My B21 front tire problem & Hyd. leak

[Anonymous Poster]

I bought a new B21 TLB and have 28 hrs on it now, well taken care of and never used for much more than moving sand around and backhoe for a few stumps, some snow removal ect. The B21 can barely lift a heaped bucket of sand and a few times it would'nt lift a heaped bucket of sand but the backhoe seems strong for the tractor size. I have hydrolic fluid leakage, if you look under the seat the entire rear part of the drivetrain is totally covered with the clear hydrolic fluid and with the tractor running I can' actually see where it's coming from but the metal protection plate under the tractor even has fluid drip formation all along the edges. Where I park the tractor you can see a 10" diameter wet spot on the garage floor so this has been going on for a week or more. Today while working in the yard in a muddy situation about 10" deep mud and alot of tire slippage from lack of traction I was using the front HD bucket with woods tooth bar to plow a 6" deep trench 100' long for help with drainage, it was pretty easy for the most part as the ground was like pudding with all the thaw, what a sloppy mess the tractor makes of soft ground but half way through the project I felt like I was losing traction and getting stuck easy and noticed the left front tire was not spinning but the wheel was! The tire broke off the bead and I got stuck in the mud for awhile then had to drive 300' back to the garage on a flat. is this common? how often should I expect my tires to break the bead and go flat doing simple chores? I am already feeling down about the fluid leaking and now this, what is going to happen when I really start to work the tractor this spring? I bought this model because it was "industrial" instead of the 3010 and I wanted a backhoe. I even fabricated the garage opening 10" higher for 3 days in sub freezing temp to get the tractor garaged and mint and I end up with a headache. I want to trade this in possably for a L35 because of the lack of power (dug a 12" dia. stump with a ball of dirt still stuck in it's root system, the backhoe was able to flip it out of the hole but the loader couldn't lift it with a chain and I have two hooks, one welded on each side of the bucket and the chain was attached correct but wouldn't budge I couldn't believe it!, the ball or dirt and stump was about the size of a V8 engine. I pushed it across the yard to the corner since I'll never be able to lift it in my truck. If I do keep this tractor are there solid front tires I can buy that will never go flat or is my tire problem rare?

 

[Charliebrn]

Franco,
From what little I know, it seems that you have something wrong. You should definately not be leaking fluid (symptom #1), and your lack of power with the bucket may be related to it. The manual for your bucket should state the weight capacity...you can see if your loader is working by throwing in enough bags of sand to match what the manual says it should lift. If it doesn't, you have symptom #2. I'd take it back to the dealer and let him fix it before I'd give up on it... It's new and in warranty, so I'd let him deal with it..

 

[SteveV]

Speaking to the tire rolled off the rim, I betcha its on the same side the chain was on the bucket, which suggests that the loader is picking to near capacity. Bear in mind the loader is rated at the end of the arms not at the cutting edge where most stumps would be sitting. Loads near capacity should be on a center hook perferably on the back of the bucket. Carry it low and slow to avoid the rollover. With the backhoe on (800 or 900#) this machine should be back heavy which might lead to oversteering and rolling the tire. Those steering brakes only work with the cruise control on unless you got extra feet! SteveV

 

[Rick572]

sounds like you have a serious problem that needs to get fixed before it causes more damage. My B21 BH/FEL has plenty of power for the size of the tractor. I have been operationing it in some pretty wet mud and it does quite well without causing a mess. My FEL I believe has a 1000lb lift cap and I haven't tried to stress test it but, I've moved a lot of mud and it ain't lite. As far as the tire slipping on the rim, it should not happen provided that the tire was properly inflated and was being operated under normal conditions. Properly maintained, I believe the B21 to be a pretty tough tractor for it size, but its not a bulldozer. I'd sugest that you have a dealer check it out and fix the things wrong.

Rick

 

[M. Sullivan]

I would stop operating it and call the dealer--the fluid leak is v. large imo and you don't want to make anything worse by low fluid. Might also see if the leak rate increases under load (FEL, BH).

I would not be happy about the tire/rim--would imagine it woul take a LOT to fail a tire that way.

Expect Kubota will make it right--they did for me...

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Pks]

IMHO, Let the dealer fix it right away. No sense in getting headaches over these problems.

In my experience, the oil leak under the seat came from the oil line that supplied power to the rear hydraulic outlet block. The weld was cracked. A dealer told me that sometimes a stick gets thrown up by the tires and smacks the pipe leading to the outlet block and that crackes the weld. In my book, that's a lousey weld.

If the problem is due to this pipe that I have mentioned, then it most certainly would degrade your FEL's performance.

As for the front tire, check the air pressure often. I run R4 tires and the fronts are kept at maximum pressure (40, +0 -5psi). I had 1000 lbs on the 3PH one night when it was really cold and the rear tires had about 12 psi. As soon as I picked up the load, my, tubeless, right rear tire went flat. Squished it right off the bead.

IMHO, If the dealer fixes the problems, then you'll be much happier. And you'll be happily surprised at what that baby can do.

Peter

 

[tralderman]

I agree with the above reply's. We have a B21 and I can lift the rear tires right off the ground if I get the bucket stuck under a stump or a large pile of dirt. As for the tire problem, it sounds like you've lost tire pressure. Take it back to your dealer and have him look at it.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Greetings, seems I'm regaining a little faith in my orange baby. Turns out (afterhosing the mud off and removing the tire) the rubber valve stem was severed! The deep mud or something must have caucht just right and tore the valve stem. Only place open on sunday was Wal-Mart, took them a few hours to dismount tire, no lie! The maching got one bead off but couldnt get the other cause I left the tire out in sub freezing temp overnight and then when it warmed a bit finally it came off and tire was full of mud, washed and a new stem put in re-mount the tire and bingo done deal. Get the tire home mount it, put the washers, start the lugs by hand grab the air gun to tighten ZAP!.... big mistake! The stud & nut stripped like soft aluminum. I will never do that again, I should have known not much tork is needed since they use lock washers so monday I got a new stud and nut. Today was decent weather here in CT 45-50% so I detailed cleaning and greased all the fittings ect... checked the hydrolic fluid and it doesnt read on the stick, (last week it was about half betwiin the lines and only pur 3 hours on tractor since) my dealer will be coming tomorrow to fix it here if simple or take it back to his shop. I read other people post problemds with their new tractor and thought "never happen to me I bet" but boy it puts you in a depressed mood when a fortune is spent on a possable lemon. I am despate to rent or borrow a L35 for a couple days but can't find one to work it on my property and know if it is really worth trading in.