How to Change Hydrostatic Oil on a Kubota Zero Turn Mower Step by Step

[@francoisdescotes6144]

This video is a gem for multiple reasons. You, sir, show the right way to maintain equipment. I understand a repair shop doesn't have the time to do all of this, especially the cleaning. They also don't have to pay for a new pump if junk got in the oil when they perform this maintenance, or suffer the consequences otherwise. This is very informative for people who did not grow up with a wrench in their hand, and suddenly have to maintain all kinds of expensive equipment. Your explanations are clear and thorough, the video quality is great, and the table of content at the beginning is going above and beyond. The fact that your shop is so clean and organized is inspiring and makes you more trustworthy. Well done, and thank you!

[@EvolutionDIY]

Thanks for watching and I really appreciate the kind words!

[@joefro9473]

A REPAIR SHOP HAS MORE THAN ENOUGH TIME , WE MAKE TIME TO GO IN THERE AND PURCHASE WHAT WE NEED TO , THEY GOT TIME TO REPAIR IT!!!!

[@AlexJustement]

I would love if every video of oil change for tractor were like yours! Clear explanation and good view !

[@disco4535]

Just wanted to say thank you for going through all the details on this. I have a Z242KH being delivered tomorrow and it's my first zero turn.

[@EvolutionDIY]

No problem. Glad to help. Hope you love your new mower. We’re going on several years now, and ours was used, and it has been nothing but rock solid. Couldn’t be happier. The cut quality is really nice too. When I compare to others on my road with other brand zero turns, I really feel the Kubota creates a superior looking cut. Enjoy!

[@happy_dad4211]

This was very helpful. I had to take off the crossmember to take off the drain plug. Two huge areas where Kubota dropped the engineering ball was not having the hole in the cross member properly positioned to allow a socket to directly access the drain plugs and that stupid upside down bolt on the belt guard that prevents easy access to the filter. Wouldn’t have cost Kubota a dime to rectify those two items to make it soooo much easier to service the hydros. Oh ….oh …. Move the seat support 1/2” forward to give straight access to those overly tight breather plugs. Shame on Parker for over-torquing those, but having straight access would help a lot. Glad I won’t be needing to do this for another 500 hours.

[@johnruwwe342]

I stripped the 8 mm breather port plug; any ideas on how to remove? Why were they torqued so darn tight?!? Grrrrr!

[@happy_dad4211]

@@johnruwwe342 I had to hammer a corresponding (I’ll have double check size) torx head socket (get a decent brand) into the plug on one of mine to get it out. Seemed like the torx got a better bite. I also found they came out a little easier when the hydro was warm. So I removed mine after mowing for about 30 minutes. I agree, someone at Parker was over-torquing these by a stupid amount.

[@johnruwwe342]

A local mechanic dropped by; he hammered bit into breather plug; he freed it up. Thank you Lord. I really thought I had that 8 mm seated properly. Tough area to work and hate having to use breaker bar! All good. Love your content and attention to detail and cleanliness.

[@edrossitto]

Awesome detailed explanation. Now time for me to do it myself! 😬

[@nikao7751]

Thanks my friend. I know I can do this now and avoid the time and cost of the dealer. I inherited two at work that I use for the grounds and the oil in both machines look dirty as a dog with a dead bone. Hoping it'll help with the performance. These two machines have over 800 hours each.

[@EvolutionDIY]

800h is impressive. I use mine to maintain my home (mow about 3 acres) so if I can get 800h+ out of mine, I should be good for the next 10-15 years! Good luck with your project. I have some other more straight forward maintenance items I plan to post in the near future (carbon canister filter, oil & oil filter, air filter, spark plugs, etc). Hopefully they can help someone out.

[@nikao7751]

@@EvolutionDIY you should be good. I use a z723 & z724 and we beat the heck out of them all season and being that we are micro managed we often mow grass 5 too 6 feet tall on hill sides and through fields that are two and five acres and road sides full of landmines of rock and small boulders. I live in rural Western Washington near Mount Rainier. It's crazy but it's also kinda fun. Enjoy and God bless you my friend.

[@davidwilson2543]

Wow this video is awesome ! Thank you for posting I really appreciate it !👍👍👍

[@EvolutionDIY]

Absolutely! Thanks for watching.

[@utuberatlanta]

Thanks for the video. Very detailed and informative. I will check out your other videos. I also have a Kubota 400 series.

[@LSUjeepTJ]

Most important tool. Cork for that Napoleon dog…… Good lawd

[@johnruwwe342]

I have stripped out the 8 mm breather plug on the left side. Any ideas on how to remove?

[@EvolutionDIY]

That is going to be super difficult. I have had some luck in my past on brake caliper screws cutting a slot in the top of the screw with a small dremmel cutting wheel and the. and using a manual impact driver with a hammer. I don’t know that you have the access you need to do that though. At any rate, I would start putting a few drops of PV blaster penetrating oil on the bolt every day or 2 to start loosing it up. Best of luck to you.

[@mattk1358]

Why not use udt2 from Kubota isn't that the man recommended?

[@jeremysherrill9931]

I was looking forward to watching this, but the dog barking made it almost unbearable. Had to stop. Anywho, Im sure it was a great video and thanks for taking the effort. 😀

[@donaldchristie3534]

My manual lists the following recommended fluids for my Z726X: Castrol Syntec 5W-50, or Valvoline Premium Blue Extreme Diesel 5W-40, or Kubota Genuine Lubricating Oil 5W-40 (in that order). Is the Parker fluid like the "Amsoil" of hydro lubricants?

[@EvolutionDIY]

Actually my manual lists the same as you mentioned. I did some internet research and many recommended the Parker fluid, and then when I called the dealer, they recommended the Parker too. The mower actually has 2 Parker hydro pumps (one for each wheel) so I assumed using the Parker OEM fluid was best, plus everyone recommended it. Not sure if it’s “Amsoil” level or not, but it was OEM for the pumps so I went with it. I was dang expensive though! Haven’t had any issues in the last 2 years.

[@donaldchristie3534]

@@EvolutionDIY The Parker fluid states it's good for 1000 hours. Since the next change is recommended after 500 hours, the Parker fluid would be a safe bet. Mine is due for its first 300 hour change in about 8 more hours of use. I'll try to shop around to see if I can find the fluid cheaper than $20/qt. $60 for those filters is insane also!

[@tonic34]

How do you reset the maintenance warning light on a Z781?

[@EvolutionDIY]

I don’t actually know how to reset the light. My cheap model doesn’t have a maintenance light 😀 I just keep my maintenance records in an excel sheet. Hope you figured it out though.

[@robertstdennis9072]

I have been a mechanic for 35+ years, this is the way to do the job! might be a little over kill on some points, but if you want it done right this is how its done , Unfortunately this is not the way your local Kubota dealer will do it. lol . management would not like the added time it takes, management does value profits over quality! sometimes profit over return business. seems thats how tings are changing

[@drewthomas7648]

That mower looks a little too clean bro.

[@zanedaugherty5564]

So the place I work at has a Z781i and we got the stuff to change the trans filters. Talked to 2 different dealers and they both said to just drain it, change the filter and fill it up. Neither told me anything about the breather at the top! Hopefully I didnt damage the pumps because I called them both again and I told them the oil wasn't getting into the pumps. They said," just crank it up and work the oil in by the control sticks." Then came to KZbin and found your video. I really appreciate your time and knowledge shared. A short little plug for where I work is Deer Lake Cabins in Mt. Vernon, Tx. Gice us a call for your next family vacation! We've got side by side rentals with 20 miles of trails, horse back rides( guided) and our Lake side Cabins have their own personal docks for fishing in our stocked Lake! Again thank you so much foe this video!!

[@deborahoates7773]

I bought the z781kti60. What a beast it is! Looking forward to Fluid change in future. Wear do you get the repair manual.

[@EvolutionDIY]

I don’t actually have the official repair manual or shop manual, I am just using the owners manual (officially called the operators manual). It’s actually pretty good at showing most of the maintenance items, steps, etc. Just do a quick google search for “kubota z726x operators manual” and it’s the first link.

[@prestonhester2450]

The video was awesome step by step very good instructions. I feel confident that I can do the filter replacement service myself. I do have a question before I change it. The mower will hesitate and will not turn to the left or the right that's forward and backward. I'm trying to troubleshoot. What do you think? Thanks for your help.

[@altonrowell613]

Thanks man for the information and video. I'm going to change my hydro fluid on my Hustler Fas trak tomorrow. Like you I won't to avoid trouble. But I have a 4 year warranty with 3 on my engine. But I still think it's better to be safe.

[@GTEYT007]

Absolutely first rate, thorough, step-by-step instruction!

[@EvolutionDIY]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@richardgroseclose4298]

Water infiltrated that hydro oil. Good call to change it.

[@PawPaws_Place]

Thanks for the info. Just picked up a z725 for a couple grand that runs and operates great but has 240h on it and I know this hasn’t been done. Now PawPaw knows. Thanks again.

[@EvolutionDIY]

Awesome. Mine has over 400 hours now and still going strong, no issues so far! Good luck with your maintenance!

[@bwax1542]

Great video. Thanks for all the great detailed information. I only have 8 hours on my Z781KWi-54 and will perform my first engine oil change this weekend. It's gonna feel weird changing the engine oil but not the oil filter.

[@coolbreeze1774]

An excellent effort emphasizing cleanliness and safety. NOTE to never use the RED type of Brakleen near plastics or rubber. Also Brakeleen can be bought in bulk 1 gal or 5 gal cans to save $ and use a refillable Sureshot sprayer or similar. I need a steam machine to get mine to look as good as yours - good job ! 👍🏼

[@adamheather10483]

Dude very thorough video but just curious do you have trouble sleeping at night? 😂 your so meticulous dude that mower looks brand new

[@EvolutionDIY]

I sleep great as long as I don’t let anyone else maintain or work on anything I own with an engine. 😬 I am a bit over the top, but I do like to keep my equipment clean, that’s for sure. Thanks for watching!

[@patflanigan9596]

What are the tools I need outside of filters and oils?

[@MikeDPlxztc]

Good video thanks. my mower tends to have a loud whining noise coming from the transaxles, in the manual on page 36 it mentions if noises are heard after you operate the motion control levers the HYDRAULIC MECHANISM is not adjusted properly. do you know how to adjust the hydraulic mechanism?

[@EvolutionDIY]

Honestly mine whines pretty bad too (both sides) My Kabota BX tractor also whines when I operate the pedal to move it forward and back (it’s also hydraulic). I kind of just assumed the whine is normal. I’ll look into it and post back if I find something out. As of right now I do not know how to adjust it. Thanks for bringing it up.

[@MikeDPlxztc]

@@EvolutionDIY I had the parts guy at a Kubota dealer tell me it was normal too but I don't believe it. yesterday I tried something. I disengaged both drives like if you're going to push the mower and then re-engage them only one at a time and found out that only one of the drives is making a whining noise so that tells me that it's not a normal noise one is absolutely quiet and the other one whines like a five-year-old

[@joefro9473]

​@MikeDPlxztc mine does too, this is not normal!!!!

[@theresabraden2603]

Great job, will be buying a 54"Z421 this week. But I wanted to know how to take care of it first, your video made up my mind for me. Just one question, is it possible to add a short nipple and cap to the transmission drain to make that part easier to access. Would it clear the access hole in the plate below it? Again thanks, Theresa

[@EvolutionDIY]

I think you could probably get something like a fumoto engine oil drain valve in there. Honestly though, the hydro oil only needs changed every 500 hours after initial break in. I wouldn’t waste my money unless you’re a contractor that blows through the hours. For me, it will probably take years before I need to do this again.