Yet another nex BX23 owner - but with minor probs

[ESM]

I had been debating about getting a new tractor for a long time and finally took the plunge. My BX23 was delivered last Wednesday. I got it with a 54 inch deck and turf tires, the rear ones I had loaded. For those that keep an eye on pricing I paid 14,800 and another 1,500 for the deck. The BX is replacing my older John Deere 318 with a Johnny Bucket. I'm gonna hate to sell it but there isn't room for two. The 318 has been a great little tractor but it's just not up to some of the tasks I ask of it. I have 3.5 acres and after looking at all the various makes and models the BX23 just seems to be the perfect fit for me.

On delivery day I only had a couple of hours to play with my new toy before it started to rain. It has been raining here pretty much ever since and more rain is forecast for this week. We're leaving for a weeks vacation in Vermont at the end of the week so I won't really get to play until the beginning of August /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif.

In the couple hours I did have, the first thing I tackled was a couple of small holly trees with the backhoe. It worked great and I can't wait to go after a few larger (about 12 inches) stumps left from some sick pines I took down last year. I know that project will take some time but it should be fun. The backhoe has about as much power as I anticipated but not as much as I hoped for /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif. Of course, I was taking it easy and not running the engine at max RPM. I don't want to work it too hard until the after the first service.

Stuck inside again today I decided to take the the backhoe off in the garage and was impressed by how it easy it was to remove. I doubt hooking it back up will be quite as easy but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it soon enough. After I got the hoe off I stood back to admire my new tractor and was immediately struck by two things.

1) My hood is crooked /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif. When looking from the front the gap where the hood meets the grill is quite noticeably larger on one side then the other. Not a big deal but it bothers me. I'm not sure what to do about it but I'll worry a about after I fix the second problem. Maybe they're related but I doubt it.

2) My loader is crooked or I thought it was. One side of the bucket is about a 1/2 higher then the other. After looking at if for a while and trying to figure out where the problem was I put a level across the loader frame uprights and saw it was out of level there too. Then I flipped up the seat and layed the level across the fenders, same problem. I checked my front tire pressure and each tire was set to 20 psi. After I adjusted the fronts to 25 psi, I went to check the rears. I tried to take a reading but all I got was fluid squirting out /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif so I quickly realized I would have to rotate the tires to get the valve stems top center. I did that and measured 12.5 psi on the "high" side of the tractor and on the "low" side I still couldn't get a reading because of escaping fluid. It seems the dealer over loaded that tire. Not being able to get good pressure readings I took a tape measure and measured from the floor to the bottom of the rear tire rims. It was hard to be exact but it was almost 1/2" different, about what I measured off the tip of the loader bucket. I feel a lot better because I know nothing is seriously wrong and in fact I'm quite impressed with the structural rigidity of the frame. The problem I have now is how do I correct the fluid problem in the tire?
/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

This is what I'm planning to do, please correct me if there is a better way. I figured I would jack up and block the the back of the tractor so the wheels are just barely off the ground. With the tires rotated so that the valve stems are about 3/4 of the way up, I'll open the tire valves and let the fluid escape until no more seeps out. Then I'll add air to 20 psi, lower the tractor and check that everything is level. Hopefully it will be. Is this the right way to go about this? Thanks everyone!

 

[ESM]

These are the trees I was referring to.

 

[ESM]

Almost scary how easy this was to knock over. Like it wasn't even there.

 

[ESM]

Definitely tricky to get the hang of. I'm sure it will take me a while to get proficient with the hoe.

 

[ESM]

This is the end result. The mulch pile in the foreground is what's left of the trees. A little grass seed and I'll be good to go.

 

[Junkman]

The correct way to eliminate ballast from the tire is to put the valve stem at 12 o'clock and take the Schrader valve out. Do this with the tire off the ground. Let out the fluid till it stops running. Reinsert the Schrader valve and inflate tire to the proper air pressure. I would also check the other side to see if it is under filled, overfilled, or done correctly. You need to check both to get them both identical. Then if the tractor is still 1/2" off level, tell the dealer to either fix it or replace it. I wouldn't find 1/2" off level an acceptable situation since when you use the loader you want it to go up evenly and squarely. It could be a manufacturing defect that can come to haunt you in future years. For the price you paid, you should get the same quality as all the rest of us. If you wanted a tractor with defects, then you could have purchase a used one for less...

 

[RoyJackson]

"I did that and measured 12.5 psi on the "high" side of the tractor and on the "low" side I still couldn't get a reading because of escaping fluid."

Jack the rear of the tractor off the ground (¼" is plenty), then rotate the tires to the 12:00 position and check the pressure. With no weight on the tires, I doubt if you get any fluid squirting out.

I position the floor jack under the draw bar bracket and lift the entire rear of the tractor. If it's going to be off the ground for any length of time, use jackstands under the axle...especially if you have kids around.

If you do, as Junkman suggested, pull the valve stem out and drain a bit.

 

[TroyR57]

Nice machine. I have one also, and found out that 20lbs in the rears is a bit much, I now run mine at 17lbs. I had slimmed the fronts, after getting a flat on my second day, and in a few weeks, I slimmed the rears, and put 20lbs in them. I was helping a friend, clear out some bambo cane, that had been cut, we were using the back hoe to dig up the roots, and while moving around, rand over a cut pice of bambo, and all of a sudden green stuff, flying all over the place, had put a hole to big for the slime to plug. Manage to get the tractor back on the trailer before all the air escaped. Boy were the tire people mad about the slim, had to wash it all out before they could patch it. But I think if the tire pressure had been lower, it might not have putchered the tire so easy, so now I run them at 17 psi.

Also on my FEL, I notice, the same thing about it be out of level some times, after picking up heavy objects, but after a few cycles of the loader, it evens back up.

Note, to all on the Board, I am back, just return to Work after Five weeks of vacation. I now have 75 hours on my BX 23, and got all but one of the planned jobs, completed, while home, the one to help Mr. Curry, he had gotten very sick, but is better now, More latter.

On my way to Portland Maine, should be there Wednesday.

Troy. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Gowfster]

Roy-
Time for you to upgrade your ride- the BX23 has the built-on backhoe, so these jack things you speak of are from the history book! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Allen2]

Congrats on the new tractor. I have been digging out stumps lately with mine as well. The hardest so far has been the 6-10 inch diameter maples. They seem to have a tough root system. It took some serious digging to make them let go. I try to leave about 2 feet of the trunk to use as leverage when it is time to break it loose (somebody's advice from this group). I am always impressed with the pushing power of this tractor. I accidently hit a 4 inch wild cherry stump while I was moving forward (OK the heat was probably getting to me) and it popped it right out of the ground. Another push at the base and it was history. Good luck with your projects. Keep us posted with some pics.
Allen

 

[SeymourBota]

Not sure where in Vermont you are going to vacation, but I have some lawn you can mow with my BX2200 if you would like to "play" while you are here!!!

 

[ESM]

Well, as suggested I jacked up the back of the tractor until the wheels were off the ground. With the valve stems at 12 o'clock I left off some pressure and then removed the Schrader valve (I never knew it was called that /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif). With one tire, the "high" side, there were no problems. The valve came out easily and there was no fluid. Rotating the tire slightly did produce a trickle so I know that tire was filled properly.

On the other side, the "low" side, removing the valve produced a heavy stream of fluid. At least 1 1/2 gallons drained off before the flow slowed then stopped. This tire obviously had too much fluid. Hopeful that I solved my problem, I quickly replaced the valves, re-inflated the tires and lowered the tractor. Unfortunately however, this didn't fix it. The loader is still off about 1/2 inch /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif.

I'm going to call the dealer tomorrow morning. I'll ask them to come pick up the tractor and figure out what the problem is. I'm hoping there is an easy solution but just not sure what to expect. The bottom line is that I won't be satisfied until until I have a level tractor. The worst part is that the dealer had six BX23's and I picked the wonky one. I'll post back with what I find out.

 

[Boomerang1]

If the tires have calcium chloride inside, make sure the fluid covers the entire rim. This will prevent corrosion of the rim. You can by a gauge designed for fluid filled tires. They are made with non corrosive materials. The pressure will read the same with or without fluid in the tires. You won't have any fluid come out once you learn how to put the gauge on the valve stem properly. Put the gauge on squarely, press firmly, then remove quickly.

 

[RoyJackson]

"Time for you to upgrade your ride- the BX23 has the built-on backhoe, so these jack things you speak of are from the history book!"

I'm not sure why you'd say that...

If you're expecting to depend on your backhoe stabilizors...well, that's not a safe thing to do. The jack stands are adjustable, but lock into a given height.

Just as it is unsafe to get under a car or truck on a mechanical or hydraulic jack, it's unsafe to depend on your hydraulic stabilizers when working on the tractor.

 

[Gowfster]

<font color="purple"> </font> Jack the rear of the tractor off the ground (¼" is plenty), <font color="black"> </font>

Roy- I think you are either over tired or oversensitive. I would say that your suggestion to jack a tractor as you referenced above would be safely accomplished with the backhoe stabilizers. A 1/4" fall? I think you have a case of BH envy!

 

[LBrown59]

Never get under or depend on any thing hydraulic to safely support any thing.

Hydraulic devices can leak down,
hoses or lines can bust and drop the load on you or someone else.

Safety devices are always in order when / where hydraulic and mechanical lifting devices are involved.



</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Roy-
these jack things you speak of are from the history book! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif )</font>

 

[JimMorrissey]

ESM,

Hope you had a good vaction in Vermont /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif It's a nice place.

 

[HomeBrew2]

I'm sorry, I must be more hungover than usual and missed something in the translation of the instructions given to this guy about getting some of the ballast out of his tires ... did somebody suggest that he get *UNDER* his tractor to remove the valve stem core to drain the fluid?

 

[Gowfster]

Nope, you didn't sleep through something- but a couple of the guys seem to be worried that 0.25" "fall" when their hydraulics fail catastrophically in an instant could jeopordize the well being of all nearby. Given that I couldn't even get the toe of my boot under the tire at 0.25" off the ground - it is hard to understand where they are coming from, but there is the first ammendment you know. I'm ditching this particular thread now, as it appears boredom has prevailed and ... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[ESM]

Just wanted to post an update. I called the dealer this morning, spoke to my salesman and explained the problem. He didn't hesitate in suggesting that their service department should take a look at it. He said he would talk to the Service Manager and someone would contact me to schedule a pickup. Within 5 minutes the Service Manager called me back, the tractor is scheduled to be picked up tomorrow.

I'm very curious to see what they find. I remounted the backhoe today and drove the tractor around a little just to see if would have any effect. The problem is still there so at least it is consistent. I'm not sure what Kubota's policy is and I don't want to jump to conclusions but if this turns out to be anything more serious then a bad tire or loose pin or something like that then I'll ask that they replace the tractor versus repairing it. I know I'm getting way ahead of myself but it's hard not be anxious after spending so much on piece of equipment and then running immediately into problems. Based on what I've see posted here Kubota seems to be a very reputable manufacturer and I'm comfortable with my dealer as well so I'm sure it will all work out. It still sucks though!