L6060 Leaking oil from weep hole in bell housing!

[w8nfsnow]

Bought an L6060 last December and now has 53hrs. Started noticing the odd oil spot on my garage floor at 30ish hours yup it's leaking transmission fluid from the weep hole because a $20 seal within bell housing!

Called my dealer who eluded to what needs to be done to repair yes split the tractor like I figured. Ok so yes I have warranty so no cost to me except my closest dealer where I bought is 220km one way. Kubota doesn't pay floating service as part of the warranty process which I was told when I purchased. I'm mostly ticked because my brand new tractor needs to be split with parts scattered all over the place....never the same at least that's how I feel just how I am.

I sold my 2012 Kioti that never went back to the dealer once. Now I have this leaking Kubota that needs to be split in half all because a known issue that should be addressed by Kubota Engineers don't tell me they aren't fully aware of the problem.

My relationship with Kubota quality is getting off to a bad start.

Hoping to hear from L60 or any other model owners who've had the same problem and how the service went.

 

[TripleR]

Yes, it is a known problem, but many Grand L's never have it, so no recall or fix. I had the same thing happen to my L5740HSTC and it was under warranty, now have well over 400 hours with great performance.

My dealer had never seen one, so they had to look the procedure up then modify it. The book called for cab removal, but my shop foreman found a work around.

 

[w8nfsnow]

Yes, it is a known problem, but many Grand L's never have it, so no recall or fix. I had the same thing happen to my L5740HSTC and it was under warranty, now have well over 400 hours with great performance.

My dealer had never seen one, so they had to look the procedure up then modify it. The book called for cab removal, but my shop foreman found a work around.

Thanks for the reply good to hear yours has been fine since fixed. I'm sure mine will get fixed....just a bit depressing at first!!!

Wonder if the seal gets damaged during assembly at the factory. The seal might be quality but gets nicked during assembly who knows.

 

[AStanton]

I would say give it a chance. Did you ever eat a bad meal and get sick? Then did you stop eating? If the trouble persists trade it.

 

[w8nfsnow]

I would say give it a chance. Did you ever eat a bad meal and get sick? Then did you stop eating? If the trouble persists trade it.

Ha ha good analogy thanks. What happens to restaurants that continue to knowingly sell bad food??? You might be more upset if the meal that made you sick was $45k.....you might just go on a hunger strike lol.

Let's face it Kubota continues to sell tractors with inadequate seals period it's been going on for years. Some we hear about on the net and way more we never hear about.

Is what it is I'm sure it will get fixed it's just annoying and would expect more quality from a company like Kubota.

 

[ProjectKing]

Ha ha good analogy thanks. What happens to restaurants that continue to knowingly sell bad food??? You might be more upset if the meal that made you sick was $45k.....you might just go on a hunger strike lol.

Let's face it Kubota continues to sell tractors with inadequate seals period it's been going on for years. Some we hear about on the net and way more we never hear about.

Is what it is I'm sure it will get fixed it's just annoying and would expect more quality from a company like Kubota.

I've never heard of this issue before. I understand your frustration. Splitting a tractor is major surgery. /0:

 

[big bubba]

do give it a chance as mentioned above w/so few hrs. just monitor fluid level. i 'd hold off on splitting tractor for now. the dealer has it on record i assume. & on warranty.

rest easy. as long as level is ok, give it a chance. phew..... but know your concern best regards

 

[w8nfsnow]

do give it a chance as mentioned above w/so few hrs. just monitor fluid level. i 'd hold off on splitting tractor for now. the dealer has it on record i assume. & on warranty.

rest easy. as long as level is ok, give it a chance. phew..... but know your concern best regards

Thanks big bubba I'm thinking the same thing and yes the leak is documented with my dealer and Kubota.

It's not leaking bad and fluid level hasn't moved. I'll check oil before each use which takes 30 seconds or less. Not a big deal to slide a piece of cardboard underneath to catch the drips and monitor leak.

 

[big bubba]

good. seals are a delicate membrane. always wise, in your justified concern to monitor. assume the weep hole is in place to accommodate the factory fill, etc.

on the flip side. also good to check hyd/ axle reservoirs after a change for settling levels. bet you're good!

 

[Adiredneck]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Good thing yours is under warranty. I did mine on my own and 75 hours later, all is good. I am surprised that this is still happening. I figured kubota would have figured this out by the time the 60 series came out.

 

[bdhsfz6]

My $.02: The L3430 I had dripped oil that way since the day I took delivery. In the 11 years I owned it, I lost maybe a half pint of oil. IMO, it was annoying but not functionally significant. I suppose it's due to my early years as a motorcycle buff. The garage floor was always covered with oil drips. That's what they make cat litter for.

 

[ProjectKing]

My $.02: The L3430 I had dripped oil that way since the day I took delivery. In the 11 years I owned it, I lost maybe a half pint of oil. IMO, it was annoying but not functionally significant. I suppose it's due to my early years as a motorcycle buff. The garage floor was always covered with oil drips. That's what they make cat litter for.

Yeah that small of a leak is not worth splitting a tractor for. Is your L3430 hydro?

 

[bdhsfz6]

Yeah that small of a leak is not worth splitting a tractor for. Is your L3430 hydro?

Yes, the 3430 was an HST model. I kept expecting the leak to get worse but it never did. I made sure the dealer knew about the problem just in case. He said pretty much what you did. Splitting the tractor for such a minor issue could cause more trouble than it fixes.

A coworker of mine bought a L3830 about the same time I did and he had the exact same problem. He still has the tractor and it still drips about the same as when he bought it.

Still, I agree with some other posters. It's a shame Kubota hasn't fixed the problem.

BTW, I just bought a L6060 a few weeks ago. I've got 48 hrs on it and so far (knock wood) no leak.

 

[JWR]

I think bdhfsz6 advice is good. If it is a "small" leak it may be best to just live with it. Of course it is nagging, especially on such a new machine, at best and then how small is small ? If I were you I would wait until I had about a year of warranty left and make a final decision to turn it in for major surgery or just live with the leak. A couple of comments: for a dealer with a large experienced shop, splitting the tractor and replacing that seal is not as big a deal as it is to you and me. You might look for an optimum time period that would cause you the least grief to have it done. I don't know how your regional reps for Kubota are, but in some regions (Ohio for example) I have known some really good ones. They can be a source of serious senior advice and do not seem to be all that biased, depending on the one you deal with. Tend to have a broader perspective than the dealer.

 

[ProjectKing]

Yes, the 3430 was an HST model. I kept expecting the leak to get worse but it never did. I made sure the dealer knew about the problem just in case. He said pretty much what you did. Splitting the tractor for such a minor issue could cause more trouble than it fixes.

A coworker of mine bought a L3830 about the same time I did and he had the exact same problem. He still has the tractor and it still drips about the same as when he bought it.

Still, I agree with some other posters. It's a shame Kubota hasn't fixed the problem.

BTW, I just bought a L6060 a few weeks ago. I've got 48 hrs on it and so far (knock wood) no leak.

Must be an issue with hydros for some reason. I have a L3830 shuttle shift and never had leaking issues.

Yes like with anything have to weigh the pluses and minuses. If the leak gets no worse it may not be worth the hassle, frustration, risk of splitting tractor. Especially a cabbed tractor. No one assembles it like the factory.

With that being said it shouldn't leak. You would think after 14 years Kubota could figure the seal issue out.

 

[RedNeckGeek]

See my sig for a recap of my experiences with that leak. By the time I finally got around to fixing it, it was dropping about a quart every 10 hours. I bought my tractor long out of warranty, and the seller did a very good job of cleaning the underside of the tractor so that the leak didn't show until I'd used it for a couple of hours. As Is sale, so it was either fix it myself or spend big bux at the dealer to let them do it. I chose the former. Had it still been in warranty for sure it would have been down at the dealership.

No guarantee the leak will stay small, and if it waits until the warranty expires to open the flood gates, you'll be spending a lot to have it fixed or you'll be getting to know the insides of your Kubota far better than you'd like.

I don't know what color my next tractor will be, but I can guarantee you it WON'T be orange.

 

[Adiredneck]

Must be an issue with hydros for some reason. I have a L3830 shuttle shift and never had leaking issues. Yes like with anything have to weigh the pluses and minuses. If the leak gets no worse it may not be worth the hassle, frustration, risk of splitting tractor. Especially a cabbed tractor. No one assembles it like the factory. With that being said it shouldn't leak. You would think after 14 years Kubota could figure the seal issue out.

Agreed. I also have thought that this was a problem with just the hydrostatic tractors. I have not read of any of the GST models or manual MX models leaking (although I check my dad's MX5100 once in a while just in case).

 

[Leejohn]

I would also not wait to get it fixed. Then what ever time is left on the warranty you give it a good test before the warranty runs out. If you wait you might be sorry.

 

[BTDT2]

Yes, it is a known problem, but many Grand L's never have it, so no recall or fix. I had the same thing happen to my L5740HSTC and it was under warranty, now have well over 400 hours with great performance.

My dealer had never seen one, so they had to look the procedure up then modify it. The book called for cab removal, but my shop foreman found a work around.

Where is your dealer in the event I have the same problem?

 

[TripleR]

Where is your dealer in the event I have the same problem?

About 100 miles south of St. Louis Davis Farm Supplies, inc. - Combines, Tractors, Kubota Tractor

The shop foreman told me the seal he put back in was better than the one that failed.