Not so sure this is normal?

[David_Kb7uns]

That is good compared to some pictures of the Chinese tractors I have heard about. Was looking at one of the kit ones at one time and the first fill up of the transmission was with diesel, run then drain, and then fill up with hydraulic fluid and hopefuly you got most the junk out.

David Kb7uns

 

[RaydaKub]

If that were mine, I'd at least go through the motions of raising h*ll with both the dealer and manufacturer...especially the manufacturer! Probably nothing will come of it but at least you would have had the satisfaction of knowing you tried.

And you have a copy of the documentation (make sure they enter it into the service records for your tractor) so that if it fails down the road, you can prove to them that you complained about it earlier.

 

[kuboman]

I just posted a pic of my filter about a week ago with similar amounts of metal, and everyone that replied said its normal. So what gives now?

Apparently it is the new normal. Real shoty manufacturing. Getting down to Chinese standards. Most Chinese engines need to be flushed before use to get the casting sand out of the block. Maybe Kubota has farmed out to China now.:thumbdown:

 

[Bluegill2]

Apparently it is the new normal. Real shoty manufacturing. Getting down to Chinese standards. Most Chinese engines need to be flushed before use to get the casting sand out of the block. Maybe Kubota has farmed out to China now.:thumbdown:

I would Not go that far!

 

[Bluegill2]

I'll be doing the 50 hour on my L3800 soon and get a photo of the filter when I do.

 

[k0ua]

I'll be doing the 50 hour on my L3800 soon and get a photo of the filter when I do.

It will be interesting to see what yours looks like. Mine was no where near like that.

James K0UA

 

[rScotty]

Hello fellas, Just changed the filter/fluids on my L3200 and after pulling the tranny filter off I was shocked by the amount of shavings I found in the filter.

That's not wear; that is machining swarf. And no, it is NOT normal; not by anyone's manufacturing standards and specifically not in a HST having a common oil sump for other hydraulic systems as well. My guess is that your tranny didn't get cleaned for whatever reason. The metal pieces in the filter are not going to be a problem. The problem - if it comes - will come from similar fragments that are stuck somewhere else in the system. I've been a mechanic and engineer for 50 years and my opinion is that nobody can say with assurance that it will or will not be a problem. But at the least, I would ask the dealer to bring it to the Kubota area representative's attention and then ask for a letter from that rep referencing the possibility of a future problem - just in case. IMHO, it would also be worth an hour with your attorney just to make sure that the documentation meets his needs too.
All worst case insurance, but why not? It's cheap enough on your part to do that. Frankly, I would be surprised if Kubota doesn't take the easy route and simply insist on replacing the tractor once they see your photos.
Kubota gets a lot of flack, but my experience is that the company is responsible about taking care of obvious oversights once you get their attention.
Please keep us posted.
And keep those filters just as they are.
rScotty

 

[jewing3227]

Well I recieved a call today and just so happened to miss it. It was from Kubota Corp and the fella said it is normal for there to be shavings in the filter however he wanted to see the pictures I had and we would proceed from there. I did leave a fairly lengthy and "feelings thought" filled email yesterday evening. It is a quick repsonse but like you guys have said, more than liekly nothing will come out of it but I atleast want documented they have aknowledgment about the situation for possible future problems.

On th eother hand, the local dealer which I purchased the tractor from, and had quite a bit a confidence in them up until here a late, responded back with a since of fear in their voice but stated this is totally normal and that 50-60% of the L3200/L3800 that come through there show a little more in the filter than that. I still haven't been able to calm myself enough to the point to discuss the problem with them one on one.

I will just have to wait and see what comes of it. I have the filter put up out of harms way just incase evidence is needed. I will keep everyone posted

 

[lilranch2001]

Well I recieved a call today and just so happened to miss it. It was from Kubota Corp and the fella said it is normal for there to be shavings in the filter however he wanted to see the pictures I had and we would proceed from there. I did leave a fairly lengthy and "feelings thought" filled email yesterday evening. It is a quick repsonse but like you guys have said, more than liekly nothing will come out of it but I atleast want documented they have aknowledgment about the situation for possible future problems.

On th eother hand, the local dealer which I purchased the tractor from, and had quite a bit a confidence in them up until here a late, responded back with a since of fear in their voice but stated this is totally normal and that 50-60% of the L3200/L3800 that come through there show a little more in the filter than that. I still haven't been able to calm myself enough to the point to discuss the problem with them one on one.

I will just have to wait and see what comes of it. I have the filter put up out of harms way just incase evidence is needed. I will keep everyone posted

If they were any kind of dealer, they should have reported this back to bota, instead they sit on their thumbs?

:confused2:

 

[rScotty]

Well I recieved a call today and just so happened to miss it. It was from Kubota Corp and the fella said it is normal for there to be shavings in the filter however he wanted to see the pictures I had and we would proceed from there.

Yes. My own engineering experiences has me agreeing with the Kubota rep. to some extent. I would agree that some amount of machining swarf is normal - not because you want any chips and shavings to be there at all, but because given the economics of mass production it is inevitable that some will escape the cleaning process.
I imagine that Kubota follows normal manufacturing procedure in diligently cleaning whatever they can during the manufacturing process, and counting on the filter catching the rest. I found a few curls of metal stuck to my own M59's filter as late as the second (100 hour) service. And I thought nothing about the little bit of swarf except that the filter was doing its job.
Basically a factory designs any assembly process to do things as good as they have to be done in order to get the failure rate down to an acceptable level. It's a statistical game.

However, judging from the pictures that you posted, my first impression was that your machine's casting missed at least one necessary cleaning step. That much debris cannot be normal; it is over any reasonable limit. Whether that much material causes a problem or not, it represents poor workmanship and even worse public relations. Looking at the pictures again this evening has not changed that first opinion. It doesn't mean disaster, however it does raise the chances of something causing a problem. The odds have shifted.

I think the rep was quite right in wanting to see the pictures. He needs to make his own evaluation.
Hopefully this is a case where social media will work to both your advantage and to Kubota's as well.
Best wishes,
rScotty