BX2200 Steering Problem...Solved

[eubie5]

ive owned 5 kubota tractors over the years. ive had to replace the steering cylinder on 3. not that big of a deal. 2 were bx and one was a grand L. they will just get worse over time as the cylinder bypasses. steering cylinder fixed the problem.

Is this a kubota thing or do all tractors deal with this?

 

[firebird93]

Is this a kubota thing or do all tractors deal with this?

that i can't answer. i've only owned kubota until last year.

 

[JWR]

ive owned 5 kubota tractors over the years. ive had to replace the steering cylinder on 3. not that big of a deal. 2 were bx and one was a grand L. they will just get worse over time as the cylinder bypasses. steering cylinder fixed the problem.

Yes, this is NOT an isolated case by any means. The small horizontal cylinder between the two front tires is the culprit. Pretty easily accessed and darn near external to the whole tractor. As someone else said, the seal kit is around $30. Of the the three BX tractors I bought, or bought for someone else, all 3 eventually had the issue. I had my own BX2200 repaired (acquired the seals myself and had the local Deere dealer do the work simply because he was closer than the Kubota guy...) last year (first time after using it 17 years and having around 800 hrs on it.) The other two (a BX2230 and a another BX2200) developed the disease at lower hours and new seals were put in them in two other states -- VA and LA.

I cannot say that I am sold on the truth of the claim by the service rep (First post in this thread, years ago) that a supplier insufficiently honed the interior of the cylinder which causes these issues. At that time it was said there was a service bulletin out on it. It is possible but I say the jury is still out. Many of the machines with the disease were made AFTER the 2002 date of the purported service bulletin and on multiple later versions of the tractor. Something is clearly not right but I'm not sure what.

My first pure speculation GUESS (engineers do that you know) is that the side loads on this little cylinder are above normal due to the inherent design of the machine. To my knowledge most steering cylinders on tractors of all sizes and varieties keep the steering cylinder forces co-linear with the body of the cylinder and not at any angle, worse yet an angle that changes slightly with the steering movement. I need to go re-look at mine but memory says that is the case. If so, I'mguessing that is the root of the problem. Further, that the same design is inherent with all the machines having the issue and that it is impossible for Kubota to go back and change them.

Regardless of the reason, this is obviously a COMMON DISEASE on the little BX machines, maybe even others mentioned.

 

[firebird93]

the ones i had to replace was on a bx2200 that i later traded to a bx 2350 and i think they both had about 500 hours when it happened.both were used when i got them. the grand L was a 3940 that i got new and only had a couple hundred hours on it. if i took that thing out on the road which i did often down to my fathers farm about a mile away i had to keep my eyes on the road. if you didn't you would be off in no time. made it interesting to say the least. wasn't nearly as noticeable going slow in the field unless you were going across a grade. then you were constantly having to steer uphill. the local dealer kept them in stock so i'm guessing it wasn't uncommon

 

[milkman]

Must be a pretty common problem on the BX220s, I had to replace the O rings in mine and my brother bought a used 2200 and we had to replace his also. I wonder if this is just a Kubota problem, the MF subcompacts looks to use the same front axle and steering as the Kubota, but I haven't been looking for this problem on the MF forums.

 

[dodge man]

I know mine went bad at 500 hours. In my opinion the o ring seal that goes bad is not robust enough.

 

[pmsmechanic]

I know mine went bad at 500 hours. In my opinion the o ring seal that goes bad is not robust enough.

I wonder if it would be possible to machine the grove in the piston for a stronger seal? I know that if it was a reoccurring problem on one of my tractors something would get changed.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Yes, this is NOT an isolated case by any means. The small horizontal cylinder between the two front tires is the culprit. Pretty easily accessed and darn near external to the whole tractor. As someone else said, the seal kit is around $30. Of the the three BX tractors I bought, or bought for someone else, all 3 eventually had the issue. I had my own BX2200 repaired (acquired the seals myself and had the local Deere dealer do the work simply because he was closer than the Kubota guy...) last year (first time after using it 17 years and having around 800 hrs on it.) The other two (a BX2230 and a another BX2200) developed the disease at lower hours and new seals were put in them in two other states -- VA and LA.

I cannot say that I am sold on the truth of the claim by the service rep (First post in this thread, years ago) that a supplier insufficiently honed the interior of the cylinder which causes these issues. At that time it was said there was a service bulletin out on it. It is possible but I say the jury is still out. Many of the machines with the disease were made AFTER the 2002 date of the purported service bulletin and on multiple later versions of the tractor. Something is clearly not right but I'm not sure what.

My first pure speculation GUESS (engineers do that you know) is that the side loads on this little cylinder are above normal due to the inherent design of the machine. To my knowledge most steering cylinders on tractors of all sizes and varieties keep the steering cylinder forces co-linear with the body of the cylinder and not at any angle, worse yet an angle that changes slightly with the steering movement. I need to go re-look at mine but memory says that is the case. If so, I'mguessing that is the root of the problem. Further, that the same design is inherent with all the machines having the issue and that it is impossible for Kubota to go back and change them.

Regardless of the reason, this is obviously a COMMON DISEASE on the little BX machines, maybe even others mentioned.

Im not sure of the problem source, whether cylinder finish or oring choice. The cyl rods going through their guides and seals on each end of the cyl hold the piston centered in the bore and isolate it from any side loads, so it has to be a simple rubber against metal wear issue.

I have never had to replace the rod seals or guides on my BX1500 but have replaced the oring on the piston several times. Initially I used rings from a cheap kit I have, and over the course of subsequent replacements tried orings from the kit having a slightly greater ID than the OEM ring. The latter lasted a little longer than the OEM ID ring. - - I then ordered that size oring from McMaster Carr and installed it in May 2014. It is still working optimally with more hours than any prior ring. I am encouraged. ... better rubber maybe?

It may be that all BX tractors use the same size ring. The one Im using is 3mm gland width and 35mm ID. It is McMaster Carr item #9262K293 ; ~ $7.50 for a pack of 25. Id be glad to send somebody one to try.

 

[Intolerantrwj]

Judging by the Replies/Complaints, I'm sure Kubota knows of the issue ... Replacement Parts sales and/or Dealer Repairs alone tells that story.

Obviously Kubota doesn't care about their reputation or they would have addressed the problem, even for those who purchased 2nd hand ... Pro-Rated pricing on parts/repair would have satisfied most folks.

My answer was to go Green, but I'm sure that will have it's issues as well, as it seems ' The Good 'ol Days are Gone ', most companies just don't care.

 

[skipperbrown]

Mine went bad at about 300 hrs. I rebuilt it and had some issues as I didn't have the right tools. It took me about 5 hours and I got hosed with hydraulic oil in the face when I pushed the rod (that little cylinder holds more than you think). Rookie error. At 800 hrs it went out again and I was busy so I just bought a new one, about $150. It only took about 45 min to replace it. I think you can extend the life of these cylinders by using a proper counterweight when using the FEL which I sometimes don't do.