EXPENSIVE TG1860 HST Problem at 107 hours!!!

oly · Nov 7, 2006

According to the dealer service rep., the pulleys are not slipping on the shafts. They removed the pulleys and said that there was no sign of wear on the shafts like you would expect to see if the pulley was slipping.

oly · Nov 7, 2006

This is the lateset from the dealer:

Kubota will discount the cost of the replacement HST by $500 because of the low time on the tractor. The dealer will discount the labor cost from $60 per hour to $50 per hour. So total cost including pickup and delivery will be $1350. There will be a 90 Warranty on the parts.

The dealer said that Kubota had not discovered any problems with the TG1860 HST (they are talking about problems with the HST in general; Kubota has not seen my particular HST). So the replacement HST will be the same as failed HST.

I told the dealer that the whole problem was unacceptable and they agreed but said that this was the best deal that Kubota and they would give. The dealer owner said that this is the first time that he has seen a problem with the TG1860 HST. He comes across as a truthful guy but who knows.

My wife is ready to push the Kubota off a cliff with me on it. She wanted to pay a service to take care of the grass and snow instead of buying an ~$8000 tractor. She has a point.

Wyatts dad · Mar 31, 2012

This may be too late for you, but maybe not for somebody else, our local dealer seems to have issues with turnover of help and so with that quality of advice and service. I ended up sending a fairly sharp email about it and the service guy from Kubota痴 head office in Georgia called me after a few days, his name is Dennis, very knowledgeable and helpful, i was concerned that i was advised to put New Holland hydraulic in my HST instead of what the manual said 20w-50w MO, Dennis said for starters that would have ruined my HST, he also described the process for service since it is omitted from the owner痴 manual, no reference at all, mine was bought in 2002, Dennis said to drain fluid, clean screen, use minimal sealer on plate to make sure NONE gets inside, he said to let is set before adding fluid to cure for same reason, I have been advised by a machinist friend that the proper sealer would be (locktite anaerobic) it stays sticky if left on a surface, but cures quickly when torqued between two surfaces, so long as the surfaces meet good, use very very little of this product or whatever you choose, Dennis said to fill by making a dipstick and marking it so you can make sure the proper level is attained, it should be 10mm below the bottom of the fill hole found behind the left rear tire on top of the pumpkin, he went on to say once ready, you must leave machine with wheels elevated!!!!!!, start machine, let idle for a few minutes, this allows the machine to get air worked out, at that point cycle gently forward and backward several times until reaction time seems normal, if machine is left on the ground you have caused a lot of trouble, maybe you will get lucky and can raise it go thru the process and correct the air infiltration in the pump system, from what I gather, a total rebuild should be fairly easy, it is not really a transmission at all, it is a pump serving opposing cylinders working much like a 2 cylinder engine causing the tractor to move, that just cannot be that complicated to rebuild. Internal combustion without the internal combustion, if Dennis happens to read this thanks. Donny

pokeyquick · Apr 18, 2016

I had the same problem mine got to the point that it would not pull up the slightest hill, so I went into it and took out the center case, some people would call it the valve body, but anyway I'm a machinist by trade and I took the center case to work and resurfaced the mating surfaces on the center case and the spring loaded pumps or motor and pump, if those surfaces get scratched they will lose pressure and the tranny will stop pulling or pull slow. I just put it back together Sunday and tried it. It started out slow like it wasn't getting enough pressure, but I then bled the air from the pump by using the bypass valve and pressing forward then reverse several times. The tranny started pulling and doing better. As of now the tranny is pulling very strong. I also filled mine to the top, the book says 3.7 quarts, but I put 4.5 in mine 20W-50 motor oil and it works fine. The more I drive it the stronger it seems to get. When I broke it down I noticed that the parts I machined where ground, but I used an endmill and resurfaced mine like that. I believe that's why it痴 getting stronger the more I run it. There is a difference in machining parts and grinding parts. Grinding seems to mate the surfaces better, but anyway machining the parts seems to work. If you need this job done give me a call my name is Maurice 910-384-4282. I think I can do it for you for $75.00 if you take the part out and send it to me. Call me and leave a message I will call you back and make sure you say it's about these Kubota hydro trannies.