3-Point Hitch Kubota 2650 Problems and Woes

[Tayalynn]

We sold our firstborn, our diamond mine and our gold collection to buy the Kubota 2650 this past week. First problem - we could not start the engine. So what we had there was a $30,000 lawn ornament. The ignition was stuck in the pre-start position with NO KEY in it. Tried over and over. Finally our salesmen came by our place to check it out and it happened to him 3 times until he pushed the key in really hard - enough to flex the plastic. Then the tractor started. It was like the ignition switch was misaligned or something. Next - I mowed the front 5 acres. Now I'm an middle aged gal but I'm fairly healthy for an old broad - but I think I split a kidney rocking around on that seat. I had it adjusted the best I could but dddang...I could've won a prize at Mickey Gilly's if I could ride a mechanical bull like I rode that tractor seat. I am living on Motrin and Margaritas as I type.

The tractor did quite well during the mow but the brakes were rather iffy. In short- they suck. I sure wouldn't get close to anything important that you might want to keep= like maybe a home or a fine dog. On a good note - I took that septic clean out below the dirt line in the lawn. Left-brain (my smart husband) wasn't too happy bout that. But he dutifully fixed it and while giving me the evil eye the entire time. Today left-brain was using a Middle Buster and the implement bar raised so high that it smashed right through the glass on the bottom of the cab. Now I aint ascared to admit that we are relatively new to country living....bout 6 years. Neighbors still call us 'city slickers' and we're even newer to tractor owning (8 hours on the Kubota) but seems to me...they would make some such type of control on that there implement bar to make it stop before it actually hits the glass on the cab? Now I may be dumb but I aint stupid. So ya'll correct me if I'm wrong. Is this a normal tractor design? Left-brain will hash it out with the dealership on Monday - we are insured after all. They made us insure since we mortgaged our souls out to Kubota for this necessary evil. I'll keep ya'll posted on what they say...I'm hoping Left-brain don't have a stroke over all this. I'm also hoping we didn't buy the devil himself...the color is pretty close.

 

[Fawken]

Love your style. Are you a writer by trade? Oh, and :welcome: to the forum. All I can say is that tractors are not cars, no matter how much that pic resembles one of those "Cube things" I see on the freeway.:laughing: They are tools and as such there is a learning curve similar to using something like a Shopsmith, 1.25 Hp, Multipurpose, woodworking tool. Important thing is no injuries. Go slow and good luck.

 

[Coyote machine]

first: Welcome to TBN
Second: sorry to hear of your woes, AND that is partly why you bought new and with a warranty.
Glass breakage is quite common, more so I'd say with newbies, but it does occur frequently for some obvious and some less obvious reasons.
At least you have a lower section that hopefully will preclude replacement of the full back glass, but I don't know how they sell it. I believe your K insurance will probably cover it, but don't quote me on that. I say it will probably cover it, because I've read where it did for others in the past, but things change like leaves fall from trees.

The key switch is a pain, but again working out the bugs. All brands have issues at times, hopefully few and better to get them out of the way right up front.

BTW, did anyone at the dealer go over all the controls and functions with you and or hubby? I ask because if not they owe you both that in it's entirety. To me it is amazing that new owners are often left clueless about things like position control on the top link, which is what I suspect whacked the rear glass. This is totally preventable, and ought to be covered in the introduction by the selling dealer.

Also, one last suggestion is to read the owner's manual cover to cover, take notes, ask questions from us here on TBN, and your dealer too as needed. When I started out with my first tractor I was a total noob too, but had driven other's tractors with little explanation or understanding of how things work, and don't work, like balance, speed, etc.

Oh, on the seat, there is probably a weight knob adjustment to allow lightweights like yourself, to adjust for bounce. Refer to manual....

 

[Tayalynn]

I'm not a writer by trade but I do love to write! I have had an epiphany today and said to myself; "self, just because this here thing costs more than your brand new car - don't mean it's a car". Although- I am tempted to drive it over to the local Wal-Mart on Social Security day just for a preventative measure thing.

 

[Fawken]

I'm not a writer by trade but I do love to write! I have had an epiphany today and said to myself; "self, just because this here thing costs more than your brand new car - don't mean it's a car". Although- I am tempted to drive it over to the local Wal-Mart on Social Security day just for a preventative measure thing.

Do it! And take a selfie when you park......:laughing:

 

[Tayalynn]

Thanks heaps for your encouragement. The dealer did go over the controls but mentioned nothing about the position control on the top link that I can remember. Left-brain will have that owners manual read and memorized in a few weeks. He's just built that way. Me on the other hand...jump on and git er done. I will be asking ya'll some stuff. Left-brain hates social media so I don't spect he'll be on this forum much but who knows. I'll recheck the adjustments on the seat. Luckily I had my seat belt on so my head didn't hit the top of the cab!

 

[s219]

Definitely look for the seat adjustment and tweak it to your taste. There is going to be one "right" setting for your weight with a little +/- margin, and outside that margin the seat will either feel rigid or it will be bottoming out. It should be set to soak up the bumps and keep you steady.

From the picture, I can see that your top link is set way too short -- in fact it looks to be screwed in all the way to the shortest position. What you should immediately do is extend it -- hold the end in one hand and rotate the middle so that it begins to telescope. It's like a big turnbuckle. Might need to loosen the lock nut on the top end in case it's snug. Probably want 2-3" of thread showing on each end as a minimum.

When the top link is that severely short, it brings the three-point implement in real close to the tractor, and also makes it swing on a goofy arc with the link angling quite steeply. You didn't know it, but you pretty much painted a bullseye on the rear window. By lengthening the top link, it will go towards horizontal a bit more and hopefully won't be able to make contact with the rear window. I suppose it all depends on the implement, but as long as it's close to the typical cat-1 3-pt spacing and layout, it shouldn't contact the tractor when properly adjusted.

By the way, the top link is there to give you the desired angle on your implements. Plan to adjust it to get things setup right and tweak for various implements as needed. I doubt it would ever need to be as short as the picture shows. That looks like the length it should only be set to in order to fit in your pocket...

 

[Mysfyt]

I'm not a writer by trade but I do love to write! I have had an epiphany today and said to myself; "self, just because this here thing costs more than your brand new car - don't mean it's a car". Although- I am tempted to drive it over to the local Wal-Mart on Social Security day just for a preventative measure thing.

Subscribed!opcorntub:opcorntub:

 

[groundcover]

Wow, may start a new TBN get together tradition at Wal-Mart !:laughing:

 

[Grandad4]

I have had an epiphany today and said to myself; "self, just because this here thing costs more than your brand new car - don't mean it's a car".

The first of many you'll experience. Becoming a tractorist is a process, not an event. Recognizing that the tractor is not the same as the Honda in the driveway is a good beginning.

When engine driven farm equipment first came on the scene, there were trade schools that taught farmers what they needed to know about the new machines. The equipment has come a long way since those days, but unfortunately buying a new tractor today is pretty much a "sink or swim" experience. Learning how to adjust it and operate your new tractor without causing unwanted mayhem to one's self, the machine or nearby property requires time, thoughtfulness and practice. A gradual, cautious approach yields better results than making a frontal assault.

This is a great place to ask questions, read and learn as you go. Good luck with that new tractor!