SanDucerro
Gold Member
Thought I'd post up my experiences today in an attempt to save someone a service call...
While drilling holes with the L3130 today, the 3pt hitch brought the Post Hole Digger up out of the hole - but then it wouldn't go back down again. It was literally frozen in the UP position! Which - of course - is far better than being froze DOWN in the last hole we drilled. We looked at the linkage, worked the lever, checked everything we could think of - but nothing seemed amiss. Everything on the tractor was working fine - except for the 3pt. Even the FEL, which suggested the issue was something other than hydraulic.
We took the tractor back to the house, unhooked the PHD - and rechecked everything again. Still no luck - and unfortunately, we were under a time constraint and time is money - so I made a call to my local dealer. They had a service rep out on a call not far from us and were able to stop by within the hour. The tech had a trailer to haul the L3130 back in to the dealer if he couldn't find the issue - but fortunately the issue was something extremely simple. Turns out there is a dial that is directly below the seat that controls the 3pt hitch hydraulics and the dial had been rotated to lock the 3pt hitch. I hate to admit that in my 10 years of owning this tractor I had never even noticed the dial. I did read my owners manual when I bought the tractor and even invested in the Service Manual. I've changed the oil and filters, I've fixed a no-start situation with the HST pedal switch, I've replaced the battery, I've replaced the headlight - in general, I can find my way around a tool chest when needed - and perhaps that was the problem. I was obviously looking too hard for a serious issue.
At any rate, it took the tech less than 15 minutes (if that long), to get us back in business and give us a lesson in how to work that dial! :ashamed: Near as I can figure, my pant leg must have caught the dial when I moved to get off the tractor and check something we were doing.
Props go out to Victoria Oliver Kubota's Hallettsville shop. They were FAST, efficient, and knowledgeable! Total price to share this knowledge? $99 - and worth every penny... :2cents:
The moral of my tale would normally be to read your manual, but as I mentioned - I had already done that. Perhaps a better piece of advise is to periodically reread your manual! It's easy to overlook something after 10 years!
While drilling holes with the L3130 today, the 3pt hitch brought the Post Hole Digger up out of the hole - but then it wouldn't go back down again. It was literally frozen in the UP position! Which - of course - is far better than being froze DOWN in the last hole we drilled. We looked at the linkage, worked the lever, checked everything we could think of - but nothing seemed amiss. Everything on the tractor was working fine - except for the 3pt. Even the FEL, which suggested the issue was something other than hydraulic.
We took the tractor back to the house, unhooked the PHD - and rechecked everything again. Still no luck - and unfortunately, we were under a time constraint and time is money - so I made a call to my local dealer. They had a service rep out on a call not far from us and were able to stop by within the hour. The tech had a trailer to haul the L3130 back in to the dealer if he couldn't find the issue - but fortunately the issue was something extremely simple. Turns out there is a dial that is directly below the seat that controls the 3pt hitch hydraulics and the dial had been rotated to lock the 3pt hitch. I hate to admit that in my 10 years of owning this tractor I had never even noticed the dial. I did read my owners manual when I bought the tractor and even invested in the Service Manual. I've changed the oil and filters, I've fixed a no-start situation with the HST pedal switch, I've replaced the battery, I've replaced the headlight - in general, I can find my way around a tool chest when needed - and perhaps that was the problem. I was obviously looking too hard for a serious issue.
At any rate, it took the tech less than 15 minutes (if that long), to get us back in business and give us a lesson in how to work that dial! :ashamed: Near as I can figure, my pant leg must have caught the dial when I moved to get off the tractor and check something we were doing.
Props go out to Victoria Oliver Kubota's Hallettsville shop. They were FAST, efficient, and knowledgeable! Total price to share this knowledge? $99 - and worth every penny... :2cents:
The moral of my tale would normally be to read your manual, but as I mentioned - I had already done that. Perhaps a better piece of advise is to periodically reread your manual! It's easy to overlook something after 10 years!
