FEL Connector Cable Trouble

[Kubota Tee]

A bit of background . . . I purchased my 2012 Grand L5740HSTC with 250 hrs in 2017. Now it has 450 hours. 6 weeks ago, the cable that connects the FEL joystick to the up/down hydraulic valve broke rendering the FEL unusable. The second cable that controls the curl function was still working. Once I confirmed that the valve was still functional (manually tested it), I went about disconnecting the cable and ordered up a new one. The replacement was fairly straightforward - see parts diagram for depiction of this cable.

Now . . just yesterday, the screw that connects the cable to the joystick (part 110 in the exploded view diagram) snapped off inside the bottom of the joystick again rendering the FEL up/down unusable. I was fortunate to get the broken piece out and have ordered a new one. See pic of the broken piece.

So - here is my question. Are these FEL cable issues due to improper adjustment of the cable itself? Poor Joystick usage? Something completely different? As I go to reassemble this again, is there any advice on how to properly adjust this cable for the best operation of the FEL and longevity of the cable/connections?

 

[BigG]

Did you replace the entire cable or just the end piece? If you replaced the whole cable did you route it the same way as before? Perhaps it is shifted one way or another causing the cable to bind making you put more stress on it then what it is designed to hold. Next lube the cable, with PB Blaster or something like it, from both ends. Third did you over tighten the bolt?

 

[Dave_eng]

If #110 was originally connected to the cable that broke, then it was likely damaged by whatever maladjustment over stressed and broke the cable.

I do not think you can lube those cables. The only thing i have managed to do with that style is inject methanol under one of the seals using a hypodermic syringe with a long needle when a cable was freezing..

Dave

 

[Kubota Tee]

Did you replace the entire cable or just the end piece? If you replaced the whole cable did you route it the same way as before? Perhaps it is shifted one way or another causing the cable to bind making you put more stress on it then what it is designed to hold. Next lube the cable, with PB Blaster or something like it, from both ends. Third did you over tighten the bolt?

I did replace the entire cable, re-using the two ends (part 110). I did route it the same way and it seemed to work just fine until the top end piece broke a few days ago. Did I overtighten the bolt? - quite possibly. I will make sure I don't overtighten it when I do the re-install later this afternoon.

Thanks for your kind response - really appreciate it.

 

[Kubota Tee]

If #110 was originally connected to the cable that broke, then it was likely damaged by whatever maladjustment over stressed and broke the cable.

I do not think you can lube those cables. The only thing i have managed to do with that style is inject methanol under one of the seals using a hypodermic syringe with a long needle when a cable was freezing..

Dave

Dave - yes, part 110 was originally connected to the cable that broke. I did reuse the part 110 when I installed the new cable, so your hypothesis has merit.

The previous cable seemed to have had an internal failure, nothing that could be seen on the outside of the cable. I spoke with a couple of local Kubota dealers and they say that this cable is very rarely replaced. In fact, they haven't seen one in years if any.

I'm guessing that either the previous owner worked the FEL joystick very aggressively or that it was not adjusted correctly causing undue stress.

As I go to re-install everything, I am curious if there are any tips on how to properly adjust this cable? There does seem to be quite a bit of adjustment available on both ends using the nuts marked (B) in the assembly drawing. When I installed the new cable, I simply adjusted it to the point where the FEL was operating correctly. Any more advise on this topic would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again for your feedback!

 

[Dave_eng]

Dave - yes, part 110 was originally connected to the cable that broke. I did reuse the part 110 when I installed the new cable, so your hypothesis has merit.

The previous cable seemed to have had an internal failure, nothing that could be seen on the outside of the cable. I spoke with a couple of local Kubota dealers and they say that this cable is very rarely replaced. In fact, they haven't seen one in years if any.

I'm guessing that either the previous owner worked the FEL joystick very aggressively or that it was not adjusted correctly causing undue stress.

As I go to re-install everything, I am curious if there are any tips on how to properly adjust this cable? There does seem to be quite a bit of adjustment available on both ends using the nuts marked (B) in the assembly drawing. When I installed the new cable, I simply adjusted it to the point where the FEL was operating correctly. Any more advise on this topic would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again for your feedback!

I am lucky to have the install instructions for the loader on my M7040. These are different from the loader WSM.

I am attaching the important page re cables. Simply put, lock the loader joystick, adjust cable lengths so that holes in end of cables align with holes on valve spools assuming the valve spools are in the neutral position.

Dave

 

[Kubota Tee]

I am lucky to have the install instructions for the loader on my M7040. These are different from the loader WSM.

I am attaching the important page re cables. Simply put, lock the loader joystick, adjust cable lengths so that holes in end of cables align with holes on valve spools assuming the valve spools are in the neutral position.

Dave

Dave,

This was helpful - even though the machines are different. I locked the FEL joystick and then used that as the alignment point. After adjusting the new part (#110) on the cable to align with the locked joystick, I locked it down with the nut and then screwed the other end into the aluminum block at the bottom of the joystick. I added a little lock-tite to that screw and snugged it up as far as it would go.

Before I put everything back together, I started up the tractor and tested the FEL up/down action - all worked well! Now everything is back together and working

Your assistance was outstanding and I thank you Sir!

 

[Dave_eng]

Dave,

This was helpful - even though the machines are different. I locked the FEL joystick and then used that as the alignment point. After adjusting the new part (#110) on the cable to align with the locked joystick, I locked it down with the nut and then screwed the other end into the aluminum block at the bottom of the joystick. I added a little lock-tite to that screw and snugged it up as far as it would go.

Before I put everything back together, I started up the tractor and tested the FEL up/down action - all worked well! Now everything is back together and working

Your assistance was outstanding and I thank you Sir!

Thank you for the compliment. We all learn from these exercises!

Next time you are at a dealer, bring a USB stick with you and politely ask for a copy of your loader installation instructions

They will be invaluable over the long term.

Dave