Fractured LS 3039 Frame

[Bentley Meredith]

It's 5 years old and has 880 hours on it, so not sure where that falls into low, medium or high? If it can be fixed and it is under $5000 I will go that route. I guess I am hearing the majority of owners think it can be fixed, so I will at least have it looked at and hope they say that it is not a write off. thanks for all the input, it is appreciated.

Take my word for it, it is not the tractors fault this fracture happened, it was a result of it being extracted due to the operator being a Nimrod. It was pulled out by a 150 hp JD from the tow bar at a perpendicular angle. I am not dumb, but I am slow thinking. Before I could use my mind to tell my neighbor, can you get behind the bank and pull it backwards 5 feet to get it out of the mud, he was already pulling from the side. Not sure if it was the 1st pull, or the 2nd, but one of them did it. I was against the idea, as I expected this to happen, but other factors conspired to make this extraction a now or never and this is what happened!

I got it stuck, I have to take responsibility for Everything that happened after that!

 

[bruceatlam]

This will not be a surprise to LS. It does look like this one has been abused a bit, but frame cracking in that area is a known problem. There is a kit available to install to strengthen the frame in that area but this one will need more than that and your warranty is long gone. It's worth asking your dealer if there's any chance you can get some warranty help.

 

[Scook222]

If you have maintained the tractor 880 hours on a 5 year old tractor isn’t bad. On our M7040, we have 2500 plus hours on it and it’s about 7 or 8 years old. I would think that 5000 would be more than enough to fix it even if you had the dealer do it. If not I’m pretty sure you could do it for less than that, especially if it’s just the frame. I wasn’t trying to blame you for it. I completely understand stuff happens and when in a situation like that you have to get it out before more damage with it being stuck. I’m not sure about LS, but can you order the parts online. I have ordered many different tractor parts online because I couldn’t get them where I live and it was cheaper, the shipping might be higher because of weight though.

 

[Bentley Meredith]

Have done the 50, 300, 600 and was just getting ready to do the 900 hour service, It has been serviced when it was supposed to be. If I could get someone to say do X, now do Y, etc..I could probably do it, shy of that, I would be lost!

I had no idea there were frame issues with the manufacture, this one falls square on me. The dealer I bought this from 5 years ago went out of business 2 weeks after I bought this. They were 2 miles from me, the next closest is 15 miles, but I would not trust them to put air in my tires. The next one after that is 30 miles. I have a friend that owns the New Holland dealership in Orange, if I have to put it on a rented trailer and take it somewhere will take it to him, as I will trust him explicitly! If he says it is something LS needs to deal with, will go to Mortons in Fredericksburg! After the way LS treated me regarding a warranty on my fuel tank, would never expect them to help with anything!

I have been very please with the tractor over the last 5 years, with the exception of the fuel tank issue!

 

[kthompson]

By chance is it insured? If so first thing is to find out is it covered.

 

[Bentley Meredith]

Not a stand alone policy, HO might cover it, but when you carry a $10000 deductible, it really does not matter!

 

[Avenger]

I would call your dealer friend first, see if he can do anything. He might be able to come out and pick it up saving your from renting a trailer. If you want keep cost down and attempt to fix it yourself, this actually looks not that bad. First thing to do is get it cleaned up. Take that layer of mud off so you can see the extent of the damage. Take the FEL off if you can for easy access. Remove the battery, radiator, and anything else above or attached to the frame in front of the break, this includes your front axle. Using jacks and blocks, or whatever else you can find, see if you can realign the frame back the way it was. I would put steel plates in side and out around the break after you ground it out and welded it back with 7018 welding rod. Do not use a wire feed. 7018 rod is considered structural, you are looking for strength here. I would then bolt these plates on around the break. Nothing major, using something like 1/4in hardened bolts, just to reinforce the area. The bolts will allow for a bit of movement in a weakened area. Ridged on a weak area might cause it to break right next to your weld again. Put everything back together after you inspect everything twice, and you should be good.

If you dont have the tools to do this yourself, I would not run out to get them. If you do, then you may only be out the cost of your time, welding rod, a few bolts, and reinforcing steel. I would guess less than $100. A welder, grinder, wrenches, jacks, etc, you are looking at potentially $1,000's. This all depends on if your frame is not simply broken, but rather broken and twisted. The only real way of knowing that extent is to see if it will go back together.

Good luck and please keep us posted.

 

[Underdog57]

Read through this thread and the other threads it mentions, this a known problem with the LS 3039.

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/ls-tractor-owning-operating/375192-3039r-engine-frame-broke.html

 

[Diggin It]

I guess I would wonder if it was cracked partially before the pulling issue and you just weren't aware of it. If so, it might be worth some kind of warranty attempt.

 

[ptsg]

A simple flat bar going from the loader mounts to the front of tractor, would prevent this from happening.

In Europe we don't get the OEM loaders. I think it's because they are actually just rebranded loaders from US manufacturers. Anyway, if we want a loader, it has to be aftermarket. So they all have this bars going to the front, which relieves lots of stress on the mid of the tractor.