Kubota L3430 GST Hydraulics

[bbwithdrawls]

Ive had this tractor since late 2004 , no issues , only 320 hours on it , Ipurchased a backhoe ( BH 90 ) in 2008 , used very little , yesterday I was digging water lines about 24 -30'' deep about 170 ft , last 40 ft downhill slope not terribly steep but a slope , all a sudden it starts squealing and I shut it down , as it was 1oo degrees I thought it just got hot , 2 hrs later start it back up digging again , 10 minutes later squealing again and I lost my hydraulics , barley move the bucket or outriggers, call kubota this morning they suspect pump , advise me to get it to level ground and check fluid , I do that , fluid full , but after getting it to level ground I loose my forward and reverse, Glide shift

I suspect hydraulic pump failed then I read on here in another post know issue and service bulletin out on it , sure enough i call kubota dealer and they verify

here's what i found here

"When operating the above units with the front end lower than the rear for extended periods of time it may cause the engine oil to back away from the hydraulic pump gear, causing lack of lubrication. As a result bearing failure may occur. They give this example: Operating the BH90 backhoe with stabilizers fully extended and the front wheel contacting the ground"

Well I certainly did what is described in their example and with the front end down a pretty hard slope to boot.

Kubota has a fix known as a "Holder Kit". What they do is swap the oil filter holder with one that has a connection for a line to the gear housing on the hydralic pump. So they pressure feed that gear with the kit. I need to take a closer look as I'm not sure exactly where it feeds in but I suspect the pump holder assembly which is between the engine block and pump.

I presume Kubota fixed this or put the holder kit on newer models? If anyone has a desire I can post the serial numbers the bulletin applies to. The issue was with L3130, 3430, and 3830 models. If you don't operate nose down for extended periods it's not an issue. The kit is part number TD030-99300

so now I'm a little perturbed , at this point what should I do , I priced a pump and OUCH ! 900 bucks just for the pump , I really feel like kubota should fix it as its a know issues and if its caused by a known issue going downhill that just ridiculous , i realize its not a car but **** sure cost as much ( 28000)

So Ive got my front a side yard dug up and backhoe down , Chinese backhoe out of the question ( shovel ) do i need dealer to verify damage or try and get kubota to fix , I need it yesterday

any advice appreciated , Im not afraid to tackle the pump but tell me if Im missing something obvious here ,

 

[David_Kb7uns]

Have L3130 GST in same serial number range, talked to manager of service at my dealer and he said that it is a fix upon failure type manner. He made it sound that if I had this problem and my pump broke that Kubota may help with parts. I have a hard time letting this issue hang over my head when the parts to fix this are not real expensive. I am at 410 hours and need to do the service and also change out a broken brake case where the 3 point arm pin broke out. I am thinking that it might be a good time to do this pump holder fix.

David Kb7uns

 

[bbwithdrawls]

Update today
I spoke to the dealer I deal with all the time , they have always treated me well , it recently changed hands but the service manager still there, he is going to call kubota and get back with me , hopefully with some good news , i just cant believe they know this and don't go ahead and fix , do you realize how lame that sounds , ""kubota the best tractor out there but you cant use your backhoe on a hill pointing downwards ""

lets see what they do , hopefully I wont have to talk bad about them here

 

[bbwithdrawls]

want to keep it updated so if anyone else runs into this issue they know how to handle

the dealer called back and after speaking with the Rep they need to get it in their first and diagnose , that seems fair enough, he said the Rep wast committing to anything at this time but after they got it in their and if that was the issue they would help out , so they will be coming tomorrow to come get it , I had just had the service done on it and all the filters have the date and hours when they changed them out so I'm in good shape there, at this point we will see what happens , stay tuned

 

[moship]

Can you post the serial numbers?

Do you have a picture of the included components in the kit?

*****Added in edit******

I agree this is a complete ripoff for the consumer and a cost of poor quality Kubota expects owners to pay. I don't recall any pictures or warnings in the manuals not to operate the tractor in this manner. The tractor should be functional without causing damage anything short of tipping over. At a minimum they should be offering this kit at cost.

Using the parts diagram on Colman Equipments web site. It looks like the sum of the parts in less than the kit price. The only caveat is that I wasn't certain about the cost of the filter housing, but for reference filter housing (T0470-33210) is only $56. Individual parts less filter housing is $165.75 and the kit is over $250.

Could this be done cheaper? I'm guessing (didn't look at it yet) the filter housing could be drilled and tapped to accept the tube/fitting therefore saving the cost of this part. Another high cost piece which could be made at home is support structure for the tube (items shown in blue below). These parts about $40. So the potential bottom line is approximately $120 plus some home machining and bracket fabrication.

In either case this is a complete ripoff and just another case of poor engineering and not understanding how their product is used. (Sorry the formatting below is not better)

Breakdown of kit.

Diagram # Description P/N Qty Price Ext. Price
40 Holder Pump TD030-33610 1 $39.55 $39.55
90 O-Ring 04811-10850 1 $2.40 $2.40
100 O-Ring T1060-36620 1 $2.40 $2.40
180 Stay, Pipe Clamp TD030-16100 1 $34.60 $34.60
190 Clamp, Pipe 1 15841-53850 1 $2.65 $2.65
200 Clamp, Pipe 2 15841-53860 1 $1.60 $1.60
210 Screw, W/Washer 03024-50520 1 $0.20 $0.20
220 Comp, Pipe TD030-16092 1 $50.25 $50.25
230 Bolt, Joint 1 32530-10710 2 $15.25 $30.50
240 Gasket, Copper 15021-33660 4 $0.40 $1.60
250 Instructions ? ? $- $-
??? Filter housing bkt ? ? $- $-
Total $165.75

While some might want to buy the kit, there are others who might find the above helpful in minimizing out of pocket expenses.

Does anyone have photos of the kit or mounted on a tractor?

 

[bbwithdrawls]

Can you post the serial numbers?

which Serial #'s are you referring to ??

they came out and got it today , said it sounded like the pump when they started it , this guy was one of the mechanics that has been there a while and he said he never heard of the bulletin either , they had all discussed it at the shop and looked it up , he was describing a picture of it and said it appeared they ran a line from back of the oil filter to the bearing on the hydraulic pump, I told him the mailman said I should've bought a John Deere, ( Blasphemous )

they'll let me know something probably next week ,

 

[moship]

I was referring to the Tractor S/N's when the change occurred... But I found them listed in the parts diagram.

Keep us posted on the outcome and if possible include a picture of the modification.

 

[jwp]

I also have a l3130 hydro purchased in 2006 complete with loader and bh90. I have approx 15 hrs of use with the hoe and mostly
On uneven terrain. Never have had any issues but am concerned after reading this thread. Hope kubota mans up and takes care of their problem. Had an old b9200 that I couldn't destroy hope I can say the same with this one.

 

[PapaPerk]

Does this problem effect shuttle shift tractors as well? Or just the GST and Hydro?

Sorry to hear about your problems. I hope Kubota makes right for you.

 

[bbwithdrawls]

Does this problem effect shuttle shift tractors as well? Or just the GST and Hydro?

Sorry to hear about your problems. I hope Kubota makes right for you.

I'm not sure what tractors are affected , actually I need to find the original service bulletin so next week I am armed with the facts , the thing that bothered me was the dealer couldn't give out names and phone numbers to the rep they talked to , I'm not saying the dealer is underhanded but its not the way I do business , I'm going to wait and see what they say( and if its not kubota will take care of it 100% ) then I'm going to start making phone calls to kubota and if I have to start at the top and work my way down I will , I know how to get their attn with these forums being one of many ways to do so , I am just flabbergasted that the best most durable tractor in the world has this issue( I think if thats their stance ill take a picture and photo shop the tractor pink so it will stand out like the big green one does ) and they knew about it and didn't offer a fix , Not wait till it happens and then leave it to the customer to find out the hard way ( wonder how many unknowingly paid for this ) , but again its wait and see , if anyone has more technical details on the service bulletin please post , ill be looking for it in the meantime

Mark