Wish that had not happened!

gwstang · Jul 11, 2015

Well, just crud! I set the finishing mower off today so I could use the box blade on the L2501 with 30 hours on it now. I started backing up to the box blade and felt some resistance, so I stopped and got off to look. The adjustable thing that sets the height of the right side lift arm had come off at the top. I don't know how in the @*^$ that could happen? The hitch pin had dropped off and the ball end just slipped off the pin and fell down and of course when I started backing up it bent the you know what out of the turnbuckle on that side.

After some colorful language that would have gotten me in great trouble years ago because one of the kids would have run straight to mama and squawked about it...I pulled forward enough to get it off the tire. I assume the turnbuckle threaded ends can be replaced or is it a whole unit? This would be a good time to upgrade to the stabilizer bars. I am curious as to what the turnbuckle would cost as I need to use the tractor again before I could receive any stabilizer type bars. I need to go over to my oldest boys place (across the road) and do some work with it on Tuesday when he will be home so I sort of need something pretty quick and assume the Kubota dealer will have a turnbuckle on hand. Anyone deal with this before? I had to drop the box blade to do some FEL work, it was rubbing too hard on that side without the turnbuckle.

Fawken · Jul 11, 2015

A picture of the damaged part/s would help and I'm no expert on Kubotas but I have use the turnbuckles sold at TSC on my linkage and they work great.

sandyc · Jul 12, 2015

I vote for the stabilizer bars as they are much easier to adjust and use.

Baby Grand · Jul 12, 2015

Can you bend it back, straight enough to get the work at your son's place done and until you can get the stabilizer bars?
I've had turnbuckles on side & toplinks "undo" themselves, just from the gentle vibration of the tractor. It has caused some embarrassing moments. As a result, I've got into the habit of socking them up good & tight with a wrench.

The stabilizer bars have been a huge improvement on our B2320 and the B5100.
They replace the check chains / sway turnbuckles, not the turnbuckle lifting links.
You might take a look at the crank adjustable lift links, since you're in the market.
I've seen them on some older tractors and I think AgriSupply carries them, too ...
Mark Hodge, of Stabilworks, made both and I highly recommend him, if he's still in business.

Baby Grand · Jul 12, 2015

... for some reason I can't edit my post ...
the last paragraph should read:

The stabilizer bars have been a huge improvement on our B2320 and the B5100.
They replace the check chains / sway turnbuckles, not the turnbuckle lifting links.
Mark Hodge, of Stabilworks, made both and I highly recommend him, if he's still in business.

You might take a look at the crank adjustable lift links, since you're in the market.
They call them leveling boxes.
I've seen them on some older tractors, 8N comes to mind, and I think AgriSupply carries them, too.
Something like this:
Object moved
... or this:
Ferguson Leveling Box Assembly for Ferguson TO20,TO30,FE35,35,50,MH50 - 8N577A

gwstang · Jul 12, 2015

Fawken said:
A picture of the damaged part/s would help and I'm no expert on Kubotas but I have use the turnbuckles sold at TSC on my linkage and they work great.

Great, I'm going right by there later today. I'll take a look to see if something will work until I can get the good stabilizer bars.

gwstang · Jul 12, 2015

sandyc said:
I vote for the stabilizer bars as they are much easier to adjust and use.

Yes, I just don't want to spend $80. on a new turnbuckle and then get the stabilizer bars too.

gwstang · Jul 12, 2015

Baby Grand said:
Can you bend it back, straight enough to get the work at your son's place done and until you can get the stabilizer bars?
I've had turnbuckles on side & toplinks "undo" themselves, just from the gentle vibration of the tractor. It has caused some embarrassing moments. As a result, I've got into the habit of socking them up good & tight with a wrench.

The stabilizer bars have been a huge improvement on our B2320 and the B5100.
They replace the check chains / sway turnbuckles, not the turnbuckle lifting links.
You might take a look at the crank adjustable lift links, since you're in the market.
I've seen them on some older tractors and I think AgriSupply carries them, too ...
Mark Hodge, of Stabilworks, made both and I highly recommend him, if he's still in business.

You know how re-bending something with threads usually works...snap!

I have an old Ford 8N with the crank style you mentioned. It sure was a common sense item for that. Seems Kubota and others could take a page from history to "improve" this new stuff.

s219 · Jul 12, 2015

TSC should have something close to working. If you want to drive to VA, you can borrow my turnbuckles -- they are just hanging on the wall looking lonely after I put on the telescoping stabilizers.

gwstang · Jul 12, 2015

Here she is

Boy, if I was just 40 years younger...I would just grab it and twist 'er back into shape.

gwstang · Jul 12, 2015

s219 said:
TSC should have something close to working. If you want to drive to VA, you can borrow my turnbuckles -- they are just hanging on the wall looking lonely after I put on the telescoping stabilizers.

Hey, thanks. A might far for a day trip...lol. I stopped by TSC and there wasn't anything...but horse feed...clothes...garden stuff, you know the drill.

As soon as the thermometer gets off of 99F, I'll go down to the barn and put it in the shop press. Probably get it close enough to use 'till some stabilizers show up next month. :cool2:

Fawken · Jul 12, 2015

Yep. TSC has stuff like that. Take the bent one with you. As a temp fix I have used just a length of chain with a bolt through it.

Posted as you were typing they didn't have it. That surprises me since ours have enough stuff to rebuild the whole linkage......

kevinj · Jul 12, 2015

gwstang said:
Here she is

Boy, if I was just 40 years younger...I would just grab it and twist 'er back into shape.

That is minor damage. Straighten it out and put it back on.

Jimbrown · Jul 12, 2015

I agree put in a vice whack it with a big hammer get on with things.

varmint · Jul 12, 2015

It's probably malleable steel, so you shouldn't even need heat, but if it doesn't want to just bend, heat it up. Put the turnbuckle into a big vise, and use a lever thru the eye bolt to get controlled leverage. Should be fine.

gwstang · Jul 12, 2015

Thanks guys. I used the shop press to get it straightened where it operates smoothly again.

Hope no more booboos happen anytime soon. :ashamed:

Baby Grand · Jul 13, 2015

varmint said:
It's probably malleable steel, so you shouldn't even need heat, but if it doesn't want to just bend, heat it up. Put the turnbuckle into a big vise, and use a lever thru the eye bolt to get controlled leverage. Should be fine.

^ Good advice!
Unscrew the bent piece from the rest of the assembly to isolate the repair forces.
You don't want to bend up the straight one in the process of fixing the bent one.
Don't ask.
If you have a length of pipe that will fit over the threaded end, it should be fairly easy to straighten out.
The threaded section still looks fairly straight, so your repair should work well, once it's back on the tractor.

Tomtint · Jul 13, 2015

Glad you got it back to working condition. A couple years ago my father did the same thing to his, we ended up cutting the bent threaded shaft out of the loop and welding a new bolt that we cut the head off of, into the loop.

dragoneggs · Jul 15, 2015

Baby Grand said:
The stabilizer bars have been a huge improvement on our B2320 and the B5100. They replace the check chains / sway turnbuckles, not the turnbuckle lifting links. Mark Hodge, of Stabilworks, made both and I highly recommend him, if he's still in business.

Oh yeah Mark is still in business as of a few weeks ago. Just received mine for my BX. Great customer service!