DK55 Front differential lockup

[SPYDERLK]

New gears all around is not definitive. Were they the differential gears or the wheel gears? What do the old gears look like?If you paid for the repair they should give you the old parts.
larry

 

[Coyote machine]

You should have checked the fluid before it went to the shop. You'll never know now, unfortunately. I totally disagree with the 4wd assessment. The DK-55 is a strong tractor; I would use it as you would any other and not baby it. JMHO.

 

[seacap04]

I agree with CM. Very few issues with DK55 series

 

[BethelHntr]

Got my DK55 back with new gears all around in front end. The mechanic suggested that the front end gearing is not strong enough for the hp of the tractor. He said not to run 4wd unless necessary and the take it out asap. I wonder if there is a heavy duty frontend that can be used on that tractor? I'll just have to baby it and see what happens. I still think there was no gear oil in the frontend, but I could never find out after it was in the shop.

If it were me I'd drop the front gear oil and check for metal shavings and if needed pull the front drive line to isolate the issue by process of elimination.

 

[Coyote machine]

I read again what the mechanic said about not using 4wd and to take it out of 4wd asap. Ridiculous! Either he is an idiot, or they are covering up something that went wrong on their watch, or both. I'd talk to the dealer's service manager and get to the bottom of this steaming pile. I have a buddy who bought a used DK-55 and shipped it x-country to his farm. He had a few issues to resolve, but no drivetrain problems whatsoever.Post back what they replaced and what you find out.

 

[KiotiDave]

Hey all,
In the mid-2000s Kioti had a service bulletin and a free fix for different DK55 model years. After that campaign they thought it was fixed with the heavier bearings and new gears. It did not work. The vertical shaft in the final drive needs another bearing for support. Believe it or not the 15 inch shaft actually bends and moves the engagement of the gears to the very edges which makes them chip. Once one chips it takes out the rest of the gears and or locks up.
The only successful fix we had(after rebuilding 4 times) was to install the NEW DESIGNED front final drive with the third bearing on that vertical shaft. This customer is now over a year without a problem.
So, once again Kioti will not volunteer this info and your dealer probably doesn't know about the upgrade. If you have a front drive go on a DK55 you should insist on this fix for a flawed design. When I owned my dealership we changed a great number of these and even changed the specs on shimming the gears to try to keep them engaged.
If you purchased a 4WD tractor you should be able to use the 4WD and not have a dealer tell you to take it out of 4WD to keep it from breaking again. The only time not to use 4WD is on pavement or a surface that will not allow one of the tires to slip a little.
Dave G.

 

[Coyote machine]

Good info Dave! Thanks for posting it for all to see.:thumbsup:

 

[ritcheyvs]

Hey KiotiDave,

Do you have any similar "lessons learned" applicable to a DK45S (2006 vintage). Mine has the new-style stop solenoid on the front of the engine block but the back end is the old style with a planetary final drive. Thanks for any insights you may care to share.

 

[KiotiDave]

Ritcheyvs,
Sorry, that is one tractor I was sorry to see go. It was big, heavy and strong with the only weakness being the self-leveling loader.
I would love to see that tractor with today's Korean loader on it.
It sounds like you got your tractor when they were changing to the new style fuel shut off...first thing to check with these problems is corrosion in all electrical plugs.
This problem can cause some crazy breakdowns and behavior on your tractor.
The 45S was a great tractor.
KiotiDave

 

[ritcheyvs]

KiotiDave, Thanks for the reassuring words. I had planned to buy a much smaller, new MF back in 2009 when I saw this 3-year old DK45S with 275 hours at a local Kioti dealer (who later went out of the tractor business). This dealer was the original selling dealer who also did all prior maintenance so I know all the scheduled stuff was done. I've been very happy with this machine. I keep it under cover now but I'll be alert for possible corrosion issues. The only problem to date was a dirty key switch (wouldn't start) that responded to DIY disassembly, cleaning, and lube. While trying to help sherrym with her IP problem (she has same model) I discovered that the stop solenoid was like the Aussie EX model and quite different from the paper DK451 service manual. The dealer I bought from praised this model too, but then he had a dog in the hunt. So I value your input.

Could you expand on the concern with the self-leveling loader? I suspect it is not as strong as the new ones but I'be had no trouble so far.