L1321 3-pt. storage kit problem

f308gtb

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Hi! New here, just got my brand new 2019 L47 TLB a couple months ago, still getting it set up. (Love it!)

I received the factory Kubota "L1321 Three-Point Hitch Storage Kit" (ordered from Messick's, though I'm in TN), and I thought it would just bolt right up to it like in the pictures in the manual and in the kit instructions. Easy, right? But it turns out there are NO HOLES on the tractor! Am I crazy? Should I be drilling six new 11/16" holes into my tractor frame? Neither the manual nor the kit installation instructions say ANYTHING about drilling into my frame, but in both the holes are just assumed to be there.

Besides how hard it's going to be to drill holes that big into the steel, they have to be perfectly spaced between the two brackets, and I'm scared to death to do it! (And would it ruin my warranty?)

Please help! Thanks!
 

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GeoHorn

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I’ll admit I’m a but puzzled over whatever a “3-point hitch storage kit” is... but, since it’s a Kubota Kit, and you follow Kubota’s installation instructions, then the warranty should not be affected and the work itself doesn’t look difficult to me. Place the bracket next to the frame, use a Pilot-Point to mark the holes, use a center-punch to mark the center of the holes and drill ‘em.
 

f308gtb

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I’ll admit I’m a but puzzled over whatever a “3-point hitch storage kit” is... but, since it’s a Kubota Kit, and you follow Kubota’s installation instructions, then the warranty should not be affected and the work itself doesn’t look difficult to me. Place the bracket next to the frame, use a Pilot-Point to mark the holes, use a center-punch to mark the center of the holes and drill ‘em.
Hi, I appreciate the reply! Thanks!

It's a set of two brackets that hold the components of the 3-pt. hitch while the backhoe is attached. (See attached photo.) Which so far mine is all the time, so my hitch links are all sitting in the dirt.

One thing I'm a little worried about is spacing, because it'll be nearly impossible to do a mock-up and make 100% sure everything will fit before drilling permanent holes. For instance, I'll be guessing at level. Hopefully i won't matter.

Also, there are two brackets. It might not matter if "Bracket A" is too far or too close to "Bracket B," but maybe it will, and I probably won't know for sure till it's too late!

Also if there were holes, I could bolt it on in about 5 minutes. Instead I have to raise the tractor and remove the rear wheel, no small thing, and then spend probably a day drilling pretty huge holes for a handheld 20V DeWalt drill.

Also good drill bits the right size are over $25 each at my local hardware store, and I'm guessing I'll need a few.

So this is all very disappointing, especially since the kit is shown right in the TLB service manual as an optional part. I guess it needed to have been ordered with the tractor from the factory, but I bought an "already on the lot" unit that someone else backed out of, so it would have been too late even if they knew about the kit. (I bought this TLB in TN, but even at Messick's neither service nor sales knew about this kit, and had to look it up.)

I might make paper or cardboard cutouts of the two brackets and all of the 3-pt. pieces and tape them onto the frame to see what it'll look like.

Thanks again!
 

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Russell King

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It is odd the holes are not there but since this is an add on accessory to an accessory I can see why the manufacturer does not drill holes that are seldom used.

Looking at the diagram the holes appear to be in a subframe for a loader not the main tractor frame. Do you have a front end loader installed?

If you have a local dealer you may ask them to give you a cost for them to do that. If the rear wheels are filled with liquid then be very careful taking them off due to weight and safety.


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GeoHorn

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You might consider buying a cobalt bit (or the entire set from HF for the same cost as one cobalt from a jobber). The cobalt will go thru that frame quickly and without much trouble. Just don’t allow the bit to “wobble” as cobalt is tuff...but brittle. IE, drill straight and never use cobalt to “wallow-out” a hole so as to enlarge it.
Since this is not a “close-tolerance-fit” item, it might be useful to buy the 3/4” bit instead of a seldom-used 11/16 you may never need again.

Take your 3-pt arms and install them into the brackets as you position them so as to make certain they’ll fit with the arms once the brackets are mounted. Use chalk to outline the arms where they will strike the frame so as to know they will clear other objects/each-other.
 

f308gtb

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It is odd the holes are not there but since this is an add on accessory to an accessory I can see why the manufacturer does not drill holes that are seldom used.

Looking at the diagram the holes appear to be in a subframe for a loader not the main tractor frame. Do you have a front end loader installed?

If you have a local dealer you may ask them to give you a cost for them to do that. If the rear wheels are filled with liquid then be very careful taking them off due to weight and safety.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
The L47 has a permanently-attached FEL, so the spot this thing is supposed to mount to is permanent as well, whatever it is. My picture is lousy but the larger bracket mounts behind the rear wheel, if that helps any with identification.

I thought of the dealer, certainly, but just the pickup and delivery fee alone would price them out of what SHOULD be a [kind of] simple job.

(No liquid in my tires yet, but thanks for the warning!)
 

f308gtb

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You might consider buying a cobalt bit (or the entire set from HF for the same cost as one cobalt from a jobber). The cobalt will go thru that frame quickly and without much trouble. Just don’t allow the bit to “wobble” as cobalt is tuff...but brittle. IE, drill straight and never use cobalt to “wallow-out” a hole so as to enlarge it.
Since this is not a “close-tolerance-fit” item, it might be useful to buy the 3/4” bit instead of a seldom-used 11/16 you may never need again.

Take your 3-pt arms and install them into the brackets as you position them so as to make certain they’ll fit with the arms once the brackets are mounted. Use chalk to outline the arms where they will strike the frame so as to know they will clear other objects/each-other.
Thanks again Geo, I have used cobalt a bunch for work actually, but all small bits, so I assumed an 11/16” or bigger would be cost prohibitive. (And yes I’ve shattered more than one!) But I hadn’t thought of Harbor Freight. They just opened a store a year or so ago about 40 minutes away.

And yeah 3/4” would certainly still do the job, as well as leave me a less-small margin for error.

Thanks for the tips!
 

f308gtb

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I emailed Kubota USA and asked if they’d send me “this will not void your warranty” in writing.

That warranty was one big reason we bought new, and I’d hate to give them an irrelevant loophole to deny coverage if something came up.

We’ll see if they say anything!
 

GeoHorn

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If Kubota wanted to invalidate your warranty they’d probably have a lot better reason to use than the fact you bought another Kubota product and used it. :p

In fact, you’d have more grounds in court than they would.
 

f308gtb

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If Kubota wanted to invalidate your warranty they’d probably have a lot better reason to use than the fact you bought another Kubota product and used it. :p

In fact, you’d have more grounds in court than they would.
I agree, that definitely makes sense!
 

200mph

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I'd be investigating with dealer/Kubota on why the holes are not in place. It could be they missed that operation during the manufacturing process. If so they should fix to bring it up to stock configuration.

Almost every "kit" or wholegoods item from Kubota is made to bolt on, so your's seems like an anomaly.

Did you contact Messick's and ask them for their experience?
 

f308gtb

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I'd be investigating with dealer/Kubota on why the holes are not in place. It could be they missed that operation during the manufacturing process. If so they should fix to bring it up to stock configuration.

Almost every "kit" or wholegoods item from Kubota is made to bolt on, so your's seems like an anomaly.

Did you contact Messick's and ask them for their experience?
I think Nate at Messick's saw this thread; he contacted me directly and he's been on the case! We're waiting for word from Kubota.

To be clear, I live in TN and didn't buy the tractor from him in PA, only the kit. So it sure feels like he's going above and beyond for me.
 
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200mph

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I think Nate at Messick***8217;s saw this thread; he contacted me directly and he***8217;s been on the case! We***8217;re waiting for word from Kubota.

To be clear, I live in TN and didn***8217;t buy the tractor from him in PA, only the kit. So it sure feels like he***8217;s going above and beyond for me.
Curious if there has been any resolution with the situation.
 

f308gtb

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Curious if there has been any resolution with the situation.
Last Wednesday Kubota Japan asked me (through Mr. Nate at Messick's) to take a video including the lack of holes and all the serial numbers on the tractor itself, and I sent it that evening. It's been quiet since then.
 

200mph

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Last Wednesday Kubota Japan asked me (through Mr. Nate at Messick's) to take a video including the lack of holes and all the serial numbers on the tractor itself, and I sent it that evening. It's been quiet since then.
The fact that Kubota is looking into it suggests an error was made on their end. Could be they forgot to add the mounting holes to the engineering drawings or somehow missed them during the production process.

At least you are getting dealer and factory support which is awesome.

Please keep us updated.
 

GeoHorn

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I hope we don’t soon hear of a news story about some poor assy-line worker in Japan who committed hari-kari.
 

mikester

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My M59 came with a 3PH storage kit welded to the frame on the undercarriage.

The dealer recommended NOT using that as a place to store the 3PH parts And to keep them in a dry place in the barn. He said the parts will simply get caked in muck from the wheels and the 3PH parts get all rusted and difficult to remove.

I tried the Kubota storage kit a few times and gave up. Its like wrestling with a bear to get the 3PH on and off the mounts, even from from brand new. Im following my dealers advice now and have no regrets.

My advice is DONT drill or mount the kit to your undercarriage.
 

rentthis

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If you do decide to drill the holes, you might consider renting a magnetic base drill. You might have to remove a tire but there appears to be enough room to mount the drill. A good thing about the drill is that you will probably only need one bit. They work quite well.
 

NHSleddog

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I see the problem!

It is printed right on the first instruction sheet.

You ordered the "Strange" kit. Not the storage kit you expected.

Sorry I couldn't resist - Mods, delete/censor if out of line.
 

f308gtb

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My M59 came with a 3PH storage kit welded to the frame on the undercarriage.

The dealer recommended NOT using that as a place to store the 3PH parts And to keep them in a dry place in the barn. He said the parts will simply get caked in muck from the wheels and the 3PH parts get all rusted and difficult to remove.

I tried the Kubota storage kit a few times and gave up. Its like wrestling with a bear to get the 3PH on and off the mounts, even from from brand new. Im following my dealers advice now and have no regrets.

My advice is DONT drill or mount the kit to your undercarriage.
So far the side plate doesn’t get too muddy at all, but that’s still worth considering. One other problem is that I don’t have a barn yet.

If they don’t resolve this soon I’ll ask to send it back, since it cost me plenty. Hopefully Kubota Corporate will refund the shipping, it’s heavy and pretty pricey to ship.

Thanks for the input!
 
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