B26 range lever

[lakeside]

I need some help. My B26 with 500 hours has a problem with the high/Low transfer lever. I was blowing snow on a hill when I tried to go up the grade. The engine bogged down even though the lever was in mid range. I finally made it up the hill and then into my garage. When I looked, the transfer case was in high and the lever had come disconnected. I don't see a hole for a cotter pin or a groove for a retaining ring. I got the lever pin into the transfer lever but it came out again today.

I can't believe Kubota would design something like this without some means of ensuring the parts stay together. There doesn't appear to be anything missing or broken. I tried drilling a hole for a cotter pin but the lever pivot is really hard to get at unless I take the left tire, mud guard and left reflector off. That's a lot of work in my cramped but heated garage. At -7c outside I don't want to take half my tractor apart in the snow.

Any suggestion??

 

[100 td]

Most pins are "roll pins" or spring pins, a spring steel tube with a slit down the length of it so the will compress when driven into the hole and not fall out. The spring steel that they are made of could be poor meaning it has lost tension, or the hole it is going into could be worn. If it is a "roll pin" I would suggest replacing it with a new one, or replacing with a bolt and nyloc nut.
EDIT: Just found this in my bits & pieces, are you missing the circlip #60 and washer #50?

I see the connection between the range shift lever and the lever shift arm is less than desired. Perhaps the bushing #40 is worn or missing as well, as it would have a lot to do with the correct mating of the two?
Any of course it could be poorly designed so that any load allows it to pop out which could also possibly bend either one of them making the continual mating of the two even worse without straightening/repair.
Grinding/removal of the mating pin on the range lever and replacing with a new solid pin with washer and split pin may fix the problem.

 

[lakeside]

Thanks 100 td,

The top pivot point, the one with the circlip, is OK, it's the bottom pivot that jumps out of the transmission lever. I tried removing the whole lever yesterday but it won't come out unless I take half the rear end off (OK a small exaggeration!)

I looked at grinding off the offending bolt and replacing it with a longer bolt but it's in a really tight space. I finally thought of something that seems to work. I took two pieces of scrap 1/8" flat mild steel 4" long X 1 1/2" wide. I drilled three holes in each plate, two for 1 1/2" lg Grade 5 1/4" NC bolts 3/4" in from each end. On one plate I drilled one 1/2" hole in the centre (for the range lever stud) and on the other plate a 3/4" hole for the welded bolt head. In effect I created a clamp. I bolted the two plates together using 1/4" nuts and blue Locktite. The lever is now a bit stiff but it solidly locks into one of the three positions (H/M/L). A bit of grease and I should be good to go. I'll clear some snow this afternoon and I'll see how it works.

 

[lakeside]

I worked with the tractor all afternoon and the clamp seems to be working fine. I still can't understand how Kubota could have designed a linkage like this, must have been designed by a tired engineer on a Monday morning.

 

[CurtisC]

lakeside,
After 450 hrs. never had any issues with my B26 range shift mechanism other than when I bought it used the handle end of the range shift lever lined up closer to the high mark than the medium mark on the fender when in medium. I was able to bend it back while restraining the lever near the shaft. Besides worn range lever bushing did you check that the "bracket" (10) had not somehow come loose at its case mount or that that the lever arm shaft on the bracket had not got bent? Got to admit I wouldn't think either to be the case but it wouldn't take much misalignment to allow the range lever and the shift arm to disconnect.

 

[lakeside]

Thanks CurtisC,

I didn't see any looseness in the bracket you pointed out, but then I wasn't really focused on it. I was more &^&% at the bracket coming out of engagement. I going to have a look on the weekend and I'll let you know. If it is something else, I'll need to fix that. At least I didn't modify the tractor so taking off the bracket I made won't do any harm if it is something else.

It's really nice that folks here take the time to help others out.