Very easy to replace as well. Takes about 10 minutes start to finish, too bad the part cost is 50 bucks for a simple splined soft steel coupling but then today, everything is costing a lot more than say 5 years ago.
I need to rebuild the loader on my OS M9 as It's getting sloppy and there is a ton of lateral movement in the linkages which is probably due to the previous owner's lack of timely greasing and that is pretty typical today.
I had sticker shock when I ordered up just one set of linkage components (there are 8 of them on every loader) plus 4 fulcrum pins. My cost on just 2 of them was $504 bucks and all I really wanted was to 'borrow' a set so I could plot them and cut them on our CNC plasma table and I'll machine my own fulcrum pins. Needless to say, I about had a coronary when I saw the invoice and best part is, I can return them to Kubota but there will be a 100 buck restocking fee, so I guess that it is costing me 100 bucks just to plot them and return them. Oh well
I needed to have a new set so I can plot the centerlines of the pin bosses as mine are basically shot. I'll probably cut numerous sets and sell them online as I bet there are more than a few owners out there in fantasy land with worn out linkages, but I will have to machine the inner bosses from bar stock and weld them on no matter what and the welded on bosses determine the side clearance between the linkages and the loader frame.
I'm going to re-engineer the fulcrum pins and get rid of the recessed grease fittings as well. I find them to be nothing but dirt collectors and a PITA to inject grease into. Hopefully, all that is worn out are the linkages and not the loader frame through holes but I won't find that out until I take it apart in the spring. If the loader frame bores are ovaled out, I'll have to line bore them oversize and press fit in new steel bushings or machine them out of 660 CA Bronze bar stock, I'll cross that bridge when I get there as I have no idea at this point in time.
All I know is, the loader is extremely sloppy, especially when curling the bucket and I'm getting concerned about failure when I'm loading round bales on trucks.