L3400 grinding and shifting problem

[bobmisi]

I was ready to buy a Kubota this summer and just before I was ready I rented a new ( 50 Hours on it ) Kubota 3400 with a hoe to lay some pipe for drainage. I was not going to but a hoe attachment with mine. This machine would not shift from nuetral to forward or reverse without grinding no matter how long you held in the clutch, and it was stopped dead. Used it for three days, and that changed my mind about the Kubota. I bought a 3820 Branson and it is outstanding. Before you buy a tractor, try renting on from the dealer for a day to do some work, You may be surprised at what you learn. Don't know what was wrong with that Kubota but at 50 hours there was no excuse for that. After three days I came to the conclusion the Kubota was built well, the diesel ran well, although not overly powerful, the hydraulics left something to be desired, and ergonomically it wasn't for me. Try it before you but it, is all I can say.

 

[praha]

george,
sure I do. First thing to check.
But that doesn't bother me. If it stops one day completely/mean will not start at all/, then it can be diagnosed and fixed. Intermittent problem is almost impossible to fix. Unless the mechanic has a knowledge, experience with it.
I let you know what is going on.
Other then this stupid grinding , I like the tractor. I am not a farmer. It doesn't get to use daily.

bobmisi, yeah, it could end up just like that renting unit, always grinding.

Joe

 

[Mikeeemo]

I was wondering.... How many hours do you have on your machine?

 

[canoetrpr]

three days I came to the conclusion the Kubota was built well, the diesel ran well, although not overly powerful, the hydraulics left something to be desired, and ergonomically it wasn't for me. Try it before you but it, is all I can say.

Bob:

What was the problem with the hydraulics? Other than the original 3PT valve, actually more importantly, Kubota's attitude, I've found the L3400 to be a very capable tractor that compares quite well to others in its class that I compared with - TC30, JD790 etc. It did so ergonomically as well. Now... that said I didn't really compare it to the GL type tractors and their competition at the time. It's still pretty good bang for the buck IMHO and I think that the OP's tractor (and your rental) have some defect that needs to be addressed.

On balance, looking at the larger picture with this tractor, Kubota sells a LOT of these given its bang for the buck and there have not been widespread failures reported of any type that I can tell and it is generally a very capable, reliable machine.

 

[DiezNutz]

George, if memory serves you and I have seen eye-to-eye on a thing or two in the past, so I'm a little surprised at how my post "rattled your cage". I'm not going to argue with you as we're each entitled to our points of view, I'd just like to clear up a couple of minor details.

What makes a dollar 'premium' is how hard it is for me (or anyone else) to come by that dollar, not what you buy with it. The L3400DT is not a 'premium' tractor, but that doesn't make his dollar worth any less to him.

Not to split hairs but... never said it did. But a dollar's a dollar, and I'm sure we all feel they're hard enough to come by. There's no such thing as a 'premium' dollar, only a regular dollar. When folks say "I paid good money for that!"... Really? Show me where the "bad money" is then! The OP went on to say that the dealer sold it to him at a premium price, which makes more sense.

Are you saying that people don't bury themselves buying luxury items? The credit card companies beg to differ. I don't mean to pick at you, I'm just not sure suggesting that this guy bought the wrong tractor just because the one he got is defective is a reasonable approach.

I think alot of people bury themselves buying extravagant and foolish luxury items... I would like to think that us tractor owners have more sense than that. After all, it's a practical utilitarian tool that most folks don't buy just for giggles or keeping up w/the Joneses. My wife and I for example, have 0 credit card debt, and I probably wouldn't have financed the tractor if it weren't for the 0%/36mo in which case I'd be stupid not to.

Now, if the OP is clueless and simply can't drive a tractor, and thus is having problems due to operator error, then sure, HST would be a reasonable alternative. It is certainly easier to drive. I think that is how a lot of tractors are sold to people who have never had tractors.

As someone introduced/grew up on an old un-syncro'd gear tractor, I still think the HST is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Plus, my wife (who fits the description you gave) can drive it safely.

Personally, I think his tractor is defective. If a tire is spinning when in Neutral, something is wrong. And if there is something major wrong and the dealer lets him return it, I would agree, HST might be worth looking into, but I certainly don't see buying a geared tractor as a rooky mistake.

Based on a number of posts from others (and my own gear experience), the jury was still out on whether the tractor is defective when I posted. I can't say with 100% certainty that the jury is back in yet either, although it does sound like there is some issue.

 

[praha]

Diez nutz,

I appreciate your time and help. The old saying different strokes for different folks is applicable here. I just do not like hydro. I just did not buy a bigger tractor. I also did not buy a cheaper, no brand name, tractor. I paid what they ask. I had a good reason for all that.

On the other hand, I expect the new tractor to be in a perfect shape. It has 19 hours on it and I have a problem shifting since 0 hours.
I would not have bought it , if I knew that " every L 3400 does it and it is economy tractor".......as the dealer now claims.
IT did not look as an economy tractor when I was paying for it!
I was not told, that I was buying "economy" tractor, either. I did not see in any literature I have read before I bought it , that the transmission is not synchronized. They use all kind of technical terms describing a tranny..........all foggy, from my perspective.

And as I stated before, the difference between GL 3240 and this unit, was 1200 dollars. ONLY 1200 dollars more for bigger, more "luxury" and much more of a tractor!!!!!???? THAT little difference put a GL 3240 into an economy rank????????!!!! It might sound weird, but that's how I may look at it.lol. And obviously the money was not the issue.


Anyway, I think I /and anyone else/, should be able to push the clutch and shift. Not just push the clutch, wait and then to try to shift..and possibly grind the gears. THAT is wrong , no matter what anyone says.
Obviously, some L 3400 are perfect , some are not. Why ??? we'll see.



Thanks,

Joe

 

[ArkCivEngr]

My L3400DT has done the exact same thing since I bought it--new. It does not matter that it's completely stopped and has been stopped for several seconds or 30 minutes. RPMs make a little bit of a difference, but not much. It also does not matter which lever I shift first: either the gear or range. Once the first one has been shifted, I have to wait about 5-6 seconds before I can shift the other. Shifting before that makes it grind. I'll agree: you'd think that even an unsynchronized transmission wouldn't do this, but with a little extra patience it isn't that big a deal.

I'm still pleased with it. There's really nothing else "wrong" with it. If I had it to do over I'd probably have looked at bit harder at an L3430, but I'm happy with what I have.

 

[praha]

I agree, this is the only thing I don't like. Very annoying!
I just can't accept it.

There's another reason I am so aggravated with it. I have a Yamaha Grizzly 660 atv, I practically c a n not used in the summer, 'cause it keeps overheating/under a certain conditions/. With a little patience I can stop every mile , let it cool down for 15 minutes... And I do it , I have no choice. This is 04 model which suppose to have "overheating issue" f i x e d.

So, it seems to me, that since Japanese products are so higly respected in this country, they can sell anything , good or bad. Are we losing our common sense judgment when it comes to made in Japan product?????


And this L3400 is a junk as well, since I can't shift it, and after 3 hours I walk away with a pain in my knee , which ruins the rest of my day. No matter how good it is otherwise.

Yamaha claims, that they are n o t aware of any problem.....with their atvs..!!

The Kubota approach to my problem is still unknown!? Will it be the same?


Sorry for such a negative post.

Joe

 

[sunnyside360]

After reading this entire thread, I believe there is very likely something wrong in the trans or clutch and should be covered under warranty. I had an L3600 and an L4200 gear trans and never had a problem shifting -- and for that matter, never had a problem of any kind. So, not all the Kubota tractors are like yours. I firmly believe a good dealer would look a lot deeper and try to make it right with you -- possibly even another tractor.
As far as your 660 ATV, I have the same general comment. Something wrong and dealer shoud investigate under warranty. There are an awful lot of ATV's like yours out there that do not over heat, mine being one of them. Try posting your atv symptoms on highlifter.com forum and you'll get plenty of expertise help.

 

[cp1969]

First, if it says in your manual somewhere to bring the tractor to a complete stop before shifting, that is owner's manual-speak for saying "the transmission in this thing is unsynchronized and will grind if you try to do otherwise."

Second, unsynchronized transmissions CAN be shifted on the move without grinding IF you know exactly how to do it. See operating instructions (there probably are none) for a Fuller RT9509 or similar.

Q. Why, oh why, would truck and tractor manufacturers put these lousy old unsynchronized transmissions in their products?
A. Because they are intended for heavy-duty use and are much stronger and will last longer.

Most transmissions will exhibit a tendency to spin a rear drive wheel if that drive wheel is lifted off the ground while the engine is idling and transmission in neutral. This is simply because the design of a transmission is such that it is not totally free of friction, hence the apparent 'impossibility' of a wheel spinning while the trans is in neutral.

The unsynchronized transmission does, however, rely on a clutch that does not 'drag' in order to be able to put the transmission in gear, from neutral. It sounds as if this might be your problem--a dragging clutch.

It may just need adjustment. The worst case would be that the flywheel, pressure plate, clutch disk, pilot bearing or some combination is defective and must be replaced.