[Dirk vdm]

My Kubota L245DT (1977 vintage) with 930 hrs on the clock has a not so funny behavior which I fear might be the precursor to some real trouble. When I drive up a steep hill and stop to reverse back down the engine stalls when I release the clutch. The same thing happens when I place the tractor in neutral on the hill. Now it works fine if I am not facing uphill which leads me to the question that I have for the more technically savvy people,
Is this clutch or gearbox trouble and is it ok to continue driving or should I have it fixed before I cause real trouble.

Any advise will be greatly appreciate.

Thanks
Dirk

 

[Volfandt]

Welcome aboard Dirk.
My 1st swag is the fuel may be too low and the angle could be interrupting the gravity flow.
Is it possible the angle is such that the tank becomes lower than the fuel filter/fuel injection pump?

2nd swag would be a safety switch but I'm not sure if your seat has one. If it does, a steep angle could shift your weight just enough for the seat to rise ever so slightly and trip the switch.

3rd swag would be that the fuel filter is so contaminated that it stops passing fuel through it at the angle of the hill.

Let us know,
Dave

 

[slkpk]

Welcome aboard Dirk.
My 1st swag is the fuel may be too low and the angle could be interrupting the gravity flow.
Is it possible the angle is such that the tank becomes lower than the fuel filter/fuel injection pump?

2nd swag would be a safety switch but I'm not sure if your seat has one. If it does, a steep angle could shift your weight just enough for the seat to rise ever so slightly and trip the switch.

3rd swag would be that the fuel filter is so contaminated that it stops passing fuel through it at the angle of the hill.

Let us know,
Dave

:Welcome1: Sounds like a possible fuel flow problem to me. Try it with a full tank of fuel and see what happens. When was the last time you changed your fuel filter? Does it sputter before dying or does it just shut off? Have you looked for any bare wires that are near any linkage of the clutch? slkpk

 

[JRC0528]

I had a L185 with MANY more hours than yours (said 1480hrs, and the meter no longer worked) that had shift linkage issues. The slots in the top of the shifter forks were worn enough that you could go from 1st to R without locking the 1st/2nd fork on it's neutral detent. Occasionally it would find its way back into 1st while you were going into R or 3rd/4th. With any 2 gears engaged the transmission simply locks, stalling the engine when you let off the clutch. It's easy enough to correct, just unbolt the top plate holding the shifter lever, reset all the forks to neutral with a large screwdriver, and replace the plate.

One differance I note is in my case, with the shifter in neutral the tractor would move, not stall (move in 1st gear as thats the fork that would slide into gear in my case).

The other thing I'd check is that all your detent springs/balls are in proper working order for holding each fork firmly in its selected location. Do this when you remove the cover by moving each fork and noting that it should "click" into place at each end and in the middle of it's travel (Reverse may be on its own fork, in which case there will be 2 detents rather than 3).

 

[wally2q]

not sure about the fuel problem gravity feed possibility..... from the way the message is worded, as long as he keeps going without stopping to reverse or going into neutral, it runs fine. If it was a gravity feed problem, it would starve no matter whether he is stopped, switching to reverse, or continuing to move forward (uphill).

to eliminate the fuel problem as a possiblity, fill the tank to full... the little bit of extra head pressure should eliminate the gravity feed problem...

 

[Dirk vdm]

Thanks for the advice, it is great to have found a site with civilized friendly people on it. I'm pretty sure its not a fuel problem. The engine continues to run while I'm on the hill and only dies when I let the clutch out. It sort of feel more like there is something stuck in the gearbox, But I will try it with a full tank just to confirm. If it is worn forks in the gearbox is that fixable without breaking the tractor in 2 or does the whole gearbox have to come out?

Dirk