Broken HST/ No Reverse= HUGE $ to Fix!

[Kubotafan]

Glad it was that simple. Sad that the original owner got stuck with a dealer that wasn't interested in finding the problem before giving an over the top estimate.

Brian

rbargeron doesn't seem to be crying!

 

[riptides]

If I were rbargeron, I'd send this thread to Kubota. This is a big deal, his troubleshooting skills and curiosity are to be commended.

NICE job. Attention to detail, sweet.

 

[Grandad4]

Well done, sir! I certainly appreciate your sharing the diagnosis and repair process with everyone.

 

[rbargeron]

I've stayed in touch with Matt (curtisfarmer) the prior owner. He wanted to grab a new non-teir-4 M7040 before they became unavailable so he was motivated to bail on the L48. We agreed on a price that assumed the tractor had to come apart for a new HST. But our understanding from the beginning was if it was cheaper to fix, we'd share in the good outcome somehow. It will possibly sell well above our number - if so we'll split the margin or something.

It's tempting to find fault with the factory or the dealers for the relatively thin product support available for the larger HST units. The very low incidence of failures means an absence of service experience. Dealer shops need to generate income so they pick conservative (for them) solutions - like whole component replacement. Unfortunately the customer's checkbook takes the hit unless another solution turns up. The dealer would have looked pretty bad if he had first said he could fix it for $200, only to call back and say it would be $9,800 instead.

 

[aczlan]

The dealer would have looked pretty bad if he had first said he could fix it for $200, only to call back and say it would be $9,800 instead.

IMO, they should have said "it could be the fwd/rev valve, or it would be internal to the HST unit but we wont be able to tell until we tear into it. Would you like to try this $200 repair first?"

Aaron Z

 

[brain55]

I agree on some level rbargeron, but at the same time I spent 12 years as a Kubota dealer mechanic too. I would not have given any customer a quote like that without digging a little deeper, nor would I have told him I could fix it for $200 without a full disclaimer. I may have been fortunate in the dealers I worked for giving me a lot of control and direct contact with the customers. I could also pick up the phone without hesitation and talk to the Kubota regional field service rep or manager.

Brian

 

[dodge man]

I've stayed in touch with Matt (curtisfarmer) the prior owner. He wanted to grab a new non-teir-4 M7040 before they became unavailable so he was motivated to bale on the L48. We agreed on a price that assumed the tractor had to come apart for a new HST. But our understanding from the beginning was if it was cheaper to fix, we'd share in the good outcome somehow. It will possibly sell well above our number - if so we'll split the margin or something.

It's tempting to find fault with the factory or the dealers for the relatively thin product support available for the larger HST units. The very low incidence of failures means an absence of service experience. Dealer shops need to generate income so they pick conservative (for them) solutions - like whole component replacement. Unfortunately the customer's checkbook takes the hit unless another solution turns up. The dealer would have looked pretty bad if he had first said he could fix it for $200, only to call back and say it would be $9,800 instead.

Thats very big of you to share the savings in repair with the previous owner, and very fair. It sounds like everyone came out ahead on the deal.

 

[csr0831]

I have been following this thread and have learned alot. The thing that I come away with and that makes the largest impact on me is that integrity is still alive and well. rbargeron could have easily not posted any of this and not told curtis farmer of the results of his obviously excellent diagnostic skills. He however he took the high road and from the "flavor" of this post, never had any intention of doing other wise. I commend you sir (rbargeron) on the depth of your integrity. It's nice to know there are still folks like you out there.

As far as the dealer goes, it's sad that they couldn't take the time and effort to find and fix the real problem, however thats not cost effective for them. Doesn't make it right, just not cost effective. Operating a busness like that is very expensive and they want to "replace" instead of repair and consumer pays the price. In this case, it's gonna work out for rbargeron and curtisfarmer. Congrats...score one for the little guy! : )

 

[rbargeron]

...........I would not have given any customer a quote like that without digging a little deeper........I could also pick up the phone without hesitation and talk to the Kubota regional field service rep or manager........

Exactly right Brian - those two factors were clearly missing at the dealer in question.

On the good side I was able to get a search of the factory experience base through another person who has been a long time friend of TBN - Ronnie Bowman (of TractorSmart.com, Keller Brothers Kubota in PA). He discovered there was a tech bulletin on setting up the initial adjustment of the servo piston. Unfortunately nothing has been published on troubleshooting or adjusting the regulator.

Thanks again for sending those HST pages - helped a lot in visualizing how it's supposed to work. Interestingly there are some small errors in the text - but probably nobody has noticed. The drawings tell the story.

 

[k0ua]

I've stayed in touch with Matt (curtisfarmer) the prior owner. He wanted to grab a new non-teir-4 M7040 before they became unavailable so he was motivated to bale on the L48. We agreed on a price that assumed the tractor had to come apart for a new HST. But our understanding from the beginning was if it was cheaper to fix, we'd share in the good outcome somehow. It will possibly sell well above our number - if so we'll split the margin or something.

It's tempting to find fault with the factory or the dealers for the relatively thin product support available for the larger HST units. The very low incidence of failures means an absence of service experience. Dealer shops need to generate income so they pick conservative (for them) solutions - like whole component replacement. Unfortunately the customer's checkbook takes the hit unless another solution turns up. The dealer would have looked pretty bad if he had first said he could fix it for $200, only to call back and say it would be $9,800 instead.

Very well stated. You sound like you have experience in dealing with customers and customer expectations daily.

James K0UA