New Kubota L6060HST Cab and Loader

[grizzjeeper]

Good to know. My drift on steering in about a half mile has done a complete rotation on the wheel.

 

[Wild Bill the 2nd]

I have an L6060/FEL/open station with 57 hours on it. I don't think I have any of the issues you are reporting. The only thing that I find mildly annoying is that the steering is slow/heavy when you are accelerating from a stop.

Other issue I have, not related, is a bad seal in the front axle that leaks fluid. I just need to finish up a few things this fall and I will send it back to the dealer for repair.

Definitely get your tractor fixed. It is not "normal"

 

[Grandad4]

Good to know. My drift on steering in about a half mile has done a complete rotation on the wheel.

Just way, way too much drift. For reference, I have spinner knobs on each of my 10+ year old Kubotas, so it's easy to notice how much drift there is. Over the course of an hour's operation, there's only perhaps 1/4 or 1/2 turn. For ordinary operation in the field, you shouldn't even notice it.

 

[Red Eye]

I've finally caught one of the "stutters" on video.... https://youtu.be/s0cF8pBdCdQ

 

[Grandad4]

I've finally caught one of the "stutters" on video.... https://youtu.be/s0cF8pBdCdQ

If I'm seeing the tach correctly, it's only running at 1,500 rpm. Pretty low... no wonder there's not any surplus hydraulic flow. On mine, standard pto rpm is 2,700 and it wants to run at 1,800 and above for good operating results. Gooch up the rpm a notch or so - try 1,800 - and see if you don't have less of the stutters.

Just an afterthought... diesels like to run. Putt-putting around at low rpm isn't good for engine health or good performance. 1,500 is marginal in that sense also, IMHO.

 

[Red Eye]

If I'm seeing the tach correctly, it's only running at 1,500 rpm. Pretty low... no wonder there's not any surplus hydraulic flow. On mine, standard pto rpm is 2,700 and it wants to run at 1,800 and above for good operating results. Gooch up the rpm a notch or so - try 1,800 - and see if you don't have less of the stutters.

Just an afterthought... diesels like to run. Putt-putting around at low rpm isn't good for engine health or good performance. 1,500 is marginal in that sense also, IMHO.

Grandad4, I agree with everything you say. Like you say, I run the tractor at 2000rpm plus, but not 10 minutes go by without the stutter reminding me that this steering is terrible compared to my last Kubota L3430 which had beautiful steering for the 3500hrs I had on it, till I traded it in for the L6060.

Having said that, the dealer has not been able to see what I was talking about, so I deliberately tried every combination of variables to catch it in the act so as I could show others what I was talking about. The stutter will happen at 2000rpm, 2200rpm and 2500rpm.

So the video is just to show others... and the best way to catch it is to use the lower rpm... try run the tractor and take videos at the same time and you will know how difficult this is to do.

For L6060 owners out there who have a stutter, even at higher rpm and want to replicate the problem... go 1500 rpm, medium, mid-range HST response and rabbit. Next, back up slowly (4kph or so)for a couple of seconds, then go forward and quickly turn as if you were going for another bucket load of gravel. You will feel the wheel lock for an instant, then at about another 3/4 to one turn it will lock up again.

 

[Grandad4]

Grandad4, I agree with everything you say. Like you say, I run the tractor at 2000rpm plus, but not 10 minutes go by without the stutter reminding me that this steering is terrible compared to my last Kubota L3430 which had beautiful steering for the 3500hrs I had on it, till I traded it in for the L6060.

Having said that, the dealer has not been able to see what I was talking about, so I deliberately tried every combination of variables to catch it in the act so as I could show others what I was talking about. The stutter will happen at 2000rpm, 2200rpm and 2500rpm.

So the video is just to show others... and the best way to catch it is to use the lower rpm... try run the tractor and take videos at the same time and you will know how difficult this is to do.

For L6060 owners out there who have a stutter, even at higher rpm and want to replicate the problem... go 1500 rpm, medium, mid-range HST response and rabbit. Next, back up slowly (4kph or so)for a couple of seconds, then go forward and quickly turn as if you were going for another bucket load of gravel. You will feel the wheel lock for an instant, then at about another 3/4 to one turn it will lock up again.

Sorry to hear that. That would indeed be an issue and is not right. It's been a long time since I noticed a "stutter" on my older rig, but I'd get a rare glitch on a hot day when doing aggressive FEL work. Nothing like what you describe. Hope this gets sorted out quickly. That's much too nice a tractor to have such a problem.

 

[rallsgrovefarms]

I hate to hear you are having the same problems. I guess your Kubota is only as good as your dealer will support it. There hasn't been a machine built that hasn't had some issue along the way. BUT, this series of machine isn't new. I can see what Grandad4 is speaking of about diesels wanting to run but the tiny diesels now days in pretty much anything under 100hp seems to need to be run like it is a hydrostatic model with throttle wide open all the time. My M6040 does the same thing with the stutter steer and will totally lock up with a round bale on spear. You will have to move forward or backwards to get it to steer. The loader will not pick up capacity, will not curl down with bucket on ground and pick up tractor, u cant curl a load of gravel into bucket or pick up through it. I cant use the draft to control an implement as the system will not react enough to keep from spinning out. I did my homework and compared ALL the makes apples to apples and thought I was getting the best tractor for the money I could. A John Deere was @$6000 more and now if I had to do it over I would go green and never look back. BTW, tractor has been back to dealer twice only to tell me each time it is all good. Oh I almost forgot about the curl bleeding off and will self dump a load in prob. and hour. Dealer says u can have fast hydraulics but not fast and no leakage.... Only with extensive reading have I found that Kubota didn't issue a recall but I guess left it up to dealers to replace the curl cylinders and they were not right. If I remember correctly they went from a 22mm packing nut to a 24mm nut. Best of luck.

 

[Paystar]

Does this seem to be happening more on the bigger models? I haven't seen many people with the Grand L 3560's saying anything about this?

I've read about the steering wheel drift on all makes, but I got lucky with my B2620. It hasn't changed position at all in 2 years, 260 hours.

 

[hayden]

I've got an L5740 and a steering stutter developed about a year ago (around 400hrs). It got progressively worse, with vague steering wheel response developing. It finally got to the point where I couldn't steer at all unless the tractor was moving.

It turned out to be a crack that had developed in the hydraulic suction hose on the hydraulic pumps (two pumps in tandem). It wasn't leaking fluid, so went unnoticed, but under suction it was puling in air. If I remember correctly, when I checked the hydraulic fluid level it was foamy and that tipped me off that there was air getting into the system somehow.

After replacing the suction hose, the steering is back to being silky smooth, no drift in the wheel, and I can turn while standing still with a full bucket load.

I don't know if this will help any of you guys, but it might be worth a look.

 

[Wild Bill the 2nd]

I don't know if it was a curse reading this thread or what. I had two instances where I could not steer past center (or straight) yesterday. Was doing loader / grapple work. I would start turning to change direction and it would just stop once the front wheels were straight. One time I fixed the situation by going back to full lock in the direction the wheels would turn, then they would turn back the other way. The second time I believe I raised engine RPM to cure it. It hasn't happened enough times for me to be sure on the resolution though. What a PITA!

 

[Grandad4]

I've got an L5740 and a steering stutter developed about a year ago (around 400hrs). It got progressively worse, with vague steering wheel response developing. It finally got to the point where I couldn't steer at all unless the tractor was moving.

It turned out to be a crack that had developed in the hydraulic suction hose on the hydraulic pumps (two pumps in tandem). It wasn't leaking fluid, so went unnoticed, but under suction it was puling in air. If I remember correctly, when I checked the hydraulic fluid level it was foamy and that tipped me off that there was air getting into the system somehow.

After replacing the suction hose, the steering is back to being silky smooth, no drift in the wheel, and I can turn while standing still with a full bucket load.

I don't know if this will help any of you guys, but it might be worth a look.

In line with what earlier threads had said... see msg #19.