Kubota L3830 GST jerking after getting hung up on stick of wood?

09Ram

Member

Equipment
09 Ram 2500, Grand L3830, GST, 6 ft Brushhog, 6 ft Box Blade, 8 ft Disk, Auger
Jun 8, 2013
45
0
6
Tahlequah, Ok
I was brushhogging a few days ago and I ran over some old limbs and one broke off and caught up under the tractor and actually lifted it up in front so I backed off of it. After that the tractor jerks horribly 3-4 times before it actually starts working when you either shift it forward or in reverse. Also if you just shift without using the clutch it is very harsh shifting. I looked underneath and see no leaks but I have heard an air leak may cause this issue? Does anyone have any idea what I should be looking for?
 

whitetiger

Moderator
Staff member

Equipment
Kubota tech..BX2370, RCK60, B7100HST, RTV900 w plow, Ford 1100 FWA
Nov 20, 2011
2,614
1,133
113
Kansas City, KS
I was brushhogging a few days ago and I ran over some old limbs and one broke off and caught up under the tractor and actually lifted it up in front so I backed off of it. After that the tractor jerks horribly 3-4 times before it actually starts working when you either shift it forward or in reverse. Also if you just shift without using the clutch it is very harsh shifting. I looked underneath and see no leaks but I have heard an air leak may cause this issue? Does anyone have any idea what I should be looking for?
Look at the wiring and switchs on the Left-Hand side of the transmission.
 

Motion

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
Kubota MX5100HST/FEL
Aug 17, 2020
525
291
63
Mandeville Louisiana
Wow a limb big enough to lift the front of the tractor! The limb should have left some marks in the affected area, look more closely for bent linkage or pinched hydraulic lines. Is the rotary mower /PTO disengaged when the tractor jerks?
 

Nicksacco

Well-known member

Equipment
Kubota L35 TLB
Sep 15, 2021
582
330
63
Bahama, NC
Having experienced air leakage due to bad rubber hose couplers (to hard lines) in my tractor, it is a possibility.
I did a quick look up and it looks like the 3830 come is flavors of GST and HYD. Is yours is the GST? If there's air leaking on the suction lines (you haven't mentioned any leaks) then possibly the GST would be jerky. On my tractor, the leaking caused "stuttering" of the power steering and FEL. The GST barely operated.

On my tractor, I had no visible oil leaks I guess due to the geometry of the suction pipes. But air was getting in thru bad hose coupler and in another case, a rusted hard input pipe that mounted to a pump. It doesn't take much of an air leak to cause big problems as I found out.

Perhaps look for leaks, cracked or severely dented pipes to and from the pumps. The L35 for example has a small hard line that runs underneath the frame to the transmission.