MiserableOldFart
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2006
- Messages
- 543
- Location
- Delaware County Catskills NY
- Tractor
- NH Workmaster 40, Kubota GR2120
My GR2120 is now 8 years old, I think. It has about 550 hours on it, and I have to say it has been the source of far too many headaches over the years. Last year the deck gear case went. Now, gear cases will go but I would submit that most gear cases on top of mower decks don't cost $1500 to replace or require the kind of insanity that trying to rebuild this one breeds. Still, ok.. gear cases are not immortal. At the same time the gear case locked up, though, because there is no slip clutch or shear pin anywhere in the drive line, the splines in the drive shaft got discombobulated and the driveshaft has to be replaced at well over four hundred bucks. The amount of stuff, inexpensive (the bracket that holds the front wheel drive shaft has broken several times and I now carry a spare, for example.) and expensive (the front wheel drive shaft itself, for which replacement parts are not available and you have to buy the whole unit.)
The merciless nightmare of trying to hook up the mower shaft to the tractor is an enduring PITA, as is the very clever installation of one of the fuel filters in a place that is virtually inaccessible when it's time to change said filter. Never let it be said that Kubota engineers lack a sick sense of humor.
I had to buy it because all the "better" lawn tractors have hydro drive now, which is handy, but which makes them too high to get under the apple trees in our orchard, so, because this was the lowest slung one that I could find at the time, I was stuck. The quality of the grass cut is fair, but can't ever compare to the quality of the old WheelHorse that it replaced, whose mower deck ran on the ground, rather than simply hanging off the frame of the tractor. The Wheelhorse lasted well over 30 years on this place despite racking up tons more hours due to its smaller 42 inch deck.
Wouldn't it be nice if someone made a tractor that, gear driven if necessary, didn't sit so high, had a large deck and all or four wheel drive, and didn't just randomly break stuff?? Mind you, this is by means an inexpensive piece of equipment. It's not like I pulled up the HD or TSC and bought a $1500 tractor off their lot.
When I get the new mower drive shaft, I will be worried the if my gear case rebuild is imperfect, I'll be out another $450 for another drive shaft. I am also worried that the splines on the tractor might be screwed up and make it impossible to put the new shaft on. Lord knows it has been almost impossible in the past.
One of the greatest joys is that I never wrote down the model and serial number of the tractor and the cheap sticker that had those on it, in line with the diesel exhaust just wasted away. Kubota changes parts about every three or four days, so trying to just get the right part for what is now an "older" machine becomes a real adventure. I'm sure the numbers are in the loan papers if I can dig them up and haven't shredded them, being paid off 7 years ago. Even the wheels / tires had their days in the sun. Somehow, the entire valve assembly on one of the rear tires just shot off into space taking the air and the dealer installed RimGuard with it, lol.
Fortunately I have a RFM on my New Holland Workmaster 40, and have been cutting what I can get to with that, though I've done some damage with that larger tractor in so doing.
The merciless nightmare of trying to hook up the mower shaft to the tractor is an enduring PITA, as is the very clever installation of one of the fuel filters in a place that is virtually inaccessible when it's time to change said filter. Never let it be said that Kubota engineers lack a sick sense of humor.
I had to buy it because all the "better" lawn tractors have hydro drive now, which is handy, but which makes them too high to get under the apple trees in our orchard, so, because this was the lowest slung one that I could find at the time, I was stuck. The quality of the grass cut is fair, but can't ever compare to the quality of the old WheelHorse that it replaced, whose mower deck ran on the ground, rather than simply hanging off the frame of the tractor. The Wheelhorse lasted well over 30 years on this place despite racking up tons more hours due to its smaller 42 inch deck.
Wouldn't it be nice if someone made a tractor that, gear driven if necessary, didn't sit so high, had a large deck and all or four wheel drive, and didn't just randomly break stuff?? Mind you, this is by means an inexpensive piece of equipment. It's not like I pulled up the HD or TSC and bought a $1500 tractor off their lot.
When I get the new mower drive shaft, I will be worried the if my gear case rebuild is imperfect, I'll be out another $450 for another drive shaft. I am also worried that the splines on the tractor might be screwed up and make it impossible to put the new shaft on. Lord knows it has been almost impossible in the past.
One of the greatest joys is that I never wrote down the model and serial number of the tractor and the cheap sticker that had those on it, in line with the diesel exhaust just wasted away. Kubota changes parts about every three or four days, so trying to just get the right part for what is now an "older" machine becomes a real adventure. I'm sure the numbers are in the loan papers if I can dig them up and haven't shredded them, being paid off 7 years ago. Even the wheels / tires had their days in the sun. Somehow, the entire valve assembly on one of the rear tires just shot off into space taking the air and the dealer installed RimGuard with it, lol.
Fortunately I have a RFM on my New Holland Workmaster 40, and have been cutting what I can get to with that, though I've done some damage with that larger tractor in so doing.
