B7800 - Busted Axle at 441 hours

[warhammer]

Looks like bad castings to me.
To me it's a glass half empty - half full kind of thing:
While it would be nice if Kubota covered it all they are still being pretty cool by covering parts on a machine that is well out of warranty.
Business is probably not sterling for Kubota these days and their reps have to answer to someone further up the chain about out of warranty outlays.
I would initially be pissed about this but I think sooner rather than later I'd be pretty relieved that it cost $500 and not $1500.

Warhammer

I have had my B7800 for 4 years and a day as of today (8/3/09)! Last week, while cutting my yard, my tractor dropped to the ground and my right front wheel kept on going! I was amazed, disappointed, and pissed off - all at once! I got off the tractor & was shocked to see the axle hub snapped! I attached a few photos of the damage to share with you folks. I called my dealer (Golden Eagle in PA) & the first thing he asked was if I was injured. He was great with me on the phone & assured me that things would be taken care of. He sent a truck out to pick it up & check things out.

When he got the tractor to his shop he also pulled the left front wheel & noticed that that hub was cracked too. He stated that you could tell the crack was old on the right wheel from the rust on the crack. He had a factory rep come in to evaluate it. The reps first response was that it was out of warranty & nothing would be covered. He then agreed to cover parts only.

I spoke with the Kubota rep (Jeff Svec) today who seemed troubled by my call. He didn't understand why I expected anything more than Kubota covering the parts since it was out of warranty by "more than a year". I explained that I wasn't complaining about a burnt bulb or a mower belt - the AXLE BROKE! I guess I am a little odd in the fact that I expect the axle of the tractor to last a bit longer than 4 years - especially since the axle had been cracked for some time according to the dealer. Needless to say I am a little disappointed when I consider that I also own a $1,000 Craftsman tractor that is 5 years old & I have had no major issues with it. Again, I expect a bit more from an $18,000 piece of machinery. Maybe I should have held on to the 50 + year old Farmall & Ford 8N tractors that I had. They managed to last that long without breaking.

I then spoke with Jim Carroll (fantastic demeanor & very professional) who stated the same - parts, but I have to pay labor. He agreed that the issue didn't come from abuse, otherwise Kubota wouldn't agree to pay anything. I don't agree with his decision, but I give him high praise for how he does his job. I asked him to split the labor costs, which he denied.

Am I nuts? Again - I know I am out of warranty, bt I consider the following:

- invest 18K for tractor, loader, mower
- tractor maintained & NOT ABUSED - admitted by dealer & rep
- major malfunction in drivetrain - broken axle hub on one side & cracked on the other
- dealer stated the cracks have been there for quite some time

The labor cost is going to be over $500.

I put it to you folks - do I expect too much?

 

[rScotty]

I would question the dealer's honesty. Why wasn't it covered? I had a leaking seal covered under warranty on my B7500.

Uh.....now I'm really confused. Isn't it to a dealer's advantage to cover something under warranty whenever he can? That way he gets a happy customer and the factory reimburses him for the parts and labor. I know the labor at least is at a reduced rate, but it's pay during hard times and that's something worth having.
What am I missing here?
rScotty

 

[taborekle]

Just think about the cost of the parts. On my Kubota B2920, a head light is in the $300 range. The cost for the axle parts would surely be over a thousand, and could be in the serveral thousand.

So for them to pick up the cost of the parts is a really REALLY good deal for you.

Don't forget that you could have purchased a extended warrenty to cover this sort of thing, and you didn't. The money you saved not paying for a extended warrenty can now be used to pay for the labor. So once again, this is a really good deal for you. Be happy! Let the factory rep and you're dealer know that you appreciate them doing this for you.

Best of luck,

Larry

 

[boxygen]

Technically, Kubota is going above and beyond. I would accept the parts and negotiate to buy a Service Manual at dealer cost and do it myself. If you plan on keeping this tractor forever like you say, you will need it eventually anyway. I would be surprised if it was that complicated. If not, just accept the parts and get it fixed. The sooner you get it fixed, the sooner your blood pressure will go down and go back to living a normal life. Ask me how I know. This type of thing happens everyday and whether you realize it or not, you are getting help with the issue, they are not leaving you out to dry.

 

[riptides]

I am curious as to how other think on equipment failure.

Let me say this axle failure (to me) is rated as catastrophic.

Are parts, or components on tractors that others would rate as never prone to failure? I mean that is what this gets to here, right? One would expect an axle to never fail. I would expect my seat to never fall off while I was operating the tractor too.

And if the seat was prone to failure, I would expect documentation and shop alerts to that fact.

 

[rdsaustintx]

Are parts, or components on tractors that others would rate as never prone to failure?

Hood ornaments.

 

[Skip G]

I'm with you. Kubota should pony up.
You always hear these stories about how great Kubota's are and how long they last. An axle breaking in 400 hours is unacceptable to me.
My 2200 has 400 hours on it, and the braket that holds the carrier bearing snapped a few months ago, and they wouldn't pay for anything.
Granted, the parts were inexpensive, but one would expect tractor parts carrying loads to be engineered to last, and manufactured from materials that would last.
I'm actually disappointed in my Kubota and the support I've received from them.

 

[number two]

I like "boxygen's" take on the subject.If you're comfortable with doing the repair/take the parts,buy the fluid(or also negotiate for the fluid as well as the service manual)and really get to know your tractor.If you do it yourself,you'll know it's done right.

 

[twodogs]

I had the dealer repair the problem. The dealer gave me a reduced rate on labor & delivery. I ended up paying $400 for the repair, and then I added some supplies on to the order as a "thanks" to the dealer. I checked the part prices online and it worked out that the parts total came to $401. It's over & done with, and while I still wish Kubota had paid for it, "my blood pressure is lower" and I do realize they could have stuck me with the entire bill.

I appreciate the posts - welll, most of them.

After seeing that some have had just about everything break on their tractor, I realize it could be worse.

 

[irwin]

The front axle is the weak part on any tractor. (Yes Kubota has more axle seal leak threads on here, but that's only due to the fact we own more Kubotas than any other manufacturer here) Check the individual brand forums for axle issues, and these are only those that were reported here. Don't continue thinking that front axle failures (as a percentage) happened more to Kubota.

When they started putting loaders on tractors the front axle problems increased. They've been making front axles stronger because of the failures in the fifties and sixties, even so the front is designed to handle 40% of the load..fill the bucket enough to remove the weight from the rear wheels, that's asking a lot. Hit a bump while moving 12 mph ..that's some force, but most tractors won't have a failure, a few tractors will.