L2800/L3240 PTO Cable Question

[PSDStu]

I went looking at L2800's and L3240's the other day as I am considering upgrading from my B7510. My 7510 has a lever operated PTO and it seems to work well.

I was wondering if the cable operated PTO seems to be working ok for those that own a L2800 or L3240? Does the cable attach to a lever somewhere underneath the tractor? I guess Kubota used a cable on these 2 models because it was easier to route a cable then trying to get a lever to cover the distance?

Just seems like a cable would be prone to getting jammed up and rusted over time.

Do you need to use the clutch to disengage the cable operated PTO?

I have read several post about the ORC PTO on the L2800's, is the PTO style for the L3240 the same as the L2800?

Thanks for the info, both models have features I really like and have not made a final decision on whether to go with a L2800 or L3240 HST model.

 

[ccsial]

I have the cable on my L3400HST and so far, at 160 hours, I have not had a problem. There have been a few people that have had problems with the cable though.

It is important that the cable be adjusted correctly too. I would sure prefer not having a cable. As far as rust I suppose that is possible, There are rubber protectors over the cable ends but they could fail. I keep my tractor garaged and it seldom gets wet.

I think that the 3240 has a live hydraulic PTO so It would not have the ORC issue.

There is new style clutch for the L2800/L3400 that does away with the ORC. If you buy a new one ask the dealer if it has the new clutch. If you put a mower on the tractor and engage it at PTO speed, then press in the clutch you can tell. If it makes a grinding racket it has the ORC.

On the L2800/3400 you do need to use the clutch to engage/disengage the PTO. I disengage by clutching and moving the PTO lever together. This avoids the noise from the ORC that my L3400 has.

If the 3240 has the live hydraulic PTO I think it has, then you don't need to use the clutch.

I will add that I have been very happy with my L3400.

I just looked up 3240 and can't find it on the Kubota site. Are you sure about this model? I was assuming it is a Grand-L series.

 

[PSDStu]

I have the cable on my L3400HST and so far, at 160 hours, I have not had a problem. There have been a few people that have had problems with the cable though.

It is important that the cable be adjusted correctly too. I would sure prefer not having a cable. As far as rust I suppose that is possible, There are rubber protectors over the cable ends but they could fail. I keep my tractor garaged and it seldom gets wet.

I think that the 3240 has a live hydraulic PTO so It would not have the ORC issue.

There is new style clutch for the L2800/L3400 that does away with the ORC. If you buy a new one ask the dealer if it has the new clutch. If you put a mower on the tractor and engage it at PTO speed, then press in the clutch you can tell. If it makes a grinding racket it has the ORC.

On the L2800/3400 you do need to use the clutch to engage/disengage the PTO. I disengage by clutching and moving the PTO lever together. This avoids the noise from the ORC that my L3400 has.

If the 3240 has the live hydraulic PTO I think it has, then you don't need to use the clutch.

I will add that I have been very happy with my L3400.

I just looked up 3240 and can't find it on the Kubota site. Are you sure about this model? I was assuming it is a Grand-L series.

Thanks CCsial and yes it's a Grand-L3240 model.

 

[teg]

I was a bad tractor owner... I left mine out in the rain... My signiture says it all "kubota L2800 with a PTO that doesn't shut off". For a tractor that should last thousands of hours, PTO on a cable that can rust is a pisspoor design. I had less then 90 hours when it started. I can disengage the pto but I have to turn the tractor off, grab the pto shaft and twist it back and forth. The time I left my tiller attached, is another story... one that I will try not to repeat. Bad part, I told my dealer about it and when I finally brought the tractor to him to replace the jerky/shutter problem, he did nothing about the pto.

 

[canoetrpr]

I have a L3400 - same tractor as the L2800 with a few more horses. 82 hours and no problems at all.

I was also under the impression that the L3240 has a cable operated PTO from another post on this board.

For the money I think that a L3240 is the best value with the LA723 loader. That is probably what I would do if I were doing it again. However that is not for lack of reliability from my own experience.

Everything about the L2800/L3400 is pretty basic design - including the cable operated PTO. I doubt that this is the first tractor that you will find it on. Unless mine breaks I'm not going to be complaining. Everything on the tractor works as it should so for my purposes it has more than lived up to my expectations.

I still think it is wierd that Kubota still advertises the L3400 HST PTO as Live with an ORC on the spec sheet - even though the ORC has been removed. I shut my PTO off the same way as ccsial.

 

[tcarter1]

Dealer adjusted my cable at the 50 hour service. At about 25-30 hours it had begun to occasionally "stick", meaning I would have to engage the clutch in order to get the pto to disengage instead of it disengaging by the lever only. No problems since (currently at 90 hours).

 

[teg]

I would push the clutch in, move the lever to "off" and the pto stays engaged. When it first started to stay engaged, it was with the mower... I learned that I have to use the clutch and have to find tall grass to run through for it to kick off. With the post hole digger, the only way that I could get it to turn off is I would leave the tractor running but lock the clutch in the Off position, hop off grab the bit and twist back and forth... (I now do it with the tractor turn off). When I start the tractor... most times the pto spins, so I just try and be careful. I ain't got the time nor energy to mess with gitting it fixed... I just learn to deal with it as is. The kubota "warranty", IMO, isn't worth anything.

 

[canoetrpr]

teg - I can't believe that they haven't fixed this for you!

A PTO that does not shut off is a pretty big deal to me and even though I don't have a relationship with my selling dealer anymore you can bet that I would show up at another dealer and expect them to fix it under warranty.

The whole setup (PTO engage/disengage mechanism - and the rest of the tractor) is pretty basic design. I can't imagine that it would take much to fix.

 

[teg]

I know I should get it done... but it's not worth it to me. I was told to just oil it... That was the advise from a kubota area rep.. I did not talk to him, he left this advise on my phone with no phone number to call back to. It took a long time being transfered to several departments before I was connected to his voicemail the first time. So, I can't call him back.

As for the other dealer, he's 18 miles away, he jerked me around for months when I was trying to get the jerky 3ph valve replaced... in the end, they say that they will pay half for the valve and that they would "work with me on the labor". I almost bought the tractor from them since he was willing to match the other dealers' price but without HIM paying tax on it. Since it's right across the state line, he said he has done it before. I didn't want to do it that way since someone was going to pay taxes sooner or later, ME!

I bought a Chipper and the PTO is working with that but until I put the mower or the post hole digger on, I will not know for sure. I believe that if you don't let your tractor sit in the rain that you would not have this problem. (the tractor is indoors now).

 

[tcarter1]

As with a lot of mechanical devices, this cable will most likely require periodic adjustments. Doesn't seem like a big deal to me. It is probably something we can do ourselves as part of good PM. Dealer did mine before because I was there for service.
If for no other reason than safety, I would suggest to anyone that you need to be able to quickly disengage a PTO.

 

[teg]

Push the clutch in and the pto stops, as fast as regular tractors... The problem is letting the clutch out after turning off the PTO... It may go on again. Yes, I WILL add: oil the cable every time I run the tractor on my list of PM. I just didn't see that in my manual

Unlike some of you, I only see my tractor once or twice a month... when I do get to see her, she wants to play... not drive 3 hours away to see my dealer, for who knows how long. My plan is to keep this tractor for a long time, I hope it works out that way. I had an old Scout that no one could drive but me... Now I have a tractor that is the same way.

 

[Marcussen]

I have 18 months and 150 hours on my L2800 and have had the PTO cable replaced twice, the problem was not rust but the cable kinking and binding. First time the PTO would not disengeage second time it would not engage.
The last time the dealer replaced the cable bracket with a newer version which is supposed to fix the problem. I looked at the new L3240 and yes it has a similar PTO cable design.

 

[teg]

I never really believed "OIL" would fix the problem... I'm waiting for it to break, then deal with a new dealer in Wytheville. Anyone dealt with this dealer?

 

[canoetrpr]

teg - sounds to me like you got a dolt of a Kubota rep on the phone. If I were you I would give their customer service number a call and tell them that what you have is unacceptable and a safety concern and you expect them to fix it ASAP under warranty. I would relay the information the rep gave you and say that it was unacceptable. I would not bother trying to locate the rep.

Better yet, write them a letter.

I hear where you are coming from though. It is just the irritation of having to deal with people that are unprofessional that is the problem. You should not have to spend time getting them to fix it. It should just be done.

 

[canoetrpr]

I never really believed "OIL" would fix the problem... I'm waiting for it to break, then deal with a new dealer in Wytheville. Anyone dealt with this dealer?

teg, IMHO, you PTO engagement mechanism is already "broken".

I can definately understand not wanting to spend the time taking it over to the dealers given you only see it twice a month. Might as well get this done before warranty expires though.

 

[teg]

I'll try again to get it fixed in a couple of months... Thanks!

 

[joe strat]

I have a L2800 PTO will not disengage, Is there a page on the internet that shows you how to adjust or lubricate the PTO cable?

Thanks in advance, Joe

 

[teg]

Short answer... not that I know of. The "newer" models after sometime (I think) in 2006 the PTO on/off was changed (made a little longer???), not sure if there are any photos of the new one or not... There is a rubber boot at the top that I slipped back enough to stick the red extension tube of WD40 in and blasted it. Several people did not like WD40 and recommended some thing else but I don't remember what it was.

A couple of weeks ago, I started a cabin... drilled 2 holes with the PHD and gave up since my PTO would not disengage. Used the manual one to dig the other 20 holes... so glad I bought a $16K tractor with a good reputation.

 

[Harvest Moon]

I had mine replaced and upgraded with the new bracket somewhere back around 150 hours. 50 hours later, when I use my tiller, I have to lock the clutch, shut off the tractor and climb underneath, reach up and manually shut it off at the point the cable connects the lever. I'm pretty irritated with this design.

One note though, when I had my upgraded, the cable wasn't the problem. The lever at the connection point was stiffened up and wasn't returning under the spring pressure. I'm not sure what's causing my troubles now, lack of time I guess.