Kubota M6800 throw-bearing froze

[lazycfarm]

There is only 686 hours on my Kubota M6800. While raking hay, the throw-out bearing starting making noise. After being checked by a Kubota dealer, I was told that the throw-out bearing froze up and jerked three fingers off the pressure plate. Has anyone else had this faulty problem? I would think with only 686 hours something this serious may be caused by a faulty part. kubota refuses to assist in replacing parts..
Has anyone else experienced this problem or have suggestions?
Thanks, Eric

 

[KubieTwo]

Are you the primary operator?

What is it used for most of the time?

8 speed transmission?

 

[lazycfarm]

Thanks for taking the time. I bought it from a dealer in 2008 and it had 356 hours. It now has a total of 686 hours. It's used for mowing and raking hay and it's an 8 speed transmission.

 

[ctlguy]

Downside to clutches, esp dry clutches. You never know how the prev op ran the unit, riding the clutch consistantly is hard on release bearings. I don't know that this is necc faulty equipment just one of those things that happens to tractors. Unfortunatly you don't see wet clutches until the higher hp units, they do run more but can take the abuse a lot better.

 

[KubieTwo]

Thanks for taking the time. I bought it from a dealer in 2008 and it had 356 hours. It now has a total of 686 hours. It's used for mowing and raking hay and it's an 8 speed transmission.

Usually early release bearing failures are caused by an operator keeping a foot on the clutch all the time, which keeps the release bearing against the pressure plate fingers, and also always turning. It is not designed to be in constant contact with the pplate so "premature" failure occurs. It may have actually survived 6000 hours of normal tractor field use in the 686 hours it lived if it was seldom allowed to resume its position away from the flywheel. Even driven properly, a clutch/pplate/release bearing will not last as many hours doing loader work as it would bush hogging open fields most of its life. You have no idea how it was driven before you got it, or what it was used for. You can only look at how it is operated on your watch, so to speak, and whether it failed abnormally is hard to answer...unless you happen to be the one who keeps his boot on the clutch all the time.