Broken Kubota Backhoe

[teg]

Anyone else have the same backhoe? Are the welds in the same areas?

I have access to a BH65 that has the thumb bracket welded on... I'll take a few photos of it this afternoon. We just used it to put in a 3 culverts.

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

IMO... I'd put more value to getting the OEM boom back on there for resale value. Even if years down the road, anyone is going to question how you abused your machine when they see a welded boom.

 

[MarkV]

IMO... I'd put more value to getting the OEM boom back on there for resale value. Even if years down the road, anyone is going to question how you abused your machine when they see a welded boom.

That really is good insight from Neil, who happens to be a dealer. I would wonder about a tractor that had that major of repair if I was shopping. It would make me wonder how it was used.

I hope Kubota will offer some sort of compensation. It will surprise me if they will offer as much as you hope or think is right. The unit is out of warranty and there must not be a history of common problems with that model. If there were it would have surfaced on this forum.

MarkV

 

[nmarco]

That is an excellent point, with respect to resale. To be honest, I really did expect to see similar failures on the web. All I can say is "**** Happerns" and this time I guess it was just my turn:laughing:.:laughing: I can still hope for the best from Kubota though. I am still waiting for a response from my dealer.

 

[Wacky]

Any response yet?

 

[Gator6x4]

I found this thread while searching to see if anyone else shared my situation and decided to register to share what happened to me. I emailed kubota the attached discription of my issue and am still waiting for a response from them. I am not holding my breath, but it is obviously a design issue or at the very least a workmanship issue. I would not be surprised if this has happened to a number of people.

I AM NOT SAYING THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS INCIDENT:

I saw damage similar to this this occur one time. The operator locked the backhoe hoe dipper through the use of the thumb onto a stump. He then moved the tractor to the left or right in an attempt to extract a very large stump from a hole. When the weight of the stump shifted it twisted and broke the backhoe boom. Quite an mess to correct. What I learned was don't ever try that. The operators explanation was thaat he used to do it all the time with a track hoe.

 

[nmarco]

well my dealer just sent me an email and said:

Hi, Nick
Our Kubota service rep has agreed to pay $350.00 toward the replacement of the part. I will have a net cost figure for the part tomorrow.

I am really not sure I want to fork over $400. I've gotta think about this one.

 

[nmarco]

My Hoe -- I think you missed your calling or you were possibly an attorney in your past life. You have some really good points in your post ... I still have not heard back from my dealer with the final cost. This will give me more to think about till then.

PS. I appreciate the energy you put into the very lengthy and detailed post. I will definetly consider this option.

 

[My Hoe]

My Hoe -- I think you missed your calling or you were possibly an attorney in your past life. You have some really good points in your post ... I still have not heard back from my dealer with the final cost. This will give me more to think about till then.

PS. I appreciate the energy you put into the very lengthy and detailed post. I will definetly consider this option.

Nick,

You're entirely welcome! As I said, your post is the first real opportunity I've had to "give back" to this community, and I've received just a TON of useful, speedy, detailed responses myself, since joining last year. (Not to mention the free use of a flatbed trailer from a fellow county resident who is a member here, should I need it for my purchase!)

We're halfway home--in other words, YOU just made it worth MY while, with your kind words of praise, and your potential resolve to "hold out" for what (I feel) is your due satisfaction in this matter! Now, we just need it to make it worth YOUR while, via Kubota/Regional Mgr./Dealer. :thumbsup:

Even if I do say so myself, I do think that you might just use the "Possibile Shortcut," at the end of my post as, literally, a possible shortcut. Might save yourself a lot of time, because if they make you follow the process I laid out, step-by-step, the end result will probably be the same as if they just read my post and THINK. By that I mean, either Nick is satisfied, or a LOT of potential customers are "queered-out" on Kubota's products. (In other words, I respectfully suggest you literally get the names of the pertinent V.P.'s and CEO at Kubota, the regional manager, and the owner of Goodrich Implement, and just shoot them my post, along with your with your excellent photographic evidence, proof of purchase, photo of hour meter, and anything else you feel may help your case, as a potential "road map" that has been suggested to you. (That shouldn't take nearly as much time as writing the letter yourself, and you'd still have to do that initial contact research in either case).

To wit, you could just say:
"Do I actually have to DO all of this, just to save $1,000.? And if it ends up costing you just 10 tractor sales, what's your profit on a quarter of a million dollars in gross sales? Now, what if it costs you 100 tractor sales? Or 1000? My photos are pretty alarming, even to the EXPERIENCED, LOYAL KUBOTA ENTHUSIASTS at Kubota Tractor Forum - B-Series - L-Series - M-Series. Don't believe me--here, read it for yourself: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-owning-operating/181076-broken-kubota-backhoe.html "

I'm hoping they'd have the smarts to say "Oh, crap. Yeah--we gotta pay this one. And send him a hat!" (This kind of "just-after-the-warranty-has-expired" good will is referred to, in the biz, not surprisingly, as--"good will." LOL Some have also referred to it as "the silent warranty," but I think that latter term may also be used to refer to things that were not ever covered in the basic warranty. Nevertheless, you get the idea.)

Hey-if they send you a hat, can you get two? I want one! J/k (Full Disclosure: I'm not really kidding, about the hat--radioactive rain was confirmed, on the East Coast of the U.S., from Fukushima, Japan, as of about SIX WEEKS AGO. Not being a "hat person," I've been hat shopping, and I can't find one I like that doesn't say "I'm with Stupid," or similar witticisms. I literally haven't found a hat I wanted to wear, much less purchase--LOL).

In my opinion, your machine's CATASTROPHIC FAILURE must also be viewed in the larger, geopolitical spectrum right now (i.e., CAN Kubota continue business-as-usual, in light of the WORSENING nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, when even mighty TOYOTA is delaying resuming production? Which I certainly hope Kubota CAN, as I plan to buy one very soon, myself--and we own a Highlander Hybrid). I would think the senior mgmt. at Kubota doesn't want relatively minor problems like a single boom failure to ADD to their problems, right now, ON THE WORLDWIDE WEB, when their cost is less than $750., plus, possibly, some dealer labor and pickup/delivery.

Oh! And thank you very much for the compliments!

My Hoe

P.S.: As I find myself in an extended midlife crisis, I'm open to career suggestions, from anyone! LOL My interests are GREEN POWER, automotive/transportation tech. (including aviation) and writing. Ideas, jobs, anyone? (Gee, I guess I've mastered the "shamelessness" requirement of being an attorney, huh?) :laughing:

But seriously, I think you can ride this horse all the way to a new boom, Nick--and relatively easily. Feel free to PM me, if you're more comfortable. Good luck!

SOURCES:

Japanese Reactor Damage Is Worse Than Expected
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/13/world/asia/13japan.html?scp=1&sq=fukushima%20meltdown&st=cse

Radioactive Rain Falling on United States
East Coast tests found iodine-131 from Japan in rainwater; California results due out in coming days

Source: The Bay Citizen (Radioactive Rain Falling on United States - The Bay Citizen)


Toyota: Car Production Won't Return To Normal Until November Or Later
[URL="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/22/toyota-production-cars-delay-japan-disaster_n_852394.html"]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/22/toyota-production-cars-delay-japan-disaster_n_852394.html

 

[ultrarunner]

The only thing I would add is I start out my letters with a phrase like... just to be clear so there is no misunderstanding...

This is always an attention getter because if puts all the cards on the table and is excellent ammunition should the problem remain unresolved.

Names and quotes with many CC's brings everyone into the room and will start a flurry of calls.

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

seems to be a lot of over reacting going on... he is already being offered a new boom for half price even though he is out of warrenty and Kubota has no obligation to do anything at all.

I don't know about you all, but on my end we go to bat for customers over these kind of things the ones who get fair resolutions are those who are descent people and worth keeping as customers. It maybe tempting to throw a hissy fit, but I see it doing more harm than good. About a year ago I had someone do a lot of whats been mentioned (with another vendor) and it ended up in him having to sign legal resolution to keep his mouth shut and never buy another one of the companies products. Don't be that guy.

 

[Lockport]

seems to be a lot of over reacting going on... he is already being offered a new boom for half price even though he is out of warrenty and Kubota has no obligation to do anything at all.

I don't know about you all, but on my end we go to bat for customers over these kind of things the ones who get fair resolutions are those who are descent people and worth keeping as customers. It maybe tempting to throw a hissy fit, but I see it doing more harm than good. About a year ago I had someone do a lot of whats been mentioned (with another vendor) and it ended up in him having to sign legal resolution to keep his mouth shut and never buy another one of the companies products. Don't be that guy.

And the moral of the story is: Always sand down to metal and then paint your rust spots! :thumbsup:

 

[nmarco]

Well, I just heard back from my dealer and he quoted me $439 plus $100 shipping. So a grand total of $539 dollars for the part which he said had an MSRP of $750. So it looks like I am getting it at about $200 below MSRP. My gut tells me that this part only costs at most $150 to manufacture.

I know there are mixed feelings in here, but I think my final opinion is yes it was out of waranty, but I do not feel satisfied as a consumer who spent 20G's on a kubota set up. I think they could have come a bit closer to their cost to keep a stisfied customer.

I am not going to stir up trouble with kubota or my dealer. I will just fix it myself and chalk it up to a life's lesson and if I ever spend another 20Gs on a tractor I will most likely look at another brand. Maybe I will GO GREEN:laughing:.

 

[teg]

That sucks that kubota didn't stand behind their product... With only 15 hours on the hoe?

With the high cost of replacement parts... What good is even having replacement parts IF you can not afford to buy them.

 

[ccsial]

That sucks that kubota didn't stand behind their product... With only 15 hours on the hoe?

With the high cost of replacement parts... What good is even having replacement parts IF you can not afford to buy them.

Not sure about 15 hours here. That was what the OP mentioned.

 

[teg]

:ashamed: Oops, I see now that the thread was highjack... nmarco should have started his own thread and linked back to the OP on this one but he's not the first nor last one to do that...

So it's less than 2 years old? IT SHOULD STILL NOT HAVE HAPPEN!!!

nmarco, How much use did *your* hoe have on it?

 

[ccsial]

:ashamed: Oops, I see now that the thread was highjack... nmarco should have started his own thread and linked back to the OP on this one but he's not the first nor last one to do that...

So it's less than 2 years old? IT SHOULD STILL NOT HAVE HAPPEN!!!

nmarco, How much use did *your* hoe have on it?

I agree on all. I do not have a BH and one reason is I'm afraid I'd break it pulling stumps. I wish they made these things stronger.

 

[TroyR57]

Mr My Hoe, Let me be the first to say WOW what a Post, and to thank you for the detail, and carring that is evident. I am another of the Kubota BH owner, and I have had no problems, and hope it stays that way.

Nick, I also wish you the best of luck with your repair job to the BH.