brain55
Veteran Member
Not so much interesting as puzzling. As many know I do mobile equipment repair. I have been working on utilty tractors for 27 years now and spent twelve of those in Kubota dealerships. Anyway, I have a competitor so to speak, that calls me from time to time with problems. He's a nice enough guy and I help him with advice and have even loaned him tools.
A few months ago he called me about a Kubota L3400HST with hydraulic problems. The complaint was erratic and spongy loader and steering operation. My first thought since this tractor piggybacks the main hydraulic pump and the power steering pump with the same suction line that it was sucking air. He shared with me that the suctions lines were also wet. I recommended that he replace the rubber hoses.
A couple weeks ago he called me back to let me know he was giving his client my number that the tractor was still having problems. I went out last week to find all he had done was put a regular hose clamp on one end of the large suction hose connected to the pump. The entire area from the pump down past the filter was coated in hydraulic oil. No wonder it was still having problems.
I called the customer and let him know that I before I did anything to diagnose the problem I was replacing the suction hoses and all of the o-rings on the suction lines. His response was to do whatever it took to make it right.
So yesterday I did just that. I removed the suction lines, filter, and filter housing, and drained the hydraulic oil. I replaced both hoses and all the o-rings. I cleaned everything up and reassembled with fresh hydraulic oil and filter. No more erratic spongy hydraulics. I drove the machine around for 20 mins or so to make sure it still functioned properly once it was up to temperature, which it did.
The puzzling part to me is why didn't the other guy do this. I had even told him what needed to be done, and clearly the customer isn't penny pinching him. I knew what needed to be done from the phone call and certainly when I pulled up to the machine before I even got out of my truck. Granted it wasn't a 5 minute fix, there was some labor involved in removing the step and the steel lines along with cleaning everything up. I may never know why he chose not to do it.
Brian
A few months ago he called me about a Kubota L3400HST with hydraulic problems. The complaint was erratic and spongy loader and steering operation. My first thought since this tractor piggybacks the main hydraulic pump and the power steering pump with the same suction line that it was sucking air. He shared with me that the suctions lines were also wet. I recommended that he replace the rubber hoses.
A couple weeks ago he called me back to let me know he was giving his client my number that the tractor was still having problems. I went out last week to find all he had done was put a regular hose clamp on one end of the large suction hose connected to the pump. The entire area from the pump down past the filter was coated in hydraulic oil. No wonder it was still having problems.
I called the customer and let him know that I before I did anything to diagnose the problem I was replacing the suction hoses and all of the o-rings on the suction lines. His response was to do whatever it took to make it right.
So yesterday I did just that. I removed the suction lines, filter, and filter housing, and drained the hydraulic oil. I replaced both hoses and all the o-rings. I cleaned everything up and reassembled with fresh hydraulic oil and filter. No more erratic spongy hydraulics. I drove the machine around for 20 mins or so to make sure it still functioned properly once it was up to temperature, which it did.
The puzzling part to me is why didn't the other guy do this. I had even told him what needed to be done, and clearly the customer isn't penny pinching him. I knew what needed to be done from the phone call and certainly when I pulled up to the machine before I even got out of my truck. Granted it wasn't a 5 minute fix, there was some labor involved in removing the step and the steel lines along with cleaning everything up. I may never know why he chose not to do it.
Brian
