Yesterday I replaced the old repaired FEL mounts with the new ones from the dealer. In the process I took some photos that show there are significant differences between old and new.
View attachment 322206
The most obvious difference is that the webbing is much more shallow on the new part which significantly increases stiffness cross wise to the tractor. I also see that the webbing has been eliminated alltogether at the back side of the upper mount arm in exactly the location that cracks were starting on my old parts. In light of this new info I'm thinking it might be worth while to have another go with the Kubota warranty person, who claimed that there were no changes between old and new parts. In my mind it's clear that Kubota engineers understood there was a problem and changed the casting design in an effort to correct it. They did the right thing, maybe there's a chance the rest of the company could follow suit. Do you guys think I should push my luck, or just be satisfied with less than half the repair cost?