L2800-L3400 PTO Making the right choice

swampvol · May 17, 2007

Please do...mine doesn't have any ratcheting sound that I'm aware of, and my serial #69783.

As of now I just pull a 5' ld bush hog, was getting ready to buy a ditch witch (serious ground engagement) as I lay a lot of conduit in my line of work. I guess I could always get a one that is hydraulic driven??

I would hate to think of the hit I would take on a 2 month/30 hr old machine in a trade-in.

ccsial · May 17, 2007

8226hamer said:
I will try and get ahold of the Kubota field Rep that I met with and ask about this, and what was changed that makes the newer tractors not ratchet. I still have his number, but I have never been able to reach him while he was in his office, just his voicemail.

I find it really hard to believe there is a new cam that does not ratchet. A friction type ORC is quiet but could not disengage the PTO. They would have to redesign the whole thing with a different engagment feature and a friction type ORC. I doubt that happened. I suspect they raised the oil level to dampen the sound.

Last I was advised the new type clutch has a steeper rake angle to help prevent it from popping out of engagement. It still ratchets though.

8226hamer · May 17, 2007

ccsial said:
I find it really hard to believe there is a new cam that does not ratchet. A friction type ORC is quiet but could not disengage the PTO. They would have to redesign the whole thing with a different engagment feature and a friction type ORC. I doubt that happened. I suspect they raised the oil level to dampen the sound.

Last I was advised the new type clutch has a steeper rake angle to help prevent it from popping out of engagement. It still ratchets though.

My tractor has had the oil level update, and the new cams. It will ratchet with a bushhog attatched and PTO engaged at idle if I push in the clutch in and also with any decrease in PRM's without pushing the clutch in.
I never could tell that the oil level update made the clacking any less noticable on my tractor.
I feel that it was a lame attempt to make a problem less noticable. Kind of like when it is hot outside and your window is open and your neighbors dog starts barking. You close your window. You don't hear the dog anymore, but he's still out there barking.

The new cams do have a steeper rake, but they didn't workout for me much better than the original cams.. The last picture I posted is a new cam. It's not like the entire lug was sheared off. A fraction of the 90 degree angle has been rounded off and is enough to shut the PTO down and not work. When these damaged cams were in my tractor and I was showing the service manager what it was doing. I engaged the PTO for him and at idle the cams were skipping and there was no power to the tiller.

It takes very little damage to these cams to wipe out your PTO system, as this picture will show

Marcussen · May 17, 2007

My parts book show a PTO parts change after S/N 55198 and another change after S/N 57745, The illustrations does not show much change just different part numbers. And I still don't hear any ratcheting sounds.

8226hamer · May 17, 2007

Marcussen said:
My parts book show a PTO parts change after S/N 55198 and another change after S/N 57745, The illustrations does not show much change just different part numbers. And I still don't hear any ratcheting sounds.

Thats interesting, I didn't know there have been two different parts number changes. I knew about the 55198 and after redesigned cams, but not the 57745 change.
I'm still trying to get some answers from Kubota, but I'm not having much luck. Contacting the Kubota by email says it could take 7 days for a responce, if so I think they should cosider hiring some help. Does anybody have a number at the Northern Kubota Division Office that if I called an actual person would answer it.

DVR · May 17, 2007

i have contacted the kubota southern office twice to confirm kubota finance had no liens on tractors i was buying. i found them to be very responsive and helpful. i also started with an e-mail and got the up to 7 day message. the next morning at 7:30am a rep from the southern office called me on the phone.

i have followed this thread with great interest.

imo- you have not found the right person within the kubota network to talk to. I would call the main office every day and ask for the customer satisfaction and/or quality control mgr to contact me at once.
i am in sales/customer service for a multi billion dollar co. the squeeky wheel gets the grease. no mgr wants an issue to go over their head for resolve. it implies the lower level mgr is not effective at his job. i would also guess it would cost the kubota rep nothing in pay, bonus or incentives to replace your tractor. to be honest i'm surprised they don't want it back.

i know of three people that are no longer considering the L2800 solely b/c of this thread.

Are you listening Kubota? If the facts as presented are accurate- this customer is not being treated fairly.

emmy71 · May 17, 2007

The serial number on my L3400 is in the 67000 range. I can push the clutch in or throttle the engine down with the rotary cutter running and do not hear a ratcheting sound. Kubota must have changed more than just the cams.

Terry

8226hamer · May 18, 2007

DVR said:
i have contacted the kubota southern office twice to confirm kubota finance had no liens on tractors i was buying. i found them to be very responsive and helpful. i also started with an e-mail and got the up to 7 day message. the next morning at 7:30am a rep from the southern office called me on the phone.

i have followed this thread with great interest.

imo- you have not found the right person within the kubota network to talk to. I would call the main office every day and ask for the customer satisfaction and/or quality control mgr to contact me at once.
i am in sales/customer service for a multi billion dollar co. the squeeky wheel gets the grease. no mgr wants an issue to go over their head for resolve. it implies the lower level mgr is not effective at his job. i would also guess it would cost the kubota rep nothing in pay, bonus or incentives to replace your tractor. to be honest i'm surprised they don't want it back.

i know of three people that are no longer considering the L2800 solely b/c of this thread.

Are you listening Kubota? If the facts as presented are accurate- this customer is not being treated fairly.

I did pretty well what you posted. I did call the main office in California and was transfered to Customer Service. The guy that I talked to there was very helpful and gave me the number to the supervisor of the Field Rep that I met with. I called and left a voicemail thinking I would not have my call returned. I was susprised when my cell phone rang about 15 minutes later and it was him. We had a good talk about the problems with this type of PTO system. I did find out that Kubota has changed more than just the cams. From what I got they now have a one way clutch system, somehow doing away with reverse action that caused the clacking, ratchet sound the old systems were capable of doing.
I told him that the ratcheting noise I can tolerate if the system would hold up, but having a PTO that I can't depend on, I couldn't.

I told him that from my experience and the problems that I have had, I feel that the old PTO system is not a good system and that I thought Kubota realizes this and that is why it was changed. I asked about putting this system in the older non updated tractors.
He said he didn't know if it could be done or not. He would check into it and see about this as a soulution for the problem. He said he needed to research this problem and see what options there are for a fix. He said he would not leave me hanging and he would try and find a soultion to this problem. He was sincere about helping me and hopefully he can come up with a cure for this.

I did ask him since this was a documented case and since my basic warranty was about to expire, what will happen if my PTO goes out again before he finds a soulution, he said it would be taken care of under the powertrain warranty.

I didn't hear from him this afternoon, but I am confident he will get back with me.

I just want a tractor that I can depend on and not have to worry about a very expensive repair bill everytime the PTO does break. I got this tractor hoping to get 3000 hours of dependable service. With the low hours on my tractor and having it to have happened twice already, and seeing what little damage on my last set of cams it took to wipe out my PTO, I'm confident that this is not going to happen
If they can do this by repairing my present tractor, that would be great. If it can not be done then I feel Kubota needs to step up and do whatever it takes for me and all the others that have purchased these models of tractor that have the old style system, to have one that can and be used without any problems. A tractor without a usable PTO is not a tractor at all I feel.

It may take some time for them to do this, but I'm positive with Kubota's good reputation they have for producing quality tractors, they will get-r-done.

I'll let you all know what I find out Monday-------I hope!! Thanks for all the information and support that you guys have given to me on this. If it wasn't for this board and the information that I have recieved here plus a couple of PM's that I received from members advising me how to handle this situation. I honestly don't know what I would have done.
I know that the problem has not been resolved yet, but at least I feel now Kubota is listening and will try and resolve it.

MDM · May 18, 2007

I want mine updated too. Mine supposedly has the new cams, but apperently that is not the most up to date fix because mine will rachet if I let it. I just bought mine last September and it makes me wonder why Kubota is selling them without the most up to date fix. They are probably hoping that most will last until the warranty runs out. I bought my tractor to last me at least 20 years, and I can't see how this PTO system will be able to last as long as that. I love the tractor, but the shoddy PTO system makes me wish I had bought something else or even a different brand. I wish I could get rid of it now, but I can't afford it. If the PTO lasts until I get the tractor paid off, then I will get rid of it for sure.

Maybe all of us who have the old system should let the cams rachet as much as possible to get it good and broke, that way we can get the new system. That is if Kubota takes care of 8226hamer.