Sorry that I stirred up a bunch of name calling and misinterpretations. I have not stated every word of every conversation because of time/space and I hate typing. There is absolutely NO way I would expect a dealer to come and pick up and return my tractor without paying for his time. My first conversation with the local dealer ended with the service man going to call me on a pickup date which did not occur.
When I purchased the tractor I was in the process of building a house here but my wife and mailing address was still at our house we occupied while I was working. I suppose technically either place could be called my residence as I was living in our shop part time. This was and is a mute point, so I left it out.
Prior to purchasing a tractor, I spent many hours researching this site for info to determine the size of tractor needed, which implements I'd need as well as buying advice. The purpose of my original posting was twofold: vent my frustration at Kubota and warn others that could be caught in a similar situation.
The service rep at a different dealership, the one the Kubota service manager told me to take the tractor to, is the one that suggested I get it repaired at a local repair shop as his charge for time on the road would be more than the repair itself. He also told me of many issues his dealership had to handle because of the local dealership here.
The lessons I have learned from this are many, not the least of which is to better determine the quality of service available from a dealer when one is new to an area would be to contact the service department at other dealerships of like brand in the vicinity.
After cooling down some, I know I would buy another Kubota only if the local dealership had the same reputation as the one I purchased this tractor from. They sent a mechanic 65 miles to repair a hydraulic valve issue for one of my friends, no charge, even though his tractor was out of warranty.
Oops, this might cause someone to be confused again. I fully expected to pay for the hauling of my tractor as required. That wasn't an issue. The local dealership charges less for pickup than what it would be to rent a trailer.
Now the good news. The owner of the indepentent repair facility will be picking up my tractor in the morning no charge. He does not live far from me and said it'd be no issue to pick up and return my tractor. This is wonderful service that I never expected. He will be checking for the cause of the seal failure and said that bearings sometimes go out of alignment because of the stress from a front mounted snowblower. That's not good to hear because we get many feet of snow and I have 1 1/2 miles of road to keep clear for my neighbors and me.
I'll post again when the repair work is finished to answer those that are curious. It is amazing what has been said by some but put away the swords. This is a great place for knowledge and wisdom. Let's keep it that way.
