Broken Kubota Backhoe

[teg]

Anyone else have the same backhoe? Are the welds in the same areas?

I have access to a BH65 that has the thumb bracket welded on... I'll take a few photos of it this afternoon. We just used it to put in a 3 culverts.

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

IMO... I'd put more value to getting the OEM boom back on there for resale value. Even if years down the road, anyone is going to question how you abused your machine when they see a welded boom.

 

[MarkV]

IMO... I'd put more value to getting the OEM boom back on there for resale value. Even if years down the road, anyone is going to question how you abused your machine when they see a welded boom.

That really is good insight from Neil, who happens to be a dealer. I would wonder about a tractor that had that major of repair if I was shopping. It would make me wonder how it was used.

I hope Kubota will offer some sort of compensation. It will surprise me if they will offer as much as you hope or think is right. The unit is out of warranty and there must not be a history of common problems with that model. If there were it would have surfaced on this forum.

MarkV

 

[nmarco]

That is an excellent point, with respect to resale. To be honest, I really did expect to see similar failures on the web. All I can say is "**** Happerns" and this time I guess it was just my turn:laughing:.:laughing: I can still hope for the best from Kubota though. I am still waiting for a response from my dealer.

 

[Wacky]

Any response yet?

 

[Gator6x4]

I found this thread while searching to see if anyone else shared my situation and decided to register to share what happened to me. I emailed kubota the attached discription of my issue and am still waiting for a response from them. I am not holding my breath, but it is obviously a design issue or at the very least a workmanship issue. I would not be surprised if this has happened to a number of people.

I AM NOT SAYING THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS INCIDENT:

I saw damage similar to this this occur one time. The operator locked the backhoe hoe dipper through the use of the thumb onto a stump. He then moved the tractor to the left or right in an attempt to extract a very large stump from a hole. When the weight of the stump shifted it twisted and broke the backhoe boom. Quite an mess to correct. What I learned was don't ever try that. The operators explanation was thaat he used to do it all the time with a track hoe.

 

[nmarco]

well my dealer just sent me an email and said:

Hi, Nick
Our Kubota service rep has agreed to pay $350.00 toward the replacement of the part. I will have a net cost figure for the part tomorrow.

I am really not sure I want to fork over $400. I've gotta think about this one.

 

[My Hoe]

well my dealer just sent me an email and said:

Hi, Nick
Our Kubota service rep has agreed to pay $350.00 toward the replacement of the part. I will have a net cost figure for the part tomorrow.

I am really not sure I want to fork over $400. I've gotta think about this one.

Nick,

Thank you for finally offering me the opportunity to "give back" to this community, from some of my own work experience. That means a lot to me, as I am preparing a fresh barrage of "newbie" purchase questions, coming soon. :licking:

I am familiar with the town your dealer is located in, and I have spent a few minutes in there, myself (admittedly, at closing time, on a cold, winter Friday) but I was not overly impressed with their sales personnel. JMO, and says nothing about the quality of their service people, obviously.

I used to be involved in similar situations in my work in Customer Service, in the automotive biz, both luxury and domestics. In addition, I had my own situation which is only ROUGHLY analogous to yours, but the point of it is, I would do what I did NOT do myself, though I probably should have. I would want to speak to the Regional Manager MYSELF, and let HIM tell me why I shouldn't post "my" pdf. FAR AND WIDE, ON THE WEB. I believe I tried this and was refused a direct call, as reported by my dealer, if memory serves.

In 1997, we paid extra for our (new) Subaru Outback's 100,000 mile warranty (base power train warranty = 60K). First REPLACEMENT short block required at 40,000 mi. They said "It's a 'boxer engine'--it's only the normal valve noise." I said "I'm in the car business--guess again." Got a call the next day, from the Service Manager: "I'm ordering you a new short block." **** right.

Fine. At 112,000 miles (and STILL on the ORIGINAL Micheleins, with like 40-50% wear left--i.e., the wife is an e-a-s-y driver, and it's an automatic, so it's an e-a-s-y ENGINE life) we get a CATASTROPHIC FAILURE (which sounded like a rod to me). It also caused us to miss a 10 year reunion concert of our friends' rock band--this, after I let "the wife" talk me out of taking my old F-150 to this concert--never again! LOL

Dealer: "No--you're 12,000 past your extended warranty." (And it CAME with a 60K base power train warranty, as I say.) I do all my own oil changes, EVERY THREE THOUSAND MILES, despite recommended longer intervals, btw, and saved the receipts.

Regional Rep. (at least, per the dealer). "No--you're 12,000 past your extended warranty of 100K."

So I write a NINE-PAGE letter to Fuji Heavy Industries, (who I happened to know was the parent co. of Subaru).

Result: (Not so great, IMO, but): They kicked in $1,500. toward a $4,200. repair (we sprang for new heads, since remans allegedly didn't exist).

I feel they should have done more, but the point is, until you write the threatening, vile (yet true) stuff you (could be) planning to do with your EVIDENCE, I don't think you will have received their FINAL and BEST offer.

How would I proceed, were I YOU?

With a letter to someone AT KUBOTA, coroporate.

In it, I would NAME the dealer, and the individuals, SPECIFICALLY, and their actions, to date.

I would NAME the regional rep., SPECIFICALLY, and their actions, to date. Use their EXACT QUOTES wherever possible, as some incredibly-dumb comments will most likely be made, such that WINCING will occur, in the corporate offices, upon said quotes being read--that's the point of "documenting," as was mentioned on this thread. No phone calls should be made, nor dealer visits, without pen and clipboard in hand.

I would factually place my web-tractoring history in the best light possible, with links to threads YOU WROTE, to show that YOU HAVE A FOLLOWING here, and wherever else "Nick is known."

I would direct them to Nick-sympathetic comments, HERE and on other sites, so that they can see HOW KUBOTA IS BEING PERCEIVED IN THIS CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. (Whoever first used that term here "gets it"--you should ALWAYS refer to it thusly--what if a pin shot out when it broke, and ventilated someone's HEAD? We'd be reading about it in the NEWSPAPERS, that's what--as would Kubota.)

Sometimes ya gotta "set the scene" for "those of little imagination"...you feel me?

I would then THREATEN (in my LONG LETTER) to start cross-posting the above to GREEN, BLUE and other-colored sites, so that POTENTIAL CROSS-SHOPPERS WOULD BE POISONED against Kubota (To the potentially-trigger-happy: please note I said "THREATEN"--you don't want to actually do this--at least not yet).

Finally, I would "cc" (carbon copy) EVERYONE named in the letter, so that, for example, whoever I reached in Kubota (V.P. of Engineering, AND the V.P. of Marketing AND the CEO of Kubota) would SEE THE NAMES OF WHOEVER AT GOODRICH, ON UP, including the REGIONAL MANAGER (who WILL be known to Kubota, Corporate) SAID "No." And then said "Only $350." Likewise, ideally, someone at Goodrich Implement, in Johnson City, NY, will be spitting out their morning swill, from the Dunkin Doughnuts on Main St., while reading their morning mail, and SEEING THEIR NAME AND THEIR EXACT WORDS, TO YOU, BEING QUOTED TO THE CEO OF KUBOTA, Inc. (It can make for memorable reading--trust me! LOL)

Write, rinse, repeat. Nick, I truly feel a new boom is on the way.

Now, some would find this approach abrasive, or overly time-consuming. To them, I say: I LEARNED this approach dealing with customers who were unhappy with their luxury cars and, WHEN THE FACTS MERIT IT, it works.

I would also say: I can write this letter faster than you can clean, square, grind, fish-plate, align, tack, check, realign, weld, re-check, mask, grind, clean weld-splatter, sand, prime, re-sand, and repaint that boom. :drink: (I used to paint used heavy equipment, briefly, so I know.)

Furthermore, Nick will spend more time merely ATTEMPTING to reassure a future buyer that this CATASTROPHIC FAILURE is NOT due to owner abuse, as was pointed out by Messicks (who is a dealer), who made the excellent point that such a repair, no matter how professionally executed, WILL reduce resale value, if not outright scare the real money away completely, than it would take to write the letter I am suggesting.

Besides the fact that, even IF Nick is successful in convincing a future buyer that this tractor "just had a manufacturing defect" (i.e., it may have been built on a FRIDAY) that it MUST then raise the following question, in the buyer's mind:

"What OTHER manufacturing defects does THIS particular (built-on-a-Friday?) tractor have?"

I would also say, to critics of the above: May I reach into YOUR wallet, for a thousand dollar bill? No?

I thought not....

Lastly, I would say: "I don't know how long it takes YOU to earn $1,000. but since it's not my fault, I shouldn't have to." I would also say "I paid for a tractor from a mfr. I WANT TO BELIEVE IN. And that's worth more, to me, than the money itself. Your mileage may vary."

Nick--I think you've got a winner here, if you gear down and start really pushing. :thumbsup:

Just remember to always be polite and respectful, but relentless, like a D-9 Cat, for example. :laughing:

Possible Shortcut: You could consider taking my post, above, and emailing it to the Regional Manager, rather than taking the long away around the barn, yourself. If you get nowhere with that, you could then send him a link to AC/DC's "Now You're Messing with...a SON OF A BIIIIIIITCH!" (This last is largely in jest, re: the AC/DC, but I've gotta have my fun too, right?) If you DO send my email to the Reg. Mgr., DEFINITELY remove this part about AC/DC! LOL

Best of luck and please let us know,

My Hoe

 

[nmarco]

My Hoe -- I think you missed your calling or you were possibly an attorney in your past life. You have some really good points in your post ... I still have not heard back from my dealer with the final cost. This will give me more to think about till then.

PS. I appreciate the energy you put into the very lengthy and detailed post. I will definetly consider this option.

 

[My Hoe]

My Hoe -- I think you missed your calling or you were possibly an attorney in your past life. You have some really good points in your post ... I still have not heard back from my dealer with the final cost. This will give me more to think about till then.

PS. I appreciate the energy you put into the very lengthy and detailed post. I will definetly consider this option.

Nick,

You're entirely welcome! As I said, your post is the first real opportunity I've had to "give back" to this community, and I've received just a TON of useful, speedy, detailed responses myself, since joining last year. (Not to mention the free use of a flatbed trailer from a fellow county resident who is a member here, should I need it for my purchase!)

We're halfway home--in other words, YOU just made it worth MY while, with your kind words of praise, and your potential resolve to "hold out" for what (I feel) is your due satisfaction in this matter! Now, we just need it to make it worth YOUR while, via Kubota/Regional Mgr./Dealer. :thumbsup:

Even if I do say so myself, I do think that you might just use the "Possibile Shortcut," at the end of my post as, literally, a possible shortcut. Might save yourself a lot of time, because if they make you follow the process I laid out, step-by-step, the end result will probably be the same as if they just read my post and THINK. By that I mean, either Nick is satisfied, or a LOT of potential customers are "queered-out" on Kubota's products. (In other words, I respectfully suggest you literally get the names of the pertinent V.P.'s and CEO at Kubota, the regional manager, and the owner of Goodrich Implement, and just shoot them my post, along with your with your excellent photographic evidence, proof of purchase, photo of hour meter, and anything else you feel may help your case, as a potential "road map" that has been suggested to you. (That shouldn't take nearly as much time as writing the letter yourself, and you'd still have to do that initial contact research in either case).

To wit, you could just say:
"Do I actually have to DO all of this, just to save $1,000.? And if it ends up costing you just 10 tractor sales, what's your profit on a quarter of a million dollars in gross sales? Now, what if it costs you 100 tractor sales? Or 1000? My photos are pretty alarming, even to the EXPERIENCED, LOYAL KUBOTA ENTHUSIASTS at Kubota Tractor Forum - B-Series - L-Series - M-Series. Don't believe me--here, read it for yourself: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-owning-operating/181076-broken-kubota-backhoe.html "

I'm hoping they'd have the smarts to say "Oh, crap. Yeah--we gotta pay this one. And send him a hat!" (This kind of "just-after-the-warranty-has-expired" good will is referred to, in the biz, not surprisingly, as--"good will." LOL Some have also referred to it as "the silent warranty," but I think that latter term may also be used to refer to things that were not ever covered in the basic warranty. Nevertheless, you get the idea.)

Hey-if they send you a hat, can you get two? I want one! J/k (Full Disclosure: I'm not really kidding, about the hat--radioactive rain was confirmed, on the East Coast of the U.S., from Fukushima, Japan, as of about SIX WEEKS AGO. Not being a "hat person," I've been hat shopping, and I can't find one I like that doesn't say "I'm with Stupid," or similar witticisms. I literally haven't found a hat I wanted to wear, much less purchase--LOL).

In my opinion, your machine's CATASTROPHIC FAILURE must also be viewed in the larger, geopolitical spectrum right now (i.e., CAN Kubota continue business-as-usual, in light of the WORSENING nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, when even mighty TOYOTA is delaying resuming production? Which I certainly hope Kubota CAN, as I plan to buy one very soon, myself--and we own a Highlander Hybrid). I would think the senior mgmt. at Kubota doesn't want relatively minor problems like a single boom failure to ADD to their problems, right now, ON THE WORLDWIDE WEB, when their cost is less than $750., plus, possibly, some dealer labor and pickup/delivery.

Oh! And thank you very much for the compliments!

My Hoe

P.S.: As I find myself in an extended midlife crisis, I'm open to career suggestions, from anyone! LOL My interests are GREEN POWER, automotive/transportation tech. (including aviation) and writing. Ideas, jobs, anyone? (Gee, I guess I've mastered the "shamelessness" requirement of being an attorney, huh?) :laughing:

But seriously, I think you can ride this horse all the way to a new boom, Nick--and relatively easily. Feel free to PM me, if you're more comfortable. Good luck!

SOURCES:

Japanese Reactor Damage Is Worse Than Expected
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/13/world/asia/13japan.html?scp=1&sq=fukushima%20meltdown&st=cse

Radioactive Rain Falling on United States
East Coast tests found iodine-131 from Japan in rainwater; California results due out in coming days

Source: The Bay Citizen (Radioactive Rain Falling on United States - The Bay Citizen)


Toyota: Car Production Won't Return To Normal Until November Or Later
[URL="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/22/toyota-production-cars-delay-japan-disaster_n_852394.html"]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/22/toyota-production-cars-delay-japan-disaster_n_852394.html