L3000DT Transmission Issues

[needtobuildmore]

Hi, all...

I have been debating whether or not to post this, but I need some advice/opinions.

Recently, my 2 1/2 year old L3000DT had to be warranty serviced due to a broken high/low gear shifter. The dealer blamed me for not stopping completely before shifting gears (which I admit that I sometimes did). Although I have changed my ways, I am still concerned that it will happen again due to a weak spot in the design, and that I couldn't have possibly caused that much internal damage so quickly.

Anyone have any similar experiences or other thoughts?

Thanks

 

[Bob_Young]

Uh-Oh /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif...please keep us posted on this, needto. I've had my new L4300 just a few weeks and have been up-shifting regularly "on the fly" with the main (4spd) transmission. Was amazed at how smooth and easy it was. I've had synchromesh transmissions that were harder to shift. Been wondering why that placard next to the shift lever cautioned about bringing tractor to a stop before changing gears.

Haven't tried shifting on-the-fly yet with the Hi-Low range transmission. Is that the issue with your dealer? Which transmission have you been transgressing with?

Like you, I'm shocked that something like this could result in a failure on a new machine. The old Ag tractors I'm accustomed to would shrug off the abuse of a gear change while moving. Sometimes it made alot of noise, often it took some muscle to pull it off, but it never seemed to bother the tractor. If your dealer's right, I'm surprised that Kubota would put something that fragile in a tractor. How else would you get a heavy load of hay moving at road speeds without straining the clutch?
Bob

 

[farmerEd]

Shifting the main gear lever while moving is something most everyone has done and I would be surprised to see it damage the transmission unless it was done repeatedly over a good bit of time. Shifting the Hi-Low range selector while the tractor is moving is a different story and can definitely cause damage to the transmission.

 

[Bob_Young]

Hey,needtobuild. How you makin' out on this? Inquiring minds want to know. My L4300DT is the big sister to your L3000DT with the same type of transmission. If they're easy to break, I'd like to know how to avoid it.

I don't think anyone will give you a hard time. The goal here is to learn from others mistakes; especially those mistakes you may already be making yourself.

Hope things are workin' out for you.
Bob

 

[slowzuki]

The dealer means the high-low-reverse tranny, not the 1-2-3-4 box. The whole point of having a synchro main box is for shift on the fly.

The range gearboxs (hi-lo) are almost never sychronized unless you have a powershift tractor. If you don't have a syncro shuttle tranny you should always stop before reversing.

Shifting these on the move grinds teeth off inside the tranny every time as they try to line up to engage. It sounds like they didn't want to go and you overloaded the linkage, breaking something.

The fact it grinds and is hard to shift on the move is a good hint you shouldn't do it. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[needtobuildmore]

Okay,

Honestly, how many of you guys always come to a COMPLETE stop before shifting the high/low gears?

Although I am MUCH more careful now, I am also more conscious of how the gears mesh and how much flex the handle has when shifting. It just seems that it is kind of a flimsy shift lever for what it has to accomplish. My neighbor has an L2500 that's a couple years older than my L3000 and the shifter seems much more robust, and I know for a fact that he is not overly gentle with it & has never had a problem.

I was just wondering if anyone ever experienced this same issue, and if so, how much misuse it took to cause it in their particular situation. Also, I thought it wouldn't hurt to have a forewarning out here to help prevent it from happening to poeple who no longer benefit from warranty coverage.