Broken HST/ No Reverse= HUGE $ to Fix!

[Coyote machine]

Great job and good troubleshooting. Interestingly, as I read the most recent parts of the thread, I was beginning to think the cause was related to a misalignment or adjustment more so than a damaged or worn part. The OP's description led me in this direction more so than my own train of thought and then bang! He was there with the easy fix.
More interesting is what might have happened IF the original owner had gone along with his dealer's repair and replaced the HST to no avail! Then what?! They would have had to back paddle to get to the actual problem anyway- and who would have paid for the un-necessary HST unit?
That is a problem no one wants to experience, dealer or consumer.

 

[dfkrug]

When I first took the regulator off I noticed the end of the adjusting screw was slightly damaged (deformed enough that an Allen wrench wouldn't go in) I used a die grinder on the bad spot and didn't think about it much. But the bottom of the regulator housing is aluminum and anything that could whack the steel adjusting screw hard enough to deform it might cause just enough permanent deformation of the aluminum to upset the regulator's sweet spot.

You may have found your "smoking gun", Dick.

Don't you love it when that happens? I do. Kinda like a treasure hunt.

Congrats.

 

[dodge man]

There have been times I've fixed something, be it on a car, truck or tractor, and not even really know what I exactly did to fix it. It kind of reminds me of this case, except he was smart enough to actually figure out what happened.

 

[Kryton619]

I just had the opportunity to read this thread from beginning to end. It is great that it turned out the way that it did. I'm an elevator mechanic and know full well that at times the company quotes a huge repair number to the building owner, only because the sales representative is not a mechanic...and is covering his / her *** for the worst possible outcome.

Congratulations to both of you for making the deal that you did.....Gawd....I love this place.

 

[rbargeron]

You may have found your "smoking gun", Dick.

Don't you love it when that happens? I do. Kinda like a treasure hunt.

Congrats.

Thanks Dave - It was a nice moment when I put air to the regulator and found out it wasn't centered - sorta explained everything, including the behavior backing down an incline and being able to go into reverse. Yes, kind of like a treasure hunt where you actually find it.


To Coyote Machine, a new factory-adjusted regulator would have been included on a new HST unit so it would have been fixed. Just would have cost $10k too much.

And thanks to everyone else for all the kind words. There are lots of good people here - I hope to live up to remaining a member in good standing. - Dick B

 

[curtisfarmer]

Excellent repair Dick! Not everyone has the knowledge you have and I think we all collectively gained from this thread. A very interesting diagnosis and repair. For those who have met Dick, you will agree with me when I say the man is experienced, kind, and a good guy! Great job!

 

[ChrisR]

This thread has been like reading a really good detective novel. Well done to everyone involved, especially to Dick and Curtisfarmer who supplied a concise and extremely detailed narrative of the whole process from start to finish. I find this sort of reading not only extremely interesting and helpful but also compelling. Thanks for sharing your journey. - Chris

 

[aginn]

I just bought a new L3200 and was kind of afraid of a potential HST failure down the road sometime. So your thread caught my eye last night. Read it all and then went to bed at 2AM. Good thread. Good people here as well. You guys made me decide that I should sign up. Thanks for lots of good info and grats to the former owner for the new machine and possibly getting some help with some payments. And specially grats to rbergeron for a successful repair along with valuable knowledge gained.

I feel a bit mor at ease with my purchase of the L3200HST right now thanks to this forum. And of course I will be keeping my eye out for the non-existant 3 point fix from Kubota. Yeah the L3200 3 point lift is as bad as I read about. Fortunately I won't be doing things that require a lot of up and down with it. And the rest of the tractor is a joy so far. Only 14 hours on it but I already did the Chitwood dance.

 

[Boltzie42]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this thread as it reminds me of how my brother and I operate. We're both engineers. I'm a civil/structural engineer that is mainly design based with calculations and sealing plans. I don't have the time nor the patience to tear things apart and find the fix and end up either letting him tackle mechanical problems or selling the broken item. He can tear apart anything mechanical and figure out a fix, much like Dave on here. There's something to be said for that as my brother may be one of the few guys around in his 40's that will attempt to fix something mechanical. He's been tearing into motorcycle engines since he was in his teens, whereas I played sports. I'm glad to see Dave was able to get it fixed and don't like how the Kubota dealer tried to rape curtisfarmer.

curtisfarmer; how do you like the M7040? I'm about to commmit on one Monday and I'm down to a Deere 5075E, MF 2635 and an M7040. Deere is about $1000 more than the M7040 and the MF2635 is about $2500 cheaper than the M7040. I was set on a Deere, but the Kubota just feels right to me in the seat. They're all open-station and I stopped by the Kubota dealer on a whim. Drove all 3 and I'm shocked at how nice the M7040 is. Maybe an equal Deere comparison would be an M-series and they are about $8-9k more. Thanks.

 

[varmint]

This thread has been like reading a really good detective novel. Well done to everyone involved, especially to Dick and Curtisfarmer who supplied a concise and extremely detailed narrative of the whole process from start to finish. I find this sort of reading not only extremely interesting and helpful but also compelling. Thanks for sharing your journey. - Chris

Just discovered this older thread, and the comment above is just about what I had in mind to write, along with ChrisR's comment. All in all, a fascinating, and encouraging, story. Thanks for taking the time, a year and a half ago, to write it, and then post the link recently.