hyraulics question

[MattJ]

I did the oil leak test with the hydraulic gear pump as leonz recommended, filling it up with oil and looking for the leak rate on the back side. It was almost non-existant, with the oil coming through about 10-20 drops per minute so I think that's OK. Brought back visions on "days of thunder" when they looked at the wrecked car and said "hey, there's something that doesn't need to be fixed" and then robert duvall kicked it to make it perfectly ruined. Since it costs $600 I didn't smash the pump I just reinstalled it!

I also called bigorangeparts and the whole new HST was around $1400 (~10% lower than others I called). Jerkyboy, are you sure the bx1500 HST was only $500, that seems really low?

I also stopped by the dealership and they were amazed at the condition of the HST at such low hours. They put me in touch with the kubota tech support and they are opening a case file and customer support is supposed to call me. I'll keep you all posted.

 

[jerkyboy]

I also called bigorangeparts and the whole new HST was around $1400 (~10% lower than others I called). Jerkyboy, are you sure the bx1500 HST was only $500, that seems really low?

Just got off the phone and they gave me a price for the wrong part, the HST is $1,220 (ouch!!!) and the cylinder block assemblies, which I'm assuming is what you had shown in your pic, are $187 each. When you say you paid $600 for the pump, which pump are you referring to and and where did you get it?

 

[MattJ]

I didn't buy anything yet. The gear pump that runs the implements, power steering and charges the HST was fine and doesn't need to by replaced, but looking at a few suppliers its $600 if it is toast. The HST itself is a hydraulic pump and motor. The price from bigorange was $630 for the pump that was shot in the picture I posted, or $1400 for the entire HST.

Also, to answer a previous question the image was blurry but the pistons themselves looked very clean with no pitting. I did see some very minor scratches on the surface below the HST pump and motor.

 

[MattJ]

Well my opinion of Kubota took a further nose dive after talking with the factory rep, makes me wonder if they are following the chinese tractor model at Northern Tool, crank out some $%&^ with a one year warrantee and run, with the key exception of the price not being a good deal.

He told me he was really interested in seeing the transmission and helping me with my problem but that I needed to meet him at the dealer today. I drove 50 miles to bring the tranny in and he and the service manager met and agreed it was fried and it shouldn't have happened so early @ 500 hr. So he called me back later with a list of parts to replace, and an even bigger lists of excuses why he can't do anything.

The first was that I wasn't at the dealer I purchased it at which is only 800 miles from where I am now in NC. I asked him how that mattered and he couldn't tell me. Then it was that I had used the tractor in NY where it was cold and that can run down the tranny early in its lifespan. If HST's only last 500hr where its cold there's a problem. The next was that I did the work taking it apart so that makes it difficult to resolve. How? The HST is shot, I didn't round the pump bore by taking it apart? He then pointed to the zero turn mowers and said they have had a much higher failure rate and the BX's are only in the single digit % on early transmission failures so this is just an unfortunate dumb-luck fast-wearing one. That built some confidence. So if I want more peers to cry with buy a zero turn next time??

I wasn't looking for anything unrealistic, and even asked if they could at least just help with giving me a break on the cost of the parts. The answer was there is not anything he could do at all. He could have told me that before I wasted two hours and a long drive. PS, the HST costs almost 20% of the tractor's price new.

Well, I ordered the parts to do this myself, and will get it repaired, but I am not certain I will follow the orange path in the future. I was looking at an RTV over the next year but that is dead.

 

[EE_Bota]

Well my opinion of Kubota took a further nose dive after talking with the factory rep, makes me wonder if they are following the chinese tractor model at Northern Tool, crank out some $%&^ with a one year warrantee and run, with the key exception of the price not being a good deal.

He told me he was really interested in seeing the transmission and helping me with my problem but that I needed to meet him at the dealer today. I drove 50 miles to bring the tranny in and he and the service manager met and agreed it was fried and it shouldn't have happened so early @ 500 hr. So he called me back later with a list of parts to replace, and an even bigger lists of excuses why he can't do anything.

The first was that I wasn't at the dealer I purchased it at which is only 800 miles from where I am now in NC. I asked him how that mattered and he couldn't tell me. Then it was that I had used the tractor in NY where it was cold and that can run down the tranny early in its lifespan. If HST's only last 500hr where its cold there's a problem. The next was that I did the work taking it apart so that makes it difficult to resolve. How? The HST is shot, I didn't round the pump bore by taking it apart? He then pointed to the zero turn mowers and said they have had a much higher failure rate and the BX's are only in the single digit % on early transmission failures so this is just an unfortunate dumb-luck fast-wearing one. That built some confidence. So if I want more peers to cry with buy a zero turn next time??

I wasn't looking for anything unrealistic, and even asked if they could at least just help with giving me a break on the cost of the parts. The answer was there is not anything he could do at all. He could have told me that before I wasted two hours and a long drive. PS, the HST costs almost 20% of the tractor's price new.

Well, I ordered the parts to do this myself, and will get it repaired, but I am not certain I will follow the orange path in the future. I was looking at an RTV over the next year but that is dead.

I am sorry to hear that.

If I had agreed to meet with you, if I had to turn you down, I would have at least covered your trip, so you'd have gotten around $200 out of it.

 

[jerkyboy]

I am sorry to hear that.

If I had agreed to meet with you, if I had to turn you down, I would have at least covered your trip, so you'd have gotten around $200 out of it.

I second that. Looks like I'll be following the same path as you. So where did you end up buying the part(s) from and did you buy the HST or are you only replacing what's bad internally?

 

[EE_Bota]

I was looking at an RTV over the next year but that is dead.

I would look at all RTV's and make my best decision. The only person that could turn me off to an entire company is the owner of that company. If I wrote off every manufacturer of axial piston pumps whose pump failed prematurely, I would not have any pumps left.

People don't care if I turn my back on them. People care if I pursue them to the ends of the earth though. People don't care if I threaten them legally, though they frequently care if our corporate attournies threaten them legally. I'd tell the rep I value my trip at $200 bucks. I'd call or email him frequently.

Hello, have you sent me my $200 bucks yet.

It's snowy here, but pretty. Have you sent me my $200 bucks yet?

I hope you and your family are well. Have you sent me my $200 bucks yet?

Life it great here. Only $200 bucks would make it better.

Saw a nice pair of boots the other day. They were only $200 bucks. I wish I could have bought them.

I call it the "Aquaman" approach, demonstrated to me by a ME who we named "Aquaman."

The start of each day and the end of each day....he arrived with a smile, and asked "Have you had a chance to look into my request yet?"

"Nah...I am covered up."

"That's Ok! I'll check back!" :laughing:

And boy would he ever....

 

[MattJ]

I'm just trying to let this one simmer down in my mind. Not worth having a stroke over it. I went home yesterday and cooled off by push mowing my lawn!! I just honestly don't see going through kubota in the future except for the overpriced superUDT2 fluid. There are others out there that are putting a lot more emphasis on customer service and I'll look at that.

I am replacing the entire HST. I just don't know what could have happened to the rest that I can't see and its too many hours to take it apart again and trouble shoot. I'll also put in new oil and change it out at 50hr like the break in period.

As a final note the one year warrantee really had me thinking last night to a bit of engineering advice I once heard (I am an engineer by training). It was you can predict how well something will work by how close the engineer is willing to stand next to it. If a lot of the car manufacturers can do a 4, 5, 10 ... year warrantee on a drivetrain, why can't a tractor manufacturer??

 

[EE_Bota]

I'm just trying to let this one simmer down in my mind. Not worth having a stroke over it. I went home yesterday and cooled off by push mowing my lawn!! I just honestly don't see going through kubota in the future except for the overpriced superUDT2 fluid. There are others out there that are putting a lot more emphasis on customer service and I'll look at that.

I am replacing the entire HST. I just don't know what could have happened to the rest that I can't see and its too many hours to take it apart again and trouble shoot. I'll also put in new oil and change it out at 50hr like the break in period.

As a final note the one year warrantee really had me thinking last night to a bit of engineering advice I once heard (I am an engineer by training). It was you can predict how well something will work by how close the engineer is willing to stand next to it. If a lot of the car manufacturers can do a 4, 5, 10 ... year warrantee on a drivetrain, why can't a tractor manufacturer??

Matt, what branch of engineering, if you don't mind saying, and are allowed to say?

Replacing the entire HST would be the correct decision for me in my situation, with time, funding, amount of work, etc all considered.

I thought about suggesting replacing the entire HST, but it depends on funds, skills of digging into it, etc.

 

[MattJ]

I'm a chemical engineer in the pharmaceutical industry. I did my undergrad studies in Agricultural and biological engineering (grad in chem engineering), and worked on farms and at Agway from middle school through college so had a good amount of experience fooling with equipment. The engineer in me justs loves understanding how things work, just not paying for them when they don't work! In pharmaceuticals equipment failure has a very large negative effect so I tend to sweat the details.