front end. I thought a couple lipped seal would do a better job. Good luck on your search for a bx1500. They are well worth it.

[@getoutofCanadaB4its2late]

Don't apologize for not making a SAWMILL video. We ORANGE-MEN are always happy to see you working on your Kubota!

[@IronOakSawmill]

I have some fab work to do on the fron end. Brokeb a tab off for the front mower mount bracket. Its part of the frame where the bracket hooks in. Maybe I'll make a video on that repair.

[@Fredrik3626]

Good job! I enjoyed watching you work on your tractor. Best Regards Fred Thomas

[@IronOakSawmill]

I'm glad I'm able to do the work, and get great satisfaction, fixing my own equipment. Thank you for stopping in.

[@davidsmith5460]

I admire someone who does his own repairs..need to know what you doing though.

[@IronOakSawmill]

Thank you Dave

[@jesspatrick2]

I did this repair on our BX-1850. I found the castle nut was loose and forward retainer ring was damaged. I saw no need to replace shaft or bushings. Tractor is fine now with no leaks. I think root cause of my problem was my failure to adjust pivot shaft nut as part of maintenance. I use this tractor to load logs on sawmill among many other things.

[@IronOakSawmill]

I noticed mine was loose as well, but if it's torqued to tight, it binds the pivot too much to function properly. I think mine is caused from overloading the front end loader way too often. I had already changed this once in the past, and had noticed a wear ridge in the shaft. That meant it was rubbing on the bushing, so I decided to replace everything. So far, it is still leak free. Let's hope it stays that way. We use ours to lift and move logs for the sawmill, mow the grass, move fill dirt, top soil, rocks, stones, mulch, snow, etc. It sees A LOT of use, and keeps going.

[@ronm6344]

Thanks so much. At least your 1500 still has a body. My 1850 body is pretty much gone.

[@IronOakSawmill]

Hello Ron, and welcome to the Mill. What happened to the body on yours?

[@tjhatch7258]

Decently detailed video. Thank you, I need to do this with mine as well and this video has/will help tremendously. Again, thank you.

[@IronOakSawmill]

The biggest issue is that everything is heavy, and the gear oil stinks. LOL. Good luck with the repair. I'm glad this video helped out.

[@larrybourne8430]

Good work and you saved many $$$$. Enjoy your channel!

[@IronOakSawmill]

Thank you Larry. I thought about taking it to the dealer for a scheduled maintenance. They wanted $400+ for changing all the oils, filters, and adjusting a few things. Glad Im able to do it myself. Thanks for stopping in.

[@N9IWJ]

My job this week I believe, thanks much, stilllooking for the leak after washing today I have the 2011. bx 1860 looks same

[@IronOakSawmill]

I will bet that it's the pivot leaking. It's not a bad job to do. I'll be doing some other work on the front end. I have a habit of loading the loader heavy, without the needed counterweight on the back. Best of luck on the repair. Any questions, let me k ow. I'll be glad to help where I can

[@N9IWJ]

@@IronOakSawmill well what doesn't make any sense is a power washed it to get it real clean let it sit for about 30 hours not one drop leaking Pretty weird because it had leaked probably over half a quart So while I had to clean and inside and taking apart I did the 400 hour major maintenance being everything including changing the transmission fluid and the front axle fluid Diet Kubota suggests do not put the UDT foot in it but put 80 90 in it and told me to buy a small bottle of dye at Napa that shows up under a black light I put about a half ounce of that in the front axle, so only job to do tomorrow is change the coolant which is 10 years old now Changing that fuel filter underneath the deck in front of the fuel pump is a mess, the fuel filter by the engines a piece of cake So I guess I'll be searching with a black light for a while see if I see any guy coming out, really weird so far not one drop of fluid leaking One of my buddies said maybe from power washing it I had just a little grime in one of the seals and I washed it out, said he has seen that before

[@IronOakSawmill]

@@N9IWJ It probably leaked down to a point, that it to low to leak more.

[@N9IWJ]

@@IronOakSawmill no that was after I filled it back up to full it won't leak Just checked it this morning still no leaks kinda weird, but a good weird I put the dye in the front axle and ordered a black light flashlight

[@IronOakSawmill]

@@N9IWJ that is odd. Keep me up to speed on what you find.

[@williamlively6385]

I have a 2006 bx 1500. There is a 15 ft lb torque spec for the castle bolt.

[@IronOakSawmill]

Thank you Will. I've since found that spec. Tractor is still doing well. I expect that won't be long with how I abuse this machine.

[@donaldtrabeaux1305]

Well you saved yourself some money, now take Deb out for dinner and some flowers. Take care my friend god bless

[@IronOakSawmill]

Thank you Donald. We are planning a night out this Saturday.

[@donaldtrabeaux1305]

Iron & Oak Sawmill awesome

[@heffbaseball8083]

Awesome job buddy. Have to do the exact same thing so was searching for a vid.

[@IronOakSawmill]

Thank you, and welcome. This is actually my second time doing this. I use the tractor hard, so it's no surprise. Glad you found us, and I hope the video helps.

[@pwammann1]

I have the same machine with the same problem (after it was stolen for a year). Your old rings did not look all that bad did you try a leak sealer first? I should add here that this video is excellent and I can now fix my leak with confidence! Thank you!

[@IronOakSawmill]

I'm glad to hear you got your machine back. We've been on the receiving end of that as well. I'm the kinda guy who would rather replace the parts. Leak sealers will help for a little while, but eventually you have to rebuild it anyway. Our best bet is to stop abusing our tractor. We push it to the limit and beyond. Overloading the bucket is the key reason for this, as well as leaking axle seals that I replaced in another video. We still have this machine, and also purchased a Kubota L2501 for the heavy work, while the BX1500 is our lawn mower, and light work machine.

[@barrywest3758]

There is so much other things to do besides sawmilling. You gotta do what you gotta do most times. Great work and I wish my knees could do that!! No, I'm afraid I'd have been on my back, sides or backside 99% of the time. Made me dang near cringe......👍👍

[@IronOakSawmill]

That is true Barry. It's not always the fun stuff. Lol. If you notice, I'm wearing knee pads. My knees feel your pain as well. :)

[@jeremywestra6601]

Great work! What year is the kubota and how long has it belonged to you? Amazing what you get done with that little machine.

[@IronOakSawmill]

Hello Jeremy. Sorry I missed your comment. KZbin doesn't always seem to notify me right away. Welcome to the mill. I'm sorry, I dont recall the exact year. I believes it a 2005 though. That thing is a workhorse. It does so much more than I thought it ever would. It is an awesome little machine. I would highly recommend a kubota, to anyone.

[@tonylarkin5649]

Hey man great video, I've got the same leak on mine that I'll be fixing this weekend so this is a big help. I also had a question for you, I'm building an la181 loader for my bx1500 because I can't find one anywhere, if I sent you a message would you be willing to take a couple couple measurements for me? I can't find measurements are dimensions of the loader set up anywhere

[@IronOakSawmill]

Glad the video was helpful. Hope it showed enough detail. You should he able to email us here at the channel. I can send measurements that way.

[@stephenking7643]

I’ve got the same tractor, my pivot started leaking at 300 hours of light use, no loader just using it as a mower, I replaced just the orings, that lasted less than 6 months. The next time I replaced pivot pin and bushings, it’s got around 700 hours now with no leaks and that’s with a loader, I think the original pivot pin was under tolerance. Very poor design!

[@danorourke6811]

I need to do the same repair on my 2004 BX1500. I noticed that your controls for the loader stay on the tractor. My LA181 loader has the controls mounted to the loader and they come off with the loader. Did you replace the loader controls at some point? That would make mounting and unmounting the loader a lot easier!

[@IronOakSawmill]

You must have an updated mount. The controls came from the dealer like this. Not bad to disconnect. Just disconnect the 4 quick disconnects, and that's it. Not sure how yours is set up. Good luck with your repair.

[@rrobertomondo5173]

We'll done!

[@IronOakSawmill]

Thank you much. Mill videos, and a small build video coming. Just started the project.

[@aaronwiley1314]

I have a 2008 bx25 that’s leaking. Any chance you think the nut just needs tightened a bit? Wonder if that would fix it?

[@IronOakSawmill]

Hello Aaron. I'm going to say no. Cranking down on the nut will only bind the pivot pin in the front end. You will have to replace the seals and bushing. If the bolt shows excessive wear, you will have to replace that as well, or risk quickly wearing out your new bushing and seals, and having to do the repair again. It's worth doing it.

[@jcar469]

No part numbers?

[@steadyeddie7453]

The pivot bolt, O ring sealing, and blind bushings are just a bad design. Plus... I have a new pivot bolt that fits with quite a bit of slop in the back frame hole (where the castle nut butts up. It looks like there may be a bushing in the frame but the parts diagram doesn't show one. If there is no bushing there then I am screwed. The piece is welded to the side frames . Anyone know if there is a bushing in the back frame hole? Part number, if so? Bad design Kubota. The entire weight of the front end and loader is focused on this pivot bolt and the 2 frame sections that the bolt goes through. And lip seals would have been better than O rings. And last, there is no vent for the axle housing. So when pressire builds inside it has no choice but push oil past seals.

[@IronOakSawmill]

I couldn't agree more. I'm not sure what the thought process was for this design. I'm amazed it holds up as well as it does.

[@steadyeddie7453]

@@IronOakSawmill Maybe this is a good part of the reason they only made this model from 2003-2005. What a mess.

[@bradpitcher1389]

Any shot you can help me out with a part I need on this tractor? It’s some sort of coupler, connects the two drive shafts for the front wheels when you engage 4WD. Apparently I dropped mine in my yard the other day and it’s in the compost pile. Drive shaft comes out of the tranny, drive shaft comes out of the front assembly, what’s in the middle?? If you have the parts manual would be awesome.

[@IronOakSawmill]

Check out this video. Slightly larger tractor, but it has the same drive shaft for the front end. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqqbhoB_nZZ1rtU

[@bradpitcher1389]

Wow thank you so much! Universal joint. Picking one up tomorrow. Huge help! Thank you so much!

[@IronOakSawmill]

@@bradpitcher1389 Glad to help out. Good luck with your repair.

[@geoffreykail9129]

Floor jack under axele and lower it dow. i know a little late since you've done it.

[@IronOakSawmill]

Can always use the advise for next time. Thank you

[@billcassen2434]

Just replaced seals on my 05 bx1500 and found leaking again after day one ! Bushings next ? I've read that there is room enough to double up on the oring seals ?.hmm anyone have any other suggestions ?

[@IronOakSawmill]

I just replaced everything. Even the bolt, if it shows wear. Don't know about doubling the Orings.

[@elmerkruse3171]

About how much can that little tractor lift

[@IronOakSawmill]

Hello Elmern and thank you for your question. The loader will lift 400 pounds, and the 3 point hitch will lift 1200 pounds. Could we use a bigger machine?? You bet. This one has amazed me though.

[@jackrogers6461]

What part number is this

[@chris3m98]

Why did you not wash the tractor off to begin with??????

[@IronOakSawmill]

The area I needed to work on was clean enough. Then just take it to the car wash afterwards, and clean everything.

[@larryiowatexasrooster9317]

👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🗽🙏🏻