Loader B26 Hydraulic leak at 5.2 hours :-(

[stonedrift]

Okay so last Friday I took delivery of my brand new B26 from B&T in Ottawa. They kindly delivered it some 85 km out of town, close to Calabogie. Very happy with the first day. Moved a bunch of driveway that needed to move back up a hill having ridden down the hill during the various rainstorms we've experienced over the last 14 years
Jump ahead one week.
Second working day on the Kub, one week after delivery.
A mere 5.2 hours on the hr meter. I step off the tractor to apply a rake for some finishing touches on the driveway when I notice some hydraulic fluid on the newly spread gravel.
Hmm.
Maybe if I rake over it the problem will go away. That worked when I was an engineering student after all.
Nagging feeling eats at my subconscious as I climb back onto the B26 and set out back down the driveway.
To level ground. Better take a look I think.
FEL down.
Stabilizers down.
Park brake on.
Flashlight out and look at valve block (is that what its called?) located under right rear fender below the FEL controls.
Hmmm.
I note that the entire inner sidewall of the huge industrial right rear tire appears to be nice an shiny. Unfortunately it's now the only part of the Kub that is in that state. The "reach out and touch it" test reveals that it's been bathed in Hydraulic fluid.
Not good.
Closer inspection reveals the front loader, when pressured in the down position, causes a veritable fog of hydraulic fluid to appear in the area between said valve block and the tire.
I walk around and lean into the footwell immediately above the forward/reverse pedal ("No" I tell my wife "It's not a gas pedal, but it does make it go faster") and peer into slot where the 2wd-4wd lever emerges.
With the engine running I bump the FEL control move the loader up and down.
Yep, there's the problem alright.
If my xray glasses were still working and I were able to see through the tire and look straight at the face of the valve block, its the fitting on the top right that is the problem. Seems to be leaking like when downward pressure is applied to the FEL.
Crap.
100 km away from the nearest dealer and no trailer.
I can already tell this is gonna be a bad weekend.
Stay tuned.

 

[gwdixon]

It could be as simple as the dealer forgot to tighten the fitting when the FEL was installed. Tightening it won't void your warranty.

You might even remove the tire to get a better look at what is going on. Post some photos here and fax them to your dealer.

 

[BeezFun]

I agree, pop the tire and try to tighten it up. Obviously don't drive it, you're probably low on fluid if it's leaking that much. I agree it would be nice if everything came perfect from the dealer, but there's a lot of fittings on a tractor.

 

[arsenix2001]

I agree, i havent had a piece of equipment yet i havent had to tighten a fitting or two on.

 

[Carl Bert]

Okay so last Friday I took delivery of my brand new B26 from B&T in Ottawa. They kindly delivered it some 85 km out of town, close to Calabogie. Very happy with the first day. Moved a bunch of driveway that needed to move back up a hill having ridden down the hill during the various rainstorms we've experienced over the last 14 years
Jump ahead one week.
Second working day on the Kub, one week after delivery.
A mere 5.2 hours on the hr meter. I step off the tractor to apply a rake for some finishing touches on the driveway when I notice some hydraulic fluid on the newly spread gravel.
Hmm.
Maybe if I rake over it the problem will go away. That worked when I was an engineering student after all.
Nagging feeling eats at my subconscious as I climb back onto the B26 and set out back down the driveway.
To level ground. Better take a look I think.
FEL down.
Stabilizers down.
Park brake on.
Flashlight out and look at valve block (is that what its called?) located under right rear fender below the FEL controls.
Hmmm.
I note that the entire inner sidewall of the huge industrial right rear tire appears to be nice an shiny. Unfortunately it's now the only part of the Kub that is in that state. The "reach out and touch it" test reveals that it's been bathed in Hydraulic fluid.
Not good.
Closer inspection reveals the front loader, when pressured in the down position, causes a veritable fog of hydraulic fluid to appear in the area between said valve block and the tire.
I walk around and lean into the footwell immediately above the forward/reverse pedal ("No" I tell my wife "It's not a gas pedal, but it does make it go faster") and peer into slot where the 2wd-4wd lever emerges.
With the engine running I bump the FEL control move the loader up and down.
Yep, there's the problem alright.
If my xray glasses were still working and I were able to see through the tire and look straight at the face of the valve block, its the fitting on the top right that is the problem. Seems to be leaking like when downward pressure is applied to the FEL.
Crap.
100 km away from the nearest dealer and no trailer.
I can already tell this is gonna be a bad weekend.
Stay tuned.

Like they say, there is something good in all bad situations. In this case I would say that at
least you know it hasn't been sitting at the dealer for any length of time (like mine If it was, this problem would have been picked up right away on the first demonstration. Does that help any? I guess not.

I know it's never good to have any kind of problems after spending around 40k for a tractor, but this small glitch may be your last problem for many years to come. That tractor is like a little pit bull, tough as nails. I know, I have put mine to the test many times, and it has never let me down. Enjoy it.

 

[Verticaltrx]

I know the feeling. I had only 30hrs on my B3200 when it sprung a leak on a steel hydraulic line between the loader valve and 3pt hitch. In my case I think they over-torqued the fitting causing a tiny fracture at the weld where the banjo fitting is. I was doing a bush hogging job and the line broke, any time I'd lift the 3pt fluid would spray out.

Went to the dealer to get the part and they said it would be 3 weeks to get one in. Apparently this was a new part for this model tractor (new model) and they didn't have any of these lines in the warehouse in this country. Had to wait for it to be shipped (literally) from Japan! :confused2:

Aside from that little debacle it has been a great tractor. 400hrs of commercial use so far and haven't had a single other problem. I'd expect you'll have the same results once you get this little problem taken care of. :thumbsup:

 

[lakeside]

I had a similar problem with my B26 but in my case a rock had jammed under the rear skid plate and worn through the main line going back to the backhoe. Although the machine was used with 313 hours, I'd only put seven hours on it. I wasn't happy and figured I was SOL being 100 km away from my dealer in Alfred, Ontario. I called Carriere expecting to get the run around but all they asked was it it was OK to only come the next day. I was floored!! The very next day the tech showed up and replaced the line. Now this is 100 km away and for a used machine.

I've dealt twice with B&T, the first time was when I was in the market for my B26 and just recently when I bought a GL11000 back up generator. The first time the salesman looked at me in a shirt and tie and never called me back, oh well his loss. The second time this spring I was very well treated.

I would expect B&T to drive up and fix the problem or float the machine back to Slack Road for repairs. You bought a $40k+ machine and you should expect service for what is obviously a warranty problem.