Yea, it was throwing a lot of hot chips - took about 5 minutes I would guess. I heard that the back plates used to be bolted on so a person could remove if needed —- not sure why they would change the design unless didn’t want people to operate with plate gone. ????
Z326S Oil Pan
- Thread starter ZD326S
- Start date
Normally "stupid" changes in manufacturing are done to save a step, reduce parts required, reduce cost, or all of the above. Seems like such a stupid way of doing things but having worked in manufacturing at one point, I see why things are done in such stupid ways. A machine that we were designing/building had a plate that was thumb-screwed over the top of the belt drives for the HST's. It worked fine and gave us a way to install an hour meter back there too. The next generation of machines, the engineers came up with a little bit different frame design which did not need this plate. Nor did it need the two studs, the two thumb nuts, hour meter hole. At the same time the hour meter was moved to the operator control panel, so the panel cost a shade more to manufacture, but in the end, the belt guard panel, screws/nuts an all associated machining requirements to make those parts resulted in a better looking, easier-serviceable, and cost $72.14 less to manufacture. The thought there is hey, that should be passed down to the consumer. Guess what? Their costs rise too..just like you and I but on a much larger scale...so if they can save a dollar here and the cost of materials goes up elsewhere, the overall cost to consumer stays more or less the same....which in this age, is respectable. That particular machine has been the same price for over 10 years now, $4999 as I remember (I don't do that stuff anymore so I may be wrong).
I think people (consumers like you and I) get the idea that it doesn't cost them half of what they sell 'em for. And you're right in a way. The thing is, "cost" is subjective. There are warranty repair costs, and that is a separate percentage added to every single new machine (makes me think of the Kommander 100 series...). There's man hours and what it costs to keep them working. Employee insurance. Taxes. Rent/lease. Attorneys. Liabilities. Climate control. Machinery to build machines with. Utilities (which the commercial rates are MUCH higher than individual rates). Retirements. From a business standpoint, the list of costs is depressing, but the only way a business survives is by a profit margin...so they HAVE to make a couple dollars in order to keep providing you (us) with the services and/or goods that we need, which means all those costs? They're passed on to the consumer. Capitalism at it's finest.
....and what I've just described, describes exactly why even traditional entry-level part time jobs are becoming a thing of the past. Why pay someone $30,000/year for 5 years when a single electronic device takes the load off of the management, costs $100k, has almost zero liability, costs less to keep up, and doesn't walk out the door when they get a pep talk. It pays for itself. But that is EXACTLY what's happening with the minimum wage jobs.
Company I was working for employed some skilled welders to weld the frames together in certain places. They had 5 rows of 3 stations, each welder did a different part of the frame. Avg salary for the welders was $41,800/yr. Over 10 years, that's close to a half million dollars. ONE robotic welder could do more work, better work in most cases, and cost less than 5 years worth of employment at $41,800. That's why they now have automated welding machines and why I'm not working there anymore. I wasn't happy there to begin with so that was a reason for me to leave the company. Others left too but I don't blame them; as one was a good friend who went into the oil field, and makes about 3x what he made in production welding, only works 6 months out of a calendar year, and absolutely loves it. He lives cheap and invests the remainder, and in doing so should be able to comfortably quit at 48 years young and have plenty of time to enjoy himself. Smart thinking, IMO.
I hear you...I've spent time in manufacturing myself. Removing the engine actually may not be that involved for the experienced mechanic with the right tools....but for a you-tube mechanic novice like me it's a little intimidating. And to take it to a Kubota shop to be done by the book gets a little pricey. Some were telling me I needed to remove the plate behind the flywheel surrounding the Seal because the WSM instructed to..... which would have been 2 more gaskets and it's suggested to replace all aluminum bolts. After talking to several people and getting different advice it turns out I didn't have to remove the plate at all and (now that it is behind me) it was simple. Not sure why the WSM would require a person to do that...but oh well. It pays to do your homework and talk to different people about it...and this forum is an excellent place to come for that! 