New L3301 Hydraulic Leak

[Harvey6]

I recently purchased a new L3301HST. Within the first 5-10 hours I noticed a few drops of hydraulic fluid coming from the hydraylic block. Within a few days I had the same dealer who dropped the tractor off, bring me a new box blade and I mentioned the leak to him. He said to locate the leak and make sure everything was snug, give the service dept. a call if you can't figure it out. Not much help.

It seems to be leaking from the back of the aluminum plate. Like the grey bolts aren't tight enough to seal the assmbly. The manual has no torque specs on them. Does anyone know what that spec might be?

Friday i attempted to call the service department at my local dealer. I spoke with a woman and told her I had a leak and wanted to talk to someone about what I should torque certain things to and was told that if I couldn't figure it out with the manual I needed to haul the tractor in myself and make a warranty claim.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[old and tired]

Have you put a socket or wrench on it yet? I would see if it's something easy... I would not tighten too much, just see if they are tight.

PS. I would have asked for the owner of the company after what the woman said. Explain that the guy said "...give the service dept. a call if you can't figure it out."

I would not haul the tractor to them, they can pick it up...

 

[Matt Ellerbee]

Hit it with about 3 Ugga Duggas.

Kidding of course.
Toss a wrench on it and give it a 1/4 turn or so.

 

[SidecarFlip]

If you look in your owners manual there will be a section devoted to tightening torques related to bolt size. Torque them to the specification listed there.

Sounds like you dealer isn't very good.

 

[200mph]

Three o-rings are used to seal the metal plate to the manifold. If the bolts are already snug, tightening further is unlikely to help.

Perhaps one of the o-rings got pinched during the assembly process.

 

[ayak]

 

[Harvey6]

Thanks for all the quick replies. The bolts have got the 7 imprinted in the head. I believe with the chart above they should be 47ft.lbs on the low end if they're aluminum. I could tell 2 of them were definitely not there. So I snugged all down a without getting out the torque wrench. Should know in a few hours if it helped.

 

[Harvey6]

Nope. Still leaking. I'll stop in Monday and try to politely explain its been leaking since they dropped it off three weeks ago, asked twice for advice and got none. I don't think I should have to make a warranty claim, haul to and from on my dime, before ive even made a payment on the tractor. Hopefully they'll see it that way.

 

[whitetiger]

Thanks for all the quick replies. The bolts have got the 7 imprinted in the head. I believe with the chart above they should be 47ft.lbs on the low end if they're aluminum. I could tell 2 of them were definitely not there. So I snugged all down a without getting out the torque wrench. Should know in a few hours if it helped.

The correct torque for the hydraulic block mounting bolts is 17.0 ft-lbs. If the bolts are snug and oil is leaking from behind the block, the o-rings need to be replaced as one is missing or damaged.

 

[BigG]

I am sure if you look at the warranty papers it will state that the transportation of the tractor is not covered by the warranty. I think that it is pure bunk but the new tractors that I have bought both excluded transportation.

 

[Harvey6]

Yes. I signed one of those and theres a sticker right on the dash that says transportation isnt covered. BUT is this a warranty issue? Or is this something sloppily put together at the dealership?

I'm not trying to be snarky I truly dont know.

From my perspective... "Hey we're rushing this tractor over to you, thanks for being patient because it was backordered and you had to wait." As it rolls off the trailer "Here sign this, we're not responsible to cart it around if we didnt put it together right after it fot here." Doesn't sound like something theyd want to get run up the food chain in the "How was your service" email from Kubota that I have yet to fill out.

 

[BigG]

Yes. I signed one of those and theres a sticker right on the dash that says transportation isnt covered. BUT is this a warranty issue? Or is this something sloppily put together at the dealership?

I'm not trying to be snarky I truly dont know.

From my perspective... "Hey we're rushing this tractor over to you, thanks for being patient because it was backordered and you had to wait." As it rolls off the trailer "Here sign this, we're not responsible to cart it around if we didnt put it together right after it fot here." Doesn't sound like something theyd want to get run up the food chain in the "How was your service" email from Kubota that I have yet to fill out.

I agree with you. They should do the right thing and carry it back and fix it at their cost. Maybe that is something as a group we should start to as for when making a purchase. The first trip back is on the dealer. Or the first 6 months the transportation is covered.

I had a problem with the 3rd function on my L2501. I live near Tampa and the local dealer is an ass. So I went to Gainesville and bought the tractor. I carried the tractor to them but when it was time to send it back they loaded it on a truck and met me half way at a truck stop. Saved me 2 hours of drive time. So the better dealers will help sometimes.

 

[lugbolt]

I am sure if you look at the warranty papers it will state that the transportation of the tractor is not covered by the warranty. I think that it is pure bunk but the new tractors that I have bought both excluded transportation.

cars are the same way

when a brand new on breaks down they don't tow it for free under warranty. That's part of roadside assistance which isn't part of the warranty, and it also costs you (you pay for it monthly usually).

have been through this a few hundred times over the years

it's in the warranty booklet; read it

if it says it ain't covered it ain't covered. It's pretty simple

maybe the tractor dealers outta start offering fieldside assistance programs. Think about how much that'll cost the dealer and how they're going to spread that cost out over 15 to 50 tractors a month. The service truck with all the tooling is going to be an easy six figures, likely much more if it's fully equipped with crane, outriggers, etc like it should be. A rollback alone if purchased new is going to be between $70,000-$100,000. Then you're gonna need a trained driver to operate it ($40K per year plus). A tractor service truck? $double that, because he's gotta carry all his tools with him, hydraulic crimping tooling, compressor, generator, hoses, fittings, crane(s), completely different style truck. Not to mention what it would cost the owners. $100/hr, from the time the truck operator clocks out to the job, then clocks back in. That counts any time that he might get stuck in traffic, stop for a flat tire, delayed because of piss poor directions by the tractor operator (pass the big gum tree and make the 14th right curve), whatever. It's not fair to the consumer, and in a case of warranty, warranty doesn't pay it. period.

Trust me when I tell you, I've been through it. Everyone involved (owner, dealer, tech, and manufacturer) are the bad guy and they ALL lose money on the deal with the smaller equipment. Bigger ag stuff is completely different, same with construction. But they're not selling labor at $100/hr either, and certainly not selling a $25,000 tractor (with ag and const, you're at six figures+ very easily), AND they make their living with the equipment so downtime costs a lot more than a simple inconvenience.

The warranty book says what it covers, defects in manufacturing and workmanship, but transportation is not a defect in manufacturing and/or workmanship so why should it be? Please explain.