I was just looking for a ballpark...don't waste your time digging through receipts to get it exact....we all pay different prices per region and country. Probably safe to say <$300.....
Jerky 3-pt hitch - still a problem ??
- Thread starter tk1469
- Start date
kgw51gmc
New member
Equipment
L3800 Gear Drive with NOISY trans and JERKY 3PH, but Nice Ansung FEL...
I bought a new L3800 Gear Drive with Ansung FEL, 5' Land pride hog, 48" (too big,too heavy @400lbs...)pallet forks, and a trailer all for one money. Tractor has jerky 3pt arms, loader does perfect. I put 10 hours on it and hoped the air bubbles would work out of 3 pt hitch (my imagination), they didn't. It is a jerky sob.
AND-- when you drive it up a steep grade, or down a grade, or on level ground, or on level going fast the gears sound like a 1939 9n ford with no oil in the trans. It sounds awful, it sounds cheap, it doesn't sound it feels. It feels good to put it in gear, feels like solid gears, solid engineering, pulls good. But, it sounds like a pile of crap from gear lashing sounds. Never ground it gear, just put it in gear and drive it and it is not right.
and--is the transmission supposed to get to hot to touch?? Even the 4 speed gear shift lever (metal) gets hot... I was brush hogging up and down steep hill, and had to use low range, 3rd and 4th gear and had to use 4x4 the whole time. I never imagined it getting that hot. To the touch it was too hot............
If anyone has anything to say let me know. I am going to be contacting dealer but want to get some research done first. Thanks guys.
AND-- when you drive it up a steep grade, or down a grade, or on level ground, or on level going fast the gears sound like a 1939 9n ford with no oil in the trans. It sounds awful, it sounds cheap, it doesn't sound it feels. It feels good to put it in gear, feels like solid gears, solid engineering, pulls good. But, it sounds like a pile of crap from gear lashing sounds. Never ground it gear, just put it in gear and drive it and it is not right.
and--is the transmission supposed to get to hot to touch?? Even the 4 speed gear shift lever (metal) gets hot... I was brush hogging up and down steep hill, and had to use low range, 3rd and 4th gear and had to use 4x4 the whole time. I never imagined it getting that hot. To the touch it was too hot............
If anyone has anything to say let me know. I am going to be contacting dealer but want to get some research done first. Thanks guys.
Check your fluid, mine was low from the dealer.
There is a sight glass near where your left foot sits. It should read somewhere between the top and bottom of the site glass.
There is a sight glass near where your left foot sits. It should read somewhere between the top and bottom of the site glass.
I have the hydrostatic trans, so mines noisy but from what I gather they are all like that, hydro anyway.
My TPH is not jerky at all, btw.
Sorry for the double post, I forgot what I was going to say.
My TPH is not jerky at all, btw.
Sorry for the double post, I forgot what I was going to say.
I second Benhameen. Check your fluids- it sounds like they are low or non-existent.
kgw51gmc
New member
Equipment
L3800 Gear Drive with NOISY trans and JERKY 3PH, but Nice Ansung FEL...
on the road for work for a week, when I get back I'll check the fluids. If they are low then I am a dumbutt becuase I initialed the invoice stating that all fluids were fine upon delivery because the delivery guy was a nice guy and said he just checked it etc.... I hope to god they are full becuase if I ran it 10 hours low or empty then it's probably ruined just enough to get past the warranty period then BAM it'll crap to bed. I'll let you all know in a week. Thanks for the reply.
Sounds nothing like my L3800 gear drive!
Trans isn't noisy, yes you hear a little gear noise, but not too much. 3 pt hitch isn't jerky, but raised Very Slowly it raises in small increments, but not bad at all. Trans gets pretty warm after a few hours, but not too hot to touch.
If yours is as bad as you say, it has problems!
Trans isn't noisy, yes you hear a little gear noise, but not too much. 3 pt hitch isn't jerky, but raised Very Slowly it raises in small increments, but not bad at all. Trans gets pretty warm after a few hours, but not too hot to touch.
If yours is as bad as you say, it has problems!
why is Kubota leaving owners on there own to devise a remedy for this problem. The company has to know about the issue, yet it continues to knowingly ship defective tractors
kgw51gmc
New member
Equipment
L3800 Gear Drive with NOISY trans and JERKY 3PH, but Nice Ansung FEL...
all fluids, every one is perfectly full. Tractor now has 17 hours on it. Talked to Dave Miller from Kubota Corp in Columbus and he is still telling me, "It is an economy tractor with an economy valve, it only has an UP and DOWN setting, no inbetween". He went on to tell me it's fine, it's supposed to jerk the living dog shit out of you. It's not the same as an 8n Ford that works 10X better, he claims. I talked to another dealer today and he siad I screwed myself by paying cash for whole tractor, now the dealer has NO INCENTIVE to fix my tractor.
Kubota will NOT cover it under warranty, so the dealer won't get paid. If I would have financed it, they would have some motivation to fix my tractor: getting paid. I already paid, so they don't care. Never thought of that...oops.
I am wanting/will get into legal action with Kubota, not for millions of dollars--but for a simple repair or replace of valve, that's all I want, is a 3 pt htich to WORK PROPERLY. It's the only new thing I ever got and it's sort of emabrassing to run it in front of people.
Kubota will NOT cover it under warranty, so the dealer won't get paid. If I would have financed it, they would have some motivation to fix my tractor: getting paid. I already paid, so they don't care. Never thought of that...oops.
I am wanting/will get into legal action with Kubota, not for millions of dollars--but for a simple repair or replace of valve, that's all I want, is a 3 pt htich to WORK PROPERLY. It's the only new thing I ever got and it's sort of emabrassing to run it in front of people.
While I love Kubota, I do have a problem with a substandard lift system on a tractor. Total control of the 3 point should be standard, not something reserved for more expensive tractors. A person could go out and buy a Ford 8N and get better 3 point control than that. I have come to deal with it on my B7100, but if I were buying a new tractor, Kubota's rational would stick in my craw a little bit- why should I have to spend premium dollars for a standard feature on other tractors? I think it is bad business from an otherwise above-board manufacturer.
Trade it in on something else! I would not live with it!
Your dealer sucks if he wont work with you here!
My L3800 is nothing like you describe!
I hope you get it resolved!
Burt
New member
Equipment
L3700SU, box blade, 6 foot rhino blade, 1 bottom plow, 3 point receiver hitch.
kgw51GMC:
Like you and others, I have the L3700SU (same as L3800) with jerky 3PH. Also, like others, I posted this issue and what I did and how it got resolved. They eventually put in a new valve under warranty and THERE IS A FACTORY 'NOTICE' out to dealers. The factory rep has to be involved and they do go by serial numbers.
You have mentioned legal action and in my notes to the dealer and subsequently to the representative, I quoted the Uniform Commercial Code that states that a product has to be fit for the purpose for which it is intended. This issue does not totally fail that concept but it does fail the safety concept. (Mine bounced the box blade in a narrow area we were digging almost harming my wife). It is truly a safety issue.
Now, the new valve does work better. it will "feather" somewhat and yet, jerk at times with the box blade. My solution is to utilize the up/down speed control below the seat to adjust it until it raises and lowers in a better way. It's not perfect and yet, I do agree that a better factory solution should be pursued and either offered to the owners or for a minimal fee, adjusted.
They just must be too busy fixing the broken nuclear plants over there to deal with this.
Everything else is wonderful on these tractors. If you look at the you tube videos and others with a cantilevered out stick bouncing like crazy on the 3PH, it seems awful, but if you are aware of it and use both care and awareness, it will supersede any animosity about the 3PH.
Good Luck
Seriously, if mine were that bad, it would have never made it to 17 hours before getting fix, or replaced. 
Sounds like your dealer is as jerky as the hitch he sold you !
I bought a new box blade with my new tractor. I sold a 1979 Massey compact with a smooth 3PH . Dealers should spend less time telling you how wonderful the new plastic tool box is and more time warning you that the 3PH on their new tractor is unsuitable for some of the jobs you are buying it for !
I bought a new box blade with my new tractor. I sold a 1979 Massey compact with a smooth 3PH . Dealers should spend less time telling you how wonderful the new plastic tool box is and more time warning you that the 3PH on their new tractor is unsuitable for some of the jobs you are buying it for !
Last edited:
kgw51gmc
New member
Equipment
L3800 Gear Drive with NOISY trans and JERKY 3PH, but Nice Ansung FEL...
I don't know if I specified this---I paid CASH for the tractor at the dealer. Think about that for a second---they have ZERO incentive to help me out. They got paid, it's done, it's over. If I had financed, they would be darn worried about it.
I guess the next step is not asking the dealer on the phone but taking it to him (big expense, far away, borrow somone's truck etc) and asking it to be looked at, then after they say, "aww come on, it's fine!" I don't know what to do.....
I guess the next step is not asking the dealer on the phone but taking it to him (big expense, far away, borrow somone's truck etc) and asking it to be looked at, then after they say, "aww come on, it's fine!" I don't know what to do.....
I paid cash for mine. If it was bad the dealer would have picked it up very soon after I got it! Or I would bring it to them. That would have been 18 months ago.
Hope you get yours fixed! I love mine!
Hope you get yours fixed! I love mine!
Burt
New member
Equipment
L3700SU, box blade, 6 foot rhino blade, 1 bottom plow, 3 point receiver hitch.
KGW:
Notify your dealer of your intentions to do the following if they don't respond..and,
IF you're serious about legal action, first, contact your State commissioner or representative of consumer affairs (or similar government departmental name in your State), file a complaint with that office with a copy to Kubota and request Kubota's formal response. Find out the name/adddress of the factory rep and copy him.
Then after that, you can also either file a small claims suit (least expensive) or take them to another more expensive court.
Sometimes you have to heat up the seats to get them to move. Escalate it slowly and keep plenty of copies of any responses and notes of any phone calls responses including date/name/time. Keep a good log of this if you escalate.
Sorry you're having that much trouble but be persistent with them more so than us or complaining and you will get results.'
Good Luck,
Burt