Kioti Responds.....KL120 & KL130 Loader Problems

[rico304]

Ditto....Heck it took 7 months to get the tilt meter and second control rod for my dual remotes. You'd think for sure I'd be on someones list....

Maybe I am....

hahahahahaha

 

[VictorW]

Owned my CK30hst with KL130 and KB2375 for 15 months now with 125 hours. Never received any info from Kioti either. I had a few minor warranty issues, so I would think I'm in some sort of registry. So far, no cracks on my loader.

 

[LC Brewing]

Being someone looking at Kioti tractors for a purchase possibly next spring - where exactly are these cracks occuring on the loader? Anyone have photos to share? Just curious, so I know what I'm looking at and/or what to be watchful of.

 

[IslandTractor]

where exactly are these cracks occuring on the loader? Anyone have photos to share?

The cracks occur on the torque tube, the connecting piece between the two loader arms. The cracks appear in different places on the KL130 and KL120 due to slight variation in design and construction of the two loaders. I have attached a photo of cracking on my KL120 which I noticed at about 75 or 80 hours. This is a pretty typical crack based on what others have reported. Photo shows crack vertically through the cover plate bolt hole. I have similar cracks in each corner. So far the cracks have not extended beyond the coverplate (and only Highbeam has reported cracks on his KL130 that did extend that far as I recall). Main point is that you can only find the cracks by removing the coverplate.

 

[LC Brewing]

Thanks for the reply - now I see.

 

[Highbeam]

If you really want a long read, find my thread titled "My letter to Kioti" or something similar. The first three or four posts are by me and show in detail the cracking on a CK30. Farther on there are more photos and more tractors showing cracks. I would strongly advise you to wait until the new loaders are on the street before purchasing. You sure as heck don't want to purchase an obsolete and filure prone loader. Come to think of it, a dealer selling an old style loader might have a hard time sleeping at night.

I'm from WA and I can recommend Jennings equipment here in Puyallup as a dang decent Kioti dealer in parts, sales, and apparent shop capability.

 

[Donnyj]

Something interesting I found out today. I talked to another Kioti dealer who sells alot of CK series tractors. I asked him what he thought about the loader cracking issues and he had no idea what I was talking about. He said he has never seen one crack yet. He said he has not heard any information from Kioti on this. From what I gathered he sells alot of CK series tractors. Go figure

 

[mrutkaus]

hi donny

well it's a small crack and if you don't take off the inspection plate you'd never see it...

mine with light use and 43 hours shows no cracks.

again...do people here think there would be cracks if the inspection hole was there but there were no bolt holes? just wondering, it seems the basic cause of the cracks is the stress at the bolt holes.

mike

 

[Highbeam]

"do people here think there would be cracks if the inspection hole was there but there were no bolt holes?"

Yes. On the CK25/30 loaders, the cracks do not originate at the bolt holes. The weakness is the inspection hole.

 

[LC Brewing]

Is the purpose of the hole (and more specifically, the design of the whole cross member) so that the hydraulics are routed internally? Sounds like maybe a bit heavier metal may have alleviated the problem - or using a stonger internal member and then a light-gage sheath to cover the hydraulics.


It's too bad the "repair" you (Highbeam) originally received was such a hacked-up mess. The principal of the repairs and basic idea had potential, had it been done with some true machining and detailed welding and clean up. And I realize that the bigger picture is that this is not an isolated occurance, but an apparent issue with design and/or metallurgy that affects a much larger group of owners.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

.do people here think there would be cracks if the inspection hole was there but there were no bolt holes? just wondering, it seems the basic cause of the cracks is the stress at the bolt holes.

I tend to agree with Highbeam. The stress cracks exist because of the large removal of metal for the inspection hole.

There are 2 different loaders that have stress cracks. Some of the cracks go through the bolt holes, some do not, it depends on the loader. However the ultimate cause on either loader would appear to be the larger observation hole, or the combination of the large observation hole combined with the ingress/egress holes for the hydraulic lines. No matter how you add it up, the back side of the crossbeam has enough metal removed so that it appears to be allowing for torque twisting or similar forces to cause the stress cracks. Some have suggested that square cut corners are the problem, others that the bolt holes are the problem. Neither of those are the source of the problem, they just happen to be the location where the crack occur, but they are not the source of the problem.

 

[RedRocker]

The put a gusset in all four corners, the problem is they should have used a doubler plate all the way around the insp. hole. Most cracks start where the gusset ends.

 

[hotairballoon]

Talked to my dealer today, he talked to someone at Kioti who said that dealers should be getting notification of the proposed fix in 2 or three weeks. Don't know if the Kioti person actually knows anything about it. Wait and see.

 

[Steverino]

I hope they come up with one soon. My cracks are starting to grow! The are now poking out from behind the inspection plate!

 

[RedRocker]

I would drill them, go to the very end of the crack and drill a small hole, that should stop them from getting any longer, or at least help slow them down.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I would drill them, go to the very end of the crack and drill a small hole, that should stop them from getting any longer, or at least help slow them down.

The metal is already stress-damaged well beyond the visible end of the crack. Also if the hole is not big enough, the already stressed metal will continue to crack on the other side of the hole.

 

[Steverino]

I would drill them, go to the very end of the crack and drill a small hole, that should stop them from getting any longer, or at least help slow them down.

I am afraid if I alter the loader in any way it might void my warranty. If I was on my own I might give it a try, as I can’t see it making the problem any worse!

 

[RedRocker]

I am afraid if I alter the loader in any way it might void my warranty. If I was on my own I might give it a try, as I can’t see it making the problem any worse!

Steve, you might have a point with the warranty, but they'd have to be pretty sorry to push you on something like that.

 

[Steverino]

Steve, you might have a point with the warranty, but they'd have to be pretty sorry to push you on something like that.

Your probably right on that but I always seem to have the misfortune of getting caught up in some minor legal technicality when it comes to warranties that ends up driving me nuts. Such as buying a new vehicle and having the paint start to blister off. Under warranty the entire vehicle was stripped and repainted, great deal until you slide your hand across the finish and it feels like sandpaper! Long story short- Because the factory paid the dealer to do the work and the dealer messed it up it took a couple of years and a lawsuit to finally get restitution from dealer. There are other examples but this one galls me the most. By the way the manufacture of the vehicle is one of the big three that now finds itself in big financial trouble. He-he, Oh am I a little bit happy about that. I hope I have contributed in a little way by word of mouth to anyone who would listen!

 

[EldonRC]

I talked to my dealer yesterday who had on his own design, fixed the loader of Kiotimike.He told me that they are waiting for a Kioti fix for the problem.
Though I do not have any cracks at this time I am of course interested in this problem.Slightly different than I am reading on these posts he told me that the problem is reinforcement gussets on the inside of the inspection hole that while placed there with the best of intentions do not allow the loader to flex and puts undue strain at or near the four bolt holes on the corner.He is a well respected dealer in this region and he indicated to me that he has every confidence in Kioti coming up with a good fix.Stating that often Kioti has sent him information for fixes to which he was unaware any problems even existed.
He is a relatively large dealer at least in this area.