Checking fluids on a new tractor is no joke!

[poldies4]

I thought it could't happen..after my brand new tractor showed up with the loader that I didn't order (see thread BX1860 with LA243 loader?). Finally after a few weeks I felt ok about it. Next, last week I noticed a small hydro leak where the quick connect couplers are. Called the dealer, he sent a mechanic over and took care of it. Well it didn't leak again until I used it, ARGHHH!!!!! On wednesday they came and took my two week old tractor to the tractor hospital, a sad moment for any new tractor owner. We are only at about 9 hrs at this point. Happy day, thursday they return the tractor, in the snowy rain, and leave it curbside for me to find when I get home from work. It rained and snowed all day that day. This saturday I went to a local rental store and rented a york rake to clean/flatten my long horse shoe shaped dive. First time I'd used a three point, it was a lot of fun until....I read a thread that spoke of fluids not being there from the factory,dealer or wherever these machines get prepped. Engine oil, good shape, transmission case, looks good, front axle case, nothing....uh oh, I put the plug in again it comes out dry. Now I'm concerened, I wiggle my pinky into the hole probably 2 to 2 1/2 inches, it comes out dry. I've now got 11 hrs on apparently an at best underfilled front axle. Should I be this angry? I bought this tractor locally to do what I felt was the right thing. Now I'm frustrated and livid with my dealer. Sorry this is so long, but I'll now get to my questions in the hope someone would be willing to talk me off the edge.

1. How upset should I be with my local dealership? I spent a LOT of money on this unit, and in two or three weeks have had issues.

2. Should I go to tractor supply and purchase my own oil fill that puppy up and just use a different dealer? The place I bought is only 6 miles from my house, next closest is an hour drive.

3. How concerned should I be about the low/lack of fluid for the 11hrs on the brand new machine? I haven't worked it that hard, but it's been used.

4. Presumably I should drain any fluid that may be in there, and replace all?

thanks for being willing to read this, I know it's long but i'm FRUSTRATED and feel like ar least here i'll get honest answers, the dealers seem to always say don't worry it's no big deal. I haven't spoken to the dealer yet, I'm trying to get my ducks in a row first. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. This is my first real tractor, and it's been a little dis-satisfying. Maybe I should have bought the green one??????????

 

[JJT]

Go to your dealer and explain the issue, he'll give you the fluid for the front axle. I bet he'll even throw in the 50 hour service for free. I'd pull the drain plugs to see if it's totally dry. I'd also send an email to Kubota, getting the issue documented.

Upsetting, yes, end of the world, no.

I've purchased new Honda's that were not prepped right......

 

[BotaBX24er]

Been there with you with all that frustration:
1) hydraulic lines leaked after 3 months and had to take it back to them twice. Lost almost two months of tractor time.
2) transmission issues that also lost another month of tractor time.
3) HST fan taken out by a twig (another 2 weeks gone)
4) FEL controller assembly broken (another 2 weeks)

But even after all that frustration, I still have mine. The same things can also happen with Green and you may be saying "should have I gone orange?" Except for the HST fan being covered under the KTAC insurance, Kubota covered all other repairs and the dealer providing the trailering.

As long as the dealer is willing to work through the issues with you (that's probably one of the reasons why you bought locally also because it's close to you), thing will eventually smooth itself out. Just tell the dealer about the low fluid level in the axle and they will probably give it to you.

 

[Baby Grand]

Welcome to the future. Often, it seems if you want something done right you have to read up on it and then do it yourself. I'd plan to spend a few evenings with your owner's manual and workshop manual (if you don't own one, then get one) and really get to know your machine. Study the maintenance schedule and all the consumables, then go out and check everything else on your machine. Also, pay lots of attention to the parts about stability and ballast.

JJT gave you some very good advice - tell your dealer what you found. They need to know and make sure it doesn't happen again. I'd suggest you go there in person and gage their response - but only after you have calmed down enough to do it with a poker face. If they show real surprise and alarm, that's a good sign. If the response is disinterested or dismissive, then think about finding a new service provider. His point about telling Kubota Corporation what you experienced is right-on, too - CYA.

If you haven't really loaded up the machine then you probably haven't damaged anything. It's unfortunate that your first few hours had some rough spots - hope it all gets better for you.

-Jim

 

[bp fick]

Yes, sometimes things are not checked. During the delivery, my guy went over all the stuff with me, even had a check list that I assume is a standard Kubota thing. That should have been done in front of you. OOOps!!

The loose hydraulic stuff can be a pain. Mine had a hydro line leak at the trans, which I finally found myself and tightened. Quieted down the screaming HST quite a bit. Should have been found at assembly or at dealer check? Yes sir.

As for the front axle, in the unlikely event that axle is dead empty, I'd document it all for future warranty concerns. In the event that it is merely down a wee bit, and it doesn't take all that much to fall below the pinky test, I'd fill it up. Yes, get a quart of sudt from your dealer and top it off. If that quart doesn't fill it, then you will know it was too far below level to have been delivered, checked off as OK, and too low to have been used. The 1860 front axle only holds around 3 quarts or less. I'd estimate that a quart would suffice in minimal protection for it. Let us know how this all turns out.

Yes, pull the drain plugs and see what if anything comes out. One on each side. There are also vent plug above to release the air lock on each side. This is the likely cause of under filling in the first place. You cannot get an accurate fill without removing the vent caps.

Frankly, if it were mine, and I did indeed do this as per the dealers instruction, I drained out that sudt anyhow, and re-filled the axle with 75w-90 semi-syn axle fluid at 3 hours anyhow.

 

[bp fick]

Oh, and yes, I also documented my issues with Kubota, covering c.c. them all email to my dealer. I don't think this made my dealer happy, but I honestly didn't care if it did or did not.

 

[bp fick]

Messick's have the best 50 hour service demo in the world. Here's snapshot of the pertinent issue.

 

[TripleR]

It's the dealer's fault when a machine is not prepped right, not the manufacturer' green, red, blue won't make any difference.

 

[poldies4]

That's true, the color thing, green etc...I will go to the dealership monday, and as far as the poker face is concerned I guess i'm not angry, frustrated yes, dissapointed yes, angry not really. I did buy locally for the service etc., as well as trying to spend money in the town I live in. As a small business owner I try to always do that, even if it's a couple extra dollars. I'm real green as far as the verbage of certain things, and have read all my manuals cover to cover numerous times. This purchase was four years of research, and saving pennies so perhaps it's a little emotional? I failed to check the fluid assuming the dealer/mechanic had done it. This, unfortunatley was my
fault. Thanks again for all your responses and advice. I guess i'm stuck between wanting something from the dealer, something for nothing is not my normal personality, or going to by the good stuff, doing it myself and moving on? Probably I should go with the general concensus from the people who are much more knowledgable than I, all of you.....thanks


I did check my delivery manifest, it checked off for the front axle case. Guess they checked the paper but not the tractor.

 

[BigD23]

If you have documented your findings, dates/hours on machine, I would think you'd have no problem with dealer corrections...Good luck.

Don

 

[taborekle]

If you have documented your findings, dates/hours on machine, I would think you'd have no problem with dealer corrections...Good luck.

Don

I totally agree with those that suggest that you document it in writing. A complaint to the dealer is not enough. You need to have it down in paper (Certified mail, request signature). If this causes problems several years down the road (if not within the warranty then under the insurance period) and it's not documented, Kubota will deny the claim, as -abuse-.

Good luck, we're all pulling for you.

 

[poldies4]

As far as documenting goes, well, I guess i'm not sure what the path might be. Should I e-mail Kubota? I know all e-mails get redirected to the local rep. I went throught this with my question to them regarding the initial issue with the loader. I don't want to stir the pot, so as I sit here and look at this beautiful sunny day, and the reality of no tractor i'm feeling like driving to Tractor Supply and buying some fluid, filling it up and dealing with the dealer monday. What do you guys think? Good idea, or bad idea? Does it obsolve the dealer of any responsibility if I touch it, or does he need to see physically that it is underfilled? I hope. I haven't drained, or done anything since I did the finger test. Thanks again for the interest and information.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

My understanding is the tractors are shipped with fluids and topped off at dealers. Looks like yours wasn't topped off at dealer but probably has enough to not cause damage. Have dealer give you a quart of SUDT to top off front and transmission if it needs it.

 

[Spencer C]

Your tractor arrived at the dealer in a steel crate, and they handled final assembly there. Rarely, if ever, are the fluids filled properly from the factory. It's the responsibility of the dealer to re-torque critical bolts, tighten fittings, check fluids and top them off where necessary. A good assembly guy (or gal!) will find potential problems ahead of time and make pre-retail warranty claims before the tractor hits the showroom.

The best recourse for a complaint is going first to the big boss at the dealership, then calling Kubota customer service if necessary. The Kubota customer service department takes complaints VERY seriously. In most cases, the regional service rep will contact you directly and ensure that you're properly taken care of. Good luck with it all!

-Spencer

 

[poldies4]

Thanks JOHNTHOMAS, seems like the simple solution. I did an additional "finger check" and found there was fluid low in the case. Middle finger covered with 3/4 " of fluid when on the bottom of the case. Whew!!! Glad it wasn't dry. As far as potential future problems, should that not really be a concern or should it be documented as others have suggested? Would rather not make a mountain out of a molehill. It's a small town community, people know everyone, at least by name, so i'd rather try to befriend the dealer rather than alienate them. Thanks again.....

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Thanks JOHNTHOMAS, seems like the simple solution. I did an additional "finger check" and found there was fluid low in the case. Middle finger covered with 3/4 " of fluid when on the bottom of the case. Whew!!! Glad it wasn't dry. As far as potential future problems, should that not really be a concern or should it be documented as others have suggested? Would rather not make a mountain out of a molehill. It's a small town community, people know everyone, at least by name, so i'd rather try to befriend the dealer rather than alienate them. Thanks again.....

The not topped up happens. It happened to me and I didn't discover it until months later but I'm not concerned and never even told the dealer. I had asked if the factory or dealer did the filling and Gary (parts man) told me the factory filled them and the dealer topped them. My transmission was slightly low and he had given me a quart of SUDT to top it off so I still had it to fill the front. I've found that coming in like a raging bull usually causes more resistance than asking questions without an attitude. Now I can develop an attitude when treated like I'm stupid but I try to save that until diplomatic relations fail.

 

[poldies4]

I agree, glad I vented a little here, rather than at the dealer. I'll assume everything is fine until it's not.

 

[brain55]

Having worked in Kubota dealers for 12 years, I took machine assembly very seriously. My first boss pounded that into my head. Nothing would piss him off more than delivering a machine and something not being right. He taught me to anti-sieze the turn buckles for the lower link arms, I also spray lubed the pivot balls so when he showed the customer how to hook up an implement he knew the turnbuckles would turn and it would be easier for him and the client. He also taught me about putting the nuts and lockwashers on the outside of any assembly that was through bolted, so while doing a visual inspection whoever was doing it could notice a fastener that was loosening up. Kubota uses USS washers on dealer installed items, for standard or metric bolts, I always threw them away and used SAE or metric washers approprietly. I also locktited any wheel studs, nothing worse than having to take a wheel off and the stud coming out wiith the nut. I always used a torque wrench on any ROPS bolts, not only for the customer's safety but to also reduce our liability if something happened. The last dealer I worked for always removed any fill plugs, check plugs, and dipsticks, and painted them red. Not only did it help the customer find them, it was also our way of making sure those fluid were checked. Sure all of these things added to set up time, but eliminated many of this type of issue. Most of the time when I'm out in the field now, I can still tell if I was the one that assembled a machine by many of the things I listed above.

Brian

 

[rdsaustintx]

Leaking fittings and low axle lube are common annoyances. I had both too.

Not saying they couldn't do better, but don't take it too personally.

 

[bp fick]

If you found fluid in that axle, way down deep, you are only low a little bit, believe me. I own this model. You dealer simply failed to top it off, OR and this is important, there was some air in the axle. In other words, you can top off that axle, only to check it in a week, still fine, check it in another week and find it a pint low. Nature of the beast.

When you do your own fluid changes in that axle, you will have to top it off, use it, check it again too. I am so glad for you that you found oil down in there. The odds of you having harmed that axle is slim to none. The way it is designed, the bulk of the fluid fills the bottoms on both sides.

Bet you feel a whole lot better.

You will come to check ALL the fluids with some sense of habit. I do. Mostly out of admiration and appreciation of the machine. As you stand there, wanting to take it out and use it, but you cannot for some reason, instead, you check fluids.