Kubota will buy back my B3030

[accordionman]

HELLO TO ALL,
i have a L3000DT, and when i got off the
tractor with it running, and got back on,
two different times, when i got back on the
tractor, i caught my right pant leg on the
transmission shifter, and pulled it into gear.
yes without the clutch.
that was enough for me to revise my driving
habit. when i get off the tractor now, i put the
range selector into neutral. this prevents
accidental starts.
accordionman
wlbrown
wright city, mo.

 

[Kelvin]

Allow me to put my 2 cents in.

The first comment I have is that I appreciate Kubota's offer to buy back their tractor (at full price) that a customer is not happy with, especially since the customer's expectations were reasonable and based upon Kubota's printed material (the owner's manual).

The second comment I have is that I agree that Kubota should notify B3030 owner's of the owner manual discrepancy.

Now time for some disagreement...

Martin states </font><font color="blue" class="small">( Don't get me wrong here, there is a safety problem, they acknowledge it exists and by you telling them you then also acknowledge you are aware it exists, so don't get the idea this can make you rich )</font>. I don't believe that Kubota has acknowledged the existance of any safety problem. John (jgbiker) stated </font><font color="blue" class="small">( They agreed that the owners manual was incorrect when it states on page 13 (of my manual) that the tractor will not start in gear. )</font> The words "safety problem" were never used, and I don't think "safety problem" was even implied.

The tractor's safety mechanism #1 is that the tractor won't start unless the clutch pedal is depressed. It is my opinion that this design has an adequate margin of safety. My Kubota B2910 and my 2005 Dodge Diesel truck operates the same way; the clutch pedal has to be depressed before the starter will work and it doesn't matter what the transmission is doing.

I believe the tractor's safety feature #2 is that the tractor will not start if the hydrostatic transmission pedal is in the forward or reverse position. I say "believe" because I know that the tractor's starter will not engage when the cruise control lever is engaged which physically moves the hydostatic foot pedal to the "forward" position. I'll need to test my B2910 to see what actually disables the starter (the hydrostatic pedal position or the cruise control lever position). If the hydrostatic pedal out of the neutral position disables the starter, then a person (not necessarily me) could argue that the owner's manual might be correct in the sense that the tractor isn't technically in gear until the hydrostatic pedal is moved to the forward or reverse position.

I'm also confused about why John would be interested in going back down to a B7800 with position control added on; doesn't the B7800 have the same starter cutout design as the B2910 and the B3030? Unless there is a fairly significant price advantage to going back to the B7800, I'd rather stick with the features of the B2910/B3030 (once again, that's only my opinion and is not intended to offend anyone!).

Kelvin

 

[Kelvin]

I was finally able to find and read the original thread about the B3030 starting in gear.

From the discussions there it APPEARS that the B3030 does not have a clutch pedal (like my BX23). Is that correct? If so, then some of my previous post may be a little off base, and I can understand the desire to go back to a B7800 (or B2910) with a clutch pedal (and associated safety switch).

Kelvin

 

[rox]

Henro,
Seems like so long since I have read a post from you. I remember how helpfull you were to me when we first bought the olive farm.

I do wonder about your advice to JGBiker to keep the situation secret. One fo the wonderfull things about the internet is the sharing of information. Just as we sing the praises of equipment we have, when justified, we should also share the pain when things aren't right.

I think JGBiker is doing all fo us a favor to share his/her experience with the problem and the efforts from Kubota. Wouldn't we all be better off if settlements were not permitted to be agreed to with "Non-Disclosure" provisions?

Do you think we would all be better off if we encouraged the sharing of information?

Just my pont of view, and again good to see ya 'round.

JGBiker- MANY THANKS for sharing your experience. You are not jsut thinking for yourself, but also for many other owners, I salute you!
~rox

 

[AntrimMan]

Words are important. Thank you for the apology.
Now pay attention, although you can't see me I am smiling and those who know consider me to be a pleasant person.
I harbour ill feelings for no one.
I am not here to begin, support or prolong any argument.
I am not here to offer anything other than my opinion based upon research of the original thread where the complaint originated.
I'm still smiling and continue to be pleasant.
All the little instant smiley faces in the world are inept at conveying personality and I knowingly suffer from a writing style better at conveying sharp blows than a friendly handshake. It is unintentional, forgive me.

Regardless of the existance of a foot operated clutch or lack therof, a mechanism to prevent unintentional tractor movement is a completely reasonable expectation.
The manufacturer has demonstrated precedent as this mechanism does exist and is clearly evidenced by their fully sucessful employment with other tractor models.
Unintentional tractor movement, without operator presence detection, albeit accidental, is not a safety enhancement and must be construed as a safety deficiency deemed necessary of immediate correction.

I am still smiling although you can't see me.

The tractor manufacturer will make every effort to satisfy the customer. Patience will be required but it will happen.

No matter what direction any replies takes this thread there will be no further involvement from myself other than to read, smile and ocasionally nod.

All the best,
smiling Martin

 

[KubotaSteve]

I agree with Bill's (Henro) advice. By posting his situation here, he could possibly have Kubota's offer nullified. When lawsuits are settled outside of court, many times they will not disclose the settlement. Now that this situation has been posted, everyone with a B3030 who may decide they want another tractor will try to follow these footsteps. Sometimes you have to look out for yourself only. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Bob53]

I have a B3030 and i did read in the manual about it not starting in gear. I thought also that because the tractor would not start with pedal not in netral posistion thats what they meant. I know severval times i could not get tractor to start and here i either had my foot on pedal or dirt under pedal. I'm very comfortable with it but thats just me I guess. As far as safety goes and all the machinery i've operated i think most equipment has some type hasard and you really need to know exactly what each control does and limitations. Sounds like you very aware of those things so that in it self is great for safety. As far as the some of the other posts about bumping levers like the cruse control, i would shut the tractor off when getting off of it forthat post. But understand if you are not comfortable with the way it works it is nice of kubota to give you you're money back.

 

[kingoflawns]

I also own a new B3030. I however, have no issues with the startung procedure. I perhaps have a different perspective than jgbiker because i work in the green industry and run hydraulic equipment constantly! I imply no disrespect to anyone in stating the following. When i climb into my 3030 or any hydraulic equipment my mindset is serious business. My 3030 will not start if the hst pedal is not in the center position, this to me is neutral. The saftey switch under the seat functions normally and i feel this is a much safer machine to operate than my previous kubota tractor. You should be alert & ready for anything from the molment you turn the key! I do think it's important to be comfortable with the equipment you are operating, that being said, perhaps a tractor with foot clutch & gear tranny would be better for you. Good luck!

 

[Kelvin]

Your words do not offend me in the least. Believe me, I suffer from the same problem that you do in that my writing style (and sometimes my speech style) sometimes bother folks in that they assume I have much more passion in the subject than I really do.

I try to be very accurate when I make posts on this site, and try to make it known when I discuss a topic that I believe to be true but am somewhat less than 100% sure (such as my use of "I believe that..." in this thread).

I like to acknowledge when I make an incorrect statement. I had looked at a B3030 before engaging in this post, but when I had a choice to look at the cab model or the non-cab model I chose to look at the cab model with locked doors. Nearly all of my attention was focused from the seat up (PTO levers, position control lever, dash layout, air conditioner outlets, etc). I never noticed the lack of a clutch pedal as it never occured to me that Kubota would remove the clutch pedal from that large of a tractor.

After making a special trip to the dealer after this post I noticed that the B2630 and B3030 were missing clutch pedals (dont' believe they were stolen, therefore it must have come from the factory that way!).

So my corrected statements are...

(1) It is my opinion that tractors without a clutch pedal are safer when designed with a safety mechanism that allows the starter to engage only when the hydrostat gear selector is in the neutral position. This is the way my BX23 operates, and although I think this design is sometimes a pain in the butt, the "safety" side of my brain kicks in and tells me that I can live with it.

(2) I believe that the clutch safety switch is adequate for tractors with a clutch pedal, such as my B2910.

(3) Hyrostatic transmission tractors should have a safety switch that does not allow the tractor to start when the hydrostatic control pedal is out of the neutral position, regardless of whether they have a clutch pedal or not. Kubota has this safety featue on all Kubotas that I know of

(4) I incorrectly assumed that the B3030 had the same drive train as the B2910 but had a new sheet metal design.

Kelvin

 

[Kelvin]

I would like to know the BASICS of what you decide to do (keep the B3030 or switch to a B7800 or B2910 or ???).

I have no desire to know any financial details of what you work out with Kubota.

Thanks,
Kelvin