Soon to be a new owner

[SGreene]

Are you suggesting that all new 2018 Kiotis have this issue with the back hoe mounting system?
Do you have any photos so I can understand this better?

My service tech told me after reviewing the situation with the warranty person that both the bracket as well as the part number for the bolt package has gotten corporate's attention as an issue. Whether it is specific to just 2018's I don't know but beings that the part number for the bracket and the bolt package is a corporate number and is the same for the entire NX line I would guess it is.

The regen issue I'm experiencing has been deemed a cpu issue specifically to the 2018 model line as there has been some software changes with the new year regen program. From what I understand, corporate is working on a patch for the program. This regen issue is the first my dealer has experienced but I also got the first 2018 NX out their door. Was ordered in Feb.

Sorry I dont have any pics to show the bracket. It is the rearward bracket that bolts to the rearend housing that stays on the tractor when you dismount the backhoe frame.

 

[RandyinTN]

Steve
Did you pick up the tractor with the backhoe attached or did you add it later?

 

[SGreene]

Steve
Did you pick up the tractor with the backhoe attached or did you add it later?

Attached, brand new everything. Received in July. The bracketry was installed by the techs per the corporate engineers guide. My incident occurred with 40hrs on the clock. I only had 32hrs of actual operation on the machine when it occurred. The tech was even on a service call with my tractor (for the regen issue I mentioned earlier) 1hr prior to the event. After the full investigation Kioti deemed it was an improperly welded bracket and improper length bolts that caused the occurrence. After further review they said that the L bracket was welded at a wider angle than the two mounting surfaces it was to bolt to.

Again, Im not questioning the quality and integrity of the Kioti NX series nor my dealer and crew. This was just a fluke thing that while unfortunate, I'm glad happened under warranty. But the dealer made it sound like this was going nation wide so the least I can do is pass on the info.

 

[Coyote machine]

Congrats on your new Kioti! I have a Kioti KB-2485 for the last nine years and it is a great backhoe. I too have little to no experience running a hoe, but it will get to the point where you find it second nature. Same with a box blade. A little tougher to manage effectively, but there is plenty of help and videos on TBN to get you going. Try EA, and Travis, he has extensive knowledge and descriptive vids of BB ops.
He can get you a BB too. Everything Attachments.

 

[RandyinTN]

Attached, brand new everything. Received in July. The bracketry was installed by the techs per the corporate engineers guide. My incident occurred with 40hrs on the clock. I only had 32hrs of actual operation on the machine when it occurred. The tech was even on a service call with my tractor (for the regen issue I mentioned earlier) 1hr prior to the event. After the full investigation Kioti deemed it was an improperly welded bracket and improper length bolts that caused the occurrence. After further review they said that the L bracket was welded at a wider angle than the two mounting surfaces it was to bolt to.

Again, Im not questioning the quality and integrity of the Kioti NX series nor my dealer and crew. This was just a fluke thing that while unfortunate, I'm glad happened under warranty. But the dealer made it sound like this was going nation wide so the least I can do is pass on the info.

Trying to get a clear picture of this. What was the incident? If the bolts were to short then what held the backhoe on?

 

[SGreene]

This exploded diagram is of the bh2485 mounting frame.



Part #2 and #3 are the brackets that get bolted to the tractor to hold #1 the framerail for the backhoe. Part #2 is the bracket we are talking about. This bracket is bolted to the rear cast iron differential housing center section via 8 bolts; 4 #6 bolts, and 4 #7 bolts. #7 bolts to the bottom of the axle center section using bosses drilled into the cast iron. #6 bolts go into the front side of the differential using the bosses for the PTO guard.

First, the #2 bracket is "L"shaped where it bolts to the two mounting planes. That "L" is wider than the 90 degree mounting surfaces of the two mounting planes. You can see it better in the circled portion of the diagram.

Second, the bolts in the kit, both #6 and #7, are too short. First: from what I understand, the warranty guy said Kioti failed to take into consideration the thickness of the bracket plate when sizing the length of the #7 bolts underneath. Second: #6 bolts are not long enough because they failed to consider the combined thickness of the mounting bracket and the PTO shield since the #6 bolts hold both items. Added to this problem is the L bracket being wider than the mounting surface placing pressure on the bolts making the small M12 bolts try to suck up the gap between the bracket and mounting surface.

In my situation, the #6 bolts popped their threads leaving all the pulling force of the backhoe completely on the 4 #7 bolts and that single plane. I didn't feel the backhoe shift or rock while in use. Ultimately I created enough force to pull 2 of the #7 bolts out of their bosses and shattered the entire area of the cast iron housing around the remaining bolts. Destroyed the rear end housing and bent the backhoe frame rail.

 

[RandyinTN]

Thanks for taking the time to explain this. I printed out the diagram and your comments and will drop them off to my dealer to hopefully prevent a costly mistake.

 

[RandyinTN]

Stopped and talked with my dealer today. He also called some employees as we chatted. All said they were not aware of any issues concerning the frame mounted backhoes on this series of tractors. And my dealer said they sold a lot of them.
Since he has to order my tractor in the next week or so I doubt this will be an issue. Appreciate you informing me about your problems but hopefully they no longer exist in tractors currently being built.

Have any other NX owners on this forum reported issues similar to what you experienced ?

 

[SGreene]

Have any other NX owners on this forum reported issues similar to what you experienced ?

I'll ask the service manager when I talk to him Friday. We have an end of week progress analysis every Friday. This dealer and crew has been great under the circumstances.

Remember, the issue was with the bracketery and bolt package not the actual tractor itself. It's possible I got a fluke bad bracket but the bolt package is the same corp number. As long as the metallurgy order for the cast iron housings haven't changed for the 2018 model year then they only need to be checking the bolt on items associated with the backhoe. The first and last I heard from the Kioti warranty officer associated with my claim was that this was going nation wide. I did not personally measure the depth of the threaded bosses to figure proper bolt length in the assembly. I am concerned that no thread locker is used on assembly but many equipment companies dont use it for whatever reason.

 

[RandyinTN]

I'll ask the service manager when I talk to him Friday. We have an end of week progress analysis every Friday. This dealer and crew has been great under the circumstances.

Remember, the issue was with the bracketery and bolt package not the actual tractor itself. It's possible I got a fluke bad bracket but the bolt package is the same corp number. As long as the metallurgy order for the cast iron housings haven't changed for the 2018 model year then they only need to be checking the bolt on items associated with the backhoe. The first and last I heard from the Kioti warranty officer associated with my claim was that this was going nation wide. I did not personally measure the depth of the threaded bosses to figure proper bolt length in the assembly. I am concerned that no thread locker is used on assembly but many equipment companies dont use it for whatever reason.

I understand the issue is with the bracket and short bolts. If you are able to find out anything from your dealer that is in writing please post it here as my dealer is interested in reading about it. Because as he said, he sells a lot of NX's with backhoes and hasnt heard of the issues.