Cracked hydraulic case

[George in Spokane]

I came into the shed today and there was about a gallon of oil on the floor under the CK35 tractor.

It is coming from a very slow (1 drop every 5 minutes) leak from a one inch hairline crack on the hydraulic case. It is just to the left of the bottom of the attachment point for the right 3pt arm.

Did I back into something and crack it? The tractor is two years old.

I assume it is owner error and it needs to be welded . I'm hoping that one of you will say JB Weld is an easy fix . What should I do?


Thanks,


George

 

[tbenn7362]

I would not try and jb weld the crack. the structural strength has been compromised and either needs welding or replacing. AZnything on the 3 pt will continue to stress this spot.

 

[kennyd]

I would not try and jb weld the crack. the structural strength has been compromised and either needs welding or replacing. AZnything on the 3 pt will continue to stress this spot.

Yeah, and welding that will be trick since it's cast.

 

[wdchyd]

Looks like a tender spot to weld.....it'll probably have to come apart anyway...

at least getting parts shouldn't be a problem with a 2 yr old ( or new)tractor...

 

[northcreek2624]

George,I agree with the others however,you might want to try one of the places that do mechanical fixes.
I have no personal experience with it but,my bro-in-law has told me that it is a procedure where they drill and stitch the crack with hardened set screws,and even warranty the work.
You might want to check it out in your area before you spring for a new case...Mike.

PS Have comfort in the fact that Kioti has the most reasonable tractor parts prices that I have ever seen.

 

[wdchyd]

my bro-in-law has told me that it is a procedure where they drill and stitch the crack with hardened set screws,and even warranty the work.

Yes, seen it done in an engine shop....they drill and tap crack spacing out screws close together, then grind them flush.....then keep drilling and tapping overlapping previous screws and so on.....then they peen the surface to match.....

Don't know if they do it in a high stress areas but seen done when connecting rods come out the side of the block.....

 

[George in Spokane]

Thanks guys for the advice. Is it worth trying the JB Weld, i.e., will it create a problem for a welder?

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Look hard for another case but there are places that can fix anything right for a price. I have only seen this an AC D21 that was using a heavy 5 bottom reversing set of plows. Never heard the results.

Look hard for another case. The labor is going to be a lot either way.

I would want to know how it happened before going back to work with it.

 

[northcreek2624]

George,the only thing that you will accomplish with JB weld is to give a good laugh to the guys who will be doing the proper repair....Mike.

 

[frenchie4x4]

George, Your tractor looks really clean and not abused. That area by the 3pt should be really strong for pulling implements possibly its a casting flaw. I have seen it on engine blocks and motorcycle cases. Your tractor is a 2008 2yrs old I was thinking warranty (defective casting) I would check with your dealer first before I'd try repairing. In 2008 didn't Kioti have a 3 or 4yr warranty? just my thoughts
Frenchie

 

[Gale Hawkins]

George, Your tractor looks really clean and not abused. That area by the 3pt should be really strong for pulling implements possibly its a casting flaw. I have seen it on engine blocks and motorcycle cases. Your tractor is a 2008 2yrs old I was thinking warranty (defective casting) I would check with your dealer first before I'd try repairing. In 2008 didn't Kioti have a 3 or 4yr warranty? just my thoughts
Frenchie

2x

It could be a stress break due to the casing not having been cooled properly, etc at the factory.

 

[Gittyup]

Unless you know you were doing things that shouldn't have been done with your tractor, I say it's a mfr. defect. Thing shouldn't crack like that unless you were abusing it, like ramming into things going in reverse. It is under warranty.

 

[Scottish Jim]

Hi George,
As I was reading this post I was thinking that unless you've been rough on the tractor by ploughing in stoney ground or working too hard with a back blade then this has to be manufacturing fault.

If you have using the tractor in a sensible way this area should not crack. Even working hard but not abusing, on a low hour tractor should not crack the casing.
Have a word with your local dealer (anybody there that you can trust in the service dept to give you a straight answer?) regarding any product update bullitins that might have been issued by Kioti regarding this fault with tractors in your models serial number range.

Also tell them that you are a member of tractor ByNet and there are many other owners worried about the this fault on their Kioto tractors.

I would try all ways possible to get the dealer to warranty this fault before trying to weld the crack. DO NOT JB WELD OR STITCH IT. Stitching is no good for this kind of application. Even welding can be hit or miss depending on the quality of the casting ie porosity in the metal etc, and also the experiance of the welding engineer.

Good luck

Jim
Alberta, Canada

 

[crusty 1]

I,d sure like to hear how this happened as a bob cat 235 owner.Did you hurt it or is it a poor casting?I agree with those who said to check with your dealer and don,t attempt your own repair or they will likely deny your claim.Knowing the owner of a good welding shop I ran it by him and he agreed that if it wasn't abuse the casting was bad,and repairing is hit or miss as far as welding.The part would need to be removed,welded and allowed to cool down very slowly.Hope this helps and besure to let us know what happens:thumbsupave

 

[Wacky]

George, Your tractor looks really clean and not abused. That area by the 3pt should be really strong for pulling implements possibly its a casting flaw. I have seen it on engine blocks and motorcycle cases. Your tractor is a 2008 2yrs old I was thinking warranty (defective casting) I would check with your dealer first before I'd try repairing. In 2008 didn't Kioti have a 3 or 4yr warranty? just my thoughts
Frenchie

^^X2.

 

[Scottish Jim]

I bought my DK55 in September 2008, it has 4 year warranty. I seem to remember the dealer claiming that after the first year only power train or drivetrain was covered.
If this is the case with your tractor the cracked part should be covered as it's part of the rear axle which is part of the drivetrain.

regards

Jim

 

[BTI]

You need to contact your dealer ASAP.

BTI

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I would guess that the tractor had something stout like a boxblade on it and was backed into something even stouter like a big rock or stump maybe??? If you have a blade (on back) and backup or even worse, side load it backing up, it will put too much compressive force on the 3 pt and supporting components. Anyway, always try to pull with a blade. Only back up when pushing freshly disrupted dirt to smooth an area.

If you have a really heavy duty tractor and super heavy boxblade you can pretty much do whatever you want as it is plenty strong to disrupt dirt even backing up.

 

[George in Spokane]

Wow, what a good dealer. I called my dealer (Harthill Mountain Saw in Chewelah, WA) this morning. His first comment was "Well, we'll send a trailer down to you" - it's an and hour and a half away and I haven't talked to him since buying the machine.

He says that there are two warranties. One is a two year comprehensive and then a four year driveline. I bought the machine on 9/3/08 so I have a week left on the comprehensive! He thought it would be covered by the two year. I suppose if it's operator error then it is not covered but he sounded upbeat. I sent him the pictures and we'll go from there.

Two years ago I worried about buying a smaller brand and I worried about buying from a dealer who was really a chain-saw shop. But like everyone on this site always says, it's the dealer that matters.

Thanks for all your advise and I'll keep you updated.


George

 

[Gale Hawkins]

If the factory will cover it the dealer stands to make some "serious" service fees because of the labor it will take. This is a good thing for both of you.

Keep us updated. I think he will get it covered.