sound when clutch operated under load

[wade simpson]

Man, That's gotta be frustrating !! I wonder if the noise was just something stupid..like a loose part on the exterior clanging into something else. How is the dealer going to charge you? Would it be better to use the tractor until something happens that helps diagnos the problem?

 

[jlsanborn]

It is frustrating. I looked long and hard when I was shopping. I still have no regrets on picking the 20, but I should have put more value in dealer support. I'm not bashing either of the dealers I've dealt with. They have both been freindly. It's just that they are mom and pop outfits where the owner is the sales manager, salesman, service manager, serviceman, delivery guy, accountant, on and on... I'm certain that the issue will be resolved, it's just that his bandwidth is so low and he probably can't put a 4 hour day or a ten hour week on my issue when he's got to answer the phone, deal with walk in customers, pick up and deliver tractors, etc... I feel like if I had gone with the "white cousin", where the dealer is blocks from my place of work and they employ more than two, I would be getting better service.
Regardless, I still think my choice was the best value "equipment wise". It's a sturdy little machine and I'm confident that once I get it back it is going to work well for me years down the road. I'm almost anxious for the warranty to expire so that I'm self reliant on keeping it up to par. I'd have no issues busting that thing in half and spilling it's guts out across my shop.

It's for sure something internal. It's hard to describe, but it's as obvious as a rod knocking in your old Chevy! I was quoted $150 for the round trip (pick-up, deliver) and another $35 for filters. I was told Kioti should cough up the owner's manual I never got. I wouldn't expect to pay a dime more than $185. One could argue that Kioti should make my November payment?

 

[wade simpson]

I'm lucky in that I've a good solid dealer close to me and another dealer, further away, just started selling Kioti's. I'm sure you'd know if it is an internal problem, I was just thinking outside the box for a moment. Maybe worthwhile to take the hit and trade it in on a bobcat.

I'm feel the same about warrenty's. I was glad I had it when the tractor broke but sometimes it's nice to just fix an obvious problem yourself. I'll need to build a work area...yay.

Good luck bud. Pls let me know what was the problem when it gets solved.

wade

 

[jlsanborn]

It's home and it's fixed!
As explained by the dealer.....
There's some kind of "keeper" on the end of the secondary shaft that establishes it's length (I read end-play). Evidently, the primary drive gear for the PTO is concentric to the secondary shaft and is engaged with a tang or square? Somehow the "keeper" was hosed and the shaft was not entirely engaged with the PTO primary and was the cause of the racket. It's whisper quiet now.
The dealer reported that Kioti was at a loss and suggested he just put it back together in hopes that the issue would become more evident over time. The dealer was nearly there himself, but in the last hour identified the cause and fixed it.
I'm a little dissapointed with the communication from the dealer. I reminded him more than once about a missing screw in the ROPS and the fact that I never received an owner's manual. Neither of those were addressed, but he's again promised that he'll follow through. We'll see. He also picked it up with a full tank of fuel, but failed to return it in the same condition - bone dry.
I put about 4 hours on it last night and have the driveway about half done. It's been a real PITA! Each night I've been meeting my daughter at the road and dragging her up with a chain. Last night, a friend of her's was high centered there when I pulled up from work. From here on out, there won't be as much as a friggen snow flake on my road! It's fun as **** too!:thumbsup:

 

[JoelD]

I am glad you are fixed up

Kioti needs to put an effort in engaging full blown dealership's as the road side shops could kill the brand

I miss rick wallace

Well actually thinking about it a little more I think it's Amy that I miss

Joel

 

[wade simpson]

Well, that is good news! The other stuff is annoying but at least the machine is back and working. Did he descride what he did to fix it? The tank of gas thing is troubling, it would affect my trust in the fella if I couldn't figure out how he went thru all that fuel
I don't think we're going to get much snow in nova scotia this year. We've definitely had enough rain tho. My road is turning into a bog in some spots.

 

[jlsanborn]

My guess is that he had to drain the fuel and just didn't put it back in?

I looked a little closer at the screws in the ROPS. The one that's missing is gone because the threads in the nut are gone! In fact, there is only one screw on the right side that is tight. Two are stripped and one is cross-threaded or something. It's about an 1/8" from all the way in, but is tight. The hex is a tad rounded like someone fought with it for a while. The left side looks to be in similar shape. I'm guessing the dealer I purchased the tractor from is responsible for that mess. It's doubtful that it would come from the factory that way. I'll have to cut those nuts off that are welded on at the factory and install new hardware. There's at least one other set of nuts I'd like to cut off too :laughing: