</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Does this happen on all the tractors with the old style (4wd) with a drag link or is it something rare? Could the bushing be worn out at 140 hours? Is that bushing hard to replace? Is the bushing problem the reason they went to the new ram style?
Sherpa )</font>
That is hard to answer. I have 5 Kubota's, all with increasing horsepower. Only the 5030 has had the ram steering. All the others had the drag link. It's suffice to say that I only noticed the slop on the 3710, but it was the largest Kubota I owned prior to the 5030 and I actually farmed with the 3710. All the previous ones were just used for utility work around the farm, while the other tractors were used for field work. I wanted to consolidate to one brand so in as much as the Kubota's were reliable and trouble free, I went orange.
My 3710 had a grease fitting on the drag link and I believe a bronze bush though I sold it without rebuilding it. I attributed the slop to quite a bit of FEL work, mainly round bales which put a strain on the front axle. I use a bale spear the attaches to the bucket. That puts the weight out in front of the bucket quite a bit. With the 3710, I always had to have a box blade on the back to counter weight the tractor, or I'd lift the rear wheels off the ground. That equates to a lot of weight bearing down on the front axle, pivot points and the steering mechanism. My 3710 gave me good service and at 500+ hours, it was getting time for a re-bush.
I don't think 140 hours would cause appreciable wear, that is, if the tractor was serviced in a timely manner. Like I said, it's easy to check the front end, just use the procedure I outlined in my post. That will tell you right away.
I'd want to see the receipts for all service performed and by all means take a sample of the oil (engine and transmission)and do a spectroscopic analysis on it as well as a coolant sample burn.
I never buy a used prime mover without doing a spectro analysis. The burn will tell you everything that's going on inside the engine, transmission and radiator, what if any problems there are and if the previous owner maintaned the unit or cut corners and ignored the maintanance schedule.
I think the new ram style actuation isn't about a perceived problem, rather it's just an engineering improvement. Besides, it's a lot less intrinsic parts and moveable joints. Besides, the ram system provides a certain amount of inherent dampening from shock transmitted through the steering gear. On the down side, the ram system is probably much more expensive to repair or replace than a cast drag link or tie rods.
