Broken Mount For LA724

[crazyal]

Terry from the dealership where I bought my tractor was just down to see the bracket.He said he found it hard to believe that the bracket broke.I showed him the crack in the other bracket and he agreed the cracks were in exactly the same place on both brackets.He took pictures and said he would contact Kubota the first of the week.I told him I didn't expect much from them but he said you never know how they are going to respond.I mentioned to him about the brackets on Baby Grand's tractor with the reinforcing plates and he asked me to send the photos to him,which I did.So now I wait.

Well lets hope Kubota steps up and replaces them. Maybe even decides to upgrade them to something stronger. It's possible that when they designed the brackets they never thought about a backhoe, just the forces involved with the fel.

 

[kcender]

Crazyal,I am curious about the brackets on your L4240.I realize you have the heavier loader,LA854 I believe,but it is physically very similar to the LA724.Does it have the same setup as my loader brackets and if so does it have any reinforcing plates.What year is your tractor?Thanks.

 

[kcender]

Just a thought on this broken bracket.I don't think this failure is due to one incident but rather is the cumlative effect of many hours use.The rust on the broken bracket shows it was cracked long before the total failure.I would also bet that the crack on the other bracket has been there awhile.Because the cracks are in identical spots on each side I am leaning toward a poorly designed bracket.The removal of the reinforcing plate leads me to believe that the brackets are not made as strongly as they once were.My tractor is only 15 months old but I have put 531 hours on it which is probably heavier use than most utility tractors get.Some people might take 10 years to put this many hours on their tractor.My point is that more of these failures may start to show up as tractors get older with more hours use but lets hope not.The failure could be because of how I used the tractor but I really don't feel I abuse my tractor to the point that something like this would happen.:2cents:

 

[The Haymaker]

Doesn't matter .... since it is not relevant.


That's certainly true ......... however ..... one should treat them like what they are (CUT's with an add-on backhoe) ..... not like what they are not (industrial TLB's)


It really matters very little what you - or I, for that matter - consider abuse to be.

What is relevant is what who designed, manufactured, and sold/marketed the machine considers abuse to be ....

If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say that the machines are designed with very specific intended use .... in my book, using them in a manner other than what they were designed for constitutes abuse ....

Do I do that ? ...... of course ....

But I ain't gonna blame the manufacturer if there's a problem when I do .....

Just because you (or I .... or anyone else for that matter) "feels" things "ought to be a certain way" does not mean that they are.

I don't own the OP's particular model of CUT, loader, or backhoe - however, I do know what Kubota says in the manual for my backhoe (BH4690B - which fits both "B" and "L" series Kubotas):

"Due to the configuration of the tractor, with separate operator's stations divided by the ROPS, the backhoe should not be used to move the unit. The boom and dipper and both stabilizers should be raised to clear ground level, and the unit should be moved along the trench line or excavation with the tractor."

Seems fairly straightforward to me ....

Additionally, it says the following, with regard to using the backhoe to backfill an excavation:

"DO NOT use the side of the bucket and lateral swing to attempt to backfill. This method places huge stresses on the entire backhoe frame that will cause major failures that can effect the entire tractor-loader-backhoe." [Emphasis mine]

And finally:

IMPORTANT:
Lateral swing backfilling is perhaps the most common abuse placed on backhoes today. All backhoes are designed as digging units. They are not to be used as prying units.

Personally, I think it really isn't all that difficult for a fairly intelligent person to draw some reasonable conclusions from the above cautions.

Well, gee whiz professah, thanks for calling me an idiot. Also, thank you also for pointing out that Kubotas make a better lawn ornament than a usable tool. I knew there was a reason I didn't even consider orange when I was on the market.

 

[crazyal]

Just a thought on this broken bracket.I don't think this failure is due to one incident but rather is the cumlative effect of many hours use.The rust on the broken bracket shows it was cracked long before the total failure.I would also bet that the crack on the other bracket has been there awhile.Because the cracks are in identical spots on each side I am leaning toward a poorly designed bracket.The removal of the reinforcing plate leads me to believe that the brackets are not made as strongly as they once were.My tractor is only 15 months old but I have put 531 hours on it which is probably heavier use than most utility tractors get.Some people might take 10 years to put this many hours on their tractor.My point is that more of these failures may start to show up as tractors get older with more hours use but lets hope not.The failure could be because of how I used the tractor but I really don't feel I abuse my tractor to the point that something like this would happen.:2cents:

So far you're the first I've heard of, sorry but because I have the 854 I hope it's just you, nothing personal. :laughing:

 

[kcender]

Hey Crazyal,I hope this is an isolated incident as well,especially if I manage to get the brackets replaced with the same type.I am still curious about the design of your loader brackets but you didn't mention anything about them

 

[arsenix2001]

Well, gee whiz professah, thanks for calling me an idiot. Also, thank you also for pointing out that Kubotas make a better lawn ornament than a usable tool. I knew there was a reason I didn't even consider orange when I was on the market.

Wow really? It has nothing to do with color, its called using a machine within its capabilities. Using your logic, a 1/4 ton datsun pickup should be able to carry 2 tons of brick because it would fit in the bed. And I guess deere makes good lawn ornaments too, heres a quote from thier cut backhoe manual

IMPORTANT: Avoid damage! To help prevent damage to backhoe:
Raise tractor only with stabilizers.

 

[crazyal]

Hey Crazyal,I hope this is an isolated incident as well,especially if I manage to get the brackets replaced with the same type.I am still curious about the design of your loader brackets but you didn't mention anything about them

They look like yours. Solid on the outside with a pattern cast into them on the inside. No plates welded on.

 

[rswyan]

Well, gee whiz professah, thanks for calling me an idiot.

Actually ....... I didn't call you an idiot .... not even close .......

Rest assured, there would be absolutely no doubt in anyone's mind if I had ....

I merely gave my take on what a reasonably intelligent person would do when given the benefit of being educated and cautioned by the maker of perhaps a very expensive piece of equipment that they own.

Apparently you seem to be suffering from ... a sense of entitlement .... due to dollars spent ....

Believe me - I understand .... BT ..... DT ...

My take on it is, you are certainly entitled to do whatever you wish with your own personal property.

However, if you - or anyone else - deliberately and purposefully choose to ignore the manufacturer's recommendations and cautions with regard to proper operation of a product they produced, then ...... it's on you, or anyone so choosing, as to what happens .....

No whinin' allowed ....

Also, thank you also for pointing out that Kubotas make a better lawn ornament than a usable tool. I knew there was a reason I didn't even consider orange when I was on the market.

Oh well, yeah ..... now I'm really highly offended ..... deeply, I tell ya ..... you have gone and said something derogatory about the brand of equipment I own .....

What's next - you gonna tell me my mother wore Army boots ?

Wanna know what kind vehicle I drive, so you can rag on that too ?

FWIW, I happen to think Kubota - for the most part - makes a pretty decent product. Occasionally they, like any company, screw up and make bad choices .... personally, I think the subject of this thread might be one of those times.

As I stated, I have and do occasionally "work" my equipment pretty hard ..... in some instances, contrary to the manufacturer's recommendations.

As an example of that, here's a couple of pics of our old driveway that I removed (roughly 600' long):

Much of that removal was done entirely with my loader (probably better than 50%, maybe as much as 75% ....) ..... stick the bucket edge under the asphalt and curl ..... and when I couldn't get any purchase on the asphalt's edge, I'd back up 3' to 6' or so and stomp on the HST pedal (mostly in Low range .... but sometimes in Medium ... and more than once in High ...)

It was an absolutely stupid thing to do .... but I didn't know any better at the time. It was abuse .... whether I believed it was or not.

FWIW, the second picture is a little deceiving .... since it looks like the pavement is pretty much entirely crumbled ..... it wasn't. There is two layers of asphalt and it ranged from 4" to over 8" thick in spots (5" to 6" average) ...

Some of it was so solid that I couldn't peel it up with my little backhoe ...... or with a 8000 lb. Kubota KX91-3 mini-ex ....

Despite my foolishness, I didn't break or damage anything on my tractor or loader .... at 1200 hours on the clock (which is about 800 to 900 hours later), my loader and bucket is straight and not tweaked.

If I'd had a problem though, it would have been on me .... because I'm fairly sure that what I decided to do with my equipment wasn't what the manufacturer had in mind.

My apologies to the OP for the hijack ... :confused2:

 

[Baby Grand]

Baby Grand,just want to make sure if you bought the tractor new and that the extra plates were part of the manufacturing process from Kubota or is it possible that it was done later.

Yes, bought the tractor (with loader), new, in Summer of 2007. Other than adding hooks to the bucket, I have made no alterations to the loader. Good luck with Kubota, I hope they man-up on this one.
-Jim