Kubota should have put a grease zerk on that location, for sure. Don't know what they were thinking. That bushing is the sole support for the actual steering column. The bottom is attached through a knuckle to the steering box. The alignment is not the best either, nor did Kubota even have the foresight to chrome the shaft at that location to prevent rusting.
I don't know if they put some sort of dry lube on it at the factory, but what happens is that the lube rubs off, the joint drys out, a little rust forms and there you go - squeak squeak. Really, the bushing should have been plastic like acetal which has lubricating properties, and the area on the shaft needed to be non rusting. Without both of these features, this is going to remain a repetitive process.
