Kubota GR2100 drive issues

   / Kubota GR2100 drive issues #1  

jnug

New member
Joined
Oct 23, 2013
Messages
9
Location
Hooksett, NH
Tractor
Kubota GR2100
I had one of the gas engine Kubota tractors for a couple of years and while I thought I had purchased enough tractor to just mow my lawn. it was a little short on power. So I traded it back to the dealer for a GR2100 long before it has been used for very long. Mind you all my GR2100 does is mow my 1.25 acres of easy sloping lawn. That is it. I have had it since May 2007. Today, the thing is leaking UDTS fluid. The Kubota dealer tells me that 90% of the time, is is caused by a gear or spacer breaking inside the drive which runs the width of the rear of the tractor sending metal through the system and cutting a seal. Further the only way to fix it is to tear down the back of the tractor, find the broken part, repair it, repair what it has damaged and put everything back together again...roughly a $3,000.00 job!!! Occasionally a clamp goes and that causes the leak but that is very very rare. This was a $7,600 tractor which has been used about 35 minutes per week about 30 weeks per year since 5/07 on nothing more dramatic than a lawn and now needs a $3,000 repair.

I bought a Kubota figuring I would buy more tractor than I needed from a reliability standpoint and make out on the back end in reduced down time or repair needed. That equation does not work with this tractor. I live in NE so it is used about 30 times per year, about 35 minutes per usage to mow my lawn. That is only 90 hours of very mild usage to date!!! I could have had my lawn mowed by a contractor for what this has cost me over the short period of time is has been in service and would actually have been better served financially. What by the way would a contractor that bought this tractor do? This is about 1.5 seasons of usage for a New England contractor. Needless to stay I am extremely disappointed in this tractor and in Kubota for designing something at a $7,600 price point that requires such extensive servicing after such limited usage. We are talking about 90 hours of lawn mowing and not tough lawn mowing at that! It was not even conceivable to me before this happened that I would be facing such a major repair after 90 hours of usage.

I am now between a rock and a hard place. The repair will cost just about what the tractor is worth at this point. So I can't repair it. To do so would be at least as bad a decision as buying it was in the first place. I am going to be left to top of the hydrostatic fluid that is leaking out of the system and try to run it through at least one more summer as it will require at least one more summer of cuts just to get close to breaking even on cutting myself vs having a contractor cut my lawn. Lets say the actual hit for repair is $2,000. Still does not work financially to repair it. I would have to get the repair done at closer to $1,000 to make it at all palatable financially and even then given only 90 hours of operation, I would just be shoving myself farther down the rat hole against simply having had a contractor cut my lawn! Trust me, I was planning on doing much much better than breaking even as that does not even account for my time....a tremendous disappointment....

Anyway...has anybody tried just topping off the fluid and running it to cut the lawn. Wondering if it will work for at least a summer or if the thing is likely to just drop dead after a couple of cuts.
 
   / Kubota GR2100 drive issues #2  
Where exactly is it leaking? What is the serial number on the tractor? Does the tractor still operate properly? Have you ever had the tractor back to the dealer for any servicing?
 
   / Kubota GR2100 drive issues
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Where exactly is it leaking? What is the serial number on the tractor? Does the tractor still operate properly? Have you ever had the tractor back to the dealer for any servicing?

Machine still runs properly. Some whining from the steering now that it is low on fluid. Fluid appears to leak from the left side of the drive near the left rear wheel which I think is where the pump is as well. The drive of course runs the width of the rear of the tractor from rear wheel to rear wheel. It had the usual 50 hour servicing.
 
   / Kubota GR2100 drive issues #4  
If there is a broken piece in the transmission it could lead to further damage by running it.If it was mine,and it's not,I would take it apart myself.
 
   / Kubota GR2100 drive issues
  • Thread Starter
#5  
If I had taken one of these apart myself before I surely would go down that road. Somehow I don't think pulling the whole back end of the tractor apart should be something someone that has not done that kind of work on these kinds of machines should do. Even with my auto background I don't feel comfortable doing it because these are not built like cars are built and that fluid runs though so many parts of the machine. Kubota as you may or may not know has changed the design of these tranny's because this design stinks.

If I have the dealer service center pull it apart, there is a parts kit that could be used to upgrade it to the current design level. In fact, the upgrade parts are the only parts Kubota makes available for sale now. Sort of tells you something about the previous design. So if I do the work the machine would have the newer tranny purpose designed to relieve the user of just the problem I am having.

The truth of it is that my original thinking in buying what I thought would be more tractor than I needed from a perceived reliability perspective was seriously flawed. Just based on the list price of this machine, if it was not in need of repair today, I would still be financially in the red compared to just having a contractor mow my lawn since ownership of this machine....a monster of a miscalculation on my part as I expected at least double the hours without major issue considering such a mild application.

However, it looks like Kubota and the dealer are going to provide me some support on this machine. I will report out how it all works out for the benefit of all. At least Kubota is making an effort and even without knowing how this is all going to work out, that much should be commended. Just not sure that Kubota has designed this machine for such limited/mild usage as their "years" warranty does not help you as much as the hours of operation based warranty like they have for their larger machines. However these have hour counters. So they could do an hours of operation based warranty on these machines.
 
   / Kubota GR2100 drive issues #7  
That is disappointing, to say the least. There are riding mowers available that cost 1/10 of our kubotas, that last longer then 90 hours. Glad they are working with you on getting it fixed, as they should, regardless of expired warr. When we buy high end mowers, we have the right to expect more then that. Makes me worry about my GR2120.........
 
   / Kubota GR2100 drive issues
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Pete,

They changed the tranny design on the entire GR series in light of the issues people like me have had with them. You can check using your serial number but the new design uses bearings instead of bushings and is much much more robust. In fact, Kubota only sells the newer parts now so that if an owner has this issue, he cannot even replace using the previous design parts if he wanted to. They are not made available. So depending on when you got your 2120, you may already have the newer design tranny in it.
 
   / Kubota GR2100 drive issues #9  
I own the same tractor. Kubota gr2100 diesel. 2005 model with 400+ hrs. Last week cutting the grass and mowing leaves a seal in the transmission blew, Leaking fluid. The dealership picked it up and the first diagnosis was a new seal for $8 and $100 in labor. One day before delivery I got the call that it things has gone from bad to worse. The gears were gone and the cost would a minimum of $1,100 labor plus parts. Total cost could run $4,000- $5,300. What a joke. I bought this mower to last a lifetime. My brothers John Deere is 20 years old and still running. To make things worst the dealership said Kubota offered zero help and a sales guy called an offered me $500 towards a trade for a new a bx25. ****, they got 60 month 0% financing . Seriously? I spent $1800 on a triple bag attachment 2 years ago. I wouldn't give one red sent to kubota.. Anyone what a free orange lawn ornament ?.
 
   / Kubota GR2100 drive issues #10  
I own the same tractor. Kubota gr2100 diesel. 2005 model with 400+ hrs. Last week cutting the grass and mowing leaves a seal in the transmission blew, Leaking fluid. The dealership picked it up and the first diagnosis was a new seal for $8 and $100 in labor. One day before delivery I got the call that it things has gone from bad to worse. The gears were gone and the cost would a minimum of $1,100 labor plus parts. Total cost could run $4,000- $5,300. What a joke. I bought this mower to last a lifetime. My brothers John Deere is 20 years old and still running. To make things worst the dealership said Kubota offered zero help and a sales guy called an offered me $500 towards a trade for a new a bx25. ****, they got 60 month 0% financing . Seriously? I spent $1800 on a triple bag attachment 2 years ago. I wouldn't give one red sent to kubota.. Anyone what a free orange lawn ornament ?.

Feel sorry for you Eddy.If you bought the unit brand new call Kubota customer service and ask for some help on this.They know it's a design problem,so tell them you need help.The same help they've given others,even those out of warranty.I was fortunate to have found this forum early on and was aware of the issues.When I talked to my dealer about this they told me if I noticed any problems with it bring it in.So,I took it in for service later on and told the tech the hydro was experiencing diminished holding power on downhill runs. New case halves,bearings,upgraded PTO drive parts and larger charge pump.This was 3 years ago and it's stronger now than when new.I sincerely hope you have a favorable outcome.

And welcome to the forum,albeit a little late.
 
 
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