Backhoe Loader Midmount bolts pullout

   / Loader Midmount bolts pullout #1  

wfisher

New member
Joined
May 21, 2012
Messages
2
Location
Whitingham, VT
Tractor
Kioti DK45
Hey everyone.. I just wanted to make everyone aware of issue I ran into this weekend. I have a DK45 with a KB2485 Backhoe. The machine has 530 hrs. I was doing some dirt digging as I have many hrs in the past when all of a sudden I hear a loud bang!. I looked underneath the tractor to find all six "Loader Midmount" bolts and two shims laying on the ground. All six bolts pulled out of the transmision case. As you can see in the pictures the bolts only engaged about 1/4 to 3/8 in of thread (you can also see where I actually was able to "unscrew" the casting off of the bolt). That is only "half" of minimum of what they should have been engaging. Now according to the manual the bolt should be a 30L, which I believe these are. However that does not give you enough engagement of thread. I called a local dealer and they were well aware that some Loader Midmounts have 1/2 shims and some do not. In which case they do not use the 30L and opt to find bolts that will engage deeper into the threaded hole. Take a minute and pull one of your six bolts to be sure yours are engaging at least 3/4 of an inch of thread, the more the better...
 

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   / Loader Midmount bolts pullout #2  
Do you have enough threads on in the hole to replace with longer bolts?


I have a 2003 DK45 12x12 shuttle with a Bush Hog M346 Front end loader and I have no mid mount attachment (subframe (full length of tractor) only attaches at front at back) that being said all but three of my bell housing bolts broke and those three were loose. I am thinking I should have some kind of attachment at mid mount.
 
   / Loader Midmount bolts pullout
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Intel, Thats what I did. I replaced the 30L bolts with 60L (because thats all I could get in a hurry) and then large washers as shims. I added shims(washers) and made sure I had engagement the full depth of the hole.
 
   / Loader Midmount bolts pullout #4  
Ok. it looks like you originally only had about 5 to 6 maybe 7mm holding you should have 3 to 4 times more holding now.
 
   / Loader Midmount bolts pullout #5  
You would think the dealer, who installed the mounts, would have noticed that they didn't thread in much. Also, use blue lok-tite when you reinstall. Those bolts have a tendency to loosen from all the vibration when using the loader and lose bolts can rip threads.
 
   / Loader Midmount bolts pullout #6  
WFisher;

Thanks for this post. I checked my bolts and found they are the same length as yours and the same number of threads engaged. Kioti should have used a bolt 1/4 to 1/2 inch longer. I removed all six bolts, and there is no damage yet, but I will replace them before using the backhoe again. I agree with Victor, the dealer should have caught this.
 
   / Loader Midmount bolts pullout #7  
I have experienced the same problem on my 2010 DK-40se/hst with KB-2485 backhoe. In my case there are 450+ hard hours on my tractor and the right side mid-mount loader bolts have loosened up and been tightened several times over the course of the hours to date. Recently after having my hired hand check all the bolts for tightness, as a routine part of our maintenance schedule and because of a noise that was clearly evident from that area of the loader we found all the bolts loose, on the right side and just at the mid-mount plate. Upon careful inspection it is evident the bolts are too short for the depth of the hole and they're having loosened at times over the hours has allowed the bolts to actually cut threads into the mid-mount plate as well as possibly cause some hole elongation. Additionally, by having tightened the factory supplied bolts numerous times in an attempt to stop the problem from occurring it appears that the lock washers have been cutting their way into the plate and creating a recess where the lock washer contacts the plate. And the head of some of the bolts has been mushroomed due to excess stresses caused by the plates ability to move against the bolts. The plate is clearly moving, because the paint is showing where the plate was painted at the factory and now the upper edge tilts toward the rear of the tractor and toward the ground enough to be easily visible. There is slight evidence of movement on the left side but hardly any by comparison.

So to make an attempt to remedy this serious issue we removed the loader completely, and left just the loader mounting posts and frame which extends back to the rear axle housing. We took out all 5 bolts at the right side mid-mount plate and replaced them with longer bolts, after using a dial caliper to determine the longest bolt that would fit the holes without bottoming out, and without wasting any of the hole's usable thread depth. This is a metric 8.8 bolt that is M15 x 1.50, ( I believe- I don't have the spec in front of me, but I'm fairly sure that was the size.) Note also: I do NOT have any shims in my setup like the OP of this thread mentioned and shows in his pics.

After discussion with my dealer, who says he has seen this type of problem with about every tractor manufacturer he has ever dealt with, and all brands he had sold over the last 50 years we determined, that for now the best way for me to solve my immediate issue is to install the new longer bolts with new lock washers and an additional flat washer between the mid-mount plate and the lock washer. I did just that, and before doing so used Brakleen spray and cleaned out each hole and air dried it before installing RED locktite to each bolt's threads.

The reason I chose to use semi-permanent Red locktite is because I'm hoping it will hold the bolts in place and prevent most if not all future movement. One potential problem is the fact that using a flat washer under the lock washer gives the lock washer less chance to grip something that is stationary, like the mid-mount plate. This could cause the bolt to loosen up when it might not if it were just locked to the plate as it was before. Hopefully the locktite will overcome this tendency, but I'll know soon enough if this is still going to be a headache area on the tractor.

I jacked up the entire loader post to where it was originally aligned from the factory install, with a floor jack, after loosening the front plate on the loader post to ensure even alignment. Then I tightened ALL the bolts to close to 75'/lbs.
I did not want to overtorque them because of the possibility of stripping out the threads in the holes in the frame.

My dealer said he just did a repair on a DK-45 where he had to remove even the loader posts and drill out oversized holes and insert studs and then washers and nuts on the studs. So far, this particular repair is holding. I'm trying to avoid going this root if at all possible for obvious reasons.

I suggest to ALL of us with these series tractors to make up a simple maintenance sheet where items like this can be listed, like grease intervals and checked off periodically like clockwork to keep these problems from becoming potential nightmares.

Hope this helps.
Let the bolt torque be with you!:)
 

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