Loader hooks void the warranty?

[turkish]

I inquired at my dealer about welding hooks on the bucket of my L3400. He tells me that they would never consider such a thing, as it would void the warranty -- "an unbalanced load could wreck a hydraulic cylinder."

Has anyone ever heard anything like this? I know many of you get hooks welded on the buckets at delivery by the dealer. This dealer has been awesome, so I've no reason think they are feeding me a line of bull.

 

[RickB]

I've no reason think they are feeding me a line of bull.

But yet they are, and a long line at that. Just remember that the dealer's staff writes the warranty claims. How claims are written determines to a large degree how much if any gets paid.

Edit: I guess what I mean is, if your dealer has it in his head that the hooks will void your warranty, he can make that happen if you let him.

 

[Will_C]

My dealer did it, does it often, and did a fine job.

Will

 

[Chilly807]

I think a lot depends on the dealer, if they've been burned or gotten fed up with customers modifying equipment then expecting warranty regardless of what they've done.

Technically, your dealer is within their rights to void your warranty if you modify the tractor within the warranty period. Most will give you some leeway if what you've done hasn't caused any problems.

There are people who will attach the ground clamp for the welder to the dash brackets, so the current passes through the circuit boards and fries them. Others will add wheel spacers and then bend an axle. Some will weld a boom pole to the end of the bucket and twist a loader out of shape.

Most of us, yourself included I'm sure, are pretty careful to protect our investment.

I'd say your dealer has given you notice that they aren't supportive of any modifications you want to make. I doubt that Kubota corporate would be any different.

Not a hopeful response, I know, but I think I'm pretty close to the truth in this case.

Sean

 

[beenthere]

I inquired at my dealer about welding hooks on the bucket of my L3400. He tells me that they would never consider such a thing, as it would void the warranty -- "an unbalanced load could wreck a hydraulic cylinder."

Has anyone ever heard anything like this? I know many of you get hooks welded on the buckets at delivery by the dealer. This dealer has been awesome, so I've no reason think they are feeding me a line of bull.

Line of bull. I'd be suspicious of a bucket and FEL that could wreck a cylinder with hooks.
Maybe your dealer knows something that you don't about his FEL's.
Now if he is just trying to dodge you getting hooks installed free, that might explain the comeback you received.

Common sense when using the hooks to keep a balanced load should prevail however.

 

[Marveltone]

Good thing my bucket is homemade!

 

[SPYDERLK]

Line of bull. I'd be suspicious of a bucket and FEL that could wreck a cylinder with hooks.
Maybe your dealer knows something that you don't about his FEL's.
Now if he is just trying to dodge you getting hooks installed free, that might explain the comeback you received.

Common sense when using the hooks to keep a balanced load should prevail however.

+! ... Truly a line of bull. Without a doubt your dealer knows crap. You cannot put an unbalanced load on cylinders. They always have equal pressure in them. Because of this there is equal force on each cyl, and consequently an unbalanced load on the arms or on the bucket will stress the alignment of those in torsion as one side tries to droop.
larry

 

[dodge man]

Of course you can't use bucket hooks. The best thing to do for your warranty is to leave the thing in your garage and never use is it. :laughing:

On a more serious note, if you put a bucket hook way out on the corners of a bucket and lifted something really heavy, I can see it breaking something, but common sense will keep most people from doing something like that.

 

[broncorm]

My dealer adds three hooks on the FEL, one on the BH and loads the tires as part of the sale.

 

[smfcpacfp]

Dealer's and participants on tractor forums don't warranty tractors, manufacturers do. Before any warranty claim is processed by the dealer, the manufacturer's warranty people must sign off on the repair. If you have a question about your warranty that isn't clear from your warranty book, contact your manufacturer's warranty people.

I know that people on this forum are well meaning but none will stand behind their advice to you, so why even ask. Go to the horse's mouth on this question.

 

[CBW1999]

Many different things may cause a part to break. It is never limited to an "add on". Regardless of what may be added or modified, you cannot- in simple terms "void a warranty" because of it. It would have to be proven that the failure is directly related to the modification, or misuse- and not another problem.

As an example, lets say a cylinder fails because of a bad seal- There is no way on this earth I would accept a "warranty void" because of a modification. How does anyone know if i was lifting with the hook, or using the loader to jack up my house..... except for being honest.

I think the whole business of how warranty claims are "written" is B.S. Even if in my favor, it still is a measure of honesty. If the dealer "writes it" to benefit me this time, when will it be written to benefit them?

Of course, a simple alternative to all this- get a second bucket to keep clean and new- put that one on when you need to go to the dealer

 

[NSBound]

Many different things may cause a part to break. It is never limited to an "add on". Regardless of what may be added or modified, you cannot- in simple terms "void a warranty" because of it. It would have to be proven that the failure is directly related to the modification, or misuse- and not another problem.

CBW has it right. As a former manufacturer's representative (cars, not tractors) we would sometimes hear of a dealer telling a customer their warranty was void because of some modification. But 99 times out of 100, there is no real good way to definitively state that a failure was the direct and immediate result of a modification. For example, if a customer had some sort of paint protection system applied over their paint, and that stuff caused the paint to blister or discolor or haze over, the warranty for the paint only could be voided, for the area the customer was complaining about. All other aspects of their warranty would still be in full effect. But if push came to shove, even that one would be tough to absolutely prove that the paint protection was the immediate cause of the paint failure, and even that one might in the end be given to the customer. Any doubt whatsoever always went to the customer. This ticked off some dealers who resented customer modifying their product, but hey, it's THEIR product to use as they wish!

 

[Mr. Ace]

If your dealer is in the USA, then you also have a strong federal consumer law on your side known as the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, which governs product warranties.

Under the act, a warranty may not be "voided" due to product modifications unless it can be proved that the modification was the cause of the failure. I'm sure you can find plenty of info about the act via Google.

 

[RickB]

Dealer's and participants on tractor forums don't warranty tractors, manufacturers do. Before any warranty claim is processed by the dealer, the manufacturer's warranty people must sign off on the repair. If you have a question about your warranty that isn't clear from your warranty book, contact your manufacturer's warranty people.

I know that people on this forum are well meaning but none will stand behind their advice to you, so why even ask. Go to the horse's mouth on this question.

This is the real world. The warranty claim originates at the dealership, not the manufacturer's office.The warranty claim is presented to the manufacturer's representatives by the dealer. In all but extreme and unusual cases, the repair is complete before the claim is filed. How the warranty claim is crafted and presented by the dealer's personnel has EVERYTHING to do with whether and to what extent the claim is paid. That is fact.
Many of the folks who have responded to this thread have extensive experience in machinery ownership and the warranty process with multiple dealers and manufacturers. And some of us are responding with over a decade of dealership experience with multiple dealers and manufacturers. The notion that welding a hook on a loader bucket will void the warranty on either the tractor or loader is nothing less than a load of bull and evidence of a dealer shirking his responsibility of going to bat for his customer if the need arises.

 

[Dargo]

The dealer is correct...to an extent. If you locate the hooks on the outer edges of the bucket, you're just asking for trouble and I know both Kubota and JD will void your warranty on any loader issues if you have done so. If you have hooks welded on in line with the loader arms, you'll have no issue. The manufacturers have to be able to protect themselves from people who improperly mount hooks on the outer edges of their loader buckets and then 'tweak' their loaders due to improperly installed hooks. A well braced hook in the center of the bucket or in line with the loader arms will cause no problem. The multiplier of force applying torsion to the loader is huge with hooks on the outer edges.

 

[BobRip]

Tell the dealer that if the tractor is this fragile then you will look elsewhere. I bet he changes his tune. Do be prepared to look elsewhere.

 

[turkish]

Thanks for all the input, and I apologize for being absent for so long.

The general consensus you guys hold is about in-line with my assessment of the situation. The point is that honoring the warranty is primarily up to the dealer if a problem arises. This dealer claiming hooks will void the warranty, therefore, has little to do with Kubota and everything to do with the dealer.

The tractor is nearly a year old, and the dealer was awesome during purchase/delivery and some initial small problems. What kills me is that I have no idea how one could cause more damage to hydro cylinders due to hooks than they could with any other bucket, pallet fork, or grapple operation. ANY of these loader attachments can cause damage at least as quick, and possibly quicker, than some freaking hooks. I had tempered my frustration nicely until now. You guys have fanned the flames.

 

[Dargo]

What kills me is that I have no idea how one could cause more damage to hydro cylinders due to hooks than they could with any other bucket, pallet fork, or grapple operation. ANY of these loader attachments can cause damage at least as quick, and possibly quicker, than some freaking hooks. I had tempered my frustration nicely until now. You guys have fanned the flames.

Actually, mounting the hooks on the outer edges of the bucket can easily twist your loader and, yes, Kubota Corporation will void your loader warranty for abuse. Call the Kubota plant in GA who makes them and ask them about attaching hooks on the outer edges of your FEL bucket vs. in line with the loader arms.

 

[funwithahoe]

Actually, mounting the hooks on the outer edges of the bucket can easily twist your loader and, yes, Kubota Corporation will void your loader warranty for abuse. Call the Kubota plant in GA who makes them and ask them about attaching hooks on the outer edges of your FEL bucket vs. in line with the loader arms.

Yeah - I have seen bent buckets a good bit especially when the bucket doesn't wrap the whole way around on the top (B and Bx series). The heavier buckets have a tube on the top that is a lot sturdier.

In the end most of tractor life and shape comes from the operator. If you don't try to ask the machine to do more than it was designed to do it will last WAY longer than when someone abuses it.

 

[EE_Bota]

Thanks for all the input, and I apologize for being absent for so long.

The general consensus you guys hold is about in-line with my assessment of the situation. The point is that honoring the warranty is primarily up to the dealer if a problem arises. This dealer claiming hooks will void the warranty, therefore, has little to do with Kubota and everything to do with the dealer.

The tractor is nearly a year old, and the dealer was awesome during purchase/delivery and some initial small problems. What kills me is that I have no idea how one could cause more damage to hydro cylinders due to hooks than they could with any other bucket, pallet fork, or grapple operation. ANY of these loader attachments can cause damage at least as quick, and possibly quicker, than some freaking hooks. I had tempered my frustration nicely until now. You guys have fanned the flames.

If I were driving done the road to get hooks and I came to a fork in the road, and one sign said "to Get Mad" and the other sign said "to Get Hooks" and I found myself getting mad, I would assume someone swapped signs.

I would reverse course, go take to other road and have the hooks installed before sundown. It's your tractor, your life, your hooks, your decision.

Welcome to the forum! And enjoy your new hooks!!!! Use them productively, safely, and in good health.

Be sure to search the forum for other peoples installation advise. It is given freely, free of charge, but in almost all cases, is very valuable. Any advise you take becomes YOUR advise and YOUR responsibility.