Is this acceptable quality on a brand new Kubota?

[DWCox]

There is an ID label on the frame, right side of tractor (if sitting in seat) just above the right front tire. It says Georgia on it....I just assumed that is where final assembly was completed. My old machine said Japan on it. Not sure where the Loader was built, once again, just assumed it was at the same plant in Georgia, but with today's business practices, it is likely that it may be outsourced.

A few years ago before we moved up to Virginia, I had an opportunity to work facility maintenance for two weeks in the Kubota plant in Georgia (I had a small gap in time before we moved). The plant had only been open for a few months and was still not yet at full production speed. Since I maintained and repaired things throughout the whole facility--inside and out--I had the opportunity to see every aspect of the plant. It was an impressive operation.

All the Kubota tractors are built and assembled in Japan, and shipped to the facility partially disassembled in crates. These crates from Japan included the tires and wheels. All backhoes and loaders were built from scratch right there in the plant. Most of the people doing the fabrication, welding, and assembly are hired through a temp agency by the name of Sperion. If Kubota liked their work, and they put enough time in, etc., you could possibly become a permanent employee of Kubota (a much-coveted position).

The plant's President was a Japanese fellow who can speak pretty rough English. In the center of the plant they have a large structure which houses offices for multiple Japanese engineers who constantly monitor what is going on, and are looking for ways to improve things (they didn't speak much English either). On the floor was the various fabrication, welding, and assembly, divisions. The powder-coating operation and ovens were in the very back of the plant. The place was huge and worked very efficiently. Anyway, these various fabrication and assembly divisions were all populated by American supervisors and mostly American temp (Sperion) workers.

I say all the above to make this point: It is kind of sad that this thought crossed my mind at that time, but I couldn't help but wonder if the Kubota loaders and backhoes were going to be of lesser quality than the partially disassembled tractors I was seeing stacked in those crates shipped over from Japan. I remember the one time I heard the plant's president speak to everyone at a meeting, he emphasized that he wanted quality of craftmanship above all else. I did see that they had quality control standards in place, and things would be rejected. I think if the Japanese engineers in that plant saw the welds on your loader (and they didn't--but American workers and perhaps supervisors did), they would probably be disgusted. Time will tell if Kubota should have left the loader and backhoe fabrication for employees in Japan as well.

I would be just as frustrated as you are and for the same reasons.

 

[SnowRidge]

Either the welds are defective, or they are not defective. If they are defective, then it is a safety issue. If they are not defective, then it is a cosmetic issue.

Tell your dealer that the welds are defective and you expect the loader to be replaced, if you really believe that they are truly defective. If the dealer or Kubota refuses, then take the machine to a certified weldor and have him examine the machine. If he finds that the welds are defective, get it in writing. Take that back to the dealer and try again.

You may eventually have to take the matter to court, but I doubt that you will prevail without expert testimony that the welding is defective.

Edit:

You could also write a nice polite business letter addressed directly to the president of Kubota pointing out the poor quality control of the loaders and how unhappy you are with your purchase. Writing to a foreign company's world headquarters, as opposed to their US headquarters, may seem like a strange thing to do at the consumer level, but it can work miracles. I obtained no cost service manuals for some Japanese equipment by writing the company headquarters directly. I couldn't purchase them at any cost in the US.

 

[jeconn]

Through my own experience, yours and many others I came to the the conclusion that, Kubota (America) just doesn't care. I really don't think the board of directors in Japan have any idea that their are so many unhappy customers over here. Their are a lot of people, myself included, that will not buy another Kubota product or recommend one.

 

[BANDAMAN]

Fullbucket, nicely put....sounds exactly like the way we do things at the company I work for. I was in the field for 10 years as both an engineer and then in sales, the front lines if you will. I can't count the number of times where I was called in to assist one of our dealers, or called or emailed directly from the end user who had a concern, a complaint, or otherwise just unhappy with a product or service. I always was quick to reply and most times, was on the spot very timely, same day if necessary or at least a phone call noting the concern and making an appointment in a time frame exceptable to the customer. If we made the mistake there was an apology and then a solution. It might have been a replacement product, a credit of some kind, or some type of increased service....basically whatever it takes to address the problem. On the other end was the follow up....Why did this happen? How do we learn from it, and what can we do differently so we don't have it happen again? Sounds reasonable, and why some companies grow and some fail.

I have yet to receive a phone call or email from the dealer or Kubota on this matter, although I did get a can of spray paint in the mail. I am still hopeful that my dealer has been in contact with Kubota and that they are working on a solution.

So far I've gone from excitement, to concern, to patience, then disappointment and I guess next would be anger, but that seems really avoidable......

I've been using my back blade to move snow with....we got ice last night, and I really need to use the bucket, but I planned not to scratch it so that it would not complicate a swap out...

 

[Harvest Moon]

I've been using my back blade to move snow with....we got ice last night, and I really need to use the bucket, but I planned not to scratch it so that it would not complicate a swap out...

And that's the point, a scratched bucket is not a new bucket and is only worth as much as a used bucket to the dealer. Why are scratched rims OK to deliver as new with no consideration? Although in this case, agree or disagree, the can of paint is the consideration... maybe you should use the bucket and give it back with a can of paint.

 

[Killer_B]

Bandaman,

I had a cosmetically perfect BX that had a mechanical problem (HST Pedal that was slow to return to neutral) that just drove me nuts, and was unfixable. I mow around retaining walls, and it just made me nervous. It was probably what ultimately drove me to trade it in. I felt let down by big K. But not devastated.

I say all that to say this: It's an imperfect world. Companies are made up of people, and people let us down. IF (and perhaps it's a big IF) your tractor turns out to be a good one mechanically, perhaps you have done OK on this purchase, all things considered.

KB

 

[radioman]

if you financed it, what your asking for is really much more complicated than you would think. If it was a cash sale its alot easier. Be persistant but nice, if you start getting ugly they'll think your unreasonable and you won't get anywhere.

Umm - I am confused here. How is it a machine that is fianced is harder for a loader to be replaced compared to someone who is rich enough to buy a tractor with cash outright will have better chance on getting the weld issue taken care of ? So its the rich verus the working man ? Please educate me. I am at a loss on this one.

 

[Evil the Weasel]

Umm - I am confused here. How is it a machine that is fianced is harder for a loader to be replaced compared to someone who is rich enough to buy a tractor with cash outright will have better chance on getting the weld issue taken care of ? So its the rich verus the working man ? Please educate me. I am at a loss on this one.

The loader serial number is on the loan paperwork. That's why.

 

[WaxMan]

Either the welds are defective, or they are not defective. If they are defective, then it is a safety issue. If they are not defective, then it is a cosmetic issue.

Tell your dealer that the welds are defective and you expect the loader to be replaced, if you really believe that they are truly defective. If the dealer or Kubota refuses, then take the machine to a certified weldor and have him examine the machine. If he finds that the welds are defective, get it in writing. Take that back to the dealer and try again.

You may eventually have to take the matter to court, but I doubt that you will prevail without expert testimony that the welding is defective.

Edit:

You could also write a nice polite business letter addressed directly to the president of Kubota pointing out the poor quality control of the loaders and how unhappy you are with your purchase. Writing to a foreign company's world headquarters, as opposed to their US headquarters, may seem like a strange thing to do at the consumer level, but it can work miracles. I obtained no cost service manuals for some Japanese equipment by writing the company headquarters directly. I couldn't purchase them at any cost in the US.

Why do the welds have to be defective? Why take the machine to a certified welder and have him examine the machine. That's not the point.
Lets say my neighbor and I both order BX's his comes in with perfect welds
mine are like Bandman's We both paid the same , all the other loaders are good. Mine would be considered cosmetically defective. Does it say somewhere that Kubota is not responsible for poor quality?
I'll say this again
It all depends on what the other loaders look like, If the others loaders are perfect all the welds look great then the op has a good case of why am I the one that ends up with junk welds when all the others are fine.
Then hands down his loader is cosmetically defective. Kubota does not have a leg to stand on. Especially since he has not used the loader yet.
If the other loaders are all like his or very close then he has to live with it.
It is as simple as that.

 

[medicshawn]

Bandaman at the very least you will be able to let Kubota know how you feel. My tractor is approximately 45 days old and I just got a pretty extensive survey. It was from Kubota and your dealer gets a copy if you check the correct box.