Brand New L2501 sits crooked?

[Tornado]

Hello all. Brand new kubota tractor owner here. I got the L2501 from my local dealer just this past Friday. Haven't even put 5 hours on it yet. I keep it parked in my garage, which is attached to my house. I noticed the other day that the blade of the bucket appeared to sit uneven near the pavement. I began to take measurements all over the tractor to try and determine why it looked crooked with relation to the floor. I thought to myself "Have I really tweaked the bucket in 3 hours of use??" but as I investigated, I came to realize it inst just the bucket - the whole Left side of the tractor is just sitting a little higher, as if the frame is sitting about a half inch higher on the axles on the left side. You can NOT tell this is the case unless you really break out a tape measure and start measuring. It doesn't "appear" crooked to the naked eye. There is no visible tilt, warp, or anything of the sort. If not for just noticing the bucket, which was sitting low to the concrete floor I may have not zeroed in on it.

Just to further clarify the imbalance I'm seeing with the left side being higher:I measured the different in the loader, loader arm, finders, even the 3 point hitch arms, all sit 1/2" to 1" higher on the left side when measured from the floor. Whats funny is I even noticed when measuring from the top of the tire tread to the underside of the fender, there is a larger gap on the same left side - about a 1/2" more gap from tire to fender on left side. I can find this discrepancy in everything Ive tried to measure. Its as if the tractor was just built slightly off balance.

I know what you're thinking - The rear tires or the floor are causing it. That was my first go to.The first thing I did was zero in on the rear tires. I noticed that the left tire (where the tractor is a little higher) was, what I can tell, about 90% or more full of water, while the right side tire was more like 65% full of water. I drained water from the left tire to get it down to match the water level of the right side. Both tires now sit about 65% filled with water, maybe 2 inches below the valve stem at 12 o'clock. I then aired both tires up so the pressure matched exactly. I adjusted the pressure on the front tires as well until they were matched exactly. From what I can tell the concrete in my garage is completely level. I noted the same uneven measurements when the tractor was pulled out of the garage and on the concrete driveway in front of the garage. Other things I have done: Looked the tractor over thoroughly for any loose or missing bolts, any cracked or poor welds, any warps, bends, dents, anything that would throw off balance. I can find nothing wrong with the tractor with the naked eye - its shiny, brand new, and everything appears to be perfectly built and put together - This thing just isn't 100% level as it sits on the tires from all I can tell - But as I said it is not visible with the eye, and it isn't visible when using the tractor. When you sit in the chair and raise the bucket slowly for example and look over the hood, everything is perfectly balanced from the tractors standpoint, but its because the entire tractor, from what I can see based on measurements, is sitting ever so slightly at a right tilt.

So my questions are - is a little imbalance like this normal for a tractor? Am I being too "perfectionist" with this? one of my main concerns is the measurable imbalance on the 3 point hitch. I have the QH15 Land Pride Quick Hitch Attached, and I can measure the different between right and left side even at the quick hitch. Will this affect a mowing attachment when I get one, causing an uneven cut? I'm just a bit baffled.

Sorry for the long post, I wanted to explain the issue best I could.

 

[eiresurg]

Not sure if this would matter, but is it possible the rear wheels are mounted differently?

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I say this it's about 99.9999% impossible for your tractor to be built crooked, it just can't happen.

The loader might need the bolts loosened and leveled, but I bet not.

The three point has one side link that is adjustable this levels the three point.

Park the tractor on a level surface measure from the ground up to the top of the rim on the rear tires, is that measurement the same? If it is it it's level.
the front tire and axle have no bearing on the levelness of the tractor as it pivots.

Have you used a level (or better yet a laser) on the concrete?
I've been doing construction for years and I've seen more pads that "look" level and aren't.

 

[SRG]

Wasn't there a topic about this same thing not long ago, or was that another forum i'm on?
Anyway, brand new machine, like yours, and the either Titans, or Carlisle tires were causing it to sit crooked. Brand new tires, and somehow one of the tires came out of the mold to early and cured/cooled wrong causing it to be out of spec.

I though it was a Kubota, but it could have been on a JD forum too.

 

[Tornado]

Thanks for all the good responses, Ill address them in order.

@Eiresburg: Ill try to look close at the tires when I get home but I thought they were mounted the same - However it came from the dealer. Ill check this however thanks for the suggestion.

@North Idaho Wolfman: Before I made this post I had spent a day researching and googling and reading, and had read about loosening bolts on the loader to try and balance, but then I realized the issue isnt just in the loader. Im no expert on tractors, but its good to hear that even if I am never able to fix this issue, that the 3 point hitch can be leveled - Ill do some research on the adjustable side link you mention to try and learn more about this - Im a novice to tractors so a lot to learn still. I have a small 1-2 foot level I did put down on the concrete and it showed level. One thing I also did was put a 2x6 straight piece of lumber I had across the back fenders and noted the tractor being unlevel. I also put the level in other parts of the tractor, including on the front grill guard that sits just in front of the engine, it also showed the slight tilt. I spent literally hours yesterday trying to find out why this thing was not level - measuring, checking level, etc etc, and I cant find a reason for it. Ill remeasure the floor to the top of the tire rims, but I think that this measurement when I did it was pretty tight. If I measure from top of tire to underside of fender on each side however I see the gap present there - which is really wierd to me - granted the fenders are a low guauge, flimsy metal, but the measurement I am seeing I think more than acocunts for any play in the fender metal. I have a certain screw driver that I can just barely fit between the tire and the left fender, but on the right side the screw driver will not fit - it hits the fender with 1/2" to 3/4" to spare.

@SRG: Im really glad you posted this, because if this is true, this could explain it. I am running Titan Tracloader on the back. 15-19.5, 6PR to be exact. (27x8.50 6pr on front) I will research the tires and try to run down that rabbit hole and see what I can learn.


I also wanted to add, that the first 5 or so hours ive put on the tractor, some of it was some heavy loader work- My mind goes to one particular item I had to move which was a large ball of concrete that had a big sign pole coming out of it. I did not lift, but I kinda hoisted it up with a root rake attachment on the front and kinda drug it. It did the job, but there was a time or two where in the manuevering of this thing I did feel the back kinda tilt up off the ground, and I made adjustments as soon as I felt those shifts to be safe - it was nothing extreme I felt, but It was some stressful loader work I think. I dont know what that ball of concrete weighed but I dont think the tractor would have ever lifted it if I had tried. This is why I initially thought I had tweaked the loader when I first saw the bucket uneven.

 

[D2Cat]

As already suggested, if you put excessive pressure on the loader and a bolt or two was not torqued correctly you could have moved the loader just a tad, and that is amplified by the length of loader arms, etc.

Might want to check tires and other things suggested, than loosen some bolts and readjust the loader arms.

 

[Tornado]

As already suggested, if you put excessive pressure on the loader and a bolt or two was not torqued correctly you could have moved the loader just a tad, and that is amplified by the length of loader arms, etc.

Might want to check tires and other things suggested, than loosen some bolts and readjust the loader arms.

Ive done about all I can with adjusting the tires, as I detailed in my post. All tires are level in pressure now, and the back tires were evened out with water level and tire pressure. For some reason the left tire had way more water in it from the dealer. Id say like 90% full of water, while right side was like 65% full of water. I drained that one tire down to match the other side in water content, then adjusted air pressure in both tires to be exactly the same. I will look more at the loader arm bolts today as well. Could the loader being off cause the whole tractor to sit crooked like this though, where the whole left side is slightly higher than the right side

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

My mind goes to one particular item I had to move which was a large ball of concrete that had a big sign pole coming out of it. I did not lift, but I kinda hoisted it up with a root rake attachment on the front and kinda drug it. It did the job, but there was a time or two where in the manuevering of this thing I did feel the back kinda tilt up off the ground, and I made adjustments as soon as I felt those shifts to be safe - it was nothing extreme I felt, but It was some stressful loader work I think. I dont know what that ball of concrete weighed but I dont think the tractor would have ever lifted it if I had tried. This is why I initially thought I had tweaked the loader when I first saw the bucket uneven.

Possible but very unlikely.

Could the loader being off cause the whole tractor to sit crooked like this though, where the whole left side is slightly higher than the right side

No.

Post some pictures of what your seeing.

Also measure the length of each three point arm from top point to bottom point, and make sure you have the arms set to the same length.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Just because you have the same pressure in both tires does not mean the tires are the same height off the ground, do the ground to top of rim measurement and that might tell us something.

 

[BruceM]

Check rear tire rim height above the floor, left and right. SRG may have nailed it, a bum tire.

There is no ''frame'' except for the loader support framing. The engine in bolted to the cast transmission housing which extends to the rear axle castings, which bolt to the housing. Short of breaking the housing, it can't be out of alignment.

The L25XX series are wonderful and tough. I'm half owner of a 1988 L2550 (?) model, which I bought from the original owner's daughter. We just replaced the left rear axle bearing and sealed the hyd. pump housing; back to 100% condition. Loader, County Line blade and gannon all get regular use. We maintain our rural properties and about 1.2 miles of dirt road.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I don't sweat little details like that. All 3 of my M's the loader bucket lip don't hit the ground even (level) and never did, even when new and they sure don't now.

Not worth worrying about and really has no bearing on operation at all.

It's a complex weldment and complex weldments move when welded, jigged or not.

 

[RCW]

Like SRG mentioned - I have a vague recollection of a rear tire mismatch with a BX and FEL tilt....

But, measuring like NIW said will help there. Pressures don't count..

 

[Tornado]

Appreciate all the great replies Ive gotten here. It is reassuring to hear that even if I never find the reason, its not something I should worrying about. I realize now the 3 point hitch can easily be leveled out if need be, and that really is the only concern as far as operation. using the tractor, driving around, and even walking around it looking really hard you can not tell any of these things that Ive pointed out. It just looks like a brand new shiny kubota tractor. If the bucket is near the ground is the only clue you can get that its a little off - about a full 1" in the bucket - the difference is greatest right at the bucket. The rest of the tractor all the way to the back tires and into the hitch are around 1/2" to 1" off depending where I measure. I will take all you guys have told me today and do some more measuring and looking today when I get home. If after today I can find no answer Im going to just not worry about it.

The only other issue ive identified with my tractor is the loader lock lever will not move into the locked position - the one that is just ahead of the actual operation lever. Thankfully I don't think I would ever use the lock - it simply locks the operation lever from being able to operate the loader. The little lock lever will go about halfway toward the lock position then it stops, like its hitting something.

 

[dirtydeed]

regarding the loader bucket out of kilter...I'd park it on level concrete and loosen the loader frame bolts a bit then let the bucket settle on the level ground and re-torque the mounting bolts. See if that will do the trick for you.

 

[D2Cat]

I think it was Sheepfarmer who had a similar problem with one of her tractors. Maybe she'll jump on here with some wise counsel.

 

[Tornado]

I think it was Sheepfarmer who had a similar problem with one of her tractors. Maybe she'll jump on here with some wise counsel.

Ill take all the input I can get

 

[lugbolt]

Pretty common issue with drag racing tires is that a pair ordered may be an inch or more off from side to side in the circumference. The bigger the tire the more it may be off, at least that's been my experience. Put the small ones out in the sun with a lot of air pressure for a while and they tend to stretch a little bit, usually enough to get 'em close.

I would suspect this to be the case here too.

A little bit of uneven with the loader isn't anything to be concerned with. If you took the issue up with Kubota, I'm afraid it's possible that you may open up a can of worms that you might've been better off leaving alone.

I ran into this issue with a customer's B2620 a while back....he is OCD (I know him personally), an engineer who picks apart EVERYTHING including that time he was standing on the 4 wheeler to get access to a burnt out light bulb, fell off but one foot got caught in the rack bars, broke the leg. 'Course with him being an OCD engineer type, he calculated how much force the fall put on his leg at the time of the break, the speed of the fall, everything. The issue with the tractor was brought up with the dealer who got in touch with Kubota, sent a factory rep out, verified the complaint, looked into a number of possibilities. We ended up taking most of the tractor apart looking for a cause and a cause wasn't found. This whole ordeal went on for about 2 months by time parts were ordered/backordered, etc and in the end nothing was resolved until the loader attaching bolts were loosened, then down pressure was applied to the loader, then tighten the bolts. This solved 99% of it but it wasn't solving his .125" difference from side-to-side (and yes he measured it with a height gauge). There are times when you have to learn to not worry about the little things, and I personally think that occasion with the 2620 was one of them. Guy could've been using his tractor and not letting it sit in the shop for months trying to chase nothing. Now because of all that, and the amount of work that had to be done, he has little confidence in the dealer and Kubota, which is what we were trying to avoid in the first place.

What I'm saying is, don't be that guy. You'll save yourself a BIG headache in the long run.

 

[Tornado]

Well I went home last night and tried to do some more measuring. The measurement from the floor to the top of the rear tire rims at 12 o'clock are essentially the same on both sides. I went and pulled out a long straight piece of 2x6 lumber and layed on the concrete floor and put a level on it and did find some minor imbalances to the left side (which didn't show up on just my small level alone), which would help cause this issue. I just don't know if the imbalances in the floor are great enough, they were pretty small but definitely a consistent favor for the left side being higher. I was going to drive the tractor out of the garage and park it back in facing the other way and test but I just lost interest to be honest and have too much else to do right now. Ill keep the issue in mind as I continue to use the tractor and on different floors and note any changes. I feel like I've exhausted all i car to on the issue for now though, and have determined it to be a non issue, even if it does sit a tad crooked and I cant find out why. My main concern was to make sure this wasnt a big deal, and one that I should address right now with having just spent a couple 10 thousand dollars on this tractor. My continued research, and hearing from more experienced owners here has reassured my mind that even if there is a minor tilt here or there that its not something I should worry about.

I thank everyone who took the time to make a post, suggestion, and share there thoughts here. It really did help getting all of youre inputs as a new poster on these forums ,and a new tractor owner on top of that.

 

[leoric]

FWIW when I got my 2650 I moved a huge stump I'd dug out and thought I bent the loader. Did about all the same things and in the end I came out with the same conclusion. It's a little off, but when you're using it you never notice. Not like back dragging with 1/2 off will ever make a difference. When things are new you always go over your machine with a fine tooth comb. Sometimes it pays off with warranty work and other times you end up learning about your machine. Nothing wrong with being thorough as long as you don't end up being "that guy" like lugbolt said.

 

[Tornado]

FWIW when I got my 2650 I moved a huge stump I'd dug out and thought I bent the loader. Did about all the same things and in the end I came out with the same conclusion. It's a little off, but when you're using it you never notice. Not like back dragging with 1/2 off will ever make a difference. When things are new you always go over your machine with a fine tooth comb. Sometimes it pays off with warranty work and other times you end up learning about your machine. Nothing wrong with being thorough as long as you don't end up being "that guy" like lugbolt said.

Yea, youre right leoric. I learned a lot in this process. I am the type however when I buy something new, like a tractor or something of big value in particular, I try to really dig in and learn the machine and all I can about it. A machine like this to me is a long term investment. I hope it lasts me over 10 years, or far beyond that. I know to make it last I need to be a knowledgeable owner and do certain things to get it there.

Another thing I did stumble over as i mentioned was the issue with my rear tiers. The dealer had filled one tire 90 - 100% full of water. I drained water for what felt like 15 solid minutes from that one tire with the stem at 12 o' clock before I finally hit air. It had to be several many gallons of water. The tire on the other side at 12 o'clock I hit air immediately - no water. I had to slowly rotate the tier and keep checking till i hit the water to find the level. Roughly 65% line I estimated with the naked eye.... So i dropped the other tire down in water to match that water line. I would have never found this little imbalance, and perhaps it wasnt a big deal but I do feel better knowing both tires are the same now. I lost a little weight on the back end to even them out, but I figure leaving my quick hitch on adds enough weight to make up for the few gallons of water I also now went and got me a 5' box blade that weighs 400lbs I can slap on the back if I want to add even more weight. I think Ive learned though in my reading about tweaking loaders and junk that I need to just take it easy on the loader. I dont want to lift the back tires off the ground anymore - thats a lot of stress on the metal and bolts and I have no doubt doing that over and over is bound to cause problems.