B2301 Loader Fell Off !

[msullivan1]

Hello all. Hoping someone can guide me to options on my new to me B2301. In short, the Loader fell off working in the woods, 1 side. Hoping I can get consideration from Kubota, I'm the 2nd owner. It has 250 hours. Trashed the hood and the grill, and bent the loader to the point it will not reattach. Bent hydraulic lines, scratched it all over and took out the rear lights trying to get it out of the woods with minimal damage. Was cleaning up brush hog cuttings and some small trees I cut or pulled out. When pushing the piles into the woods, something must have caught the mount/retention pin and knocked the small retaining pin out of the oversized bracket on 1 side. Misery to try and align it enough to move it at all. Extremely poor design, albeit very similar to my 2000 B2710, that I bought new and worked much harder (and still have in the family). Seems to have a much broader neutral load point for the mount pin removal than my B2710, which, if so, would make it more prone to coming out. I also saw on a quick i-net search there have been others with similar experiences

Any ideas who to reach out to at Kubota and the odds they will make it right? While it is still under warranty, guessing they will say user error or abuse, which is definitely not the case.

All the best,

Mike

 

[RjCorazza]

If this occurred as you stated, then it is user error. I can almost guarantee that no manufacturer is going to warranty that damage.
That said, sorry to hear of your troubles and I hope you get it repaired.

 

[jeff9366]

When pushing the piles into the woods, something must have caught the mount/retention pin and knocked the small retaining pin out of the oversized bracket on 1 side.

Bent hydraulic lines, scratched it all over and took out the rear lights trying to get it out of the woods with minimal damage.

Kubota has no responcibility for your damage.



If you purchased KTAC insurance (Kubota Tractor Acceptance Corp.) insurance you may be covered after $250 deductible.

https://www.ktacinsuranceagency.com/About-KTAC-Insurance-Agency.aspx

Kubota B2301​

2018 - B-01 Series Compact Utility tractor

Dimensions
Weight:	1566 lbs 710 kg

 

[workinonit]

I probably wouldn't call it abuse depending on what you were actually doing when it came off. Carelessness is more in line I think. I'm at a loss for how your loader arms come out of the brackets and you don't see or hear it. And then I guess you kept going after the event happened. I can almost guarantee Kubota won't have anything for you. Maybe your insurance company will. That's likely your best bet.

 

[K5lwq]

Pictures would be nice to see but I agree with others insurance may kick in if you have coverage. Hate to hear of your troubles and hope it gets going again soon.

 

[Paystar]

Just some advice for next time.....I put small zip ties around my pins so they can't slide up and out of the retainer holes.

Unfortunately this is not the first time I heard of this happening so that's why I followed advice and put the ties on mine.

 

[msullivan1]

Thanks, all, about what I figured. 2 dealers say it is impossible to fall off, even after telling them to look around online. Sad.

Credit where credit is due: Overall, for others considering a B2301, can't believe they even sell it. Terribly underpowered: Have to go about 1/3 power to drive up a small grade at any reasonable speed. 60" Kubota belly mower cuts like crap even at 2800rpm, clumps all over the place (my Cub Cadet mower is 100% clean). As a note, I have the 72" on my B2710 and has never clumped in 22+ years....damp grass and all. Snow blower (55xx series, I believe) is so under powered it clogs with moderately wet snow....basically useless here in MI. Going to sell it, no use to me. And, obviously, the loader can and does fall off.

My MY2000 B2710 is a beast, only 4 hp more. Talking with an open and honest dealer, was told in addition to all the emissions equipment on 26+hp, they have derated the power on smaller units to avoid needing emissions gear in recent past years. While I guess capable of 23hp, he said you just don't get it.

I know, all manufacturers are that way. No excuse, selling stuff not fit for the advertised/intended purpose is fraud IMO.

Lastly, priced an L-Series, just nutz. 30hp, 72" belly mower, loader, backhoe. $40k+ !! Worse, only a 6 year warranty on the $1800 emission canister (catalytic convertor, I assume). Told no problem with them mowing at high RPM, just be careful with low RPM use (80% +/- of my use)! Never seen so many unsold tractors at a dealer. Not a large dealer, either. Even had a side lot crammed full. Gee, wonder why.

Off to find another B2710 or B2910.

 

[tradosaurus]

Check you homeowners insurance. Good chance they might cover the damage. I believe mine would as long as it happened on my property.

 

[LHF2019]

Hello all. Hoping someone can guide me to options on my new to me B2301. In short, the Loader fell off working in the woods, 1 side. Hoping I can get consideration from Kubota, I'm the 2nd owner. It has 250 hours. Trashed the hood and the grill, and bent the loader to the point it will not reattach. Bent hydraulic lines, scratched it all over and took out the rear lights trying to get it out of the woods with minimal damage. Was cleaning up brush hog cuttings and some small trees I cut or pulled out. When pushing the piles into the woods, something must have caught the mount/retention pin and knocked the small retaining pin out of the oversized bracket on 1 side. Misery to try and align it enough to move it at all. Extremely poor design, albeit very similar to my 2000 B2710, that I bought new and worked much harder (and still have in the family). Seems to have a much broader neutral load point for the mount pin removal than my B2710, which, if so, would make it more prone to coming out. I also saw on a quick i-net search there have been others with similar experiences

Any ideas who to reach out to at Kubota and the odds they will make it right? While it is still under warranty, guessing they will say user error or abuse, which is definitely not the case.

All the best,

Mike

Thanks, all, about what I figured. 2 dealers say it is impossible to fall off, even after telling them to look around online. Sad.

Credit where credit is due: Overall, for others considering a B2301, can't believe they even sell it. Terribly underpowered: Have to go about 1/3 power to drive up a small grade at any reasonable speed. 60" Kubota belly mower cuts like crap even at 2800rpm, clumps all over the place (my Cub Cadet mower is 100% clean). As a note, I have the 72" on my B2710 and has never clumped in 22+ years....damp grass and all. Snow blower (55xx series, I believe) is so under powered it clogs with moderately wet snow....basically useless here in MI. Going to sell it, no use to me. And, obviously, the loader can and does fall off.

My MY2000 B2710 is a beast, only 4 hp more. Talking with an open and honest dealer, was told in addition to all the emissions equipment on 26+hp, they have derated the power on smaller units to avoid needing emissions gear in recent past years. While I guess capable of 23hp, he said you just don't get it.

I know, all manufacturers are that way. No excuse, selling stuff not fit for the advertised/intended purpose is fraud IMO.

Lastly, priced an L-Series, just nutz. 30hp, 72" belly mower, loader, backhoe. $40k+ !! Worse, only a 6 year warranty on the $1800 emission canister (catalytic convertor, I assume). Told no problem with them mowing at high RPM, just be careful with low RPM use (80% +/- of my use)! Never seen so many unsold tractors at a dealer. Not a large dealer, either. Even had a side lot crammed full. Gee, wonder why.

Off to find another B2710 or B2910.

How "new to you" was this tractor? You say you found information about this issue after the fact? So you didn't research a tractor you bought before hand and make yourself aware of issues a particular model could have. You experienced the issue others have. I'm guessing you didn't make sure everything was correctly mounted when you got it then proceeded to use your "new to you" tractor very aggressively based on your description. An issue happened that has apparently happened to others and now your upset and going to bash the model.

 

[D&D]

Thanks, all, about what I figured. 2 dealers say it is impossible to fall off, even after telling them to look around online. Sad.

Recall / service bulletin somewhere ?

LA435 Loader keeps uncoupling

Has anyone had this problem? I only have 28 hours on my B2601 with a LA435 loader And the dang loader keeps uncoupling. its happed 4 times now and has now damaged my hood. it happens when scooping or carrying a load. I have checked and it looks like it is locked all the way.

www.orangetractortalks.com

 

[90cummins]

I feel your pain!!
I’m very mechanically inclined,
I’ve worked in automotive dealerships and engineering test & desigh labs specifically the US ARMIES BRADLEY FIGHTING VEHICLE transmission. Having that background I consider myself quite keen on detecting developing problems by being sensitive to unusual noises, vibrations, movements, smells or performance change.
Not long ago I sandblasted the inside & outside of my tractor wheels and painted them with por15 to prevent rust. I installed them & torqued the wheel screws and went to work. Months later I heard & felt a snapping sound on occasion when changing direction with a heavy load. I listened & finally duplicated the sound thinking I was in for an expensive transmission repair. I started to remove the rear wheels and noticed the screws were loose!!
Because of the paint the screws loosened and allowed the flange to move under load.
I was disappointed in myself for not realizing what I did.
I re torqued all wheels then marked them with alignment marks so I can verify they haven’t moved.
Moral of the story is you must be constantly aware of anything unusual. Sometimes it happens so fast with no warning you can’t avoid it.
Sorry for your mishap
90cummins

 

[oldballs]

On my fairly new B2650, I helped a neighbor by spreading a pile of gravel that he bought for his driveway. I had used several different Kubotas doing such a chore around my place. Short story is that I had not mounted the FEL into the saddle properly. I noticed that it wasn't working quite right when I discovered my error. Fortunately no real damage was done to the tractor......just to my ego.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[zzvyb6]

On a similar note, these Stihl chain saws are crap. I tried to cut a section of a stihl I beam with a saw that was supposed to be good for a 10" cut and the chain broke, bar twisted, and the motor froze up. My 1970's red one is also junk (but I did buy it from an appliance store).. What is it with machinery these days ? I'm gunna borrow my neighbor's Husky to show how it's done. She said it's good up to a 12" cut.

 

[whitetiger]

While it is still under warranty, guessing they will say user error or abuse, which is definitely not the case.

Is the loader still under warranty? It does not have the same warranty as the tractor.

 

[CliffordK]

Pictures say 1000 words!!!

What year is the tractor and loader? Are they still under warranty?

It is my opinion that a tractor shouldn't fall apart with normal use. Brush hogging, moving stuff with the bucket, etc.

We don't have all the details here, but from what the OP's description was, it isn't stuff that many of us haven't done, or wouldn't do with our tractor.

Of course there is a bit of an art to detecting a problem, stopping, and fixing it before everything gets worse.

Anyway, if the tractor and loader are under warranty, then I would be tempted to push Kubota for an amiable solution. And perhaps they'll consider their tractor design.

 

[CliffordK]

A year ago my mother and brother were trying to load an old junky brush hog onto his trailer using her brand new Kubota BX2380 and LA344 loader.

I'm still not quite sure what they did, but they let the brush hog swing into the front guard.

I suppose one should feel lucky that the guard was on the tractor, but they had the whole guard twisted like a pretzel, and a big dent in one headlight and the hood.

Not a Kubota dealer issue. However, it does make one wonder about the design.

With a torch, hammer, and anvil, we got it bent back to more or less the original shape.

I don't know if there should have been a better design, or it should all be considered user error.

 

[CliffordK]

Credit where credit is due: Overall, for others considering a B2301, can't believe they even sell it. Terribly underpowered: Have to go about 1/3 power to drive up a small grade at any reasonable speed. 60" Kubota belly mower cuts like crap even at 2800rpm, clumps all over the place (my Cub Cadet mower is 100% clean). As a note, I have the 72" on my B2710 and has never clumped in 22+ years....damp grass and all. Snow blower (55xx series, I believe) is so under powered it clogs with moderately wet snow....basically useless here in MI. Going to sell it, no use to me. And, obviously, the loader can and does fall off.

I'm not what your issues are. However, much of the tractor ratings are at 540 RPM for the PTO which may be fairly high up on the power band for the tractor.

I don't have the Kubota B2301. Mom has the BX2380.

It is a similar rating to yours.

I haven't used it much. My nephew was mowing with the brush hog, and was complaining about too low of HP. Perhaps this spring I'll try to do a few rounds with it.

John Deere, and others were hit with a class action lawsuit for overstating the HP of their small lawn tractrors a few years ago.

Lawn Mower Class Action Suit--Settlement

www.mytractorforum.com

Bought a lawnmower between 1994 and 2012? You could have cash coming your way

Lawnmower makers reach $7.5M settlement for overcharging customers, who could get up to $55 dollars back per lawnmower

finance.yahoo.com

I think those were just small gas tractors. However, it is possible that other manufactures are a bit loose with the numbers.

Probably somewhere around 25 to 30 HP is good for a small tractor.

 

[whitetiger]

Sometimes one needs to put on their big boy pants, and rather than try to blame everyone for one's own mistakes, admit to your mistakes and pay the bill.

The OP stated that the brush pulled a pin out, it is his problem and no one else's.

 

[Ricn]

IMO- tractors are for farming, cutting hay and mowing fields, especially the small units; they are not intended to clear woods of trees and such where a much larger machine can complete the task. Yes, folks do this stuff all the time but when exposing a farm type tractor to this sort of use, expecially small Cuts, things will happen and mostly not with good results. Kubota is not likley to offer anything to the owner. If there was/is an issue with the pins Kubota would have addressed that early on would they not?.

 

[CliffordK]

IMO- tractors are for farming, cutting hay and mowing fields, especially the small units; they are not intended to clear woods of trees and such where a much larger machine can complete the task. Yes, folks do this stuff all the time but when exposing a farm type tractor to this sort of use, expecially small Cuts, things will happen and mostly not with good results. Kubota is not likley to offer anything to the owner. If there was/is an issue with the pins Kubota would have addressed that early on would they not?.

100 years ago tractors replaced horses and oxen pulling plows and discs.
Since then PTOs were added. Loaders were added, etc.

Ultimately becoming a versatile farm tool.

Brush work is not unexpected.