Kubota Should Just Do The Right Thing

[slewisma]

its not just 30 bucks.. its the full price with shipping for the second type of fan gaurd. If you look at how much it really cost them to make it, it probably more of 20 bucks or less so they are still making profit. The other thing is that its now being included in the cost of newer tractors overall price so the price is either hidden, or just a standard part at thier cost. This makes the previous kubota owners feeling shafted since it was not included since it wasn't invented yet but yet its a new standard peice on newer serial numbers for same model number. I love my kubota, but can't help ranting either.

The manufacturer of my car put a LOT nicer navigation system in the next model year. I wish it had been in mine but I sure don't expect them to swap it for me. If the item isn't enough of a safety issue to be recall-worthy, why would the manufacturer be expected to go back and reduce a prior year's profits and future year's sales by providing free "upgrades" to older models?

 

[LBrown59]

Dismissing almost completely the need for such a guard under the guise that the BX was designed and intended for operation merely upon the safe environs of a manicured lawn, with MMM attached, is not plausible and is rather patronizing. If the BX is designed and intended to merely be a lawn mower, than why the 3 pt hitch, for example? Why a FEL, a backhoe?

Stated well.

 

[Leejohn]

Can a trans. heat exchanger (cooler) be put in the hyd. system? Than forget the fan altogether.

 

[wawajake]

I knew it would be risky using my BX2660 on my bushlot for log hauling etc, so upon seeing the fan issue on this site a year ago I made a protector plate out of 3/4 thick plywood cut to fit and hung from plumbers strap off four points on the frame, with a bit of sheet metal to enhance

it cost me nothing, it was scraps from around my garage.

No overheating, a cutout made for the filter. But it only takes five minutes to remove anyway.

Risk mitigated.

jake

 

[ray66v]

We went through a similar issue years ago on the MF GC 2300 series. And Massey paid for part, or all, of the cost on repairs, when some owners damaged their tractors due to the lack of an HST oil filter shield.

When a retrofit filter shield finally became avaliable to owners, the cost to acquire it was passed on to them, just as it would have been if it was included on the tractor originally.

The lack of a particular thing is not automatically a manufacturing defect, (the replaced Kubota seats were defective), unless it is a safety issue.

The term "Do the right thing" usually infers what is morally, or legally correct.

IMHO:The right thing here is; they offer you a solution for those who want, and or need it, and you pay a fair price, to cover the cost of it.

 

[Volfandt]

This is a good topic to wage a battle w/Kubota on, i.e. better OEM protection of the BX vitals but I personally don't think this "particular" new and improved so-called fan protector is worth the fight.

Lets face it, it offes little actual protection for the fan and ZIP, zero, nata protection for the more catastrophic failure prone HST filter when the BX is operated in unfinished environments sans the MMM.....

Again, our BX's can survive a damaged fan AWHOLE LOT better than a damged and leaking HST filter.
The BAD thing about a damaged and leaking HST filter is that most times the damage isn't immediate. A quick search of this forum will show that on the few HST failures that have been reported on the BX, they were almost always preceeded by the owner reporting that the BX was run w/little to no hydraulic fluid. Either a stick or rock got it or an improperly connected mid pto shaft got it (a skidplate wouldn't have stopped that one in any case) I don't recall reading of an HST failure due to running the BX w/a damaged fan for a short time......

Kubota NEEDS to offer an OEM skidplate on the lines of the Bro Tek offer. Course Richard doesn't want to hear of that

As long as Kubota markets the BX as a TLB and/or w/a 3ph and they show it being operated in unfinished environments, a quick-change full under carrige protector SHOULD be an OPTION.......

As an aside, a quick look at all the competing SCUT's and large GT's show an almost identical situation. This isn't a Kubota only issue which lends alot of precedence to their side...

 

[bp fick]

The term "Do the right thing" usually infers what is morally, or legally correct.

IMHO:The right thing here is; they offer you a solution for those who want, and or need it, and you pay a fair price, to cover the cost of it.

Correct.

Kubota, for the past 4 or 5 months now, installs a superior HST fan protector for new models as originally reported by me on this forum and confirmed by many purchasers of recently built machines. The "right thing" here is exactly as you say. Offer it to those who need it or want it as a retro fit, at a fair price.

Precisely. So simple, isn't it?

Whether a BX should have a skid plate option, or if the fan system or the filter should be relocated are other, ancillary issues and while important issues, not identical to the point of this particular thread.

A parallel thread on the HST protector has received almost 6000 hits. One might suggest that there exists considerable interest in this.

While retro fitters still wait.

 

[dodge man]

I ordered one for my BX2350. I don't think it is out of line to have to wait a couple of weeks to get one. It is a fairly new item. It will take a little time to ramp up production.

 

[smfcpacfp]

Editorial. New HST fan protector.

I don't wish to rant about Kubota or get into a whole negative thing about them, but this issue needs to be addressed the way they did the seat complaint recently. Kubota handled that reasonably well. They shipped a ton of those seats out to dealers who then could make things right with people for little cost. Bravo.

Now, imho, Kubota ought to do the same with this BX HST protector upgrade. The fan is vulnerable and this improvement needs to be made available broadly and widely and quickly. Surely, they have monitored this forum and have seen the feedback from dozens and dozens of their owners.

Come on, Kubota. Just do the right thing here. This would build tremendous good will.

BTW, my tractor has the new protector, so this isn't about me.

All I can do is shake my head when I read something like this. So whenever a company makes an improvement in a product, they should update all existing products with that improvement without additional, or a nominal charge.

I am curious, how much would have the price of each product have to increase to build this concept into a product cost structure.

 

[Volfandt]

Correct.
Whether a BX should have a skid plate option, or if the fan system or the filter should be relocated are other, ancillary issues and while important issues, not identical to the point of this particular thread.

A parallel thread on the HST protector has received almost 6000 hits. One might suggest that there exists considerable interest in this.

While retro fitters still wait.

I agree, relocation of the vitals is also not the issue of this thread nor were they mentioned in my reply either.
The point of this thread, if I understand correctly, is a call to arms by BX owners to solicit Kubota into offering a so-called superior fan protector at a reduced price for all BX's that I contend is no "practical" fan protector at all. And since input was solicited regarding this issue, my input was why not take it to a higher level and request "actual" protection for a BX setup to operate in either a TLB or ground engagement type scenerio where keeping the MMM on either impedes the task and/or causes the MMM to be "knocked" out of level.

The OP should be commended (as he was btw) for bringing to light that Kubota made a mid-production manufacturing change to the BX. I'm sure Kubota has in it's fine print somewhere that these changes can be made at their discretion at any time and although it appears to be backwards compatable, it is by no means a requirement for Kubota to provide this for BX models that were manufactured previous to this upgrade.
Kubota certainly opened up a can-o-worms with the seat recall, but I'm sure both Kubota and the dealers made some $$$'s with an obvious upgrade over the OEM seat as BX owners such as myself that were in no way covered by the exchange program opted to purchase these seats once the offerers had honored those effected by the recall.
In this case the seat was a very obvious upgrade where-as this so-called fan protector isn't, IHMO that is

My BX23 has an OEM frame member that connects between the frame rails directly under the HST fan and I'm sure it's purpose was to deflect large debris from contacting the fan also, but from my previous experience operating in a debris scattered environment where I was clearing heavy growth fence rows sans the MMM, that frame member along w/a solid skidplate didn't keep the proverbial wayward stick from making contact to the fan on my BX23 on two separate occasions. Luckily in both cases the sound warned me to stop forward motion and reversing removed the threat and no damage was done.

Again, if one is going to operate their BX in an unfinished debis scattered environment sans the MMM, be advised that this new OEM fan protector will not protect your BX's fan nor HST filter. It barely provides any more protection than the previous OEM offers.
But, if one is very careful and operates their BX sans the MMM is fairly open and non-debris scattered environments, this new offer may be well worth the effort to prod Kubota to make it available for older BX models, which it appears it is, for a cost