self destructing kubota

[camps]

We purchashed a Kubota L3010 tractor that was sold new in Hillsboro Texas. It was traded in on a larger more powerful tractor. We purchased it from the 2nd owner who needed money to pay his taxes. When the 3 point hookup hydralic system decided to self destruct while only using the front end loader. We consulted a Dallas dealer who called the Hillsboro dealer. He was told that the rod and piston that operates the 3 point lift was replaced at 400 hours and they had given the second owner a 6 month warranty. The tractor only has 447 hours now. Kubota claims that the tractor has never had any warranty work and since the warranty has expired. Neither Kubota or the Hillsboro dealer will assist in the cost of either parts or labor in the tractors repair. The man's teen aged son operated the tractor because the man was born with a handicap and is confined to a wheel chair and has no reason to lie. When we got on the internet a dealer in North Carolina and 1 in Tyler Texas both stated that if the rod and piston wasn't adjusted properly when the lift was repaired that the internal hydralic pressure would bust the rear tractor housing. The parts counter man at the Dallas dealership stated that he had seen 2 other tractors with the rear housing busted and then the shop foreman stated that he had replaced one on a larger Kubota tractor at a cost of about $4600.00. I don't plan to spend $3000.00 to fix this tractor only to take a chance that it will self destruct again. This tractor had a built in defect and Kubota engineers need to place a bypass valve in the system to insure that their tractors do not self destruct.

[Argee]

WoW...that's a shame that it come apart like that. With that low amount of hours on it I'm surprised that Kubota won't do anything. Maybe there's more to the story that the original owner hasn't shared with you. Had the six month warranty expired? Is the warranty transferable? Is it an admitted problem with that model tractor?

[kubotachick]

*gulp*

[mark777]

WOW.

WELCOME TO MTF, and what a first post.

I would circumvent the dealership floor, the parts counter and everyone in between you and an older mechanic. A simple, but sincere approach is coffee and doughnuts...and I'm serious. Ask this mechanic what he would do, and how he would go about fixing an obvious inherent problem with your model. And if you have both established a sense of mutual trust ask him if he works on Kubotas ON THE SIDE. You will be surprised at how many do...and how many say they don't (but really do). A good mechanic will know how to find parts, even used parts that have been replaced under warranty that are still perfect tolerance wise.

A good mechanic that you treat well and pay well, will forever do maintenance and repairs that you can't. And will always do it at his house or shop. The only trade off I can think of is it may take a day or two longer....but you can save thousands over a period of time.

Good Luck, Mark

[camps]

WoW...that's a shame that it come apart like that. With that low amount of hours on it I'm surprised that Kubota won't do anything. Maybe there's more to the story that the original owner hasn't shared with you. Had the six month warranty expired? Is the warranty transferable? Is it an admitted problem with that model tractor?


This tractor is a 2001 model.
The orginal owner traded it in on a more powerful tractor. He stated that he had no trouble with it. The second owner is the one who had trouble with the lift. He stated that he was given a years warranty and would send any papers he could find. The warranty has run out. We contend that there is a defect or incompetant Kubota mechanics that has caused the tractor to self destruct. We were told by other dealers that Kubota wouldn't help us but maybe the dealer would. 47 hours later at 447 hours KAPUT_ JUNK!

[Jim_WV]

:1221: man, hate to hear that camps. welcome to the forums anyway :fing32:

[jdkubotamurray]

Wow! I had a couple of early and Mid 90's 2350's and a 2004 BX2200 and no problems, but that is a worriesome story, maybe need to stick with the Deeres.

[mhb@ufe]

:Welcome1: Sorry to hear of your troubles. It seems there must be more to the story as the relief valve should prevent the hydraulics from causing the problem you had. What was on the three point hitch? Had someone increased the relief valve setting?

[camps]

An experienced diesel mechanic states that when he replaced a hydraulic pump and left the orginal relief valve, he had to go back and replace both shortly thereafter.
He stated that if a defective relief valve caused the piston and rod to be replaced and
they didn't replace the relief valve, this could have caused the excess pressure to bust
the rear end housing even though nothing was hooked up to the 3 point system while
the front end loader was in use. I see on another web site where a L3400 with 39.5 hours busted the rear end housing while using a back hoe. On another page another person saw a L3400 which had the same problem. We had nothing hooked up in the rear.

[mhb@ufe]

An experienced diesel mechanic states that when he replaced a hydraulic pump and left the orginal relief valve, he had to go back and replace both shortly thereafter.
He stated that if a defective relief valve caused the piston and rod to be replaced and
they didn't replace the relief valve, this could have caused the excess pressure to bust
the rear end housing even though nothing was hooked up to the 3 point system while
the front end loader was in use. I see on another web site where a L3400 with 39.5 hours busted the rear end housing while using a back hoe. On another page another person saw a L3400 which had the same problem. We had nothing hooked up in the rear.
I agree with what he said and it would be important to know the origanal cause and why it wasn't corrected. In regards to the L3400 with a back hoe, that is why we won't put a three point backhoe on a compact tractor. We always use a subframe or 4 point mount.

[Argee]

The warranty has run out. We contend that there is a defect or incompetant Kubota mechanics that has caused the tractor to self destruct.

It doesn't look good for you unless the dealer is feeling gracious. The warranty has expired. It doesn't matter whether it is by date or hours...it has expired. It's up to the issuing dealer as to whether they want to validate it and do the repairs.

Your contention that there is a defect is irrelevant unless you can legally substantiate your claims. Would any of the mechanics be willing to testify?

[mhb@ufe]

This tractor is a 2001 model.
The orginal owner traded it in on a more powerful tractor. He stated that he had no trouble with it. The second owner is the one who had trouble with the lift. He stated that he was given a years warranty and would send any papers he could find. The warranty has run out. We contend that there is a defect or incompetant Kubota mechanics that has caused the tractor to self destruct. We were told by other dealers that Kubota wouldn't help us but maybe the dealer would. 47 hours later at 447 hours KAPUT_ JUNK!
Have you contacted Kubota yourself or are you just going on what the dealers are saying? I suggest you e-mail Kubota and hear what they say first hand.

[camps]

yes our request for assistance from Kubota #16154 was answered by a denial of any warranty work having been performed during the warranty period and neither Kubota or the Hillsboro dealer planned to give any asssistance in it's repair. I got mad and perhaps said some things that I shouldn't have, but I expected to get a little more use than just a few hours from a supposely quality engineered tractor. I can buy a 1952 Ford tractor with a mower that has given 54 years of reliable service for about the same amount it will cost to repair this one with no assuance that it will not self destruct again. I expected more for the $10,000.00 cash I paid for the addition of the front end loader that the old Ford did not have.

[Brett-JD3320]

Camps,

Sorry to hear of your problems. Is the rear end housing aluminum on your
machine (a simple magnet test will tell). I was looking at BX series tractors
and was shyed away by a poor dealer and the whole hydrostat housing that
was made out of aluminum not cast iron. Though, I thought the larger L series
tractors were all cast iron. Not that it makes much of a difference in your
situation as there is a problem in the hydraulic system that must be fixed.

I wish you luck with it!






An experienced diesel mechanic states that when he replaced a hydraulic pump and left the orginal relief valve, he had to go back and replace both shortly thereafter.
He stated that if a defective relief valve caused the piston and rod to be replaced and
they didn't replace the relief valve, this could have caused the excess pressure to bust
the rear end housing even though nothing was hooked up to the 3 point system while
the front end loader was in use. I see on another web site where a L3400 with 39.5 hours busted the rear end housing while using a back hoe. On another page another person saw a L3400 which had the same problem. We had nothing hooked up in the rear.

[camps]

The housing is cast iron. That is what suprised me. There was nothing attached to the
hydraulic system in the rear. There had not been anything hooked up to it but the mower and we only used it twice on the 5 acres. We disconnected the mower to use the front end loader to move the shredded trees that the city had left for us to use.
We were able to move only a small amount before the rear housing busted without having been stressed by our operation.

[mhb@ufe]

yes our request for assistance from Kubota #16154 was answered by a denial of any warranty work having been performed during the warranty period and neither Kubota or the Hillsboro dealer planned to give any asssistance in it's repair. I got mad and perhaps said some things that I shouldn't have, but I expected to get a little more use than just a few hours from a supposely quality engineered tractor. I can buy a 1952 Ford tractor with a mower that has given 54 years of reliable service for about the same amount it will cost to repair this one with no assuance that it will not self destruct again. I expected more for the $10,000.00 cash I paid for the addition of the front end loader that the old Ford did not have.
Have you been able to find out who paid for the previous repair and why it wasn,t submitted to Kubota for warrenty. Kubota is a good company and I don,t believe they would say no warrenty was claimed unless it was true.

[camps]

My son talked to Bobby Tipton with Tipton International Kubota in Hillsboro Texas.
He said that he remembered selling the tractor to a man in a wheel chair and they had
given him a 6 month warranty. Kirkpatrick was the man in the wheel chair and he states that they gave him a 1 year warranty. His son was the one who used the tractor and Kirkpatrick said that Tipton worked on the tractor because the 3 point hydraulic system was slow in operating. Kubota states that no work was preformed under the warranty and neither Kubota nor Tipton would assist me in its repair. Tipton told Zimmerer Kubota,of Irving Texas, that the rod and piston in the 3 point hydraulic system had been replaced at 400 hours and they had given Kirkpatrick a 6 month warranty. Now 47 hours later with nothing attached to the rear of the tractor, it decides to self destruct. So much for Kubota engineering.

[mhb@ufe]

I'm sorry you are having such a bad experience with your Kubota. I don't have any good suggestions but I do believe there is something you are not being told. It doesn't do any good to fix the results of a problem without finding the cause. I wish you luck and hope you find some help getting the tractor repaired properly.

[Carl]

Kubota has an American site, and a Japanese site. Both are on the internet. I bet you would be able to contact someone higher than a dealer in the Kubota chain of management. If you tell the specifics to someone in the corporation they might give you a different story. Also the person that you bought it from sounds like they might be willing to write their experience with the tractor too.

At this point you don't have anything to lose.