Is Brian still around?

[s219]

I'd be seriously surprised if 98# is enough to tweak the frame or meaningfully deform the tires of a large heavy tractor. Many other brands have off-center tanks and I have never heard of this being an issue. Easy enough to test though.

How much is it off?

 

[ovrszd]

I'm reluctant to believe the tank theory. 100lbs on the left rear tire isn't going to have much effect.

To test this simply add air pressure to the left rear tire. If you can level your bucket by adding a few lbs of air pressure, less than 5psi, then simply run your tires that way.

Curious to hear the result.

 

[s219]

And why is it a dilemma yet? Has RK stopped answering questions through their listed contacts on their website or through the stores that sell and service their tractors?

Public forums is a poor way to do customer support because it can't be done efficiently, has to put up with trolls, exposes the company to bad publicity when there's a public disagreement between a customer and their public forum service presence, etc... While it might be possible to do a good job with product support in regards to technical questions like parts identification, it's highly likely to not be able to do a good job with issues like warranty questions, repair questions, business dealings questions, etc... in a public forum. It exposes them to too much liability and too much distraction.

The issue I see, and some folks may remember this, is that RK came charging into the forums somewhat like a bull in a china shop. I remember the original RK tractor guy bumping a bunch of threads with links to RK, to the point of being spammy. It wasn't until after TBN management worked with RK that a more reasonable presence was established on the forums. It was pretty good for a while, but declined and from there I think the presence was inconsistent at best.

RK brought all this on themselves if you ask me. You can't attempt to reap the benefits of being on TBN without accepting the challenges, and one of those challenges is establishing a long term stable strategy. RK wouldn't be the first company to dive into social media and then botch it up. Whether it's due to personnel or employment issues, doesn't matter, somebody at RK needs to be responsible for their online presence that they started in the first place.

 

[ovrszd]

The issue I see, and some folks may remember this, is that RK came charging into the forums somewhat like a bull in a china shop. I remember the original RK tractor guy bumping a bunch of threads with links to RK, to the point of being spammy. It wasn't until after TBN management worked with RK that a more reasonable presence was established on the forums. It was pretty good for a while, but declined and from there I think the presence was inconsistent at best.

RK brought all this on themselves if you ask me. You can't attempt to reap the benefits of being on TBN without accepting the challenges, and one of those challenges is establishing a long term stable strategy. RK wouldn't be the first company to dive into social media and then botch it up. Whether it's due to personnel or employment issues, doesn't matter, somebody at RK needs to be responsible for their online presence that they started in the first place.

Well stated. Moss knows all this as a moderator here.

Again, I'll throw Mark of Everlast under the bus. He displays the proper way to manage social media involvement. No flag waving. Just great customer relations and service.

 

[fried1765]

Well stated. Moss knows all this as a moderator here.

Again, I'll throw Mark of Everlast under the bus. He displays the proper way to manage social media involvement. No flag waving. Just great customer relations and service.

Mark has certainly figured it out, and I think most everyone here appreciates what Mark does.

Obviously....not so for the RK folks.
Lots of smoke blowing, and now the smoke is even gone.

 

[jmc]

Hard for me to visualize the tires being that "springy" to compress much under 100 lbs of slightly off-center weight. If that was the case, stepping up into the opposite side of the tractor would be a lot more weight and a lot more off-center and the bucket should tilt the other way. Easy check.

 

[gunny0628]

I haven’t tried it yet but I will. And at least she is giving me something try as well as folks on here.

 

[ovrszd]

I haven’t tried it yet but I will. And at least she is giving me something try as well as folks on here.

Yes Gunny, you have a dedicated representative trying to help you. She deserves respect and thankfulness for that.

 

[snymat68]

Tank theory doesn't explain why the FEL on my RK24 is also tilted.

 

[the old grind]

I don't remember ever being on ground so flat that I noticed whether the FEL bucket sits level within half a handwidth. Lord knows it's usually the opposite when I try to cut with a corner. IMO the fuel thing makes me laugh. What ballast adjustments do we make already between a full tank and say ~1/4-full? :laughing:

Lowering tire pressure works to correct ride height. Don't know if raising it does as much. All my FELs' arms have a bit of flex when working a bucket or grapple. Don't use this very much on 'groundworks'.

I'll agree with Moss that TBN & other fora will never be great venues for factory service issues. Mark's presence might be more 'approved' than some, and I might guess that our RK guys were given a shrug of permission vs status as 'official rep'.

Some guys can look awful when just trying to help others. I have a whole life like that. I'm not discouraged by the reality of it.

 

[MossRoad]

If the fuel tank weight issue is causing it, and you try and compensate with tire inflation, what happens when the tank gets down to low? The FEL is going to tilt back.

 

[radios1]

So I will say this. I got a phone call from the person I bought the tractor from at my local RK store. She is phenomenal. She has followed up with me every step of the way and long after my purchase. She always tells me we are �amily and I whole heartedly believe her. She knows my wife痴 name and asks about her frequently.

She told me today that she may have found what is causing the FEL unevenness. After listening to her it made sense, but I致e yet to try it.

The gas tank on the RK55 sits on the left side of the tank as youæ±*e sitting in the cab. The left side of my FEL touches the ground before the right side, this being lower. She estimated about 98 pounds of diesel in the RK tank when full. Long story short she tried a bunch of stuff and when she emptied the tank the FEL sat level.

Like I said, I haven稚 tried this yet, but I will put a 100 pound weight on the other side to see if it levels it out.

I wish the company would let some of these employees get on the forum as a means of checks and balances. I知 not saying everyone should get on here and analyze every issue, but it痴 no worse than what we have now.

As for Brian, who knows what happened to him. But I can say for certain that I really don稚 care to have a mother RK rep from the top blowing smoke at us.

I am doubting 100 LBS. of fuel is causing this. I'd measure between both the rear axles to solid ground, and see if they measure the same, if they do, then it's not the weight of the fuel, but something bent or twisted further forward.. the right and left side has to be symmetrical for the loader to sit flush, it could be a design flaw too, measureable with a tape measure..

 

[gunny0628]

I was just going to take 127 pounds of weight and suspend it from the other side to check the theory. I was just passing this along that’s all.

I have a pretty noticeable difference in level on my FEL - which when picking stuff up off a level surface such as a driveway where stone is dropped. It makes the difference between gouging the concrete (level pickup) and missing stone.

 

[Big Barn]

Wow. The thread title looked interesting and I wanted to know who “Brian” was. Thought maybe it was the real name of a popular member that had passed.

Had to read almost 40 posts to understand what was going on and what the heck “RK” was. I was determined to figure it out without having to ask an explanation that was so obvious to everyone else. I’m still unsure of what make tractor is even being discussed. LOL


ANYHOW the fuel tank explanation is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard of IMO. Carry on...

 

[Qapla]

Wow. The thread title looked interesting and I wanted to know who “Brian” was. Thought maybe it was the real name of a popular member that had passed.

Had to read almost 40 posts to understand what was going on and what the heck “RK” was. I was determined to figure it out without having to ask an explanation that was so obvious to everyone else. I’m still unsure of what make tractor is even being discussed. LOL


ANYHOW the fuel tank explanation is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard of IMO. Carry on...

RK is the Brand Name of the tractors sold at Rural King Stores that have a tractor department. They are actually re-branded tractors manufactured by TYM for Rural King. Brian was the latest "factory rep" that joined the forum as a spokesperson for Rural King - but has since left Rural King the same as his predecessor, Doug, did.

 

[Big Barn]

Thank you Qapla! I got it now. An excellent summary.

It was like reading an algebra question trying to figure out who Brian was.

 

[the old grind]

It appears the absolute value(s) of Doug and Brian are algebraically-speaking 'zero' and a null set.

 

[stuckmotor]

Thank you Qapla! I got it now. An excellent summary.

It was like reading an algebra question trying to figure out who Brian was.

X2 and I flunked algebra.

 

[Big Barn]

X2 and I flunked algebra.

You’re just trying to make me feel better, but thanks.

 

[Diggin It]

Something else I just noticed. 'RK' and 'Rural King' are no longer highlighted as links like some of the other manufacturers. Or is it just me?