Broken main shift lever on CK3510

[SullysTractor]

Hello everyone,
This weekend when I was operating my CK3510 I went to shift into reverse and the main shift lever broke off. The part that broke off is the piece that attaches to the transmission. On this section, one end goes into the transmission and the other end has a 90 degree bend on it which is bent straight up with two holes tapped into it. It snapped off right where the threaded holes were tapped into the shaft. The second section of the shift lever that has the shift knob on it is not broken. In fact I was able to remove the two bolts that would normally attach it to the lower main shift lever, pull what was left of the broken piece that slips into the upper lever and barely slip it onto what was left of the lower shift lever in order to drive the tractor back to the house.

I looked into the service shop manual to see if I could identify what part would actually need replacing and if it was something I could do myself. It looks like the lower main shift lever might be able to be removed so I could either get it repaired or replaced. I am capable, and normally do my maintenance services and other repairs on this tractor and my other vehicles I have. however I am not wanting to tackle opening up the transmission because it looks like something I could get in over my head.

Has anyone ever removed the main shift lever on a 3510 without opening up the transmission? My other option is to slip the upper lever over what is left of the lower shift lever and weld it. This might be the easiest way however if the transmission ever needs to be removed the welded lever could become an issue. I would appreciate any advice on this. Thank you, Sully

 

[rademamj1]

I am assuming your CK3510 is a manual transmission. However, I encountered a similar issue on my CK4010SEHC cab tractor. The Kioti HST range shifter is a casting product and prone to structural breaks over many years of use. I ordered the replacement range shifter from Michigan Iron. Installed the range shifter and is working just fine now. I noticed the replacement was still a casting and not a machined part. But Kioti did redesign the shifting lever to reduce the repetitive stress on the shifter, and if it does break, it will now be 2.5" above the transmission housing, allowing quicker replacement. It was approximately a 2.5 hours job to do the repair. Most of the time spent removing housing covers to access the Range Shifter. In my case, no welding was required, and would have been very difficult due to the small confined space to work in.

 

[SullysTractor]

Thanks for the reply rademamj1. The CK3510 is a manual transmission. I purchased it new in in September 2016. Do you think that the shift lever would be covered under the 6 year drivetrain warrantee?

When you removed the range shifter on yours how far into the transmission did you have to go into? On my tractor there is a plate bolted to the top of the transmission with four bolts that the shift lever goes into. If I were to remove just this plate, what will I be getting into as far as the transmission goes? Thanks

 

[pmsmechanic]

I am not familiar with Kioti tractors at all but every other tractor/truck shifter that I have worked on does not require you to go into the transmission to replace the shift levers if they are on top of the transmission. Just removing the cover where the shift levers go into should be enough to get to what you need to replace.

 

[rademamj1]

I agree with pmsmechanic. In your case, the manual shifter should attach by bolts to a linkage, and the linkage which does transfer the shift into the transmission.

In my HST transmission, same thing. The Range shifter connected by bolts to a linkage, and that linkage transferred all Range shifts into the transmission. All I had to do, was access the linkage bolts, and replace the broken Range shifter. Most of the repair time is spent removing covers for accessing the linkage bolts.

Good luck with the repair. Take photos at certain points during disassembly, just to help you remember how it all goes back together again.

Regarding your question as to this being a warranty repair, it just maybe covered under warranty. But I wanted to avoid opening that can of worms, by doing the repair myself. I studied this HST shift repair extensively for over 8 hours, and then doing the repair, found it to be only a 2.5 hour repair, most of that time spent removing covers and replacing covers.

 

[SullysTractor]

I contacted the dealer where I purchased my tractor and unfortunately the shift lever is not considered part of the drivetrain. I did order a new shift lever from them for about $70 so I am just going to attempt to change it myself. They said it was available here in the USA somewhere in North Carolina so hopefully I will receive it in a week or so. I think taking pictures as I go is an excellent idea. I will just take my time to do the job so I should do ok. Knowing me I will probably spend more time studying the job than it will take to actually do the job. That's ok because I enjoy working on my own equipment when I can. I will post how the replacement job goes in case anyone else out there needs the information. Thanks for your advice. Sully

 

[rademamj1]

Let us know how how the repair goes. I am not surprised the shift lever is NOT considered part of the drive train for warranty purposes. From the linkage point it is considered drivetrain.

 

[AmericanElm]

I had the same issue with my CK3510 gear shift. I attributed the lower linkage (Item 13) breaking due to stress I put on the shift lever when the hammer loop on my wool bibs went over the shift knob while I was attempting to dismount the tractor, along with the back of my jacket slipping over the shift knob on 3 occasions. All four times the linkage experience torque from me attempting to dismount the tractor. The gear shift linkage broke while I was piling up brush from several windfalls, under normal (no stress) R to 2 shifting. I was dumbfounded when the gear shift link failed. It'd been months since the last episode of me catching my jacket on the gear shift knob.

I purchased the lower linkage (Item 13), that goes into the transmission housing, and replaced it myself. 2.5 hours sounds about right, doing it the first time. I could probably do it in less than an 1.5 hours now that I've done it once.

I did JB Weld the upper and lower linkages together and used the tractors for several months before replacing Item 13.

 

[SullysTractor]

I had the same issue with my CK3510 gear shift. I attributed the lower linkage (Item 13) breaking due to stress I put on the shift lever when the hammer loop on my wool bibs went over the shift knob while I was attempting to dismount the tractor, along with the back of my jacket slipping over the shift knob on 3 occasions. All four times the linkage experience torque from me attempting to dismount the tractor. The gear shift linkage broke while I was piling up brush from several windfalls, under normal (no stress) R to 2 shifting. I was dumbfounded when the gear shift link failed. It'd been months since the last episode of me catching my jacket on the gear shift knob.

I purchased the lower linkage (Item 13), that goes into the transmission housing, and replaced it myself. 2.5 hours sounds about right, doing it the first time. I could probably do it in less than an 1.5 hours now that I've done it once.

I did JB Weld the upper and lower linkages together and used the tractors for several months before replacing Item 13.

Thanks for the reply American Elm. I ended up ordering the lower shift lever from a dealer here in Colorado and replaced it myself. It took me longer than 2.5 hours because I took my time and cleaned everything up while I had the seat and brackets off.

I think the design of how the upper and lower shift lever connect is flawed. I expect that it will break again sometime. The two holes that are drilled through and threaded in the lower shift lever don't need to be as big as they are. They serve no purpose other than keeping the upper lever from being pulled off. the same effect could have been accomplished by a small hole with a set screw and some lock-tite. If I am ever faced with this repair again, I will be welding the two together.

While I was waiting for the shift lever to be sent from the dealer, I used the lever by just slipping the upper lever over what was left of the old lower lever and just being extra gentle with it.

 

[AmericanElm]

SullysTractor, I agree with your observation regarding the bolt size. They're rather large for the diameter of the shaft.

One recommendation I'd like to pass along. Check your hydraulic fluid for contamination on a regular basis. While plowing snow a year ago, my transmission became very difficult to shift. The transmission would get stuck in reverse and was difficult to engage into reverse and 2nd. 1st and 3rd gears seamed to shift fine. I was hoping it was a damaged detent or broken detent spring. The dealer had me apply a lubricant to the shift rails that made the hydraulic fluid more slippery. While applying the lubricant, I noticed the hydraulic fluid was a dark grayish color - something wasn't right! In the end, the dealer split the tractor and replaced the synchronizer hub and rings. The hub acted like it was filled with ultra fine grit. It didn't want to slide back and forth.

The photo is sediment left in the bucket used to catch the hydraulic fluid. The bucket hadn't been used to catch/hold any type of oil prior to catching the hydro fluid. The fluid sat in the bucket for a couple of days before I poured it into jugs to transport to the recycling center. I shared the photo with my Kioti dealer. They couldn't explain why there was so much sediment in the fluid.

I followed the service schedule for changing the hydraulic filter and fluid. If I had to do over, I'd of changed the hydraulic fluid at 200 hours, as I changed the filter at 50 and 200 hours. The dealer isn't certain what caused the fluid to become contaminated. That's concerning as my warranty runs out in another year.