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

 

[jewing3227]

Well..................Hoefling truck and tractor is who for the most part everyone within i'd say 50-100 miles goes to simply because upfront they talk a good game up to the sale but most importantly, they a quite a bit cheaper than anyone else. After the purchase it was almost like they were "moving on". Maybe it's because the machine I bought was smaller compared to most. I would just think a follow up call a month or 2 after the purchase confirming happyness with the machine would be the absolute least a dealer should do. I guess theres a rotten apple in every bunch....

 

[Bluegill2]

Well..................Hoefling truck and tractor is who for the most part everyone within i'd say 50-100 miles goes to simply because upfront they talk a good game up to the sale but most importantly, they a quite a bit cheaper than anyone else. After the purchase it was almost like they were "moving on". Maybe it's because the machine I bought was smaller compared to most. I would just think a follow up call a month or 2 after the purchase confirming happyness with the machine would be the absolute least a dealer should do. I guess theres a rotten apple in every bunch....

We've bought a lot of stuff over the years and the only call we ever got from a dealer after the sale to see if we were happy, was when we bought the wife's car from Toyota. Never from Ford, Dodge (my trucks), Kubota or any others...

 

[Chilly807]

You should probably get rid of the L3200 and get a Deere, if you feel so strongly about it. I doubt you'll be satisfied with the Kubota after this. So, just to be sure I'm not missing something, is there actually anything wrong with the tractor other than a bit of debris in the hydro filter?

Sean

 

[Stinkydean]

Good morning jewing3227,

IMHO this is clearly a case of bad manufacturing QC! But having said that shavings are shavings and not necessarily the evil that will cause failure. I would be looking in the drained transmission fluid for tiny metal particulate in excess of normal break-in. Given what you have found oil analysis may be your best friend and another data point for you to document.

Stinky

 

[DK35vince]

You should probably get rid of the L3200 and get a Deere, if you feel so strongly about it. I doubt you'll be satisfied with the Kubota after this. So, just to be sure I'm not missing something, is there actually anything wrong with the tractor other than a bit of debris in the hydro filter?

Sean

I take it that you wouldn't have a problem finding filings like that in your filter?
I certainly would.
How many bearings and gears did those filings go through flooting around in the transmission case on his brand new machine before it made to the filter?

 

[Bluegill2]

Iron don't float, the filter caught em first...

 

[dex3361]

i would be upset if I found that in my filters though we have seen it here a few times. I would request a free hydro fluid and filter change in 50 hours (I would want to see the filters come off with my own eyes). Also ask to have your warranty extended in case there is an issue that doesn't immediately show up.

 

[Chilly807]

I take it that you wouldn't have a problem finding filings like that in your filter?
I certainly would.
How many bearings and gears did those filings go through flooting around in the transmission case on his brand new machine before it made to the filter?

My hydraulic filter was actually like that, although not quite as much. Maybe 75%. I've had the top of my transmission case off for another reason, and the gears look pretty much like you'd expect for 300 hours, brand new. That's why the HST transmission has it's own filter, because it has a separate pump to protect.

My point is, we've been seeing these filters like that for years at the 50 hour change, and there is practically zero occurrence of transmission failure because of debris in the oil. I agree the cases aren't cleaned the way we'd like to see before assembly, however there doesn't seem to be much in the way of harmful results.

A new tractor comes with a 3-year powertrain warranty. If that material caused any problems in the first 50 hours, it'll be apparent long before the 3 years is up.

I fail to see the mountain from the molehill, it's not an ideal situation but seems to cause no harm anyway.

 

[DK35vince]

Iron don't float, the filter caught em first...

Metal filings may not float, but the transmission oil isn't just laying there still and undisturbed.
The gears and bearing are spinning and moving the oil, possibly along with some of the filings along with it.

 

[jewing3227]

Chilly807 ......first and formost brother i'm gonna take your comment in a good way. I by no shape, form, way, or fashion am trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill. I personally have been through bearing programs for SKF, FAG and NATIONAL so I feel I do have some concern here. Like mention recently, debris in material does move about before it hits the filter and I personally know that it dosen't take much to damage a bearing. If I wanted a deere, believe you me I would have one but I chose a Kubota because I know sevral people who own them and like them.......I personally like my L3200, just some concern here. Maybe posting the filter on here and asking a few questions or making a few comments wasn't the best idea as there is always someone who thinks people are "whining". I was just curious as to how many others had this much material in the filter. I believe I have found my answer. Thanks everyone for your help. Have a good one