Do I start to do my own servicing

[6feetdown]

So as the thread states, I've got the room and tools but is it worth it?
Cost of oil etc is obviously high, just been quoted around £600 for avant service around 46 litres of hydraulic oil in there plus engine oil and filters.
If people think it's worth it any recommendations on oil suppliers?

 

[doobin]

So as the thread states, I've got the room and tools but is it worth it?
Cost of oil etc is obviously high, just been quoted around £600 for avant service around 46 litres of hydraulic oil in there plus engine oil and filters.
If people think it's worth it any recommendations on oil suppliers?

£600 is a pisstake. 50 litres oil total at £2.50 a litre is £125 plus filters- £15 for the Kubota engine, the hydraulic one will be more, maybe £50.

Just did my Kubota tractor today. Five litres of 15w/40 engine oil and a £14 genuine filter. Literally ten minutes work to change the engine oil and blow the air filter and rad out.

A full fluid change and service on the Multione takes me under and hour.

@LRTLubricants sorted me out a barrel of engine and a barrel of hydraulic. Need to repolace both soon, down to 50 litres in each. So keen to hear of good prices etc.

 

[Monkeybusiness]

£600 is a pisstake. 50 litres oil total at £2.50 a litre is £125 plus filters- £15 for the Kubota engine, the hydraulic one will be more, maybe £50.

Just did my Kubota tractor today. Five litres of 15w/40 engine oil and a £14 genuine filter. Literally ten minutes work to change the engine oil and blow the air filter and rad out.

A full fluid change and service on the Multione takes me under and hour.

@LRTLubricants sorted me out a barrel of engine and a barrel of hydraulic. Need to repolace both soon, down to 50 litres in each. So keen to hear of good prices etc.

Try GB Oils and Ryeoil - they’ve both always been great for me.
I need to order soon - I always buy a pallet at a time which works out at 1000l. I tend to get a mix of allsorts in 25l drums, gave up on the 200l barrels as they are not as convenient.

 

[Storrsy]

I've bought my hydraulic oil of a company called Premier power. £45 for 25 liter drum- most competitive I've found so far. About to do a hydraulic oil change on TB125. System takes 75 liters so uses a fair bit. Local tak dealer wants £899 for this and all the other filters. Spent about £250 on the oils and filter to do it so that leaves me £650 for me to to do it myself. Probably take a day all in so yeah in answer to your question probably worth doing it yourself. I had the dealer out to do a service once. Didn't even bother warming up the track motor oils prior to draining- if you can do it yourself you'll probably do a more thorough job...

 

[6feetdown]

I've bought my hydraulic oil of a company called Premier power. £45 for 25 liter drum- most competitive I've found so far. About to do a hydraulic oil change on TB125. System takes 75 liters so uses a fair bit. Local tak dealer wants £899 for this and all the other filters. Spent about £250 on the oils and filter to do it so that leaves me £650 for me to to do it myself. Probably take a day all in so yeah in answer to your question probably worth doing it yourself. I had the dealer out to do a service once. Didn't even bother warming up the track motor oils prior to draining- if you can do it yourself you'll probably do a more thorough job...

Got charged about 330 with the vat a few months ago for tb016 service

 

[doobin]

Try GB Oils and Ryeoil - they’ve both always been great for me.
I need to order soon - I always buy a pallet at a time which works out at 1000l. I tend to get a mix of allsorts in 25l drums, gave up on the 200l barrels as they are not as convenient.

I much prefer pumping out from a 205l into a 10 litre measuring jug. I have a jug marked up for each oil- and they are always stored with their lids on and the caps on the flexi spouts. A jug for hydraulic oil, engine oil, UTTO and screenwash. Then I have a 25l pressure dispenser for gear oil, as well as one for engine oil- particularly useful when when changing oil on little petrol engines in skidsteers etc along with a vacuum extractor.

 

[doobin]

I've bought my hydraulic oil of a company called Premier power. £45 for 25 liter drum- most competitive I've found so far. About to do a hydraulic oil change on TB125. System takes 75 liters so uses a fair bit. Local tak dealer wants £899 for this and all the other filters. Spent about £250 on the oils and filter to do it so that leaves me £650 for me to to do it myself. Probably take a day all in so yeah in answer to your question probably worth doing it yourself. I had the dealer out to do a service once. Didn't even bother warming up the track motor oils prior to draining- if you can do it yourself you'll probably do a more thorough job...

Yup, a pound saved is a pound earned, but the reason I started to do all my own workshop stuff, from servicing to lathe work, is that I knew it would be done right!

A full filter change on the New Holland backhoe was a messy job, but not difficult. At the end of the day you're 'making' the dealer workshop rate on your labour- which is more than most people are charging for themselves and the machine!

 

[6feetdown]

Yup, a pound saved is a pound earned, but the reason I started to do all my own workshop stuff, from servicing to lathe work, is that I knew it would be done right!

A full filter change on the New Holland backhoe was a messy job, but not difficult. At the end of the day you're 'making' the dealer workshop rate on your labour- which is more than most people are charging for themselves and the machine!

Yeah true about the rate.
Think it's the way to go 3 machines now so will start to add up.
Maybe teach our female op how to do it

 

[doobin]

Yeah true about the rate.
Think it's the way to go 3 machines now so will start to add up.
Maybe teach our female op how to do it

I would do it yourself, you are more likely to spot any other problems. Three machines is not much to keep on top of, you should try twenty October/November is my vehicle servicing month so that's coming up soon also. Not enough hours in the day.

 

[Monkeybusiness]

I much prefer pumping out from a 205l into a 10 litre measuring jug. I have a jug marked up for each oil- and they are always stored with their lids on and the caps on the flexi spouts. A jug for hydraulic oil, engine oil, UTTO and screenwash. Then I have a 25l pressure dispenser for gear oil, as well as one for engine oil- particularly useful when when changing oil on little petrol engines in skidsteers etc along with a vacuum extractor.

I got fed up with pumping chain oil out of drums - pump nozzle constantly dribbling and pumps breaking as not up to the viscosity (particularly in the winter). The 25l drums were the same price so it was a no brainer.
I also pour into always-sealed measuring jugs to decant into machines, and have a gear oil pump (which is brilliant!).

 

[JerryRtilt]

I've always done my own servicing, can be a struggle to keep it up to date when busy but its something i don't mind doing and find it strangely satisfying, something to do with knowing its done right and my natural hatred of paying someone else to do something i can do myself.
also a good point @doobin makes about picking up potential problems, nothing like a bit of preventative maintenance, which someone paid to do oil changes is never going to do.

 

[V8Druid]

I got fed up with pumping chain oil out of drums - pump nozzle constantly dribbling and pumps breaking as not up to the viscosity (particularly in the winter). The 25l drums were the same price so it was a no brainer.
I also pour into always-sealed measuring jugs to decant into machines, and have a gear oil pump (which is brilliant!).

what sort of drum pumps you using Dan?
have used these type for decades and never broken one ... plus the 'dribble' goes back down the return spout ... litre a wind usually

 

[Quattromike]

We do reactive servicing here, if it starts creaking we give it a little grease, if it's down on power we give in new fuel filters, it it needs jump start more than 50 times in a row we get a new battery

 

[Nick...]

ALLWAYS done my own servicing till recently.i really struggle to get under machines at 61 with a life spent on a farm and working in building trade.can reccomend Largo Plant at Lenwade near norwich for oil and filters.
nick...

 

[Bob]

If you don't like pumping out of barrel firm I use to work for had drum stands with taps on he built a shed on side of workshop with all oils and big tank for waste oil

 

[V8Druid]

If you don't like pumping out of barrel firm I use to work for had drum stands with taps on he built a shed on side of workshop with all oils and big tank for waste oilView attachment 51723

got a few much simpler ones ... easy way to handle drums and dispense from them ... also bought this from round the corner from @bobthebuilder (didn't know at the time) .. great way of putting 'em where you want them

 

[Smiffy]

If you don't like pumping out of barrel firm I use to work for had drum stands with taps on he built a shed on side of workshop with all oils and big tank for waste oilView attachment 51723

If you don't like pumping by hand mcnaught do a whole range of electric, battery and pneumatic oil pumps for 25lt cans 200lt drums and ibc's. They also do some really good manual pumps to fit 25ltr drums. They had loads of them when I was in new Zealand. Way better than anything I've seen used here and really useful. Perfect for chain oil as would never spill a drop filling saws.

 

[Mick-the-fitter]

The way I do it, or think about it,
1) buying filters from dealers, firstly check the dates on the filters, shelf life around 2 years! They will gladly sell you all the filters, but the dates will be later than the ones you take off.

2) most services are based around hours around the running hours, the engine oil and filter are important at recommended intervals, air filters can need changing earlier depending on dust conditions, hydraulic oil, in dumpers it only tips and steers so you can stretch it out a bit, excavators rely on hydraulic oil more so, and if using breakers or augers change it more regularly.

3) track motor reduction hubs, change very regularly, more so if doing lots of road work or travelling.

4) pilot filter always a consideration if the hydraulic oil is changed sooner than necessary.

5) grease fast moving parts daily more than once, slow moving parts at least once.

6) change coolant after checking its freeze temp, and it’s above -20, I know we rarely see temps down to this, but depending where the machine is stored there could be a wind chill factor.

 

[Mick-the-fitter]

Filter dates, could read EARLIER than the ones you have on the machine.

 

[DaveDCB]

I do my own servicing on machinery/cars after warranty period is up - even then sometimes if it’s in warranty I’ll just make sure that I only buy filters/oil from dealer. It’s a good excuse to go right through the machines and make sure everything is spot on.
I’ve heard too many stories of fitters(main dealers!!) just wiping filters clean to make it look like they are changed