Is this acceptable quality on a brand new Kubota?

ChuckinNH · Jan 22, 2009

I'm not sure that we can overlook the possibility that the loaders are machine welded, and there might have been some set up / start up issues with that process, and the results somehow got overlooked. It could also be that some welders were pressed into service to get production numbers up. Kubota does owe the OP an answer though, no doubt about that!

greenmule · Jan 22, 2009

Not machine,12 dollar an hour welder.

PapaPerk · Jan 22, 2009

sixdogs said:
BANDAMAN--

Sounds like you have a handle on this and know what you are doing. Good.
It just frosts me to see good people taken advantage of. As well, the loader was almost certainly built in Georgia and if not is almost certainly built in the USA. I have never seen a modern Kubota CUT loader built elsewhere.

Assuming that is correct, look at the angst and aggravation of a product built by the guys who are---or used to be----the standard of qualtiy for the world. Now examine the Kubota tractor itself--inch by inch--and I'll bet not a one of us can find a quality or appearance problem on it. What on earth has happened?
I really want to buy American but look at the damage this one thread on this one board has done to American consumer confidence. How many of us will now look at an American-made loader (if it is US built) with a lessened opinion? How many of us will choose to "buy American" if given the weld quality compared with the weld quality of a foreign maker?
I am 60 years old and have lived through import junk being just that and watched as we gave away our manufacturing capacity as their quality improved. Your dealer should be all over this like a cheap suit, not presumably on vacation.

I recently called my John Deere dealer to talk about buying a new 5525 with cab and loader ($55,000) and the guy said, (Uh, no we don't have one.) They can't find one elsewhere? I got a card in the mail offering me $50.25 cash just to consider one.
I bought a new 5520 from them a few years ago. In the interim I called to check on a smaller tractor as well. Oh, they will call back. No call, so I bought a Kubota L4300. Again--- later on a mower tractor. The guy was on vacation and later said he could order whatever I wanted but wasn't real familiar with smaller tractors. Wasn't sure of features and benefits so I bought a Kubota B7800. And I'm an easy sale and buy the same day I look.
God save us from ourselves.

My Kubota LA723 is made in the USA and it has excellent quality. Don't give up on America yet. Mgmt at Kubota must however nip this problem in the bud. Because it takes years to build a great reputation and minutes to destroy it.

Muskrat84 · Jan 29, 2009

Do you have any new information yet? I'm sure we would all love an update

MerkurXR4Ti · Jan 29, 2009

Ouch those are ugly welds, most likely not going to hurt the structural integrity, but ugly nonetheless.

As we have seen on this forum this shotty work is not always the case.

I'm willing to bet the higher ups at Kubota already know about this issue and it will be taken care of. Good luck!

WaxMan · Jan 29, 2009

If they have not told you by now, if your definitely getting another loader or not , You should start to prepare yourself it's not going to happen. I would think they would of wanted to give you good news by now if they had it to give.

greenmule · Jan 30, 2009

An ugly looking weld on the outside has a real good chance of being ugly clear to the bone.
A good looking weld on outside is much more likely to be a good un clear to the bone,but there are ones that are not,mig comes to mind,where you can have a pretty cover but lack of fusion and cold lap underneath,,open root weld is another,unless you can see root on inside/other side.Thats why some critical welds are x-rayed,ultrasonic tested, etc.

But above I'm talking multipass welds,on a single pass structual weld,it is industry standard,[you might say],that an ugly weld, will be rejectable,cause it will have defects in it,[on surface that you can see],undercut, lack of fusion,overlap, porosity,etc. And what you see,is what you get,kinda like a rotten looking apple,if it looks rotten on outside,it is.

So saying that these welds are maybe structually sound,is wrong. Its like saying that old dead tree next to your house will probably not fall soon.

Kabota has a spec book~~,on welding I'm sure,and these welds do not meet it.~~

allen in texas · Jan 30, 2009

I read every single post on this thread.

I beat the crap out of my 3240 but it's taken care of and sleeps in a barn.
That being said, I would not have accepted those welds based on appearance alone, forget about whether they are strong or not.

And now,"THAT" being said, I want to point out the weld that misses the metal being welded in the second set of pictures.

God that's crappy! I post because I just wanted to point out that weld specifically. No one else did.

You need a new loader, IMO.

PS edit. The welds on my 724 loader are immaculate. I only dream of being able to weld like that someday.

Gator6x4 · Jan 30, 2009

BANDAMAN said:
I see your point, sometimes you have to make a ruckus to make things happen....been there before and it should never be necessary, but unfortunately its goes that way sometimes.

Kubota Corporate does know about this issue and I have personally spoken to someone at KTC here in the states. They told me that future communication would come from my dealer, so that is what I expect. I have never been contacted by the local Kubota rep. I am pretty sure my contact at the dealer is traveling this week, possibly on vacation.
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I don't want to throw cold water on a positive thought, but I think if Kubota was going to replace the loader or the loader lift arms it would have happened by now. The part about future communications about the loader will come from the dealer, no contact by a Kubota representative, Kubota or the Dealer on vacation or traveling in my opinion is an indication Bandaman has the loader Kubota is going to provide. I don't think Kubota or the Dealer will provide anything other than what they have already provided, a stonewall.