NX4510HST more issues

[JimR]

I found two more minor issues and will pass along the info to anyone that owns one of these tractors. First issue was the cooling line to the oil filter base. Mine was put on with a bit of a twist to the point where it was rubbing against a motor bolt behind the hose. I loosened the two clamps and spun the hose so that it was not pushing against the head of the bolt. Second issue is the radiator drain plug on the bottom right hand side of the radiator. Mine is cracking all the way around and will need to be replaced ASAP before it blows out on me. Mind you that this tractor is a 2015 leftover with only 89 hours on it now. I bought this in September of 2016. I hope the other rubber products on it don't start doing the same thing.

 

[JimR]

Yesterday I decided to remove the grader blade from my tractor and install the chipper back on. I fired up the best to drive next door and she is running fine. At the top of my driveway I shifted in high gear and the shifter overshot by a good 1/2 inch right into the plastic shield cracking a good chunk of it off. WTF just happened. My HST shift lever is loose as a goose. It appears that the pin that goes through the shifter lever shaft has just about fallen out. I banged it back in until I get aroud to find a good replacement with a nut to keep this secure. With only 88 hours on it this is ridiculous.

 

[Amvcane]

If it is a roll pin you could put a wire through it and twist to secure it. The older JD garden tractor trannys came from the factory with a wire through the pin for insurance.

 

[JimR]

If it is a roll pin you could put a wire through it and twist to secure it. The older JD garden tractor trannys came from the factory with a wire through the pin for insurance.



View attachment 504909

The pin is a roll pin. That is a great idea about wiring it up. My plan was to make a snug hex head bolt for it and put a locknut on it. The wire job is much simpler. I will swap it out first with a new roll pin.

 

[JimR]

Today I found another issue with my Kioti. The 3PTH remote lever in the back was frozen up. After some serious twisting and prying I got the lever off of the rusted up shaft. It was in no doubt put together without any lube whatsoever. There are two plastic bushings in the lever that ride on the shaft with a good 3/4 inch space in the middle open for grease. I cleaned up the shaft with fine sandpaper to remove the rust. I then proceeded to install a grease fitting in the center of the lever. This lever will never freeze up again. I suggest that anyone with one of these tractors do the same before theirs get rusted up like mine did. Mind you this only has 88 hours on it. Unfortunately stored outside since new and still outside since I bought it in 9/2016. Soon to be indoors once I do some major cleaning out in my garage.

 

[DieselBound]

Jim, when you wire up that shift lever roll pin could you take a picture of it (and note how one goes about getting access for this operation)?

 

[JimR]

Jim, when you wire up that shift lever roll pin could you take a picture of it (and note how one goes about getting access for this operation)?

I will take some photos for you. I also found another roll pin on another lever that I am going to wire up. It is right near the shift lever. I'm going to use .030 stainless steel mig welding wire on both of them. I'm pretty sure I can reach them from behind the tire from the rear of the tractor. I'll be doing that this weekend. Today I replaced my shift lever panel that I broke and a rear fender extension that I also broke by catching onto my wood chipper when I was grading snow out of my driveway a month ago. Now she looks like new once again.

 

[JimR]

I did finally wire up the shift lever pin and the other roll pin on the rear end which also attaches to this shifter linkage. no more falling out pins for me. I used .030 Mig welder stainless steel wire to fix this. Being a normal sized guy I was able to do them both from the rear of the tractor by cutting to 18 inch long pieces of wire for ease of use. I bent each loop as I ran the wire through the pins to keep the wire tight. Then I twisted the two pieces together and clamped them with a pair of Vise Grips to do the final twisting. If you are a big guy you may need to remove the rear tire as it would be a lot easier to get to both roll pins. It took me all of 5 minutes to do both of my roll pins. It took me longer to find the stainless steel welding wire. The other roll pin is in the lower right hand corner of the picture.

 

[DieselBound]

Jim, thanks for the picture. That helps me anticipate what needs to be done.

 

[JimR]

Jim, thanks for the picture. That helps me anticipate what needs to be done.

Not a problem. It is an easy fix.

 

[Bigfish50]

Hi JimR,

I'll second that on the pictures. Thanks so much! I did look at the linkage on mine and found several cotter pins but not the roll pin on the opposite side. It was getting dark when I checked so missed that but now I know exactly where to go. We are getting pounded with rain this weekend which means the tractor stays in the barn so I will prolly go try to get this tweak in place. Again great Pic and thanks.

 

[JimR]

Hi JimR,

I'll second that on the pictures. Thanks so much! I did look at the linkage on mine and found several cotter pins but not the roll pin on the opposite side. It was getting dark when I checked so missed that but now I know exactly where to go. We are getting pounded with rain this weekend which means the tractor stays in the barn so I will prolly go try to get this tweak in place. Again great Pic and thanks.

You are most welcome. I will keep posting ideas and fixes as I find and fix them. I'm hoping that the next fix will be stainless steel guards to protect the fuel tank and fuel line, the hydro filter on the right side and wiring up under the right rear that Eric the Oracle has posted about. I will also post new guards, to be made, for the front axle tie rod end rubbers that are exposed to being torn to bits by brush. The tie rod ends issue was also mentioned by Eric the Oracle.

 

[Bigfish50]

Wow, great minds think alike I was trying to search for the same (steering boot protection) since I had read about it in a few threads. I did see a utube video from Minesota Eric which I'm guessing would be the one and only Eric the Oracle There does not appear to be an off the shelf product that addresses protecting these boots since google can't seem to find any. Anyhow, If I have someone fabricate and weld these guards on does that do anything to mess up my 2 year bumper to bumper dealer warranty?

 

[JimR]

Wow, great minds think alike I was trying to search for the same (steering boot protection) since I had read about it in a few threads. I did see a utube video from Minesota Eric which I'm guessing would be the one and only Eric the Oracle There does not appear to be an off the shelf product that addresses protecting these boots since google can't seem to find any. Anyhow, If I have someone fabricate and weld these guards on does that do anything to mess up my 2 year bumper to bumper dealer warranty?

I have no idea if they would void your warranty for trying to protect one of their products in a way that is better than what they designed. My thought is that they would copy such a part and make their tractors less susceptible to damage.

 

[Coyote machine]

I'm not familiar with the specific tie rod end issues you guys are referring to, BUT I do have what I think is the same issue with my DK-40. I've destroyed both boots from when the tie rod is extended beyond the 'shield/plate', used on the DK models.

I looked for a solution short of buying the entire rod with boot= Kioti's stupid costly solution.
I found various places that make tie rod end boots of different sizes online. Here's one:

energysuspension.com | Tie Rod End Dust Boots

^^^ I have not used them, I just found them in a search, and don't yet know if their parts will fit my application....

Don't look for tractor specific or brand specific, just look for tie rod replacement boots or similar on the net. I need to mic up my shaft dimensions when I return home and order what is the closest fitment boots. Then just take a large ball peen hammer and with the nut loose or removed, beat on the underside of the BALL JOINT end and it will pop out of the hole it is press fit into. This will allow you to remove the tie rod while carefully counting how many turns you back it out, you'll be able to put it back the way it was without any excess tire wear from being out of toe-in adjustment when completed.:thumbsup:

BTW, great suggestion on the mechanic's /welding wire fix for the loose roll pins.:thumbsup:

One other thought for the OP: Not sure what your first pic shows re the 'cracked' rubber hose. Is it the actual hose cracking, or just the outer skin? Sometimes manufacturers use a shellac on the engine and hoses assembly prior to sending out the door. I wonder if that is what is 'cracked' in that instance?
The other hose 'cap' that is definitely cracked, and bogus. Kioti should give you a new boot and should replace IMHO, your broken shield from the range lever/shift lever incident due to thir bogus prep work on the roll pins. those ideally should be serious press fit or peened on the ends to keep them from flling out. Wire trick is better solution though!

 

[JimR]

I'm not familiar with the specific tie rod end issues you guys are referring to, BUT I do have what I think is the same issue with my DK-40. I've destroyed both boots from when the tie rod is extended beyond the 'shield/plate', used on the DK models.

I looked for a solution short of buying the entire rod with boot= Kioti's stupid costly solution.
I found various places that make tie rod end boots of different sizes online. Here's one:

energysuspension.com | Tie Rod End Dust Boots

^^^ I have not used them, I just found them in a search, and don't yet know if their parts will fit my application....

Don't look for tractor specific or brand specific, just look for tie rod replacement boots or similar on the net. I need to mic up my shaft dimensions when I return home and order what is the closest fitment boots. Then just take a large ball peen hammer and with the nut loose or removed, beat on the underside of the BALL JOINT end and it will pop out of the hole it is press fit into. This will allow you to remove the tie rod while carefully counting how many turns you back it out, you'll be able to put it back the way it was without any excess tire wear from being out of toe-in adjustment when completed.:thumbsup:

BTW, great suggestion on the mechanic's /welding wire fix for the loose roll pins.:thumbsup:

One other thought for the OP: Not sure what your first pic shows re the 'cracked' rubber hose. Is it the actual hose cracking, or just the outer skin? Sometimes manufacturers use a shellac on the engine and hoses assembly prior to sending out the door. I wonder if that is what is 'cracked' in that instance?
The other hose 'cap' that is definitely cracked, and bogus. Kioti should give you a new boot and should replace IMHO, your broken shield from the range lever/shift lever incident due to thir bogus prep work on the roll pins. those ideally should be serious press fit or peened on the ends to keep them from flling out. Wire trick is better solution though!

Kioti will not replace anything unless you bring your tractor to a local dealer for repair work. For me that would be two 2 hour long trips with a trailer that I do not have to haul it back and forth. I'm sure that they would fid an excuse to not cover the parts or labor. IMKO it is cheaper for me to just fix it. The cover was only $17.00. I would have spent more on gas to deliver the tractor than that. Plus the down time to have it fixed. Then to go back and pick it up. The hoses were not cracked. One has a wear thru the rubber mark from the side step. I siliconed it up. The radiator plug is severely cracked. My plan on that is to put a hose on it with a brass drain sticking out. I'll post a picture when I get around to doing it either this weekend or next.

 

[Coyote machine]

Kioti will not replace anything unless you bring your tractor to a local dealer for repair work. For me that would be two 2 hour long trips with a trailer that I do not have to haul it back and forth. I'm sure that they would fid an excuse to not cover the parts or labor. IMKO it is cheaper for me to just fix it. The cover was only $17.00. I would have spent more on gas to deliver the tractor than that. Plus the down time to have it fixed. Then to go back and pick it up. The hoses were not cracked. One has a wear thru the rubber mark from the side step. I siliconed it up. The radiator plug is severely cracked. My plan on that is to put a hose on it with a brass drain sticking out. I'll post a picture when I get around to doing it either this weekend or next.

I'm missing where I said you should do anything with your tractor, like hauling it to your dealer, regardless of where they are located. I said: Kioti should GIVE YOU a new boot....
I have owned TWO Kioti tractors, believe me I know what they will and won't do from YEARS of experience with dealing with both my dealer and Corporate in Carolinas.
But you do what you want, what do I know?:confused2:

 

[JimR]

I'm missing where I said you should do anything with your tractor, like hauling it to your dealer, regardless of where they are located. I said: Kioti should GIVE YOU a new boot....
I have owned TWO Kioti tractors, believe me I know what they will and won't do from YEARS of experience with dealing with both my dealer and Corporate in Carolinas.
But you do what you want, what do I know?:confused2:

You are right, you didn't. I assumed. Kioti should replace parts that are defective without having to go through the aggravation of hauling a tractor to their dealer as long as you can provide proof of the problems such as with good photos to show the defect like a rubbed through hydraulic hose where they installed the hose improperly or a visibly cracked drain plug on a radiator. Nope, bring in the tractor and we will replace it. **** no, it is cheaper for me time-wise alone to do it myself and pay for the parts. I just hope the day never comes when something major happens and they give me a hard time after I bring in my tractor in for warranty work.

 

[Bigfish50]

For the sake of clarity I want to say that the "steering" protection I was talking about is not related to tie rod ends per se. Here is the video link from Eric that shows the boot(s) I'm talking about: Kioti NX6010 Up-Armor: steering guards - YouTube From the factory they are not protected and if you get into any brush they will get torn off. The solution should be to place a shield in front of them to prevent them getting ripped out.

 

[Bigfish50]

For the sake of clarity I want to say that the "steering" protection I was talking about is not related to tie rod ends per se. Here is the video link from Eric that shows the boot(s) I'm talking about: Kioti NX6010 Up-Armor: steering guards - YouTube From the factory they are not protected and if you get into any brush they will get torn off. The solution should be to place a shield in front of them to prevent them getting ripped out.