L3400 3-point hitch adjustment

[teg]

...but I think to get it where you want it you need a different control valve?...

Brian, one of the "issues" is that it's been said by headquarters that those valves will not fit anymore. :thumbdown: Personally, I just don't believe ANYTHING they say anymore.

I've been on most of those 7 years and complaints died down for a while but resurfaced a couple of years ago. Time flies bye... Welcome back, Goog...

 

[Chilly807]

This is my first tractor and I looked at green tractors and red tractors but came to a Kubota based on reputation and it looked like a very well built solid tractor. The Grand L did nothing for me as I did not want all of the extra bells and whistles. I did not know about the 3 pt. being jerky at the time of my purchase. I also did not ask the dealer if it worked properly. That would have been like asking if the engine runs on all 3 cylinders or not!

I knew it was an "economy" tractor but it was still alot of money to me.

This pretty much mirrors my experience almost exactly. It's a lot of money to all of us, those that feel almost 20K isn't much should be paying someone else to do their chores, and probably are.

I think the L3010 valve (or a version of it) is what's in the later L series tractors. Mine is jumpy, but not to the extent of the early ones. The different design of the L3010 3 point is what makes the final difference between livable and smooth.

Sean

 

[Goog]

Brian, one of the "issues" is that it's been said by headquarters that those valves will not fit anymore. :thumbdown: Personally, I just don't believe ANYTHING they say anymore.

I've been on most of those 7 years and complaints died down for a while but resurfaced a couple of years ago. Time flies bye... Welcome back, Goog...

Thanks Teg,

Hard to believe it has been that long. time flies by. I need to check in here more often. Back in the beginning I was here everyday and I really got a lot of good information from this forum. This is where I learned about the updated pto before the dealer.

I was lucky that my dealer was good to work with and that all of my issues were under warranty. The only thing I did myself was bump up the main relief valve pressure to get more lift out of my loader. I am a little over the recommended max psi but close. There is a thread on here about the loader somewhere. Mine was set pretty low and I move round bales.

If I was to buy a new tractor it would be bigger but everyone here would probably say the same thing? Seven years ago that was my budget.

I admire you guy's that took it upon yourselves to try to fix the issue. These tractors are built like a tank and it seems really stupid to go cheap on a control valve. How many dollars difference would the cost be to Kubota for a valve that works correctly to one that does not?

Thanks, Brian

 

[Chilly807]

This is why I think it's a design problem, not so much with the valve itself, although the early ones were poor.

Redesigning the 3 point to work smoothly with no "side effects" would probably mean new castings, machining process, etc. I think this is one that got out the barn door before they realized it was going to be problematic. It does work well enough to sell these tractors hand over fist, and what company is going to change something that is working for them?

I'm sure that in Kubota's opinion, they are "good enough" as is, but when the economy L's finally do get a major re-design the problem will be eliminated.

Sean

 

[HiTechTed]

FWIW, I bought a new L3400 in 2010, serial number 88991. The hitch jerks and depending on what's hooked up to it, it can bounce the tractor pretty nicely. With most of what I use it for, I'm either up or down so the jerky hitch doesn't ruin my day. The jerkiness can be used to knock dirt off of implements, which is the only positive spin I can put on the situation (unless you are using a PHD, I suppose). I can't feather with it.

I'm with the others here concerning the denial of the situation by Kubota and by dealers. Mine said he had never heard of the problem. When I asked him to check into it, he called me back and said Kubota wouldn't do anything about it, and left me hanging. Same story many of you have told.

It's frustrating, on more than one level. I keep asking myself why Kubota, during testing, would even let an issue like this exist. Other machines in similar price ranges don't have this problem. Even other Kubota models don't have this problem. The jerky hitch problem doesn't HAVE to exist, but it does and it's been allowed to exist for years. That's one big thing I can't make sense of.

Personally I love my L3400. It's just right for what I do around here and I smile every time I walk out in the garage and see it. Still, I kick myself for not knowing about the hitch when I signed that paperwork. $20k is not chump change for me, and I wouldn't have any reason to ask the dealer if the 3pt hitch works fine or not. It's one of those things you would just assume works like every other one out there. I can live with it, but for that kind of money I'm not happy about it, even though it doesn't totally ruin my experience with the tractor. Nobody should have to live with it because the problem shouldn't even exist in the first place.

I give props to chilly and LD1 and everybody else for this post because it was a good read and a good learning experience. I had my fingers crossed there for about 6 or 7 pages! It's just amazing that all you guys did still didn't correct the problem...and that in itself makes me wonder again why Kubota would allow the issue to exist in the first place. It's really difficult to understand! What's more, I would think that if you were wanting to trade one of these "jerky" models for something else, wouldn't it lower the trade value?

And has anybody purchased a new L3400 (or other "jerky" model) that DIDN'T jerk? Were there some that actually worked as they should, or does every one of them have the issue? If some work properly right out of the factory, then I wonder what it was that was different with them?

 

[teg]

...concerning the denial of the situation by Kubota and by dealers. Mine said he had never heard of the problem...

Dealer said the same thing, I went to the back where the mechanics were - they said they replaced 3 of them, the last one was two weeks ago

...The jerky hitch problem doesn't HAVE to exist, but it does and it's been allowed to exist for years...

With the L3200 / L3800 models would have been a Logical time to have FIXED it.

...I wouldn't have any reason to ask the dealer if the 3pt hitch works fine or not. It's one of those things you would just assume works like every other one out there...

Amen, brother... maybe if kubota actually did fix the problem, they would not be able to keep them in stock and also not sell any other tractor models :laughing:

...I had my fingers crossed there for about 6 or 7 pages! It's just amazing that all you guys did still didn't correct the problem...

Ain't that the truth...

...I would think that if you were wanting to trade one of these "jerky" models for something else, wouldn't it lower the trade value?

You just have to find someone that just doesn't know any better... or turn it into a "Feature" and charge extra for it!!! I don't ever plan to sell but will use my "replaced" valve as major selling point.

And has anybody purchased a new L3400 (or other "jerky" model) that DIDN'T jerk?...

this has been talked about before... Lots of new people that don' know any better... and they think it's "normal". We've asked for a show of hands from people without jerky hitch - I guess they are to busy actually being able to use their tractor so they are not on TBN.

 

[Chilly807]

My dealer was aware of it, in that they'd had a couple of customers (including me) that had complained about it. As far as I know, I'm the first customer of their's that has pushed enough to dig into the mechanics of it.

They sent a tech out to look at mine, and while he agreed that it certainly wasn't smooth, he said it "met Kubota's requirements for what it was supposed to do".

Apparently, the hitch is supposed to raise smoothly when the lever is moved fully from lowered to raised in one motion. Mine does that, as does every one I've ever seen. Kubota makes no promises as to what it does when raised in small increments.

Since I was generally pretty happy with the rest of the tractor, I didn't pitch a fit about the 3 point, as in demanding they accept it as a return after I'd used it for a bit.

I honestly don't know what would have happened if I'd done that. I suspect they would have given me the best trade in they possibly could if I'd wanted to get a different model, they've been fair to deal with overall. If I'd simply wanted my money back and not bought another tractor from them, who can say what the response would have been?

I suspect when the first L's rolled off the assembly line and went into prototype testing, whoever designed the 3 point geometry got their a** handed to them well chewed on a platter. At that point, changing the design of the transmission case involves new castings, machining, etc. That's assuming there's even room to make new parts fit, the L's are pretty well packed together to get the performance they have in a small package.

So, they decided to make it as good as they could without going back to the drawing board. It's been a resounding success, one of their best selling tractors I think.

At the risk of getting egged, even if I knew the hitch was rough I'd probably have bought the same tractor, but with less of a smile on my face. The competition really doesn't have a good alternative in the same price range. Comparing apples to apples, the "economy" L's are great tractors with an annoying quirk. There are really no weak spots in them. Simple, tough as nails, and affordable, but not entirely perfect.

Sean

 

[LD1]

The competition really doesn't have a good alternative in the same price range. Comparing apples to apples, the "economy" L's are great tractors with an annoying quirk. There are really no weak spots in them. Simple, tough as nails, and affordable, but not entirely perfect.

Sean

That about exactally sums up the L-series tractors. I dont think I have ever heard it described better:thumbsup:

 

[teg]

..the hitch is supposed to raise smoothly when the lever is moved fully from lowered to raised in one motion.

The problem I had is that I tried to raise it from bottom to top in one continuous motion, only a slow continuous motion. Shoot 50 y.o. tractors can do it...

...changing the design of the transmission case involves new castings, machining, etc...

...IMO, nothing needs to be changed, just the correct valve used. We've talked about so many I have no idea which one I got that is smooth. Several have had them changed to that and it was not just the older models.

...There are really no weak spots in them...

Not egging but let me warn you not to use a tiller with your PTO my cams are skipping and will most likely need a $1200 repair before the 400 hour mark. There has been others with the same cams problem. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2717132#post2717132

No way would I use a pto stump grinder with mine. As for the rest of the weak spots, I should start another thread... Tie Rods, sight glass, return hose, suspension seats, cams, pto cable, just off the top of my head. Granted I like the tractor... but I also like my Ford Pinto. :laughing:

 

[Chilly807]

Not egging but let me warn you not to use a tiller with your PTO my cams are skipping and will most likely need a $1200 repair before the 400 hour mark. There has been others with the same cams problem. GRINDING sound when auger binds??? - TractorByNet.com

No way would I use a pto stump grinder with mine. As for the rest of the weak spots, I should start another thread... Tie Rods, sight glass, return hose, suspension seats, cams, pto cable, just off the top of my head. Granted I like the tractor... but I also like my Ford Pinto. :laughing:

I think I've got most of those ironed out... mine doesn't have the cams, I think, being a DT model. There's no over-running clutch, to be sure.

The tie rods are in harm's way, no question. I'm pretty cautious around the woods.

My sight glass is ok, no leaks yet.

The suspension seat was a PITA, literally. Once it's freed up it seems to stay that way.

No PTO cable on the DT model, either.

I owned a '77 Mercury Bobcat/Ford Pinto. Thank God it didn't have a 3-point hitch :laughing:

Sean