Is it possible to rebuild a HST damper?

[4lane]

There is no loss of power or anything like that. There are no obvious issues with the linkages either. It's only when moving in either direction, when you take your foot off the treadle it snaps back to almost neutral, but not quite. The tractor will continue to creep until you tap the treadle again to get it in a neutral state. I've read where other owners of this model, like Billrog, have had Kioti take it back and split the tractor to replace something - with varying results. Kioti has taken others and replaced the damper spring with a stiffer one - with varying results. The damper probably just tempers the spring's return rate so, on second thought, it's probably the spring not the damper that I would be playing with. I did adjust the spring a bit, but it didn't impact the 'step of treadle and doesn't return to 100% neutral' issue. Here are the parts in question that I can mess with.

 

[oldnslo]

4lane,
in looking on MIE parts break down there are 3 different part numbers listed for item 7. bottom of the same page shows what looks like an exploded view of item 7. I have studied the parts break down and question is this is the centering spring assembly and item 31 is the dampener. If link works it is the parts diagram that I am referring too. Parts Finder Michigan Iron & Equipment Morrice, MI (855) 265-459�

 

[4lane]

4lane,
in looking on MIE parts break down there are 3 different part numbers listed for item 7. bottom of the same page shows what looks like an exploded view of item 7. I have studied the parts break down and question is this is the centering spring assembly and item 31 is the dampener. If link works it is the parts diagram that I am referring too. Parts Finder Michigan Iron & Equipment Morrice, MI (855) 265-459�

Part 31 they call a demper assembly but it is just a spring. It looks to me this is the main return for the treadle and the actual damper just manages the return rate of the spring. Why the damper is $400 if it just manages the spring rate I do not know. The exploded view you see is indeed the damper, so it looks like there are some springs in there and it can be rebuilt. I am thinking my first step is to detach the damper so just the spring is connected and see if returns to neutral properly. (I will keep my seatbelt on for that test.

 

[Billrog]

This may help on my last tractor when it started to creep it had 3,000 hrs. on it and everything was loose with lots of play so I made new parts. On the Kioti I made all the adjustments out lined here but it still creeps when cold only.

 

[4lane]

View attachment 635448

This may help on my last tractor when it started to creep it had 3,000 hrs. on it and everything was loose with lots of play so I made new parts. On the Kioti I made all the adjustments out lined here but it still creeps when cold only.

I saw this over the summer and tried playing with the adjustments. I could definitely change the general positioning around neutral, but it made no difference in the treadle snapping back to neutral. Thanks for the insight into your history though. Do you know what they did under warranty those three times?

 

[Billrog]

On mine we checked the trans mission pressures in the port or ports under the seat they were not to spec so the reason for changing the transmission. Both were said to be up graded but didn't totally solve the problem shortly after being installed.

 

[4lane]

On mine we checked the trans mission pressures in the port or ports under the seat they were not to spec so the reason for changing the transmission. Both were said to be up graded but didn't totally solve the problem shortly after being installed.

Ah I see. Yes I was wondering if they changed something in the transmission, or the bearing going into the trans. I'm surprised someone hasn't gotten run over yet and sued Kioti.

 

[oldnslo]

4lane,
Not sure how difficult it is to access the two different dampeners but if possible can you disconnect one and operate them to see if they return to home position repeatedly. I suspect that one of them is more like a gas strut and will not return very well and the other should repeat position.

My old Kubota BX 1850 had a strut that looks very similar to your item 31. It did nothing for position, it strictly controlled return to neutral speed of the spring linkage assembly.

Other thing not easily done is to try and measure how much movement is required to go from creeping forward to reverse. This will provide some estimate of required repeatable accuracy of the centering mechanism. I suspect that it is not much travel.

 

[Leejohn]

On my b7800 Kubota it was the N cam bearing.

 

[radios1]

there should be a small dead zone between forward and reverse, which you may not have!..