Dents on Brand New Loader?

mcmxi

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@BGTLS, the dent which appears to be small is on the top surface or flange of the loader right? If so, that "web" is in tension during the most critical time when the loader is raised under load. The top web is only under compression when the the bucket is used to raise the front of the tractor or when back dragging. Dents are a possible issue for a column or beam when subjected to compression. Buckling can occur with no warning and cause a catastrophic failure, but I don't think your loader is in danger of buckling with that small dent.

It's highly likely that if we did a thorough examination of the the entire loader on our tractors we'd find something to be upset about. The welding crews are only going to notice obvious issues with steel during the fabrication process and that dent may or may not have been there during final inspection. Either way, if it upsets you that much try and get the loader swapped for a "perfect" one. Better yet, have them bring in 10 loaders and let you pick the best one! :LOL:
 

fried1765

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We all have different standards.
Agreed!
When I buy something NEW, I expect it to be in 100% new condition, and have 100% quality workmanship,
If I get dents, ........I will choose where and when to place them!
 

mcmxi

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Agreed!
When I buy something NEW, I expect it to be in 100% new condition, and have 100% quality workmanship,
Clearly you're not the one to ask when it comes to buying new tractors based on your post in the thread just below this one. :LOL:

fried1765 said:
For what it is worth:
I am 81, and have never bought a new tractor (have owned 6),...... and at this point in my life I never will.
 
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fried1765

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Clearly you're not the one to ask when it comes to buying new tractors based on your post in the thread just below this one. :LOL:

You came up with a uniquely twisted way of responding to my comment, about buying any merchandise that is less than perfect!
If I did buy a new tractor though, I would make absolutely certain that the trailer chains were crossed when trailering same......As "Curt Mfg." recommends!
 
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mcmxi

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You came up with a uniquely twisted way of responding to my comment, about buying any merchandise that is less than perfect!
If I did buy a new tractor though, I would make absolutely certain that the trailer chains were crossed when trailering same......As "Curt Mfg." recommends!
I thought this thread was about a dented loader arm, not trailers.

However, you are free to do whatever you please with your tractor and trailer, just as I am free to do whatever I please with mine. I will continue to exceed Montana state law by having two 5/16" diameter chains attached to the 10ft aluminum trailer rather than just one 1/4" chain as required. I will also exceed Montana state law by having two 5/16" chains attached on the three trailers that exceed 3,000 lb GVW despite the fact that chains aren't required on such trailers but brakes on all wheels are, which all three have. The last time I checked Curt wasn't authorized to pull me over and write me a ticket for non-compliance.
 
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fried1765

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I thought this thread was about a dented loader arm, not trailers.

However, you are free to do whatever you please with your tractor and trailer, just as I am free to do whatever I please with mine I will continue to exceed Montana state law by having two 5/16" diameter chains attached rather than just one 1/4" chain as required. I will follow state law since the last time I checked Curt wasn't authorized to pull me over and write me a ticket for non-compliance.
You are 100% correct as always, and many here on OTT are also aware!
 
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airbiscuit

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If BGTLS is unhappy with his Kubota, I think he should trade it in on a Jinma or Mahindra ;)
 

rc51stierhoff

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I don’t mean to be disrespectful to any in here…remember though the issue questioned is related to formed metal…take a piece a paper and try to form or stretch, let me know how that works without any sort of wrinkle stretch or deformation. Metal flows but you still have to be able to form…what happens with a press brake to bend metal…you control the hold pressure and either increase the flow of material or you pinch the material…either option leaves a a deform. A machine with a metal loader is what was purchased. Take a flat piece of metal and try to form it without a deformation…if you think you can bend metal without a deform or change in the flow of metal without a blemish on both sides you will be very wealthy…here’s a hint Superman could not bend it without a deform either…they are there whether you ever noticed or if you have a trained eye to see…sometimes it’s even on the inside of the material. Whether what was purchased here is an issue or not I am not sure it can be determined by a picture, however if you scrutinize your machine I bet it’s not bad at all. Compare to others on the lot…they will all have some deformations. Again I don’t know that is or is not a problem, but I think be realistic. Have you ever seen another that doesn’t have some deformation? If your are worried about surface quality in that way I wonder if you ask a dealer based on a perfect machined surface if they can sell you something to that expectation…it doesn’t make it wrong however it may not be available for what you paid. If still not sure take a zebra light light to it and also your car. You may not feel feel better but I bet you will be way more worried about your car (and I don’t care if you have an exotic hand built car or a Yugo) than your tractor…Anyways, don’t let a normal characteristic of formed metal spoil your purchase of a new tractor be bad. Ifs it really bad(can’t tell from the pic) you should be able to compare to others on the lot and dealer should let you know reasonable or not. From the pic it looks like a normal deform(your car has them whether you ever noticed) rather than a dent…a deform is not necessarily a defect. if it is a dent dealer should be able to help. Enjoy your tractor, or don’t.
 
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BGTLS

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Alright, after a little off topic talk here is what I know so far. Remember the original questions was is this something that I need to worry about causing problems down the road and what should I expect from my dealer. So my dealer said he would pass it along to the sales and service rep at Kubota and see what they think and have it documented. That is as far as he went. I just politely thanked him and asked that he let me know what the rep responds back to him with. The overwhelming thoughts so far by the board here seam to be that this poses no future problems with the arm bending, failing, or getting out of alignment which is good. If it never causes me any trouble than it is not a problem.

Extra - read only if you like-it is also kind of an introduction. To address some of the other comments, I do understand it is a tractor and it is going to get used to do work. I do not really care about the problem if it is only cosmetic and will not cause a problem like some surface rust or paint chips but this is a dent that does structurally weaken that arm somewhat. How much is really the question. If the arm is overbuilt and a different component in the system is weaker the arm should never fail but if the loader arm is the weakest link in the system it could be the part to fail.

I do not think it is a dent from forming the metal, it is more like a crease where something hit the arm and it would have had to hit pretty hard in that area to cause it dent like it did as the metal there is close to an 1/8 inch thick.

My introduction and for those that have maybe speculated what my back ground is and my understanding of mechanical objects, I actually am a teacher at a high school. I work with metal, wood, and engines daily. I teach quite a variety of subjects but started almost 25 years ago teaching physics and chemistry, so I do understand forces and how tension, compression, torsion and shear forces will work on the loader. I no longer teach chemistry but I am still the physics teacher at the school today. Instead of chemistry I now teach tech ed classes. About 10 years ago the school was having a hard time finding a tech ed teacher to stay for more than a year so I offered to go back and get the appropriate license. I have always been pretty handy and taught a science class where we built a high mileage vehicle (a low friction aerodynamic go-cart) each year to compete against other schools for the most fuel efficient vehicle, so I was already teaching about engines and how to fabricate a chassis from metal. To get even more ready for my new classes, I spent the next year or so working weekends with a guy that rebuilds race engines, took a few welding classes at the local tech college, and spent a summer learning how to run CNC equipment like a router, plasma, and mill. I now teach small engines, 2 different woodworking classes, building construction, 2 cnc classes, along with physics, and do a lot of metal fabrication for projects that come up around the school and in town such as fencing, railings, signs, and other decorative plasma cut art. It is quite a fun job and I get help students build a ton of different things everyday. The only problem with the job is that I have so many hats to wear it kind of makes me have to be a jack of all trades so you never get to be a master of one. If I had to go back and do it all over again I would have just went into mechanical engineering like a lot of my fellow physics students did. Then I might have been able to afford a little bigger tractor like an LX2610, maybe when I retire. But then again, teaching does have three big plusses: June, July, and August. :)
 
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airbiscuit

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I'm glad you'll breathe easy if it is confirmed to be only cosmetic. It woud be helpful if you would give dimensions of the length, width and depth of this dent.
 

BGTLS

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I'm glad you'll breathe easy if it is confirmed to be only cosmetic. It woud be helpful if you would give dimensions of the length, width and depth of this dent.
I would say 1/8" deep, 3/4" to 1" wide, and 3/8" to 1/2" tall
 

mikester

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Today is the one year anniversary of my Kubota TLB, the backhoe still isn't right, as we speak one defective hose connecting to the tractor is peeing in a pan. But then I shouldn't fret or whine about it. I don't defend junk.
I'm not trying to defend junk, I'm not going to have. bad day over a minor cosmetic issue on a work machine. Downtime costs money.

As a consumer you vote with your money. If an issue is significant then refuse delivery. Put a clause in your sales contract you can return the machine for any reason for a full refund if you find something non-conforming.
 

Henro

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Gee...I just realized after twenty years I forgot to check my loader for little dents in the arms and other components, which have no affect on its performance!

Bad on me I guess... :oops:
 
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GreensvilleJay

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I gave back the fancy cast dealer license plate 'wrap' about 30 seconds after the 'highly trained, wall plastered with awards', service tech didn't know HOW to open the hood of my brand spankin new '77 Toyota 4x4 for it's 500 mile 'look over'. Never went back, when asked to fil in the 'how did we do', well...head office wasn't too happy....
 

NCL4701

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I don’t see anything wrong with expecting a new whatever (including farm/landscaping equipment) to be undamaged upon delivery. The original post stated if it was in a non-structural component, such as a fender, it wouldn’t be a concern. There’s a difference between being a bit disappointed in minor flaws in a new item you just dropped a bunch of money on v a real concern about an expensive fix for a potentially serious functional problem. The original question made it reasonably clear the OP already recognized that fact and was disappointed with the damage, but the true concern was whether this was potentially a functional/structural problem which the dealer might try to downplay, which was the primary impetus for the post. Seems to me, the original question (Is this functional damage or strictly cosmetic?) was a legitimate question. The answers of basically, “shut up, it’s a tractor” imply an assumption that the dent being purely cosmetic is an established fact known to all rather than being the crux of the inquiry.

The dent isn’t easy to see in the photos but it appears to be a lone dent on the outside radius of the bend, perpendicular to the axis of the arm so it’s pretty clear it isn’t consistent with normal forming deformation. It also doesn’t appear to be of sufficient significance to be a structural performance concern. As others have suggested, putting Kubota on notice so it won’t be considered evidence of abuse or unreported accidental damage in relation to any future problems would be advisable. Unlikely they’ll do anything other than make a note of it, but still worth reporting.
 

PaulL

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I'm with OP. He paid for a new one, it should be new and undamaged. It's not a big deal that it's damaged, it's unlikely to impact anything, but the reality is that it shouldn't be. If it were me I'd probably want a little something to make me feel good about it - otherwise that dent is going to niggle in your mind as long as you own the tractor (well, at least until you put a bigger dent in it somewhere else, if you're like me that'll be about 2 weeks).

I've learnt from experience that you have to inspect properly when you take delivery. That's the time to talk turkey - you can say "there's a defect, how about I wait for the next machine", or they can chuck in a Kubota cap or a free service or whatever to make it good enough for you. When I was buying the closest dealer had a new B2601. It had rust on it. I said to him - that's got rust on it. He basically said "not much, and once you take it home it'll have rust anyway." I've had my tractor (from another dealer) for about a year now. No rust on it. I park it in the garage, not in the rain. Different people use tractors in different ways.