NX series fule line dangling

[JimR]

I was under my NX4510HST today and noticed that the fuel line dangles where it comes out of the fuel tank. This is an easy to snag item by any branches you might drive over. I tied mine up to the hydro filter line with a tie strap. Easy fix for a few pennies.

 

[NC419N]

That's not the only thing that will be dangling after you get it into some tough bush hog applications. I wish Kioti would put skid plates on to help prevent entanglement's like several members have installed!!

 

[MinnesotaEric]

I was under my NX4510HST today and noticed that the fuel line dangles where it comes out of the fuel tank. This is an easy to snag item by any branches you might drive over. I tied mine up to the hydro filter line with a tie strap. Easy fix for a few pennies.

Yeah, way, way too easy to snag. I ripped the fuel nipple out of the tank on a red oak sapling in the first month. That led to my armoring up the underside of my tractor. Every single one of my breakdowns is related to the soft underbelly of the NX Series tractor. From ripping the fuel tank nipple off on a small sapling, to damaging the tank suction line, to puncturing the mid-point PTO output shaft seal, everything that has stopped me in my tracks has been related to a lack of hard underbelly skid plating on the underside of my tractor.

I continue to experience grief from running over the occasional sapling.

 

[JimR]

That's not the only thing that will be dangling after you get it into some tough bush hog applications. I wish Kioti would put skid plates on to help prevent entanglement's like several members have installed!!

I was extremely lucky recently and found a 4' x 4' piece of stainless steel for a give away price of $1.00. I have access to a bender and can weld stainless with my mig welder. I plan on fabricating a complete belly pan for the tank and every other place where a limb can climb up through and cause problems. I know what it is like to rip off fuel lines, tear up hydraulic hoses and break off a fitting or two on my old tractors that I used to own in the past.

 

[Ranchofla]

Yeah, way, way too easy to snag. I ripped the fuel nipple out of the tank on a red oak sapling in the first month. That led to my armoring up the underside of my tractor. Every single one of my breakdowns is related to the soft underbelly of the NX Series tractor. From ripping the fuel tank nipple off on a small sapling, to damaging the tank suction line, to puncturing the mid-point PTO output shaft seal, everything that has stopped me in my tracks has been related to a lack of hard underbelly skid plating on the underside of my tractor.

I continue to experience grief from running over the occasional sapling.

Eric, that's some seriously banged up skid plating you got there...

Rancho

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Eric, that's some serious banged up armor you got there...

Rancho

The plating isn't as thick as I would have liked to use, but was the thickest stuff I could bend without a brake (I've been shop-challenged as in I don't have one for some time). The last hydro change, I took all the skid plates off, and hammered them flat again, and back on they went, good as new(ish).

 

[JimR]

Yeah, way, way too easy to snag. I ripped the fuel nipple out of the tank on a red oak sapling in the first month. That led to my armoring up the underside of my tractor. Every single one of my breakdowns is related to the soft underbelly of the NX Series tractor. From ripping the fuel tank nipple off on a small sapling, to damaging the tank suction line, to puncturing the mid-point PTO output shaft seal, everything that has stopped me in my tracks has been related to a lack of hard underbelly skid plating on the underside of my tractor.

I continue to experience grief from running over the occasional sapling.

Eric, That was a really great video and you had me really laughing hard. Kioti doesn't care. You have no idea what I recently went through with them about a simple $46.00 hose that was put on incorrectly and got chafed through to the steel core. The local dealer said he would order me one under warranty and ship it to me. Once he found out I didn't buy my tractor there, "I figure he said screw you" He never ordered it. He never responds to my emails and I informed Kioti about this issue. They refused to send me a hose. The dealer refuses to send me a hose. Kioti finally got back to me and said take your tractor to the local dealer and have it replaced under warranty. First off, I don't have a trailer large enough to haul my NX4510HST to any dealer. Secondly, I'm not going to waste my time to drive 30 miles one way, wait to have my tractor fixed with a part that is not in stock and drive back. Or worse, leave my tractor there and make two complete trips for a lousy $46.00 hose. I told the Kioti rep that I would be very happy to bad mouth them on the internet if they refuse to send me a hose. Unfortunately for them I have done just that in several places already. As for the hose, I took the sharp bend out of it and filled in the chafed area with silicone. The side step had not dug into the steel core lining yet. I will gladly pay for that $46.00 hose when and if it begins to leak.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Eric, That was a really great video and you had me really laughing hard. Kioti doesn't care. You have no idea what I recently went through with them about a simple $46.00 hose that was put on incorrectly and got chafed through to the steel core. The local dealer said he would order me one under warranty and ship it to me. Once he found out I didn't buy my tractor there, "I figure he said screw you" He never ordered it. He never responds to my emails and I informed Kioti about this issue. They refused to send me a hose. The dealer refuses to send me a hose. Kioti finally got back to me and said take your tractor to the local dealer and have it replaced under warranty. First off, I don't have a trailer large enough to haul my NX4510HST to any dealer. Secondly, I'm not going to waste my time to drive 30 miles one way, wait to have my tractor fixed with a part that is not in stock and drive back. Or worse, leave my tractor there and make two complete trips for a lousy $46.00 hose. I told the Kioti rep that I would be very happy to bad mouth them on the internet if they refuse to send me a hose. Unfortunately for them I have done just that in several places already. As for the hose, I took the sharp bend out of it and filled in the chafed area with silicone. The side step had not dug into the steel core lining yet. I will gladly pay for that $46.00 hose when and if it begins to leak.

Jim,

I feel sorry for your bad experience. I've also experienced basically the worst possible experience and I've avoided making a video about the whole experience because the entire experience is upsetting to me.

 

[JimR]

Jim,

I feel sorry for your bad experience. I've also experienced basically the worst possible experience and I've avoided making a video about the whole experience because the entire experience is upsetting to me.

Sorry to hear that Kioti wasn't good to you either. Hopefully the messages will get back to Kioti and they will smarten up, but I tend to doubt it.

 

[DieselBound]

Yeah, this tractor scares me with all its snaggy things!

My B7800 has been through ***** and with the exception of a popped off hydraulic return line, broken radiator petcock and brush jamming into the lower fan cowling piece causing a bunch of racket, it has held up amazingly well. Don't think I could expect to expose this NX to half of this w/o breaking stuff. Just going to have to be a lot more mindful/careful, and look to one day construct some skid plating.

* Literally four-wheeling on top of brush, on top of stumps etc. etc.. There's a reason why these tractors were popular with rental outfits.

Regarding skid plates getting banged up, that's fine. What they're needing to do is to defect enough such that things don't take a direct hit, to keep brush and such from snapping back up after being bent over from the FEL or other. I think someone used some plastic material even. Slamming down on top of stuff is another matter...

 

[JimR]

Yeah, this tractor scares me with all its snaggy things!

My B7800 has been through ***** and with the exception of a popped off hydraulic return line, broken radiator petcock and brush jamming into the lower fan cowling piece causing a bunch of racket, it has held up amazingly well. Don't think I could expect to expose this NX to half of this w/o breaking stuff. Just going to have to be a lot more mindful/careful, and look to one day construct some skid plating.

* Literally four-wheeling on top of brush, on top of stumps etc. etc.. There's a reason why these tractors were popular with rental outfits.


Regarding skid plates getting banged up, that's fine. What they're needing to do is to defect enough such that things don't take a direct hit, to keep brush and such from snapping back up after being bent over from the FEL or other. I think someone used some plastic material even. Slamming down on top of stuff is another matter...

A huge full length sectional under belly plate would be a solution for these tractors.

 

[countrybumpkin]

A huge full length sectional under belly plate would be a solution for these tractors.

Yes it is a good solution.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

FWIW, the steering also needs to be plated.

Here is a photo of the hose loom I fabbed to protect the hoses from snags.

And here is a photo of my three piece skid plating.

Right side.

Right side

Here is what those plates look like when off.

After installing my hose loom, which holds the hoses up higher and tight, I also had to put on a bit of shielding on one of my third function loader hoses that was rubbing on the right-side leading edge of the cab.

Moreover, even if my electric-hydraulic valve wasn't there, there is a hose that runs on top of the transmission in the HSTs that rubs on the three point speed adjustment.

 

[JimR]

FWIW, the steering also needs to be plated.

I agree but nowhere near as bad as other tractors that I have owned. I replaced the cheap tie rod connector tube that my old Cub Cadet 7275 had for a much heavier/beefier piece of tubing. The original was forever getting caught on branches and bending backwards with very little effort. The new tube was twice the thickness as the original. I cut the original tube down to 6 inches on each end. The new tube slipped over the old end pieces. I then welded it 1/2 inch back from the original ends. I never bent it again.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

I agree but nowhere near as bad as other tractors that I have owned. I replaced the cheap tie rod connector tube that my old Cub Cadet 7275 had for a much heavier/beefier piece of tubing. The original was forever getting caught on branches and bending backwards with very little effort. The new tube was twice the thickness as the original. I cut the original tube down to 6 inches on each end. The new tube slipped over the old end pieces. I then welded it 1/2 inch back from the original ends. I never bent it again.

You got in there before I edited more "armor" photos in from my first two months of tractor ownership.

 

[JimR]

You got in there before I edited more "armor" photos in from my first two months of tractor ownership.

Nice job. I noticed that on my tractor too. It is not good to have exposed rubber covers like that.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Yeah, this tractor scares me with all its snaggy things!

My B7800 has been through ***** and with the exception of a popped off hydraulic return line, broken radiator petcock and brush jamming into the lower fan cowling piece causing a bunch of racket, it has held up amazingly well. Don't think I could expect to expose this NX to half of this w/o breaking stuff. Just going to have to be a lot more mindful/careful, and look to one day construct some skid plating.

* Literally four-wheeling on top of brush, on top of stumps etc. etc.. There's a reason why these tractors were popular with rental outfits.

Regarding skid plates getting banged up, that's fine. What they're needing to do is to defect enough such that things don't take a direct hit, to keep brush and such from snapping back up after being bent over from the FEL or other. I think someone used some plastic material even. Slamming down on top of stuff is another matter...

I fixed this properly when I did the Hydro oil service last fall, but here was my misadventure when a stump I didn't see, rolled a root up just enough to bend my hydraulic filter bracket up into my reverse pedal. I didn't even know it had happened until I tried to back up and realized that had almost no reverse. My skid plates don't extend out far enough, but I can see how i can fab up another brace it necessary when i have more time, and my garage isn't 15 below zero.

 

[JimR]

I fixed this properly when I did the Hydro oil service last fall, but here was my misadventure when a stump I didn't see, rolled a root up just enough to bend my hydraulic filter bracket up into my reverse pedal. I didn't even know it had happened until I tried to back up and realized that had almost no reverse. My skid plates don't extend out far enough, but I can see how i can fab up another brace it necessary when i have more time, and my garage isn't 15 below zero.

You were very lucky on that one. A little more deflection of that filter would have torn that hose right off and oil would have been everywhere. Like you say, a set of skid plates are a must on these tractors.

 

[DieselBound]

Got my B7800 stranded after a salmon berry cane snapped up and into a center channel where my hydraulic return hose is. It had to bend and run perfectly parallel to the pipe and catch on the lip of of a short section of hose- I was instantly dead in the water (HST): and I was 1/4 mile from the house, behind a couple of logs- ended up having to haul out the chainsaw, cut logs and clear brush to open up a path to tow the tractor out (using the truck- fortunately the ground was firm enough such that my truck didn't get stuck).

I have this hydraulic hose that has always dangled underneath my B7800. It's covered with a hose sock, which, I figure, is how it's managed to not have ruptured in some 1,800 hrs of operation now. All is stock. I have yet to have that thing snag, which I think is one of life's mysteries since I've had my tractor on top of brush (four-wheeling) and on top of stumps! I did, however, push the hydraulic return line into a filter, denting the filter housing and distorting the tube. Straightened things up (new filter and fluid change at the time) and all has been fine since (perhaps 500 hours ago?).

I cannot believe that KIoti shorted those hydraulic hoses running there back under the cab. Really, only another inch or so of hose! I have it on my list to add some sock material there (like Eric did).

Someday, hoping BEFORE I run into a problem, I'll look to add some underbody armor.