Missing Nuts AND Bolts

[RBrown]

I now have 5.5 hours on my 2710 and I have had quite a few nuts and bolts come loose or fall off completely. So far two bolts on the loader frame have fallen off, both mower deck locking brackets have fallen off(72 in. mid mount), a small flat piece of steel above under the rear PTO guard has come loose(factory part), and I have found numerous other bolts loose. Should I give my dealer a swift kick in the pants or is this normal for a new tractor? On every bolt I have replaced I am now using lock tite and I have not had a bolt come loose that I have retightened. It also seems that all the hard to reach fasteners are the one's coming loose. How long do I have to worry about loosing fasteners in this manner? I realize that I always need to keep an eye out for missing or loose fasteners. But, it seems that everytime I get off the tractor I have to check every fastener. The tractor is great and I would buy another one if I could afford it. I just don't want to have to buy another one for parts because they keep falling off!!! Also, for you R4 tire owners, what tire pressure do you run the front and rear tires at. My dealer told me to let 5 to 6 psi out of the rears if I thought the ride was rough. I mowed with the tractor and in places where I made a tight turn I tore up a little grass. I am wondering if I let the rear tire pressure down if this tearing would be reduced due to more of the tire contacting the ground. It seems that the tires have a crown on them at the specified psi. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Go Big Orange!!!

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Yes I would say your dealer needs a swift kick in the pants,about every thing you've mentioned has been installed by him.I would give him a call and have him pick up the unit,replace all the missing nuts/bolts and retighten everything else.As for tire pressure with R-4's,I can't help you,I've got turf tires.

 

[glennmac]

RBrown,

I would say that that is intolerable. Your dealer did not prep that tractor properly. Now, you may not want to be that blunt with him, but I would insist that he take everything back and re-prep everything. There could be safety risks involved along with the annoyances.

I have a 2910 with R4's, 75% hydroinflated rear tires and a 72" mid mower. I don't know what my tire pressures are; I'll check. To reduce front tire scuffing on you lawn:

1. Go very slow in turns.
2. Don't cut too sharp in turns. Cut wider and back up more often so that you don't have to cut sharply.
3. Don't mow in 4wd unless absolutely necessary. More specifically, don't go into turns in 4wd.
4. Remove your loader when you mow. This will reduce the weight on your front tires and will also give you a more comfortable, less bouncy ride.
5. Try not to mow when the ground is moist.

Glenn

 

[Bird]

RBrown, I agree with the other guys. Of course, the manual says to check the tightening of things like lug bolts, but I've got over 200 hours on my B2710 and I've yet to find a single loose nut or bolt (knock on wood)./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bird

 

[JimBinMI]

RBrown,

Get that unit back to the dealer before they make you pay for the missing parts/fasteners. And don't be so passive when you talk to the dealer, "it's falling apart and you'd buy another one if you could afford it"? Get more assertive/aggressive before you talk to the dealer. Something's wrong if Bird has not had a problem with his and you have with the same unit. The squeaky wheel gets the grease!

Good Luck, JimBinMI

We boys and our toys!

 

[Thomas]

Rob,
I would have a chat with the dealer about your troubles before they become a problem!!

Remember you waited long time for your tractor and paid cash,so let them make it right.

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[TomG]

Agree with everybody--it's certainly not normal, although nut tightening is a standard periodic maintenance routine, and it seems like a prepping problem. I'd check what type of lock nut you have before using anymore. Some types are pretty permanent and have to be heated to remove the nut. Fortunately, I read the label on a cheap type I bought. I don't think I want to make a propane torch a part of my toolbox.

 

[Kelvin]

RBrown,
I'm curious about two things...

(1) When you mention turf damage while making turns with the R-4 tires, are you in 2wd or 4wd?

(2) Which "Big Orange" team are you cheering from Illinois? I hear the "Go Big Orange" chant a lot in East Tennessee.

Edited Insert: It was early this morning when I first answered this post. While I was running errands about an hour later it hit me that you just may have been referring to the Kubota "orange" team.

Kelvin

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Kelvin on 10/16/00 11:24 AM.</FONT></P>

 

[Pks]

My B2400 has R4s. I run 14 psi in the rear (air only) and 5 psi less than the max allowable in the front. I run at near maximum in the front because I do a lot of loader work.

When mowing the lawn, I use a 72" 3-point mounted finish mower and use four wheel drive. I do however swap back and forth from 2wd to 4wd. It all depends on how I need to turn and where. If I'm going up any slope, I use 4wd. If I'm turning real tight and the grass is dry, I'll use 2wd. As was said before, lots of wider turns and slight backups is the easiest on the lawn. Oh, one other thing, I have found keeping the loader on to be useful when moving up hills. It's a nice counter balance for the 3-point mower.

Peter

 

[RBrown]

WOW!!!! JimBinMI, you seem to have some type of unresolved conflict within. Maybe it is that you regret not having an orange machine??? It also seems that you probably have a great relationship with your dealer. Beat on him until he shows results. Good Advice.

After contacting my dealer this morning he refused to provide me with any more fasteners. Instead, he is sending his mechanic out tomorrow morning to completely prep the tractor again and replace all of the fasteners. If he sees anything that he doesn't like he is also bringing the flat bed to take it back to the shop. All this service and it was obtained by taking the calm and collected approach. Granted, if this doesn't resolve the problem the dealer is in deep sh**. However, I have found that it is better to give the dealer a fair opportunity to resolve an issue and build upon our relationship rather than weaken it.

Thanks Again for the Advice JimBinMI!!!!

PS: Is that aggressive enough????