Loader Loose Joystick and broken (leveler)

[jsaul]

Hello-

I have a kubota with the Front loader and have made the mistake of letting to many different people use it without my supervision. After the long winter I have discovered the joystick that controls the front bucket is very loose and there is a bit of a delay when I pull it back. Is this just a matter of low hydraulic fluid or is there some larger issue I should check for? Where do you check/add the hydraulic fluid?

Also- There is a small metal rod that connects to the bucket on the right side and slides through a mount on the right arm. It has broken near it's far aspect. I think this is referred to as a leveling bar? Should i repair this or is it not really necessary?

Thanks for the advice!!

 

[kolmstead]

You need to remove the cover that hides the joystick mechanism. The problem is most likely a bolt in the linkage between the joystick and hydraulic valves that has unscrewed. I had the same problem on my L39 backhoe joystick a few weeks ago. It got less responsive for a minute or so, and then quit lifting the boom. I used a pliers to operate the valve so that I could get the backhoe boom out of the ground, and then drove the tractor to a concrete slab where I could work (and drop parts without losing them). Took only a few minutes to locate the parts and put them back together.

The bucket level indicator is handy if you don't use the tractor much, or loan it out to people who aren't familiar with it. The level indicator helps you see when the bottom of the bucket is parallel to the ground. The bucket bottom needs to be almost parallel to the ground when you're moving forward to fill the bucket. If it is tipped downward too much, it digs in and stops the tractor. If it is tipped up, it skids across the ground and won't fill.

-Karl

 

[Ken45101]

You didn't say what model Kubota. The older Kubotas (e.g. M4700) had the valve right at the joystick. The newer ones (e.g. M5040) use cables. There are adjustments to take up the slack underneath the tractor, maybe 2-3' below the joystick.

Ken