LA1353 Loader Arm Reinforcement or Repair?

[ace10]

I'm looking at an M9540 (out of state). Overall it looks clean, but the (private party) seller is disclosing that the arms of the LA1353 have two small plates welded on the outside of the arms just above the pivot for the lift cylinders.

This is on an M9540 of 2009 vintage.

Seller provide pictures:
Left Arm

Right Arm

I've searched TBN like a mad man looking for any references to this being a weak point on this loader... there are no repair threads and nothing about preemptively beefing up this point.

This work was done by the PO of the tractor. So the seller claims to have no knowlegde of the situation.

Anyone care to share their thoughts on what this is all about?

Many thanks, in advance...

 

[Brandon1107]

How many hours does the tractor have on it? Does the CO know what the PO used it for? I would think there must have been some stress cracks there or worse for that to have been done. It might not be a deal breaker but I would closely inspect if you can before you buy and see if the loader is tweaked and make sure none of the holes are egg shaped. I have put my 8540 through a lot with my grapple and I've seen no ill effects.

 

[TripleR]

I really couldn't see your pictures, but we have used our M8540 pretty darned hard without any problems though we have only had it for a few months.

 

[ace10]

Fixed the pictures.

1200 Hrs on the clock.

Did not ask seller about PO's usage.

The machine overall looks very clean, but it should biing only one model year old.

 

[CANdiyMXER]

I wonder if he changed the cylinders and the plates are to accommodate that change, Do the pin diameters and cylinders appear to be stock and match Kubota specs?

 

[Grandad4]

Fixed the pictures.

1200 Hrs on the clock.

Did not ask seller about PO's usage.

The machine overall looks very clean, but it should biing only one model year old.

Seems like an odd situation all around. Machine is 1 year old, has 1200 hours and you would be its 3rd owner because the 2nd owner is unloading it (no pun intended ). And the FEL has some amateur patchwork on one pivot point on each arm. I'm trying to imagine what they could have been doing with it that would bust that particular seam like that. Maybe something that involved pressing down with the FEL, like pounding fenceposts or breaking concrete? Kinda sends up a warning flag, doesn't it?

 

[Evil the Weasel]

With a tractor this new, you'd have to wonder why Kubota didn't replace the loader if it failed. Perhaps it was used improperly and they wouldn't stand behind it? One can only speculate unless you get the story out of the chain of owners. That's a lot of hours (IMO) for a 2009. I understand the lack of availability of large used Kubotas, but the fact that you posted for opinions on this means you aren't comfortable with the "repair" and this might be a great deal to leave for someone else.

 

[funwithahoe]

I don't know about this particular situation but can only add my humble opinion through several equipment purchases. When I purchase equipment new I treat it respectfully but not as great as many of the "TBNers" do. I do not abuse it but don't worry if it goes over a few hours before changing the oil. I never have problems with my purchased new equipment.

My used equipment always seems to have problems and I suspect you will find the same with this piece - The story does not add up. Those are some thick arms and to fracture them takes some serious torque.

You might be getting it for an awesome steal in which case I say buy it but please don't pay good old normal "private seller retail" and then pay to haul it home and then be unhappy. You can imagine what the rest of the tractor went through if those arms are spent like that!

Good luck - and you are being very smart getting other people's opinions! Someone might have a great reason that needed to be done but I can't think of one.

This reminds of one time when I was young I was dying to buy a huge backhoe and loader. Fortunately, after I looked at it (too nervous to drive it) I brought my Dad along for the second and final look. He drove it into a loose topsoil pile and the engine revved up but the wheels didn't spin. The loader just sat there. He suggested that I not buy it. I didn't want to hear that so he told me to go down and talk to our local mechanics and explain that when you pull into a loose pile the engine revs up and the wheels do not spin. I was too embarrassed to do that and passed on the "great" deal. He was smart enough to re-encourage me to ask the mechanics and I understood his advice over my enthusiasm!

If it was me I would let that puppy sit there unless it is an unbelievable steal (junk parts price).

 

[funwithahoe]

Oh - just one more humble opinion - I read this in a Donald Trump book when I was younger and I am sure many others have expressed it. "The best business decision I have ever made is one I decided to pass on".

 

[crazyal]

Does it look like the loader came with the tractor or could it be an older one that was put on a newer tractor? It's also possible that the original owner had loader break on them at the pivot in the past and decided to weld a plate before it had a chance to break not really knowing if it would ever break or not.

Just curious, I think all of the loaders that fit the grand L40 tractors end in a 4 while the older grand L30s end in a 3 (at least I think so). So why does the Mxx40 tractors have a loader that ends in a 3?

 

[ace10]

I just checked back on the unit, and it's been sold or is otherwise no longer for sale.

This one had me really puzzled (or I wouldn't have created a thread) but I think for the right price it might have been a possibility. The asking price was low, as low as I've seen for a newer M9540, but not low enough to get me to jump at it.

I do thank everyone for chiming in. There's no doubt I'll be asking more questions, because these tractors are not really in my wheelhouse, so to speak. It's been a few decades since I've spent any real time up in a tractor seat. I grew up using an IH Farmall that was fun and scary, often at the same time.

Oh, and my thinking was that those plates were either covering over some damage resulting from lateral distortion in the arms or it was preemptive to combat damage that was unlikely to ever happen.

 

[TripleR]

My father in law used equipment hard and after having some failures, often had one of his employees added reinforcement plates and gusseting. I guess we will never know about this tractor.

 

[Grandad4]

Just curious, I think all of the loaders that fit the grand L40 tractors end in a 4 while the older grand L30s end in a 3 (at least I think so). So why does the Mxx40 tractors have a loader that ends in a 3?

Someone once explained the Kubota numbering for FEL's... First digits indicate lifting capacity (i.e. 135 = 1350 kg, I guess); the last one is the model series (i.e. 3). Don't know if Kub is still doing it like that, but they evidently did at one time.

 

[TripleR]

Does it look like the loader came with the tractor or could it be an older one that was put on a newer tractor? It's also possible that the original owner had loader break on them at the pivot in the past and decided to weld a plate before it had a chance to break not really knowing if it would ever break or not.

Just curious, I think all of the loaders that fit the grand L40 tractors end in a 4 while the older grand L30s end in a 3 (at least I think so). So why does the Mxx40 tractors have a loader that ends in a 3?

My 2010 M8540 came with the LA1353.

Now my L5030 came with an 853 and the Lxx40 comes with a 854, so who knows if there is any rhyme or reason.

 

[slowzuki]

The numbers are roughly the lift capacity in kg, the last being increased when there is a model revision. The 852,853 and 854 are all in the same series.

 

[slowzuki]

And I would guess the plates are preemptive as old loaders used to break around there, unless they where driving it a lot lifting the front end with the bucket. Around here people do that to scrape ice and snow in parking lots and you'll see cracks on the backside of the boom. The cutting edge will be worn like crazy too. They don't seem to know how to use float.

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

Don't fret about loosing that one, if someone busted up the loader like that I would question what else is wrong. Its highly unusual to see stress fractures like that even on machines that are abused.

 

[crazyal]

When I was looking for a backhoe I would often see some with the loader with plates welded to the FEL or welds along crack lines. After talking to a few people I got the impression that people were ramming the FEL into stuff to get a bigger load or to push something. I just learned to not spend much time looking at them. If the owner or operator was running the tractor in a way that would cause damage there then what else did they damage?

 

[slowzuki]

Cracks in that areas aren't from ramming. You'd get wrinkles or buckles in the tube on that area and cracks on the top/front of the arms.

Take a look at Case/IH 2250 loaders, I've never seen one that hasn't been plated, you can tell what type of work they did by where the plating is.

 

[art]

Cracks in that areas aren't from ramming. You'd get wrinkles or buckles in the tube on that area and cracks on the top/front of the arms.

Take a look at Case/IH 2250 loaders, I've never seen one that hasn't been plated, you can tell what type of work they did by where the plating is.

To look at the newer loaders and the way they build them I feel there were design flaws in the way we used to build things! I have seen them unplated!

I also know what I'd want to see in one that I'm buying!

We have people that ask or request extra fish plating on machines when brand new although they never keep a machine long enough to need it and don't abuse them.