LS Frame Issue Video

hutchman · Mar 22, 2014

Now I'm worried! Took my week old new-to-me R3039 out for a spin (just driving it) and thought I smelled something funny like brakes or plastic.

Discovered fan is rubbing the bottom of radiator shroud. There are pads on each side of frame that look like they protect from the axle from making contact ... there is a cross member in that area too and it looks like there may be a crack starting from the bottom of frame growing up.

Is this the same area as the video you guys saw? I never was able to view it.

GManBart · Mar 22, 2014

hutchman said:
Now I'm worried! Took my week old new-to-me R3039 out for a spin (just driving it) and thought I smelled something funny like brakes or plastic.

Discovered fan is rubbing the bottom of radiator shroud. There are pads on each side of frame that look like they protect from the axle from making contact ... there is a cross member in that area too and it looks like there may be a crack starting from the bottom of frame growing up.

Is this the same area as the video you guys saw? I never was able to view it.

I watched the video too long ago to recall the details. Either way, I'd call your dealer immediately, and not use the tractor until they've looked at it.

ZFish · Mar 22, 2014

the whispering oaks farm said:
How much did you pay for your ferguson? I'll bet it wasn't $29,000. and i'll bet you have had parts fail on it also. maybe nothing major but metal is metal and mechanical things sometimes fail. So you think your old, cheap, worn out tractor is better. It probably will never have a mechanical failure either because its yours. good for you.

lol don't get all upset pal! I have decide to look into backhoes, Industrial ones. My Ferguson has been in my family from new! I know whats wrong with it and parts are very cheap! As a matter a fact, I can completely rebuild (restore) it for less then 1/2 of your so quoted 29k! And have a great piece of American built history! Yes every thing has Mechanical Failure, but I'm sorry I'm not spending 29k on a new tractor and having to worry about the frame braking. Especially when the Ferguson is 60 years old and still runs, never has had a rebuild and still has good compression!

hutchman · May 16, 2014

I got my 3039 back from the dealer where LS replaced the subframe and reinforced it with a kit that looks like this:

The 3039 I recently bought used from a dealer had the issue another person in this thread mentioned where something was wrong with the frame and the radiator fan was contacting the fan shroud. LS made it right and I'm happy. The old farts all cautioned me on buying a tractor that wasn't Orange, Red or Green ... all I can say is LS stood by their product and I couldn't be happier!

mangus580 · Jun 22, 2014

So I started hearing the dreaded fan hitting the shroud noise this weekend.....

Discovered 2 cracks, one either side....

Tbolt76 · Jun 22, 2014

Yikes! I wonder how something like this could be happening? Poor steel or too thin? I'm also thinking maybe my R4041 has thicker steel in this area....? Maybe we should all go out and measure respective thicknesses to see if there is a difference. Keep us posted Mangus! Good luck.
Tom

GManBart · Jun 23, 2014

mangus580 said:
So I started hearing the dreaded fan hitting the shroud noise this weekend.....

Discovered 2 cracks, one either side....

Bummer....let us know what the dealer says.

mangus580 · Jun 23, 2014

Looking at the pictures again. .. I wonder if it's something to do with the weld. Both cracks start where the edge of the weld is for the axle mounting plate.

Guesseral · Jun 23, 2014

mangus580 said:
Looking at the pictures again. .. I wonder if it's something to do with the weld. Both cracks start where the edge of the weld is for the axle mounting plate.

It also looks like the axle has been hitting the stop on the frame on each side from running on really uneven ground or even deep low areas. That isn't anything the OP or anyone else can really help it shouldn't hurt the tractor at all as tractors have been doing this for years, but as the weight of the tractor (or full loader load) pushes down on the frame and the frame is resting on a stationary point (the axle) it would stress the frame, right there in front of the weld and also behind the point of contact with the axle.
Heck that would make sense to me.

tcreeley · Jun 23, 2014

Is the fix -plates bolted on, or do they also weld it? I would think that plates just bolted on can slip a bit. It would be awfully hard to get the tolerance good enough to take out all of the play. That's why I hope it is welded first then reinforced.
I have a TC30 and after I bought it used, I discovered that the ones with backhoes were having breaks in the housing where the backhoe frame was bolted. I was glad I didn't have a backhoe at that point.
The LS 3039 is a fine tractor- I almost bought one before I changed my mind and bought used for much less. If memory serves me, the 3039 has an excellent bucket lifting capacity. I wonder if that worked against them- design flaw in mis-matching FEL and tractor frame?
LS is on the ground floor and most likely will work with their customers to keep them coming through the door to buy. The color is just fine, looks like a New Holland if I squint!

jaydee325 · Jun 23, 2014

Just measured the steel thickness in that area on my R3039H purchased last July. 12mm or roughly 15/32".

I throw this out there to see if later models were beefed up at all.

Really bad news Mangus. Hope dealer and LS come through for you.

Bob

HarryN · Jun 23, 2014

jaydee325 said:
Just measured the steel thickness in that area on my R3039H purchased last July. 12mm or roughly 15/32".

I throw this out there to see if later models were beefed up at all.

Really bad news Mangus. Hope dealer and LS come through for you.

Bob

That seems pretty thick (almost a half inch of metal) Or am I missing something. Apparently not enough for Mangus, since there is a crack there! Ouch.

mangus580 · Jun 23, 2014

So news so far...

Seems there are 2 different frame setups, as well as the added loader bracket as seen in Hutchmans picture. It seems the bracket he pictured is an update for the loader, and the new style frame is different as well.

Dealer is ordering everything needed, including the fan shroud and fan too.

He said it will take a week or so to get the parts. And wont take much more than a day to fix. Bad part is, July 4th is mixed in the middle!

In the end, it seems that LS is well aware that there was a problem, and has made updates to resolve the problem. He said some tractors already have the 'newer' frame. I dont think any of them originally shipped with the updated loader brackets.

Hope this helps anyone else wondering....

Buglewood · Jun 23, 2014

If a dealer has a new R3039 can you tell if it is the new style frame?
How many R3039 have had to have frames repaired or replaced?
Thought I was about to buy a R3039 but now having second thoughts.

Mangus hope LS and your dealer get you repaired soon.

David

mangus580 · Jun 23, 2014

I wouldn't be concerned about buying one. Just ask the dealer about it. Also make sure it has the extra loader brackets pictured above. You should be fine.

Tbolt76 · Jun 24, 2014

Mangus and all,
Here are a couple of closeups of my R4041 frame in the same area of the tractor. Definitely beefier than the original frame of the R3039. Maybe this shouldn't surprise some people as the R3039 is 1200 lbs lighter, and that weight has to come from less metal throughout the tractor......hope this helps. There is definitely more metal in this area of the frame.

Tom

Guesseral · Jun 24, 2014

Tbolt76 said:
View attachment 380448 View attachment 380447Mangus and all,
Here are a couple of closeups of my R4041 frame in the same area of the tractor. Definitely beefier than the original frame of the R3039. Maybe this shouldn't surprise some people as the R3039 is 1200 lbs lighter, and that weight has to come from less metal throughout the tractor......hope this helps. There is definitely more metal in this area of the frame.

Tom

In the second picture are you missing the front bolt?

hutchman · Jun 24, 2014

I downloaded the .PDF of the parts manuals of all the R series tractors. The 4041 and 4047 look to have the same subframe and in the area where the cracks appear on the 3039 frame, that same area on the 41/47 is three times thicker.

Edit. I just reread this and I'm not saying the 39 subframe is the same as the 41/47 ... they are way different. Just thought I'd make that more clear.

hutchman · Jun 24, 2014

The blue plates on mine look like they are just bolted on.

tcreeley said:
Is the fix -plates bolted on, or do they also weld it? I would think that plates just bolted on can slip a bit. It would be awfully hard to get the tolerance good enough to take out all of the play. That's why I hope it is welded first then reinforced.
I have a TC30 and after I bought it used, I discovered that the ones with backhoes were having breaks in the housing where the backhoe frame was bolted. I was glad I didn't have a backhoe at that point.
The LS 3039 is a fine tractor- I almost bought one before I changed my mind and bought used for much less. If memory serves me, the 3039 has an excellent bucket lifting capacity. I wonder if that worked against them- design flaw in mis-matching FEL and tractor frame?
LS is on the ground floor and most likely will work with their customers to keep them coming through the door to buy. The color is just fine, looks like a New Holland if I squint!

Tbolt76 · Jun 24, 2014

Guesseral said:
In the second picture are you missing the front bolt?

Guesseral,
I don't know.....I was wondering the same thing when I took the pics, I have a bag of extra bolts from when the tractor was delivered. I'll dig them out and see if they fit, one would think there should be some in there, but with both missing I'm also thinking maybe the holes serve another purpose.
Tom