# Flooded L3450 rescued after nearly 3 years.



## Spikes (Sep 1, 2010)

Due to health and too many surgeries to count over the last few years I haven't been able to mow the back fields. During the time I was in a nursing home a good friend tried to help out by mowing one of the grass fields (6' tall - can't see a thing) and found a deep,muddy drainage ditch.
There have been several failed tries to retrieve it (including a broken truck driveshaft) but the bush hog was buried to the top plate and the entire tractor was sitting on the frame in clay after two of the wettest years I can remember. I finally felt strong enough to beat my way to it this morning and with the pickup hooked to the bush hog by the winch and getting a good backwards run in 4LO it popped out on the third 'it'll come out or I'll break it in half' pull.

The engine fired right off with the truck pull - starting in 3rd HI gear but it drug the tires for a few feet before something popped loose. It's a wet clutch so shouldn't have been that... Who knows

It's got no visible water in the engine oil (I ran it back to the house, maybe two minutes and no milkshake oil) but the trans / hydraulics are FULL of water. I've yet to check the axles. It's an all gear transmission.

Picked up 20 gallons of hydraulic oil and a couple of gallons for the engine, all filters ordered as well as a new battery and starter (locked up solid)

Other than drain / fill / run / repeat on the hydraulics, does anyone have any tricks to get all the water out of lines and pump? It has the cartridge style metal mesh hydraulic filter so I can clean and reuse it.
The power steering is run from the same pump so I'd really like to get it right.

Sorry for the long post but I'm excited to be back on the forum!


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## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

Right on, glad to hear you got it out.


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## TX MX5200 (May 12, 2020)

Awesome retrieval.... ....i'm a rookie but would think running with fresh hydro fluid would purge any moisture... ...may plan on swapping fluids and filters a second time after you run her for a while. 

Time will tell on the seals and bearings. Glad your back in the saddle... onward and upward


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## FredM (Nov 18, 2015)

great for you to have retrieved the unit without much damage, just want to say, if the tractor engine was turned off when it went into the ditch and if you hadn't of run it back to the house, then the hydraulic pump, lines and steering would have been all clear, drain as much as you can and then you may have to flush a couple of times, you may have to prime the hydraulic pump a few times after all lines are drained.


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## TX MX5200 (May 12, 2020)

I would be surprised if his bud would have turned motor off prior to the plunge in tall grass....I see the oh hell factor, with wheels spinning trying to get it out. Especially since it was sunk to the belly.


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## Spikes (Sep 1, 2010)

Yea it was buried all four wheels deep. It had also been started after a few months of being a drainage dam in an extrication attempt so there was already some water mixed in. 
I hadn't thought about having to prime the hydro pump but it makes sense since it's above the sump level. I'll read up on how to do that tomorrow.

Interestingly, raccoons made the tractor their home base, the seat was piled up with, well, what raccoons make and their muddy little paw prints are all over every square inch of the machine. They ate the corners off the seat too.

All in all not too bad, the tires all stayed aired up and it should work again after I ceremoniously burn a stack of bills on it.


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## bubbagoat (Nov 10, 2019)

Photos, we need photos!


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## thomas LaPlante (May 5, 2019)

i put a pint of alcohol in with the tranny fluid. Really helped get all the moisture out of the tranny. then refilled with good fluid and ran and what a difference. Old school trrick ii was told by a guy who is 88 and still plowing with an 800 ford.


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## Spikes (Sep 1, 2010)

Photos as requested.

1) An idea of how deep she was buried








2) water was over the axle for well over two years








3) This didn't make things any easier








4) Masked squatters evicted








5) Waiting for parts......


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## bubbagoat (Nov 10, 2019)

Great recovery! Hope you get her up and running strong again, that was in deep!


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