Since 2013, when it entered the market, Kubota l3560 customers have been saying it’s one of the best tractors in the world. Its reliable 29-horsepower Kubota-TVC engine will amaze you with its excellent performance.
Despite excellent Kubota reviews, these tractors occasionally present some issues. These problems may slow the tractor down or ruin the machine.
From dark exhaust fumes to starting problems, lack of traction, or friction of the wheel bearings, you can expect to encounter a problem along the way.
7 Kubota L3560 Problems and Solutions
1. Engine Overheating
There are several reasons for Kubota l3560’s engine overheating. The most common reason is the tractor running on low levels of engine fuel.
Riding the Kubota l3560 on low fuel will lead to sudden overheating and later stalling in the course of an activity.
Poor airflow into the engine is another common reason that causes the Kubota l3560 engine to overheat.
Without proper airflow in the engine, heat accumulates with time, and eventually, the engine overheats.
Airflow restriction mainly happens if there is sediment or debris clogging the radiator or the air cooling system.
Remember: a faulty fan belt also creates a faulty cooling system—which eventually presents as an overheating problem.
Solution
To troubleshoot engine overheating, first, check if there’s enough engine fuel to run the Kubota Tractor for your specific task. If there is less fuel, fill the tractor’s diesel tank to the correct level.
After that, clean out any debris or dirt from the radiator and cooling system to ensure there’s proper airflow to the engine.
We recommend using a dust blower to blow out the accumulated dust and debris in between the parts.
2. Kubota Tractor Troubles Starting or Stopping the Engine
Most users complain about difficulty starting or stopping the engine. Several issues cause this problem.
If it happens during the winter, it’s likely because the oil viscosity has increased. It eventually slows down the engine.
If the cold season is not the culprit, there are a few other causes, including lack of fuel flow due to air or water stuck in the fuel system.
Other than during winter, a Kubota l3560 tractor may fail at cranking if air or water gets into the fuel lines.
If these two get stuck in the fuel lines, your Kubota l3560 engine will not burn fuel efficiently—at least not enough to start the tractor.
A dead battery or a low-voltage battery will definitely not start the Kubota l3560 tractor either. So, yes, this is another prime suspect for an engine that’s difficult to start.
Troubleshooting
Fuel system troubleshooting
With the Kubota tractors, sometimes the fuel system is suspected to cause engine crank problems.
To deal with this, you first need to check if the tank needs a fill. If the levels are low, fill it to the correct level. You should also check out the fuel tank and ensure that it’s clean—no dust or debris.
You might need to bleed out the fuel system and clean it if you encounter any dirt in the system to solve this problem. Finally, tighten up the tank bolt or any other loose nut.
Battery troubleshooting
If the battery is the issue, you might need to ensure that your Kubota tractor runs on a properly charged battery.
Also, ensure your battery terminals are clean and that the battery cables are running properly. This is important because battery cables sometimes corrode and break with time.
Use an Ohm meter to check out the voltage of the Kubota tractor safety switches and ensure it gives out correct readings.
For precautionary purposes, during the winter, we suggest fully charging the battery and storing it away from your Kubota tractor.
Oil viscosity
Viscosity change in oil could be a big issue because of temporal change. The solution to this issue is changing the oil.
Try using an oil with a different viscosity, that is suitable for ambient temperature. It may help in rectifying the problem. If you want to, you can also use an engine heater.
It also solves this problem. Remember the most important thing here is getting rid of old oil and replacing it with new, better-quality oil.
3. Kubota Tractors Colored Exhaust Fumes
Of all the common problems you’re likely to face with this model, this is the scariest: colored exhaust fumes. Luckily, the repairs are a lot easier to do than you might expect.
The color of the smoke determines the problem. Black smoke points to poor fuel quality or a clogged filter.
Too much fuel may also be an issue. Then, blue-white smoke is a result of carbon deposits in the fuel or the injector nozzles.
Solution for black fumes
To fix the black fumes issue, we recommend replacing the fuel you’ve been using with clean, quality fuel. Also, check for a clogged filter and install a good one.
Lastly, ensure the fuel in the tank is not too much—it needs to be at the correct level.
We also recommend unclogging the air filter because a clogged one prevents proper fuel combustion, causing the machine to produce black smoke.
Repair any broken Kubota l3560 air filter or replace it with a new one.
Solution for blue-white fumes
To repair the blue-white fumes issues, check out the injection nozzle and clean it of any carbon deposits or dirt.
4. Engine Dies After Some Time
If a Kubota L3560 tractor runs for a while and then dies, it means there’s an issue with the fuel system.
Anything wrong with the fuel system may cause your Kubota l3560 engine to emit a strange odor.
Solution
To solve this problem, identify the fuel you are using. Since they work differently, with diesel, you need to be careful about the diesel and air ratio.
This is because diesel is first compressed before the piston ignites the mixture in the cylinder for compression. So, if it’s diesel, you need to troubleshoot the cylinder compression and pistons.
If your Kubota l3560 runs on gasoline, the issue is most probably faulty spark plugs. To fix this issue, just replace the faulty spark plugs.
5. Lack of Friction in Steering Wheels
Lack of friction in steering wheels can lead to a lot of problems, and even cause accidents.
A low-friction steering wheel is usually because of a defective part in the steering system. The pump may be defective and a low fuel amount could be responsible for this.
Poor friction in the steering wheel of a Kubota l3560 is a hazard because it easily causes the user to lose control of the tractor, oftentimes leading to an accident.
A faulty steering part in the steering system causes this problem. The most common faulty part is a worn-out steering pump.
A faulty steering cylinder also causes this problem. This is the part that connects the steering pump to the steering box.
If the steering cylinder leaks or is faulty, the steering system will fail. Low fuel amounts in the tractor also cause this issue.
Solution
The first step is checking the fuel levels in your tractor and ensuring it’s at the correct level. Next, you need to replace any faulty parts in the steering system.
The parts that mostly become defective are the steering pump and the steering cylinder. If it proves hard to change the parts from your garage, contact your dealer to avoid messing up further.
6. Insufficient Engine Power
This is a common problem for users who consistently run on insufficient, dirty, or the wrong fuel. They cause the Kubota tractor engine to slow down or become inefficient.
Clogged air filters do not allow sufficient airflow to the engine for proper combustion and this causes the engine power issues.
Solution
First, you need to ensure you are using the correct fuel in your Kubota tractor. You also need to maintain an optimal amount of fuel in the tank. If that’s already done, try cleaning the injector nozzles and ensuring they work properly.
If they’re faulty, replace them. If clogged air filters are causing the issue, clean or replace them with new ones.
7. Engine Starts Hard Permanently
This is one of the most common problems and, it has several causes. If your Kubota tractor engine is difficult to crank, there are a few things to look into to find out why this is happening.
The reasons range from clogged fuel lines to a dirty or faulty injector, and a dirty fuel filter. If your Kubota tractor runs on gasoline and has an incorrect spark plug timing, the engine will start hard permanently.
Fixing your spark plugs should solve this issue. Air leaks in the suction side of the engine, clog in the exhaust pipe and low-voltage batteries also cause the engine to start a hard issue.
To solve this, unclog the clogged parts and ensure the battery holds enough charge.
Final Words
Kubota tractor owners highly rate the experience of using the l3560. The model has great consumer experiences.
However, you’ll come across users complaining about the problems we just discussed. What do we think? Well, nothing is perfect.
We don’t think these issues are a deal breaker when it comes to the l3560 tractor model. Most of the common problems are easy to fix.