Critter nest

[KarlB]

First the good news. 743 started right up after sitting outside all winter. Love that Kubota diesel. Now the bad news. Heard a banging. Shut it off and started to look. Found this under the cab.

Pulled and vacuumed a trash can of leaves, black walnuts and grass out out of it. We have mature black walnut trees and there was quite a cache in there. The banging was likely walnuts in the blower. I also need to check/lube the U joint and replace the muffler. Pull engine? Thanks, ...karl, who forgot posting from iPhones causes bunched text

 

[shankatank58]

Check your wiring. Squirrels love to chew on it!!!! (hoses too)

 

[antfarmer2]

Check your wiring. Squirrels love to chew on it!!!! (hoses too)

If your going to pull the engine to get the nuts out I would go ahead and replace the ujoints the nut can damage your coolers and it might be the ujoints knocking not that hard of a job and a hundred buck from loaderscourceparts

 

[brt]

If your going to pull the engine to get the nuts out I would go ahead and replace the ujoints the nut can damage your coolers and it might be the ujoints knocking not that hard of a job and a hundred buck from loaderscourceparts

A similar situation happened on my 763 last year. I started it up and acorns that had been stored in the fan housing started shooting out both sides of the machine. Luckily, no one was standing next to the fan outlets or they would have been peppered with acorn shrapnel! Had to remove the radiator and oil; cooler to clean it all out. The ground squirrels or whatever also nibbled on the wiring, but only ate the aftermarket wiring that I had installed for some accessories. I bet that the newer wiring was Chinese crap as one accessory was a Harbor Freight trickle charger. They did not touch the American-made wires next to the China wires. I read that Peppermint oil on a cotton ball placed in several locations will discourage the creatures. I've been doing it once a month for a year (still using the original bottle of oil) and so far there have been no visits from the rodents.

 

[Tazza]

A similar situation happened on my 763 last year. I started it up and acorns that had been stored in the fan housing started shooting out both sides of the machine. Luckily, no one was standing next to the fan outlets or they would have been peppered with acorn shrapnel! Had to remove the radiator and oil; cooler to clean it all out. The ground squirrels or whatever also nibbled on the wiring, but only ate the aftermarket wiring that I had installed for some accessories. I bet that the newer wiring was Chinese crap as one accessory was a Harbor Freight trickle charger. They did not touch the American-made wires next to the China wires. I read that Peppermint oil on a cotton ball placed in several locations will discourage the creatures. I've been doing it once a month for a year (still using the original bottle of oil) and so far there have been no visits from the rodents.

I had rats do this, they setup a nest on the oil cooler, there was a thud too, and a minced rat was pushed out.
I like the idea of pulling the engine and doing or at least checking and greasing the u-joints. That way you know they are right and that you got all the nuts.