Fix rattle on FEL control stick??

[Tibbits]

I've got a rattle/buzz noise coming from the FEL control stick. It originates from the linkages of the stick to the hydraulic valves (under the rubber boot). It drives me crazy when I mow! zzzzzzz!
I can put a little down pressure on the stick and it stops. I've stuffed a rag under the boot and it helped some. But, is there a permanent fix or good 'jack leg' fix? The linkages seemed OK...nothing really I could see to tighten.
L3430 with a Woods 1012 loader and Husco valve. Seems to be the worst at about 2200 RPM and with the loader not mounted on the tractor.
Any advice appreciated.

 

[Chilly807]

Mine does the same thing, and under the same conditions exactly. With the loader off, you can lock out the loader joystick then wrap a bungee cord from the joystick over to the steering column, should eliminate most if not all of the buzz.

Sean

 

[Tibbits]

thanks Sean. I'll give that a try. good to know it is somewhat normal to have the rattle.

 

[DiezNutz]

Yeah, it's "normal" even if it is kind of aggravating/disappointing.

The joystick linkage leaves something to be desired, since you have some joints that are literally nothing more than a hole drilled in them with a pin sticking through... no bushing or anything, and mine's noticeably more sloppy than it used to be.

At one point, I did take it completely apart/clean everything/put it all back together with some thick moly-graph grease. It helped the rattle some, and hopefully slowed down the wear. The FEL manual says to grease the linkage every 10 hours, but there are obviously no zerks, you have to do what I just described. It was "dry" from the factory.

My Woods BH on the other hand, all of the linkage has swivel ends and both sticks are nice & snug with no feeling of wear. By comparison, the FEL joystick is like stirring a soup kettle. There's really no excuse for why Kubota couldn't do something similar to Woods, I expect a little better from them. Probably when it wears out to the point that I can no longer stand it, I'm going to rework it with swivel linkages.

 

[Chilly807]

After reading back through, I noticed that his IS a Woods loader.. I will say that the 34xx series of Kubota tractors vibrates noticeably more with the loader removed, particularly at idle. I mentioned it to the local service dept., he said he hadn't run a 3400 without the loader so he hadn't noticed it before, but remarked that is was quite rough compared to the same tractor with loader installed.

If I leave mine sitting idling for any length of time with the loader removed I'll often bump the idle up a bit with the throttle lever.

Sean

 

[rjkobbeman]

On a somewhat related topic, I have a question about greasing the FEL joystick.

I familiar with the joystick connections and how it works. I also read that the joystick is supposed to be part of the FEL grease schedule. What I don't see is any zerks on the joystick. How do you guys get grease in the joystick pivot points?

 

[DiezNutz]

After reading back through, I noticed that his IS a Woods loader..

Doh! I missed that too. The way it was described, sure sounded like ours.
So the takeaway here could be, Woods isn't doing a better job with their FEL linkage than Kubota?

I familiar with the joystick connections and how it works. I also read that the joystick is supposed to be part of the FEL grease schedule. What I don't see is any zerks on the joystick. How do you guys get grease in the joystick pivot points?

Post #4, 3rd paragraph... in case you missed it.

 

[rjkobbeman]

Doh! I missed that too. The way it was described, sure sounded like ours.
So the takeaway here could be, Woods isn't doing a better job with their FEL linkage than Kubota?


Post #4, 3rd paragraph... in case you missed it.

Thanks! I sure did miss it...

Not only was it "related" to my question, it was an exact answer before I asked!

 

[DiezNutz]

Thanks! I sure did miss it...

I really try to read everything before posting, but as this thread proves, I slip up occasionally. Some people, I'm convinced, don't ever read anything but the title. :laughing: It can be pretty obvious who/when.

 

[rjkobbeman]

I really try to read everything before posting, but as this thread proves, I slip up occasionally. Some people, I'm convinced, don't ever read anything but the title. :laughing: It can be pretty obvious who/when.

I read them, but sometimes when I am reading new comments to a post that I already have read, I sometimes miss some. Usually the link will pop you down to the unread section, but sometimes it does not work that well.

Thanks for the help!