I've been working with a Kubota L35 for almost a year now and have been having some issues. I work for a cemetery and have a 3 foot bucket on it just for initial reference. I do not know what the year is, though i have heard its from the 80's. We have used a tractor company twice to haul it off for a transmission job that cost about 12k and recently had the whole backhoe attachment worked on because it was leaking golden fluid all over the place. I was taught how to operate this thing, but wasn't taught much else. And I fail to believe there is no way to tell the year of the backhoe I use, despite the repair company telling us otherwise. Am I wrong in this? And does anyone have any comments on why my backhoe jerks around like Michael J Fox is operating it? We had to rent a brand new L45 Kubota while ours was being repaired, for a couple of graves to be dug, the scoop was about 2 feet instead of 3, but it was as smooth as butter in the controls and we had no issue with it jerking around with the possibility of brain damage. It does this with the throttle set at about 1/4 speed too with our old one, with the new one i could crank it up to 75 percent throttle and maneuver it like a boss. It's so frustrating!
Generally with equipment the year is pretty well irrelevant as everything is keyed to model and serial number. If you have a serial number we can probably find out what year it is, but I'm not sure how that will help you? Anyway, in my experience all Japanese machines run very smooth, so I'm guessing there's a mechanical issue with yours, something inside the valve stack or a plumbing issue. Without a schematic and some pressure and flow checks though, there's not much I can suggest. Hopefully there's a Kubota owner or tech will drop in with some advice.
Michael J Fox? Dude, come on! I think Kubota uses synthetic hydraulic oil. Make sure you have the right oil.
I wouldn't worry about THE YEAR..!!! Cuz the next hole you dig is "probably" gonna be for the Kubota ANYWAY.. LOL [ if you read some of the comments on other forums ] I'm just kidding around.. [ bored ] Sorry, cant help with yr model..
Ok if the year is irrelevant I understand. We had all the hydraulic lines replaced on it about 2 months before I was hired last year. I saw the receipts. But moving this bucket around is so jerky, moving it up and down makes the whole thing bounce around like crazy. i think it should be a little bit smoother than that.
The first thing to check is the hydraulic fluid level, then any air leaks on the suction side of the pump, then any suction screen or filter, then any rubber hoses on the suction side. If you don't find anything easy like these, then see Thepumpguy above. Is the loader as jerky as the backhoe? Do you ever use this long enough to get it nice and warmed up, and does the jerkiness stay the same, or get better, or worse?
If all the hoses were replaced, and a leak repaired, it's possible something got connected up wrong in the process, something to keep in mind.
Yeah, what came first? Has it always jerked since you've known it, or has it started since the work. Jerky hydraulics tend to work loose hydraulic hoses. And who knows what was going on with the transmission that could have been related...
It has been like this since I have been using it. We have to use the backhoe at no throttle or about 1/5th throttle, or the whole backhoe swings around like crazy. The transmission was replaced about 5 months ago. The hydraulic lines replaced about 1 year 3 months ago. I've been digging with this thing for almost a year and im just getting fed up.
Tractor Data says these were made between 1999 and 2004. Is this your machine? http://www.tractordata.com/backhoe-loader/000/1/3/133-kubota-l35.html As already said, the serial number should narrow it down some more. If a dealer told me they was no way to find out the age of a machine, I would be looking for another dealer.
I JUST TYPED IN, "Kubota serial number location" on floogel and got 10 pics on the 1st page.. depending on the model.. Hope this helps..