Dealer hasn't worked out very well

[fredhargis]

That is definitely not the way the BH fits! If the holes don't fit for the 3pt bar then that is wrong. Got any pics?


As far as Kubota, the dealers are privately owned so the factory may not have as much pull as you would think. The dealer may be ticked that you went to them in the first place.

Point 1: I'll try to attach a pic...
Point 2: My fear exactly...I realize this is an independent business, and I have little doubt that I am being viewed as a PIA!.

PS, I'm not sure how to post a pic, so here's a link to it. The lower 1" or so of the hole was what came with the part, the upper opening was the mod my dealer did to make it work...that's the pivot pin sticking out to show how far off it was.

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii280/Fredhargis/holealign1.jpg

If it doesn't feel safe to you and are afraid to use the item because you are concerned you might hurt yourself with potentailly incorrectely installed equipment, say so in an email.
Get someone to repsond in an email. Get the dealer to communnicate via email that it is the right part and correctly installed. Document and refer to documents and emails for a paper trail.
People don't like these broad liability situations these days. If it is the wrong part, Kubota would have issues with the dealer for various reasons.

sixdogs, I don't see this as a safety issue and the pic I linked, along with several others, were sent to Kubota regional and corp offices. I still have not had a contact from a Kubota rep, though I continue to chase down my options. I do have an e-mail response, as well as a hard copy letter promising me a fix; but that hasn't happened. One more time: thanks to everybody for your input....I find it all of value.
My last contact with anyone was 1 weeks ago today, the dealer left me a message that a new frame was coming, I'll stop in today to see if it''s here. For the record I've had that message from him (new frame on the way) about 7-8 times in the past.....only to be told later that the new one would be exactly like the one I have (???), so they didn't get one.

 

[Grandad4]

Fred, if the backhoe is so hard to install that you must monkey around with it and if it's wedged in so tight the tractor actually lifts off the ground before the hoe detaches... well that's absolutely a safety issue in my book! There is the potential for a part to slip or snap, and be sent flying. Or, the operator may have his hands in the wrong place when it finally moves. And, how do we know the fit isn't so tight it's putting stress on the tractor frame and may cause it to weaken and fail?

I agree with Donn and Sixdogs. On your last and final attempt to work with the dealer, tell him you regard this as a safety issue! It's a sad reflection on our society that someone would have to point this out.

One other thought. There is a website called Tractorsmart.com where you can download the parts manuals for Kubota equipment. Check to see if the parts list for the BH65 is available. If so, download it and get the part number(s) for the bracket mounts on your tractor. See if you can find a part number on the brackets they put on your tractor, or any packing lists, receipts, etc. they may have given you.

While you are at it, see if you can download the parts list for a BH77, a similar new design that goes on the B3300 and maybe some other models. Are the BH65 brackets the same as or different from the ones for the BH77? They sure look the same in the Kub website pictures. If the part numbers are different, maybe you've got the wrong ones!

 

[sixdogs]

My experience with Kubota parts books is they use generic-looking sketches at times that may not resemble the actual part.
We need actual photos here of someone that knows the one they have is correct for comparison.
Shouldn't be all that hard.

 

[fredhargis]

Are the BH65 brackets the same as or different from the ones for the BH77? They sure look the same in the Kub website pictures. If the part numbers are different, maybe you've got the wrong ones!

I'll have to try and see...but I'm now guessing I do have the wrong brackets. Whether they are for a BH77 (different hoe) or a B2320 (different tractor) is anybody's guess. I just stopped by the dealer this morning. According to him, Kubota is laying this off on him apparently insisting these are the correct parts. He's claiming that everybody is making the same mods he did. Something I'm not believing. I would like to see a similar photo of another 2920/BH65 combo.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I'll have to try and see...but I'm now guessing I do have the wrong brackets. Whether they are for a BH77 (different hoe) or a B2320 (different tractor) is anybody's guess. I just stopped by the dealer this morning. According to him, Kubota is laying this off on him apparently insisting these are the correct parts. He's claiming that everybody is making the same mods he did. Something I'm not believing. I would like to see a similar photo of another 2920/BH65 combo.

Insist the Kubota Regional Rep (I think the Regioonal Rep goes around their region on a regular basis) look at your machine. If he says it's right then trade machines.

 

[donn12]

Fred - I am almost positive that mine is not like that. If the holes for the bar were not symmetrical I would have noticed it. I will try to take some pics on Thursday afternoon. Maybe its the right unit but they screwed it up when they put it on? I think you should look into taking it to another dealer for an estimate to repair (in writing).

 

[fredhargis]

Fred - I am almost positive that mine is not like that. If the holes for the bar were not symmetrical I would have noticed it. I will try to take some pics on Thursday afternoon.

Thanks, much appreciated. I struck out looking for part numbers on tractorsmart, they didn't have BH's listed. But my dealer now says he will have a new frame (maybe Friday) and they will compare it to the existing one to see if it's different.

 

[Grandad4]

Fred, another thought occurred to me about your situation. If the backhoe is off the machine, you should be able to take some precise measurements of the parts that are binding up (is it at the upper pin or the lower pin or both?). I would expect the tractor brackets would give you maybe 1/16" clearance wider than what goes in between them on the backhoe. It sounds like the bracket dimension is actually less... it's too narrow by some amount... causing the binding. Exactly how much off is it? 1/8"? 1/4"? 1/2"? There should be a nominal dimension and a tolerance that someone at Kubota should be able to provide for the backhoe mounts.

As for those 3pt clearance holes... looks like they were mis-drilled about 1/2". That might be significant or maybe not. That tractor is not a Lexus (even though it costs almost as much!) and with construction/agricultural equipment, sometimes clearance openings (something that is just a pass-through for a component precisely attached at another point) aren't very pretty. Maybe I'm all wet about this, but I think the bigger issue is that the backhoe won't go on or off correctly.

 

[fredhargis]

Fred, another thought occurred to me about your situation. Exactly how much off is it? 1/8"? 1/4"? 1/2"? There should be a nominal dimension and a tolerance that someone at Kubota should be able to provide for the backhoe mounts.

As for those 3pt clearance holes... looks like they were mis-drilled about 1/2". That might be significant or maybe not. That tractor is not a Lexus (even though it costs almost as much!) and with construction/agricultural equipment, sometimes clearance openings (something that is just a pass-through for a component precisely attached at another point) aren't very pretty. Maybe I'm all wet about this, but I think the bigger issue is that the backhoe won't go on or off correctly.

Well, at the moment, the issue is the hoe won't come off (easily)...when the dealer enlarged the holes he solved that problem. I have measured the difference, it's at the drop in hooks (in the pic) where it's too tight, and the hools are just a little closer together than the back hoe is wide: as best as I can measure about 1/32". You would think the BH owner's manual would give you any alignment specs for the frame, but it doesn't. That info must be safely tucked away in some dealer shop book. My complaint about the holes is that I believe it demonstrates that I have a mismatched set of parts.

 

[Kyle241]

Fred,

This is definitely wrong. There is no way a BH needs the hole expanded to make it fit. I agree with the other post that IF the parts are all correct for your model tractor, then when the BH was installed, something went wrong. It's also very wrong of Kubota to make the statement of "stay in contact with your dealer" - that's BS. They need to take some responsibility as they approve dealers and cannot just shrug things off. They need to work with the dealer to make this correct so that you, the customer, get what you initially requested and paid for.

I'm just plain mad for you! I hope someone, dealer or Kubota steps up and realizes a mistake happened and fixes it ASAP.