New FEL not level

[backintheday]

Hi all,
So i got my new Branson Friday (3510HST) and today i put it to work scraping away dirt for my new shop. A few passes in i noticed it kept digging down deeper on the left, then i noticed the crossmember on the loader frame is not sitting level, it's lower on the left, as the day went on it got a little worse, i had to stop scraping cause it was doing more harm than good. I had a loaner for a few weeks same FEL)and was doing the same thing with out any issue. Anybody ever had this happen to them? I am calling the dealer tomorrow to see what can be done but i am a little concerned the FEL isn't built very strong. Other than that i love the tractor! You guys think i would be better off with a box blade, i'm clearing an area about 50x80.

Thanks

 

[Martian]

A box blade would be nice as well, but you shouldn't have any problems doing such work. Hopefully your dealer will take care of you and get it fixed.

 

[IndyIan]

Did you check for loose or missing hardware?
In any case, it sounds like what you are doing is a box blade job. If you get a nice heavy one, its much faster than a FEL and much harder to break. At worst you could fold a lower hitch arm if you push to fast and catch a rock.

 

[SSdoxie]

Loader mounting frames not level or working loose will cause the loader to lean to 1 side. Check all the bolts. These should be check about every 5 hours or so until they take a good set and quit loosening.

 

[backintheday]

Good suggestions, heading out to check hardware.

thanks to all.

 

[jmanatee2]

Check your rear tire pressure too

 

[backintheday]

All bolts are tight, it's not the TP, the loader frame is not sitting level, I set a level across the grill guard, it's level, set the level on the loader arms, it's off about .5 in. i know that doesn't sound like much but when it's digging it's about a 4-6" difference from left to right ( the bucket will dig 4-6" deeper on the left), it's almost like the steel is weaker in the left arm than it is in the right.

Thanks for the help.

 

[GregbkH]

Loader mounting frames not level or working loose will cause the loader to lean to 1 side. Check all the bolts. These should be check about every 5 hours or so until they take a good set and quit loosening.

This is what I had. To correct the problem I put the loader in float (on level ground) and then loosened the cam tensioner on the loader mount then retightened both sides until the were both at the same setting. After that my loader was level.

 

[art]

Do look at the tire pressure on the rear!!!

 

[backintheday]

The Branson rep is now involved. I'll let ya'll know how it goes.

 

[backintheday]

Re: New FEL not level, UPDATE

Here's an update of all my recent problems. A week after i let the dealer know about my problem i bent a ram on my brand new backhoe, dealer came out the following week, replaced the ram and valve controler on the BH, he swapped out the loader with a new one. He calls me after it's all complete and says the new hydralic controller sticks when you boom out so you'll probly bend another ram and the loader still isn't level so it must be in the mounts. Later that day i start digging a trench for my water line off my new well, 20 mins into it I bend a ram, oh yeah and the loader isn't any better, so i call the dealer back and let him know about the BH and he says let me call the Branson rep, he calls me right back and says your getting a whole new BH and were working on a fix for your loader. This was this past Monday and I havn't heard anything else. Here's another problem, the hydralics leak internally somewhere so if i leave the bucket up it falls to the ground in a couple hours, the same thing happens with the outriggers for the BH, I come out side the other day and the rigger is resting on my truck, scratched the heel out of the side of it. I have been patient and calm up until now, tomorrow i will be asking for a completely new tractor or they can come get this thing. What do you guys think i should do? The dealer is just doing what the rep tells him, the dealer is loosing his *** driving 150 miles to come work on this thing when he only gets paid to go 50 miles for warranty work.

 

[RoyJackson]

With a Deere, the FELs are dealer installed and set up (at least, with the QA FELs). Since I'm a Deere owner, I know more about them then Branson.
That said, it's possible Bransons are shipped fully assembled...I don't know. However, this is your dealer's problem to fix. At this point, I'd tell him to come get his tractor off your property. I do think your dealer is between a rock (you) and the hard place (the regional rep), but as a customer, that's their problem.

BTW, the FEL and stabilizers settling is probably the nature of the beast...for many tractor brands. Do your stabilizers have some kind of mechanical lock when they're raised?

 

[backintheday]

Just read my last post, I can tell i'm angry by all the spelling and grammer errors, sorry about that....

 

[FF117]

Sorry to hear about your frustration. My Branson has been great with over 100 hours now. I've had a small problem and a couple questions and got great response from my dealer and Branson. Sounds like your dealer is trying pretty hard so hopefully they get it worked out for you.