Yet more on the shoddy Backhoe install saga.

[dickfoster]

LOL I take a day and a half off from work and come back to all this! Definitely think waiting a few months to go out there is best. It was late May the last time I was there and thought I would melt.... but considering Kansas weather right now it is no different...

Well don't wait till the snow flies although it doesn't snow in Olivehurst if ever like it probably does in Kansas so maybe winter would be the best time to make an excuse for the trip along with all points South.

 

[dickfoster]

Yet another and hopefully the last chapter in this saga of a crappy backhoe install.
Well I found the reason for the zip tie. I got my backhoe dolly to work so removed the backhoe to hook up the 3pt and try the PTO. I had to go to Tractor Supply to pick up some lynch pins because of course none came with my hitch and I needed to pick up a pin for the drawbar that was also missing. While I was there, I decided to get some bolts to put the guard on properly so off I went. The backhoe manual tells you exactly which bolts to get.
I got home and went to remove the one bolt that was there but found it didn't want to budge. Odd considering it wasn't even fully bolted down as I could see daylight between the spacer and the PTO casting. After a few tries with a Harbor Freight grade impact gun it finally was persuaded to back out of the hole. What I found was a 1/2"-13 SAE bolt jammed into a hole tapped for a 12mm X 1.75mm hole.
An SAE bolt in a metric hole? No friggin excuse.
Righty figuring that the threads in the hole were buggered up, I decided the upper cross brace had to come off so I took it off to gain access to the hole. Using the proper tap I was able the chase the threads so they'd take a new bolt, the right kind this time. Then when I went to address the other hole, the one where the zip tie had been, I found the hole to be stripped out. Not too cool as this is the casting for the rear PTO. Of course the machine if full of brand new oil and has a brand new filter on it too. About 3/8" of the hole is stripped out. I can't get a tap started to get the rest of the hole cleaned up. I put a call in to my dealer this morning as I didn't want to bugger the casting and not have warranty coverage due to my screw up so the dealer and I are waiting for a call back from Mahindra to see how they want to handle it.

Ever who did this needs to be tracked down, horse whipped then fired as they were clearly trying to hide an obvious screwup. I think they probably stripped the hole by trying to jack the cross brace into place with the bolt instead of following the KMW procedure as put down in the manual. That is install the cross brace and guard first, then install the rest. I did have to hammer the brace to get it off. All the brace is meant to do is to keep the left and right main subframe members on center. Other than that there is no real force applied to it. They even add spacers in an overly large hole so there is a little play float back and forth for no shear stress and no way for any tension to be applied to the casting by the backhoe.

Why KMW calls for a grade 10.9 bolts in a cast piece is another matter. I should think about grade 5 would be the about the max for any fastener screwed into cast material maybe even softer. More is not always better.

Waiting to see if they want me to continue with an attempted fix or if they want to take over fixing this clowns screw up. The worst would be a new PTO but I think it can be fixed on the tractor with the right tools and someone who knows what they are doing. Maybe a helicoil if there is enough meat.

 

[aczlan]

Why KMW calls for a grade 10.9 bolts in a cast piece is another matter. I should think about grade 5 would be the about the max for any fastener screwed into cast material maybe even softer. More is not always better.

Note that a metric 10.9 bolt is roughly equivalent to a SAE grade 8. A metric 8.8 bolt is roughly equivalent to a SAE grade 5 bolt.

Aaron Z

 

[dickfoster]

Note that a metric 10.9 bolt is roughly equivalent to a SAE grade 8. A metric 8.8 bolt is roughly equivalent to a SAE grade 5 bolt.

Aaron Z

Yep I know that. My truck is half metric and half SAE. I've added all the SAE bits myself.
I got grade 8.8 for the replacement bolts BTW, it's all Tractor supply carries anyway.
It doesn't make sense to put hard, high stress fastener into a hole that is in cast iron and sees no real stress. Grade 2 or similar might even be better for making sure that the bolt gives before an expensive housing breaks.

 

[dickfoster]

An update to the story. TJ, my main man at Beeler just called and said they will be picking up the machine tomorrow morning and that Mahindra asked them to helicoil the stripped out hole. I have zero problems with that approach and know that they will make it right.

They also want the bad hardware, including the zip tie. I think they intend to hunt down the clown who did this and show him the door. They need to because it has cost them. This is the second time this tractor has made the journey because of the backhoe install. Well they did also reflash the ECU to fix the temp gauge.

I just knew I picked the right dealer to buy a tractor from. Beeler has been good. If you're in this neck of the woods and need a new tractor, call Beeler and ask for Doug Ward. A good man and good people.

It's a good machine but there is no such thing as fool proof for anyone building anything.