Hey guys, new to the thread and have searched and searched! I just recently upgraded from Bobcat S150 to Kubota SVL75. Love it so far but the A/C is lacking. Filters were filthy when I bought it so have those ordered. I move the lever all the way to cold and push the ac button and it gets semi cold but does not seem like it blows very hard. I am going to see what these new filters do as well as clean the condenser. I have not gauged the refridgerant yet but plan on doing that this weekend. Anything else I should look for for problems or anywhere else I should look for answers and/or solutions. Thanks!
If it is setup like the 95 I ran last summer, it will have 2 filters. The first one is changed from outside the machine. It can often plug up twice a day. The other one is behind the seat. It also plugs at least daily. The third problem is the AC itself. On the 95, it was just plain weak. I don't think Kubota has figured out how to design a good working AC system for hot dusty weather. Keep those filters clean and hope for the best. Skid steer AC is not one of their strong points in my opinion.
Post #4 here HeavyEquipmentForums When the filters plug (and they will), the system will suck air around the rear plastic cover over the HVAC box.
Thanks! Sorry for a repeat. I searched and searched on here and nothing would pop out at me. Thanks again! Will try a few things. Agreed. I think all skid steer ac are lacking, however this one just plain sucks.
Post above should've said "will suck air and DIRT" around entire trim panel.
One thing that you can do is to install shut off valves inline with the heater hoses. The air is blown through the heater core first before it gets through the evaporator. If the valve that supposed to shut out the coolant leaks by it will negate any cooling from the evaporator core. It doesn't take much heat to stop the cold. I hope this helps. Good luck.
We have a 95-2. The ac doesn’t blow hard. Never has but it will keep you very comfortable. Ran it today with a Diamond mower on the front. It was actually cold in the cab and the hydraulics never get hot. We’re in SW Ga. it was quite warm today.
Thanks, I am definitely not a mechanic so bear with me. Which hose would be the correct one to put a shut off on? Do I do just one or both? Thanks in advance!
I normally do both because it can be difficult to figure out the flow. Especially on a skidsteer.
Shutting off one is sufficient, and, it doesnt matter which one. But, my Kubotas will freeze you out, once the cores are cleaned. Cleaning would last about 250 hours, and then the cores would be plugged, or nearly plugged, again. Sealing properly the rear trim panel is the key, including adding a bar across the bottom three bolts, to prevent the cover from bowing between the bolts. Again, the evaporator will be clogged, not the condenser.
Oh, and inspect muffler support plate. Kubota sells a reinforced one, but, I chose to fix what I had.
And why you should add a filler neck screen.
Thanks for the info. What is the easiest shut off to use and do you put it right where one side will thread in? Also, The evaporator is located where on the svl75? Is it the item that is on the top of the back plate that lifts up? and do I Seal from the inside or from underneath? As well as where the bar goes for the bolts? Thank you for your help so far. Further than I have gotten anywhere else!
140 distorts at bottom. I put metal strap across bottom via 3 screw. Seal 150, 160, & 170 sucks at, well, sealing. Because, the filter housing isn't directly connected to HVAC box. Stupid, really, but, that's what it is.
Okay, so I have cleaned both the condenser and the evaporator. Both were filthy. I have added new filters, re sealed the above housing. And added new vents. I still feel like I'm not getting what i should. I guess my last resort is to gauge the system and see if it needs to be charged. Anything else anyone knows to look for? I plan on taking it all apart again and cleaning again but am running out of options. Just feels like its not blowing as hard as it should and doesn't feel cold all the time.
As said ours doesn’t blow hard either. Feels like it’s on med fan to me. It’s been that way since day one but it’s cold!
Okay, guess I'll try charging system next.
"Doesn't feel cold"? Before messing with the charge amount, what is the outlet temperature? What is the low side pressure? What is the high side pressure?
Checking that tomorrow! Will get back to you
Add inlet temperature to the list that you're checking.
Alright, vent closest to the ac is at around 65 or 70 on a 90 degree day. My gauges are fluctuating. Low side is fluctuating between 20 to 45 and high side is fluctuation between 325 and 150. I assume the clutch is engaging because it wouldnt be around the 65 degrees coming out. I cannot figure out the fluctuating. The low side line will be cold to touch at one point and then be warm or hotter at another point.
This might help... Look at "air in system" https://www.buyautoparts.com/howto/ac-pressure-readings.htm
So, an update. I messed with everything on the a/c's. So I'm basically a proffesional now. No, just kidding. Started from scratch on r134a, still nothing. Took ac apart again from behind the seat. I know realized when I cleaned the "evaporator" it was the water core and that there are two of this back there. The evaporator was literally completely clogged. Cleaned and cleaned that thing and cleaned the inside of whole ac. This thing blows like a champ now! Who know!? I am now getting 50 inside the cab and gauges are closer to correct and not jumping around. Having a mechanic buddy come tomorrow and fine tune freon. Blows hard and am excited to get this cab thing a run! Lol thanks everyone! Taking ac apart is a b**ch btw. Lol
Try doing it 4 times, that's why I resealed everything.
I imagine the 90-2 has the HVAC set up, did you remove the seat to work on your 75? I imagine it would be easier if you did. I'm asking beacause I want to pull mine apart on the 90 and give it a good cleaning.
cfpd, That's great you got it fixed. I'm glad I found your thread, I have the EXACT same problem with my SVL75-2. Can you describe where the evaporator is and how to get to it? Or upload a photo? Do you have to lift the cab and access it underneath or can you can access it from within the cab? Thanks so much Will
Evaporator is inside thick red circle. All behind the seat (cab doesn't need raised).
Thank you!
I had to clean the evaporator when I bought my SVL75 used in 2015. I've found since that having the grate open so it recirculates the cab air helps airflow greatly. ( The grate with the 2 filters on top behind the seat). I close that in the winter and heat output is better. Last spring I tinted the windows and put sound deadener on every metal area in the cab. it made a huge difference this summer. I rarely put the fan on high, often using low speed kept the cab comfortable.
I did not remove the seat. However, I would do it next time if I had to. That was a pain in the rear.
I did not lift the cab. I basically pulled the seat all the way forward and took out every screw possible. Then, you have to take every screw out of the whole ac package back there to get the condenser apart. It is tight back there so be prepared to be cramped. Anything else let me know.
Just curious, I was servicing my 90-2 and decided to try to clean the evaporator behind the seat, did you guys disconnect all the AC and heat lines to do that so you could move the unit around, or did you just take it apart with the lines connected. It looks like a real pia to take the bracket off that holds the whole unit against the back of the cab since you can’t get to the two bottom bolts.
I took the heat core off I believe and left the ac one on due to the fact I couldn't get to all of it. It is a huge pain. There are tons of bolts on the back side holding it all together. Get you some gorilla tape for afterwards when nothing seals up again and seal off all the spaces where the foam used to be. Good luck. It is terrible to do but it is and was so worth it!
I'm having trouble accessing the bottom bolts (#40) that hold the unit itself in. Also it looks like it is the unit screwed together with philips head screws, correct?
heymcall, I know this thread is a bit older but I joined here specifically with the hopes you could advise if the layout would be the same on an SSV-75? My machine is 2 years old and this summer the AC just isn't working. It starts out cool for a minute or two then it goes to just like a fan blowing. I do not have gauges but the cold line is cold, the hot is hot. I changed the filters, both inside and out about a month ago when I did my 500hr service, since the AC hasn't been run, they look great. Any help you, out anyone else could offer is appreciated.
Cleaned my SVL-90 evaporator about 1 month ago that was totally clogged without disassembling the case by back washing with a brake line bent to allow access using water. I flushes it until the water was clear. Made a huge difference. Make sure you seal that plastic cover contraption well.
Thanks for that tip. My machine being a tire machine, I am not sure if they are the same in terms of where everything's located. Behind my seat I have a grey cover but doesn't really appear much is behind it unless it goes into the engine compartment. Maybe I'll lift the cab again and have a better look.
An SSV75 hvac box is accessed behind the cab back wall, once cab is propped up.
Thank you for the response and images. On the last image, part number 020 would be the evaporator?
You can check out this website to find out more about aircon servicing. It helped me a lot.
I had the same issues but I chanced upon this website that does aircon servicing that really helped with my problem. Do check them out!
What website?
There is a link under the word "website" designed to trick Google into thinking that site gets more legitimate traffic than it really does by spamming their link wherever they can get it posted. It goes to a Singapore website about permanent building air conditioners and has nothing to do with vehicle air conditioning.
Australian Ian. I have 75-2 and i can tell you that the air conditioner is well below tolerable in all but the winter months in this country! have been thinking of pulling it apart as it has been extremely dusty. sounds worse than a pia! thanks for the info.
IMO the biggest upgrade to the hvac for these things is putting foam strip around the outside filter. I’ve been reading all posts about these since I bought my svl75. So after running in very dusty conditions I pulled outside filter to blow clean. I was pissed when I saw the inside of filter intake covered in dust. The rubber on filter does not seal. I put foam around the where the filter seals and ran it in super dusty conditions. Pulled filter to blow out and it was super dusty. Inside of housing was clean. I don’t open inside circulate if running in dusty conditions, it takes away from inside cabin pressure. The 2 air vents behind your right shoulder are mainly for pressuring cab. They are pre heater core but seem to be post evaporator. Use the inside circulation sparingly but seal your outside filter.
I have selasticed 3 car filters on the top of the air con intake and blocked the intake from outside and put 2 120 cu/ft / min computer fans underneath and increased the air flow but it is still not enough for dusty hot Australia! I have a cat d6txl and it will freeze you and keep the dust out. Maximum work time in a SVL75 in this country in summer is 3 hours.
Could your evaporator be clogged? What temp are you in?
Between 30 to40 degrees celsius 85 to 105 Fahrenheit, with a dead blue sky and the sun streaming into the cab.I often try to work with my back to the sun.Lots of dust. I have had the machine since new.My brother always says to use it in winter which he calls summer. (for you)I blow the air filters ,motor and air every fuel fill swap and wash.
That sucks mate. So we are going into spring, are you heading to winter? Also, you near the mice or rabbit infestation? Interesting stuff but looks miserable.
Yeah Im a farmer, we've had rats and mice and poison out in about 6 places around the house and sheds and there has been a pong of rot all summer. We've just had floods and a bit of cool weather that's knocked them about. Thats Australia dry as for a few years with bush fires then it rains, then plagues come then it floods, just a cycle. City people have to blame something or someone, it's just like what happened in Texas, goes round comes round.
I'm trying to do a deep cleaning on my SVL95 and am wondering if I'm torn down as far as you went or if you went down further? I'd really like to get some of this plastic out of the way so see the cores better but, I can't see easily how it comes apart from here. I'm guessing the one I can see and access easily is the water core? It really doesn't look bad. How did you clean yours? Compressed air? Water? will it drain out the drip line on the side of the cab if I use water or will I flood my cab?
Try this thread HeavyEquipmentForums
Thanks, that's pretty similar to what I ended up doing, except I didn't cut a hole in the plastic. I used compressed air and a long blowgun and blew it out really well. It significantly improved the airflow. I'm going to get one of the foaming cleaners and do that next time.
I was talking to a kubota tech the other wile getting my svl worked on. He said they clean them all the time. They just take them out and clean properly. Other than removing refrigerant it sounds not too bad.
I found this video on YouTube that I thought would be good to add to this thread - I'm going to tear mine down soon because either my evaporator is still dirty after cleaning it with compressed air, the blower motor is failing (or just sucks) or my expansion valve is bad. I'm going to replace the expansion valve anyway because I have to do the work to tear it down as well as add some extra "booster" fans between the evaporator and heater core and adding a shut off valve for the coolant line to the heater core. Hopefully all of this will *FINALLY* give me ice cold air and pressurize the cabin enough to keep dust out. I'll video my process and post it on YouTube with my results. If Kubota had just done a better job with the AC in these machines, I would have nothing to complain about with it.
I took mine apart completely and although the side of the evaporator I could see from the top was clean, this is what I found on the blower side, nearly 1/2" of caked on mud. I went ahead and recovered the refrigerant so I could pull everything out and wash it all properly and it made a HUGE difference, here's how it looks now. My airflow is now 10x what it was before with a supply air temp of about 49 - 50 degrees. I also went ahead and added some additional felt weatherstrip around the bottom of the cab and where the external air filter goes to seal things up better. It's 90 today and I had to turn the fan to 2 or it was too cold. I would highly recommend disassembling everything and cleaning it properly if you're having problems. I videoed everything and will post it once I get it all edited.
I would put foam tape to seal the cab filter. Dust goes right around it.
BCG great job. I’d love a video and how long did it take you to get it apart clean and reassemble? Ours is in at the Kubota place now and I don’t think they went through all that. He said they could blow it out. I’m sure I’m gonna have to re do it. We’ll see.
Ok I see the video now thanks
Incidentally, here’s Kubota’s foam tape that is meant to go on the filter housing. Just got in the mail today. There is zero seal between the hard rubber on the filter and the metal housing. It blows my mind why this part does not come installed.
That's not my video, just one I found. I actually videoed it all step by step instead of just instructions at the end. It took my about 6 hours all told but, I also changed the oil and did a couple other little things. I could probably do it in 3 or so, start to finish, now that I've been through it. Blowing it out isn't going to do it. Even if you blow all the dirt out of the evaporator, the way this goes together it's going to end up in the blower fan and just end up right back in the evaporator as soon as you fire it back up. I don't even think the foaming cleaners will handle this because of how it goes together. This is one that requires you to stay on top of filter maintenance or set aside 1/2 a day every couple of months to tear it down and clean it properly, depending on your use.
I added some felt tape there. I don't to completely stop airflow if the filter gets completely clogged and figure the felt will still filter some of the dust out if air goes around the filter and through it.
Not me, I’d rather it not blow if the filters clogged. I carry an extra filter if I’m working in dust and change it after a few hours if I’m not around air. After seeing all these clogged evaporators I’m not taking a chance. The amount of dust these things work in is incredible. It still boggles my mind kubota makes a filter seal for these, they dont come from the factory with them and no dealer has heard of them.
You have not been intimate with that kubota hvac system. The filters are NOT connected to the hvac by solid duct work. Both rear panels are the "duct". Dirt is sucked in around the top panel and vertical cover. No amount of sealing is going to make those two covers air tight. Been there. It doesn't help. Until the hvac air inlet is absolutely connected to a filter, the plugging will continue, period. Especially for those of us that run door open.
I don’t run with the door open and there is no build up of dust in cab. I do take the top off where the recirc filters are to monitor dust. There is very little and I think that it’s from before I sealed filter. time will tell. Kubota needs to really investigate hvac issues.
In my case on my ssv75, everything was operating but just not cool or cold air. I flipped the cab and used the images posted here in this thread and gained access to the evaporator, removed the screws around the box and managed to get my air gun in there, kinda under or behind it and blew everything out the best I could. Figured I'd try before taking it in. It worked for the rest of the time I owned the machine as this last March I traded her in for an svl75.
We had ours done at Kubota. It’s actually only about a 5 hrs job to remove it and do it properly if u have the tools
I think I could actually do it in 2 - 3 now that I've done it once. It wasn't that bad, just tight quarters. Eventually, I'll post a video. I can't get to it it right now, we're in the middle of renovations and 1/2 the house is blocked off.
BCG you deserve cartoon of beer for that video, as we do in Australia! Just pulled my conditioner down and was completely blocked. You made it so much easier. I also blocked the outside air and re-sealed everything. Its good but my cat D6 is the gold standard of air cons. Kubota should take zeroos advice. Thanks again to all!
New to forum but have been fighting the SVL95 plugged evap coil. The filtration on these units is poorly designed and no great way to improve it. Way to many leak points. I took the whole blower box apart one time. Never again. Kubota should have designed in a door to clean coil given how quick it gets dirty. They did not so I did!! I basically cut two access holes upstream and down stream of the coil. I use mine for mulching so it gets really dusty. Now to clean coil I remove the trim panels and some foil tape, open the access doors and clean coil. 1 hr!!! Steps 1. Cut two access panels with dremel tool. Sand edges. 2. Clean coil with small brush, vacuum and compressed air. Make sure it’s dry. 3. Use a thick rubber tape (flex seal) as the door hinge. Cover and seal door with foil AC tape. 4. Reinstall trim. It was about 100 degrees today after I cleaned the coil the air temp at rear was 50 degrees
A major leak is the filer to filter box. Needs foam tape behind the filter. The filter sucks everything the tracks stir up. Takes no time for filter to get dirty then start sucking right past the hard rubber seal on the filter. Kubota sells foam to go around the filter housing, it’s even on their parts diagram for the svl’s. All in all it’s a terrible hvac design.
I have thought about tinting my windows. I live in Texas and when it is 106 the AC struggles to keep it cool.
I"m just moving on, it's impossible in summer in Australia. Maybe JCB, seems to have a serviceable air con and efficient.
Kubota Australia will tell you they have never had a problem. We bought 2 new SLV 75s, and both did not cool from day 1, our dealer told me I was imagining things...Kubota Australia said "never any problems".
It's funny that we reached the same conclusion - change brands; it's a shame that whilst the dealer would not acknowledge a problem, their advice "trade them on new 75 - 3s" - is not happening - will be a different brand. It infuriates me when a machine has 150 hours from new, and it can't be used.