L6060 Power Steering Issue

[Hilbilly]

Recently I noticed that when driving in a straight line, with a slight cross slope, I am constantly correcting to the left. In a fairly short distance I end up with the steering wheel 1/2 a turn to the left. So I tried the steering with the tractor at a standstill and this is what i found. When the steering goes to full right side lock the steering wheel stops moving but when it goes to full left lock I can continue to turn the steering wheel to the left, for as long as I want. Obviously something is not right. The tractor is under warranty and I will be calling the dealer on Monday. Might as well ask him about the HST recall again too.

I love this tractor but I'm starting to have my doubts about the build quality.

 

[Fallon]

Recently I noticed that when driving in a straight line, with a slight cross slope, I am constantly correcting to the left. In a fairly short distance I end up with the steering wheel 1/2 a turn to the left. So I tried the steering with the tractor at a standstill and this is what i found. When the steering goes to full right side lock the steering wheel stops moving but when it goes to full left lock I can continue to turn the steering wheel to the left, for as long as I want. Obviously something is not right. The tractor is under warranty and I will be calling the dealer on Monday. Might as well ask him about the HST recall again too.

I love this tractor but I'm starting to have my doubts about the build quality.

All machines will slide downhill when you drive sideways across a slope.

All machines with HST steering I've used will let you keep turning the wheel once you hit the stops. It just gets really hard at the end. HST steering isn't solid & does have some leakage. I have a suicide spinner on my L4060 & it migrates where it sits when driving straight. All other HST steering machines I've driven exhibit similar behavior.

Not sure if you are describing reasonably normal behavior or something else.

 

[Hilbilly]

Thanks for the reply. The slight cross slope I was referring to is, the crown on a gravel road. Probably around 2% ..... which is not much. I wasn't aware that this is normal behavior for HST machines and still not sure if mine is acting normally, based on your description. On my tractor the steering wheel stops at the right hand limit but if I try hard enough I can get the steering wheel to move a little but at the left stop the steering wheel continues to turn easily. I took a video and will send it to the dealer tomorrow. Not sure if there is an easy way to post a video on this site. The only ones I have done before were on Youtube and were time consuming to upload.

 

[kthompson]

Hillbilly, agree the turning easy to the left is not correct. I agree HST steering often allows some continuing of turning on some and others it does not. BUT it should be the same each direction at least very near the exact same.

 

[Hilbilly]

Hillbilly, agree the turning easy to the left is not correct. I agree HST steering often allows some continuing of turning on some and others it does not. BUT it should be the same each direction at least very near the exact same.

Thanks. It appears mine is not right and I will contact the dealer tomorrow to discuss.

 

[sandyc]

Look at your toe in toe out. Believe your manual will have the specs

 

[Hilbilly]

Look at your toe in toe out. Believe your manual will have the specs

I could see where that would affect how the tractor steers or wonders but not how it would affect the steering wheel continuing to turn in one direction but not the other. I could certainly be wrong about this though. I have sent an email to the dealer service manager, complete with video of the steering and a couple of other minor issues that need to be addressed. I will likely call him later to discuss. I will post his response after talking to him.

 

[David_Kb7uns]

Either the center seal in the cylinder is bad or the steering valve is bad reverse hoses and see if it changes sides.

 

[Hilbilly]

Either the center seal in the cylinder is bad or the steering valve is bad reverse hoses and see if it changes sides.

This is a new machine and still under warranty. So I would prefer to let the dealer do the work.

I contacted the dealer and was told he checked out one of the other new L6060 HST's on the lot and they did exactly the same thing. Hard to the right and continue turning to the left. He said he also contacted Kubota and was told this is normal. Still doesn't make sense to me. In my opinion it should be the same both ways and I don't think it should continue to turn easily after reaching the stops. When I told him I had to keep adjusting the steering wheel while traveling he said that did not sound right and would check that out with Kubota.

Just because the manufacturer says it's normal doesn't mean it's right. As others have stated they've had problems with the rear remotes leaking down and had them replaced several times before getting close to working properly. My rear remotes leak down too and I was told this is also normal. I am skeptical about what the manufacturer or dealer say is normal.

Why is HST steering different than other tractors? I've never experienced this on other tractors, vehicles but have never owned an HST tractor before this one.

 

[Fallon]

Just a FYI geared, GST & other tractors can have HST steering. HST is usually in reference to the transmission, but can be about the steering. HST basically just means hydraulically coupled rather than coupled with a (steering or drive) shaft. For HST steering there is a valve connected to the steering wheel directly or indirectly. The valve then has hoses to the steering. No shafts & gearbox of some sort the whole way like on a car.

The HST transmission is more or less the same way with a pump driving a motor instead of a clutch & gears.

I'll try & spin the wheel on my L4060 later today to see if it behaves differently right to left at the stops.

 

[Fallon]

And the rear remotes being garbage is normal. I have 3 rear remotes on mine. They have put a total of 7 on mine trying to find decent ones. I have 1 for my toplink that takes half a day or so to leak down & that's the best one of the 7. Some have let my sidelink leak down all the way in under an hour. I've heard from many others that my experiences are not unique or unusual. Front loader valves are fine & it stays put for weeks at a time. Their rear valves for their premium tractors are just trash.

I've kind of given up at this point. I might get a piloted check valve for my sidelink but that kills float. There is also the option of a solenoid valve to keep float, but is a bit more complex.

 

[oosik]

Things must have deteriorated since I bought my M6040 in 2009. All my hydraulics - FEL & 3-point - will hold their raised position for months.

I no longer leave anything in the raised position. I came around the carport and walked right into the raised grapple. I screamed so loud and used such language - the lawn curled in stark fear. Large bruises but no blood.

 

[Hilbilly]

And the rear remotes being garbage is normal. I have 3 rear remotes on mine. They have put a total of 7 on mine trying to find decent ones. I have 1 for my toplink that takes half a day or so to leak down & that's the best one of the 7. Some have let my sidelink leak down all the way in under an hour. I've heard from many others that my experiences are not unique or unusual. Front loader valves are fine & it stays put for weeks at a time. Their rear valves for their premium tractors are just trash.

I've kind of given up at this point. I might get a piloted check valve for my sidelink but that kills float. There is also the option of a solenoid valve to keep float, but is a bit more complex.

Mine leak down in about an hour too, less if I have something heavy in use. I still say this is not right! It may be normal on a new Kubota but it is not right. It is the norm because they purchase poor quality remote valves and install them on their Premium tractor. If all their tractors do it then it is the norm for them. BS for a Premium tractor.

Here is a link to a video of the steering issue.2019 Kubota L6060 Steering Issue - YouTube

 

[Fallon]

Mine leak down in about an hour too, less if I have something heavy in use. I still say this is not right! It may be normal on a new Kubota but it is not right. It is the norm because they purchase poor quality remote valves and install them on their Premium tractor. If all their tractors do it then it is the norm for them. BS for a Premium tractor.

Here is a link to a video of the steering issue.2019 Kubota L6060 Steering Issue - YouTube

I very much concur on being normal but not right.

I stuck a clock for timeframe on the flail & grabbed some sad sagging photos last year.

 

[Fallon]

Mine leak down in about an hour too, less if I have something heavy in use. I still say this is not right! It may be normal on a new Kubota but it is not right. It is the norm because they purchase poor quality remote valves and install them on their Premium tractor. If all their tractors do it then it is the norm for them. BS for a Premium tractor.

Here is a link to a video of the steering issue.2019 Kubota L6060 Steering Issue - YouTube

Mine does seem to turn left earlier than right at the stops, but it's not that pronounced. I have to lean on it pretty hard either way. L4060 steering - YouTube

Mine seems a fair bit tighter than yours though. Yours does seem pretty loose to the left. Not sure what to make of that. I wouldn't think anything of it if that were the only symptom. Tractor & HST steering is always sloppy. It doesn't need high speed handling. But it sounds like yours new one may be a fair bit sloppier than mine e with 500 hours on the clock.

 

[johnnyvol]

Mine doesn't do that. Left or right it stops and I can hear the pump groan if I try to go farther. It's a solid stop.

 

[MHarryE]

Hydrostatic steering will always have some creep. Parts in the hand metering unit need to have clearance or they will not move. Vehicles have power assist with a direct mechanical link. Parts are built with a tolerance so some HMUs will creep more than others. The WSM does not give a limit on steering drift but your dealer should be able to verify if yours is within limits. I have 4 Kubotas with hydrostatic steering and creep on my L6060 is worst.

 

[Hilbilly]

Mine does seem to turn left earlier than right at the stops, but it's not that pronounced. I have to lean on it pretty hard either way. L4060 steering - YouTube

Mine seems a fair bit tighter than yours though. Yours does seem pretty loose to the left. Not sure what to make of that. I wouldn't think anything of it if that were the only symptom. Tractor & HST steering is always sloppy. It doesn't need high speed handling. But it sounds like yours new one may be a fair bit sloppier than mine e with 500 hours on the clock.

Thanks for that video. I can see yours basically does the same thing. The only difference may be in how much pressure is applied to make the wheel continue to turn. On mine it is quite easy to the left and very hard to the right. From your video it looks like yours is also easier to the left but it appears to take a fair bit of pressure to do it. I guess the only way to compare would be to put some sort of pressure gauge on the wheel.

It's odd that johnnyvol reports his does not do the same thing and MHarryE reports that all of HST tractors do it, with the L6060 being the worst.

MHarryE also reports that the WSM does not provide limits on steering drift. So how are acceptable limits determined?

 

[riptides]

Is a very interesting subject. Don't take this wrong....

Why would you continue to turn the wheel if you were turning in what was to be the heading you wanted to turn into?

Was it just because you noticed you could? Or because you thought you needed the tractor to turn more?

I am not getting the discovery aspect of this discrepancy.

 

[Hilbilly]

Is a very interesting subject. Don't take this wrong....

Why would you continue to turn the wheel if you were turning in what was to be the heading you wanted to turn into?

Was it just because you noticed you could? Or because you thought you needed the tractor to turn more?

I am not getting the discovery aspect of this discrepancy.

In my first post I describe what happened to prompt this thread. Essentially I was traveling down a straight road that had a typical crown and found that I needed to keep adjusting the steering wheel to the left in order to keep the tractor in a straight line. If I did not keep turning to the left the tractor would have run off the right side of the road. I've never experienced anything like this before and thought it was a flaw. But I am hearing this thread that it may be normal.