Cracked Bell-Housing AFTER NH Tranny Fix

spencer200 · Apr 23, 2002

Steve I hope you did not think I was suggesting you had done this...I was not..since I was asked I was just explaining what I had been told. Keep /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif I am sure your dealer will take care of you.

wihakowiSteve · Apr 24, 2002

Hey Spencer, that brings up a question/thought I've had for some time that perhaps folks have an opinion, or even facts, on!

I have noted for some time that recycled fibre products, especially cardboard and particularly imported cardboard is a lot weaker than "virgin" product. I have been told that this is because each generation of recycling shortens the available fibres and thus makes the end product inherently weaker because it has less "linkage" available within its structure.

Now, I've been told that our Toyotas' frames and engines are recycled old Plymouth and Desotas and our Hyundais are old Datsuns and Yugos. Could it be possible that the parts in new NH's (from primarily non iron ore generating locations) could be recycled metal and cast? Is there any way (as in the fibre example) that this end product could be weaker than its predecesors because of not being"virgin" metal?

Just one of those weird thoughts that creeps in while worrying about big blue!
Thanks for being here,
Steve

tgello · Apr 24, 2002

when out shopping for a tractor and looking for that rock bottom price, you may want to think about why one dealer can low ball another. some dealers maintain a A1 set up with trained staff and parts in stock while joe low ball is selling out of his pappy's tool shed and may not even be there tomorrow. don't get me wrong, not all small dealers are like that but running a top notch dealer takes alot of effort from the wallet if you know what i mean....tgello.....just a thought

EdKing · Apr 24, 2002

<font color=blue>end product could be weaker than its predecesors because of not being"virgin" metal?</font color=blue>

As long as the process used for melting and casting the steel is good, the metal should be the same strength, or even stronger, as more of the impurities should be removed by the process. The reason the paper products get worse is the strength is derived from the wood fibers. As you reuse the paper, the bonds between the fibers get weaker with each reuse. With metal the strength of the bonds remains the same. If not using virgin metal made it weaker, welding would not work. You would need to cast everything in one piece, and bolt everything together. A properly done weld can actually be stronger than the peices of metal being joined.

wihakowiSteve · Apr 25, 2002

Thursday morning update - Spoke with the service mgr, he is still waiting to hear from New Holland. These are his comments ---
Tractor is out of warranty and he made it clear that it MAY NOT be covered by NH.
Bell housing part is $830 but that if I had to eat it they would obviously not charge me list.
His guy has gotten "really fast" at changing them over partially due to the recall - although later said that they had only done a handful.
He wasn't surprised that there was no rust at all and that the crack looked new - said that although there was no fluid leaking, there was oil in that area which would keep the rust out (IMHO not a true statement).
He had already ordered the part assuming it has to be done regardless.

I asked about how long the part would take and he said he thought about a week, just to get there. Upon hearing my moan, he asked if I had a real need for the tractor for that time. He asked if I wanted them to bring it back out for me. We chatted for a while about what kinds of things I would be doing with it (grading/raking, minor FEL use) and he said he thought it would be fine!
We also chatted for a while about how surprised he was that NH initiated the recall in the first place inthat he had heard of very few folks who really had a problem with the tranny problem and that it was a pretty major fix that was self-mandated. This talk was kind of precipitated by his mentioning that they (that dealership) were "actually making money on the recalls since they had gotten so fast at doing them".

After the whole conversation, this thing is beginning to feel "weird" to me. What is he waiting to hear from NH about (Spencer?)? If not from the recall fix, what caused the new crack(s) - no rust & no oil anywhere around it, the frame still shop clean from the fix in November? Could doing these fast enough to "make money" on the recall payment from NH lead to shortcuts or other problems? Why would he not be hesitant to send it back out to work?

Anyway the tractor is coming home today and I guess I will use it with great care and crawl under it every couple of minutes to check the crack(s) for spreading!
Any last minute thoughts or pronouncements of craziness out there?

Sorry for the length of this and thanks for listening - I guess I'm a little sesitive because my very tractor sympathetic wife's first comment was "were not spending $800 or $1000 more on the tractor! Consider that the bell housing costs over $800 - over 5% of the total cost of the rig and you can see why I'm feeling strange!!

Steve (moaning again)

spencer200 · Apr 25, 2002

Question why this is not under warranty All BOOMER tractors have a 3 year power train warranty! This Part is considered part of the power train as far as we our concerned at our dealership. We get them covered that way. Take your operators manual look toward the back cover there should be a telephone number for you to call New Holland directly put a bug in there ear about your dissatisfaction. There customer service will open a service issue and contact the district service manager for your area, who needs to respond in a short period of time to keep the office types happy. I expect that he will contact your dealer to get the scoup and things will move along a lot faster. The week long order period is because the dealer is placing this item on his stock order to avoid freight charges. You might also discuss this with the customer service people at New Holland and tell them you need your tractor back sooner than that, and you would like them to cover the freight cost to get this item in promptly. Always remember when it comes to New Holland the squeeky wheel gets the grease. Call the customer service line everyday for an update until you get some service.

wihakowiSteve · Apr 25, 2002

Spencer or anyone, what is the status re: warranty coverage and change of ownership? I have assumed that the warranty went/came with the tractor when I bought it. Is this so? One of the reasons I assumed the warranty came with the machine was because the dealer covered some things when I first got it.
Also, where do I find the info re: three year powertrain warranty, I only find emissions warranty info in my owners book.
Tractor bought new 2/2000
I bought from original owner 1/2001
Tranny work (warranty or recall or same thing?) done 11&12/2001

Thanks, Steve

spencer200 · Apr 25, 2002

The dealer has been filing warranties on the original owner. He should have transfered the warranty to you when you bought the tractor. New Holland does this for a 50.00 fee. If this tractor was sold new in 2000 it still has the balance of the power train warranty. The problem will be that you are not original owner and the warranty was not transfered to you. I would get on the phone with New Holland and start the process now about this being a customer satisfaction issue. if you need the phone number let me know I will get it for you. Now that I know the history it will be harder to get this problem addressed but they should still be willing to help you. Start with the customer assistance people like I said before. They tend to listen more to complaints from end users than the dealers business office does from the dealer. We got them to buy a housing like that for a customer of ours on a 1530 boomer that had 2800 hours on it so they will do it if you push hard enough. They may not pay for the labor but they will cover part cost. The labor issue you could address with your dealer. He should be willing to at least split this with you if New Holland is willing to cover the parts. Anyways, There is lots that can be done in this situtation to help so push hard.

tgello · Apr 25, 2002

steve, i looked in my owners manual and the info to contact nh is..new holland,200 commerce st.,pobox 527 ,mountville,pa 17554-0527 (717)285-8350 this office covers the following states,ct,de,in,ma,md,me,mi,nh,nj,ny,oh,pa,ri,vt,wv. it also lists another adress-if you need further assistance contact: service dept.,mail station 500,new holland north america,inc. new holland, pa 17557....good luck....tgello