New Kioti Backhoe leaking

[Sierraau]

I have a new Kioti 2485 backhoe on my 7320 Kioti with probably 20 hours on it and I am getting a constant stream of hydraulic fluid dripping/streaming from the sideways articulation point of the backhoe. It's not obvious where it is coming from - perhaps a blown hose that goes to the boom? It's got too few hours on it to think that any of the shrouded hoses have been worn through. I pulled off the cover on the valve body thinking perhaps one of the connectors was loose, but no obvious leaks. How do I determine where the leak is? Perhaps pressure test the hoses as I am using them? Not being a mechanic, please describe what I need and how I should do it. Mobile mechanics are as rare as hen's teeth around here and cost a small fortune to get them out here.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

There are 2 cylinders located under the BH which move the boom side to side. Is this where the leak is? Where are you seeing the "stream"?

Could be something as simple as the fitting connections being loose. Is the leak constant or only when the BH moves in a certain direction? Knowing that can isolate which cylinder is the culprit.

More info is needed.

You say it only has 20 hours of use and is new....warranty call?

 

[Sierraau]

Problem with a warranty call is the dealership is over an hour away and he charges $250 to travel each direction and I don't have a trailer to haul it down to him.
The drip seems to be coming from where the boom attaches to the back of the backhoe at the articulation point. There isn't any fresh liquid on the rotator cylinders (it is greasy because of all the hydraulic fluid accumulating there- but not greasy enough to be a source of the hydraulic fluid), it appears the hydraulic fluid is coming from where the hydraulic lines come out from the frame of the boom and go towards the valves. I was thinking perhaps one of the connectors to the valve body was loose and the hydraulic fluid was flowing down to the low point and dripping out on the articulation point, but I checked the valve body and there is no evidence of any leaking there. The dealer has nylon sleeves on the hydraulic lines going into the backhoe boom frame and there is no way anything could have rubbed through in 20 hours. What is the warranty on those backhoes? does anyone know?

It's a pretty big leak, as when I am using the backhoe for literally a minute, there is a huge puddle on the ground right under the articulation point. It's not a "drip", its more of a stream of hydraulic fluid.

 

[Sierraau]

Leak is not constant, only when using the hoe moving the boom in and out.

 

[Robin Veerman]

I’m thinking that a call to the dealership would be free. Describe what’s happening and send them a picture or two. They should be able to tell you where to look. The other thing is that you don’t know where the technician is driving to/from and they might be able to schedule a stop at your place enroute from a close neighbor….

 

[319Quahog]

Problem with a warranty call is the dealership is over an hour away and he charges $250 to travel each direction and I don't have a trailer to haul it down to him.

Just an idea.

The backhoe specs at 1100 pounds without a bucket. Rent a 6x12 uhaul trailer or borrow a friend's and bring it down. Give em a call first as they'll need to take it off the trailer for you.

The backhoe comes off pretty easy. Found that out after removing what I thought were superfluous pins.

That said, I'm somewhat surprised they won't run out there to look at a warranty issue on your brand new piece of equipment.

 

[Robin Veerman]

Granted it was a holiday weekend….but he hasn’t called the dealer yet, AFAIK.

 

[319Quahog]

Was just kind of saying in general, but yeah I completely missed the timeline.

I suppose I'm lucky that my dealer is 15 minutes up the road too.

 

[Sierraau]

Called the dealership. Problem is the backhoe has a one year warranty on it. I bought it in spring last year, but I didn't actually get it installed on the backhoe (at the dealer) until early fall, and it wasn't on the tractor all winter because it snows here and I had a plow on it. The dealer said it's warranty just ran out. I went back out and started tugging on hydraulic lines, and found the problem, the thin nylon wrap where the hydraulic lines go through the frame back to the valves is really torn up. It doesn't look like the nylon protection did ANYTHING to protect it. I've got a call into the dealer to see what they think. I think I need to get that hard plastic coiled wrap for the hydraulic lines if 20 hours of work does THAT to the hose.

 

[319Quahog]

Dang, I have the same backhoe with about 40 or so hours on it. I need to go check it out.

Luckily hoses are usually an easy fix if that's all there is.

 

[Coyote_CS2220]

" I think I need to get that hard plastic coiled wrap for the hydraulic lines if 20 hours of work does THAT to the hose. "

The tearing on the nylon sheath is likely due to a burred/sharp unfinished edge/weld on the inside of that hose opening.

Just a guess here, but quality control missed it so when you replace the hose, get a die grinder in there and smooth things off. If you don't get the rough edge finished even a hard plastic coil shield will not solve the issue.

Ya, it is a factor defect. Too bad you did not catch it before warranty expiration. A good dealer would have went to bat for you with the Kioti warranty manager.

 

[Sierraau]

Thanks for the heads up, when I pull that line out I will check for sharp edges.

 

[Sierraau]

Not being a mechanic, is it better that I haul the backhoe down to the dealer to fix? How hard would it be to grind the burrs down? Would I need a special tool? It looks pretty tight in there, and I am not sure what kind of tool would get into that space to grind it down. The dealer said they would take a look at it and submit for warranty, so if it were an easy fix, I'd be inclined to fix it myself, but if it is going to take special tools to get at it, I'd just as soon have the dealer do it.

 

[Sierraau]

Not being a mechanic, is it better that I haul the backhoe down to the dealer to fix? How hard would it be to grind the burrs down? Would I need a special tool? It looks pretty tight in there, and I am not sure what kind of tool would get into that space to grind it down. The dealer said they would take a look at it and submit for warranty, so if it were an easy fix, I'd be inclined to fix it myself, but if it is going to take special tools to get at it, I'd just as soon have the dealer do it.

Also, how would I load the backhoe on a trailer? where could I wrap a chain around it and not mess it up loading it?

 

[Coyote_CS2220]

It sounds like your mechanical/fabrication skills/experience is limited. I guess I just assumed someone who owned one of these and lived in that sort of location had accumulated some practical skills required to do that sort of thing.

Changing out hydraulic lines is not rocket science, but if you have never done one before it may appear to be complicated.

Using a FEL to load the BH on a trailer and then chain it down, again requires some competence, but does not require a PHD in Physics.

Your call for sure and it is not possible to second guess what you can and cannot do from my chair.

Having lived in rural areas most of my life, my experience is that people help one another there.......because in rural area people truly need one another when the wind blows the wrong way. They also have all the tools to do repairs, because you cannot be running to a mechanic when the repair needs to be done right now. In farming country, timeliness can/is everything.

Is there a neighbour you can call to have a look when they have free time?

Maybe they could/be willing to help with the work?

What is the cost of loading it on a trailer and transporting VS paying a mechanically inclined neighbour to assist with the fix?

Your call, but if you take it to the dealer you can expect it to be out of service for awhile and in the end you may have to fully pay for the repair anyways.

Being good friends with successful neighbours has advantages when you live off the beaten path.

 

[Sierraau]

I live in Truckee, CA, 6000 ft elevation- vacation-capitol of California where silicone valley billionaires play in their 10,000 square foot "vacation cabins". There are maybe a handful of small tractors in a 20 mile radius (nothing grows up here so there are no real farmers). If people need stuff done, they call someone to come in and do the job. The closest mobile mechanic is in Reno, 40 miles away in another state. To get the mobile mechanic to come up here is $250 just for him to show up and then he charges $200 an hour to do the work. If you are a mobile tractor mechanic and want to make a fortune, move to Reno/Lake Tahoe area and charge less that $200 an hour and you'll have more work than you can even imagine. I talked to my local tractor mechanic and he has so much work he is going crazy and of course help is impossible to find.

So, me- not being flush with money to waste, pulled out the wrenches and extended the boom, as noted in the photos and supported everything. I pulled up on the hydraulic line on the push side of the first cylinder of the boom, and right there the nylon cover was warn away as was the rubber coating reveling the braided wire of the hydraulic hose- I'm going out on a limb and going to guess that is my culprit. I took off the line from the cylinder and the valve body and tomorrow I will drive to Carson City to get the dealer to make up a replacement hose for me. He said he'd do that for me (70 mile round trip, but cheaper than spending $600 to have it shipped to him). I'm looking online for the plastic hose wraps and since I have the tractor backhoe somewhat apart, will add the hose wraps to the hydraulic hoses going from the boom to the valve body at stress points. Hopefully, that will resolve the problem without having to haul the whole backhoe down to the dealer.

 

[319Quahog]

Lowes sells those 1" wire looms that would probably work. I used them to coral winch wires on something else and they're decently stout.

It would be a great time for you to get in there and smooth out those rough edges either with a dremel, hand file, or other.

Around here, places like Napa and select Oreilly auto make hydraulic lines as well. Just for future reference.

Gardner Bender 5-ft x 1-in Plastic Gray Split Tubing Wire Loom

 

[Robin Veerman]

I live in Truckee, CA, 6000 ft elevation- vacation-capitol of California where silicone valley billionaires play in their 10,000 square foot "vacation cabins". There are maybe a handful of small tractors in a 20 mile radius (nothing grows up here so there are no real farmers). If people need stuff done, they call someone to come in and do the job. The closest mobile mechanic is in Reno, 40 miles away in another state. To get the mobile mechanic to come up here is $250 just for him to show up and then he charges $200 an hour to do the work. If you are a mobile tractor mechanic and want to make a fortune, move to Reno/Lake Tahoe area and charge less that $200 an hour and you'll have more work than you can even imagine. I talked to my local tractor mechanic and he has so much work he is going crazy and of course help is impossible to find.

So, me- not being flush with money to waste, pulled out the wrenches and extended the boom, as noted in the photos and supported everything. I pulled up on the hydraulic line on the push side of the first cylinder of the boom, and right there the nylon cover was warn away as was the rubber coating reveling the braided wire of the hydraulic hose- I'm going out on a limb and going to guess that is my culprit. I took off the line from the cylinder and the valve body and tomorrow I will drive to Carson City to get the dealer to make up a replacement hose for me. He said he'd do that for me (70 mile round trip, but cheaper than spending $600 to have it shipped to him). I'm looking online for the plastic hose wraps and since I have the tractor backhoe somewhat apart, will add the hose wraps to the hydraulic hoses going from the boom to the valve body at stress points. Hopefully, that will resolve the problem without having to haul the whole backhoe down to the dealer.

Good for you to tackle this yourself. Most of us aren’t real mechanics and we’re cheering you on. Take some pictures of the sharp/rough area before cleaning that up. Send the pictures and the repair bill for the hose/oil to your dealer afterwards. They might help you with the cost? Don’t forget to get some hydraulic oil while you’re in town. Keep us updated

 

[Sierraau]

It's a pretty tight squeeze to get into the portion of the boom where the hose rubbed raw. I stuck my hand in as far as it goes and the only "sharpness" I feel in there is the edge of a steel plate- not feeling any welding imperfections. Could it be that the hose was damaged before they installed it in the frame? Another possible (but doubtful) thing was it was apparent that some sort of rodent created a nest in there over the winter. There is only one hose where the sheath was worn through (at the point of the apparent rubbing) and "maybe" the rodent ate through it, but I would think: a) if a rodent was knawing on stuff it would have worn through the other hoses, and b) a rodent isn't going to chew through the steel banding- so I think coincidence. I plan on replacing the hyd line and putting hose wrap on all the hoses that could potentially rub and go with it. If it happens again, I will do a more thorough examination or perhaps send it into the dealer then.

 

[Sierraau]

Lowes sells those 1" wire looms that would probably work. I used them to coral winch wires on something else and they're decently stout.

It would be a great time for you to get in there and smooth out those rough edges either with a dremel, hand file, or other.

Around here, places like Napa and select Oreilly auto make hydraulic lines as well. Just for future reference.

Gardner Bender 5-ft x 1-in Plastic Gray Split Tubing Wire Loom

There is one NAPA store in town but the local mechanics are wary of it, so I'll go to Reno and get the pros to do it.