GST 4330 - Noise in rear end

Mike_VT · Jun 2, 2006

Just took delivery of a new gst 4330, only 1 hr. While driving I thought the rear end gears sounded loud or whinny. Louder than the engine. This was especially true when shifting into high gears and when letting off the gas. There did not seem to be the whinning in low gears.

Also there was one occasion when I shifted and the transmission read out gear #7 on the panel , but was actually in neutral as the tractor would not move.

Is the noise level normal? and has anyone ever experienced the neutral issue? Any help would be appreciated.

Mike_VT · Jun 2, 2006

Just took delivery of a new gst 4330, only 1 hr. While driving I thought the rear end gears sounded loud or whinny. Louder than the engine. This was especially true when shifting into high gears and when letting off the gas. There did not seem to be the whinning in low gears.

Also there was one occasion when I shifted and the transmission read out gear #7 on the panel , but was actually in neutral as the tractor would not move.

Is the noise level normal? and has anyone ever experienced the neutral issue? Any help would be appreciated.

Bob_Young · Jun 3, 2006

I don't think you've got anything to worry about, Mike. Sounds like it's probably just spur gear noise.

The final drive in Kubota CUTS is spur gear. I believe this is true even for the Grand L, although the specs are vague on that point. The big disadvantage of the spur gear design is noise. Other than that, they're simple, rugged, inexpensive and light weight.

U.S. built tractors traditionally had a planetary final drive. Quieter but much more expensive to produce and heavier. If you're used to the old Farmalls and Fords, the first exposure to the noise of spur gear drive can be a shock. After awhile you get used to it.

My L4300 behaves exactly as you described. In the lower 4 gears (I call them the working gears) it's pretty quiet. In the top 4 (travelling gears) it's loud. I guess it could wear on you if a lot of road travel was required.

Keep an eye on your transmission fluid and mention the noise to your Kubota salesman when you bring up the bogus gear indication. I think he'll confirm that "they're all like that" /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
FWIW
Bob

Bob_Young · Jun 3, 2006

I don't think you've got anything to worry about, Mike. Sounds like it's probably just spur gear noise.

The final drive in Kubota CUTS is spur gear. I believe this is true even for the Grand L, although the specs are vague on that point. The big disadvantage of the spur gear design is noise. Other than that, they're simple, rugged, inexpensive and light weight.

U.S. built tractors traditionally had a planetary final drive. Quieter but much more expensive to produce and heavier. If you're used to the old Farmalls and Fords, the first exposure to the noise of spur gear drive can be a shock. After awhile you get used to it.

My L4300 behaves exactly as you described. In the lower 4 gears (I call them the working gears) it's pretty quiet. In the top 4 (travelling gears) it's loud. I guess it could wear on you if a lot of road travel was required.

Keep an eye on your transmission fluid and mention the noise to your Kubota salesman when you bring up the bogus gear indication. I think he'll confirm that "they're all like that" /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
FWIW
Bob

Cargun · Jun 4, 2006

I'm not sure about the noise... but I had a similar experience with a GST I testdrove going into neutral when trying to shift gears. It was much worse than yours, this tractor did it every 3rd shift. As the tractor sat there in "neutral" there was a rhythmic jerking like something was trying to engage. That transmission also shifted very slow, with large pauses between gears and was pretty jerky when they engaged.

Two different people at the dealer gave different excuses (which I take to mean they had no clue why it was doing it). One guy said "They're all like that for the first 2-3 hours of operation. Once the hydraulic valves break in they're fine." The other guy said they had changed something on the tractor (I think he said tires... it's hard to make out exactly what someone is saying when they're chewing on a big plug of tobacco) and hadn't reprogrammed the transmission.

Cargun · Jun 4, 2006

I'm not sure about the noise... but I had a similar experience with a GST I testdrove going into neutral when trying to shift gears. It was much worse than yours, this tractor did it every 3rd shift. As the tractor sat there in "neutral" there was a rhythmic jerking like something was trying to engage. That transmission also shifted very slow, with large pauses between gears and was pretty jerky when they engaged.

Two different people at the dealer gave different excuses (which I take to mean they had no clue why it was doing it). One guy said "They're all like that for the first 2-3 hours of operation. Once the hydraulic valves break in they're fine." The other guy said they had changed something on the tractor (I think he said tires... it's hard to make out exactly what someone is saying when they're chewing on a big plug of tobacco) and hadn't reprogrammed the transmission.