Smoked Clutch ??

[Missouri]

I moved my 2014 L4600 with front loader, backhoe Manual Transmission (not HST) up to dig the next few feet of trench, finished it up and got back on the drivers seat to move again. No movement AT ALL forward or reverse. Not even a little. Tried every gear, checked linkages. Don't see a prob.

147 hours on the clock.

I'm about to bring out the service guys from Kubota to load it up but I thought I'd post here first to see if anyone has ever seen this with such low hours. I guess I'm a gorilla on the clutch.

thanks
David

 

[lugbolt]

I've seen it on numerous different models from 11 hours (lowest) on up. Not impossible by any means. 99% of them were gear drive with ground engaging attachments, usually a loader. Operator slips the clutch going into a pile of dirt, gravel, whatever. Keep in mind that every single time the clutch is slipped, whether you're just taking off with no load or whatever, that slippage wears the clutch just a little bit. That's why I try to steer folks that will be doing a lot of loader work and/or directional changed toward the HST models if they're available. Mine is a gear drive and I absolutely hate it!

 

[SidecarFlip]

I moved my 2014 L4600 with front loader, backhoe Manual Transmission (not HST) up to dig the next few feet of trench, finished it up and got back on the drivers seat to move again. No movement AT ALL forward or reverse. Not even a little. Tried every gear, checked linkages. Don't see a prob.

147 hours on the clock.

I'm about to bring out the service guys from Kubota to load it up but I thought I'd post here first to see if anyone has ever seen this with such low hours. I guess I'm a gorilla on the clutch.

thanks
David

Guess you'll find out. Hope that 'gorilla has a fat wallet. I would never have a clutch tractor with a front loader but then I won't have a HST either so my only choice is a hydraulic shuttle. No clutch, just a damper plate and it don't 'smoke' ever.

Guy across the road borrowed his buddy's JD with a manual and clutch and was grading his driveway in a high gear and smoked the clutch. Didn't inquire about the outcome. Just shook my head and walked away.

Don't think a clutch is a warranty item on any tractor. Could be wrong though.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I've seen it on numerous different models from 11 hours (lowest) on up. Not impossible by any means. 99% of them were gear drive with ground engaging attachments, usually a loader. Operator slips the clutch going into a pile of dirt, gravel, whatever. Keep in mind that every single time the clutch is slipped, whether you're just taking off with no load or whatever, that slippage wears the clutch just a little bit. That's why I try to steer folks that will be doing a lot of loader work and/or directional changed toward the HST models if they're available. Mine is a gear drive and I absolutely hate it!

In my size of tractor you have GST and Hydraulic shuttle and I only buy the latter. I dislike the HST as much as you dislike the gear shift. It's wallet time for the op.

 

[lugbolt]

whats wrong with hst's?

 

[Dave_eng]

whats wrong with hst's?

Look at the pto power for two same engine tractors. The HST will have less power at the pto than a manual gearbox.

In Canada where this becomes important is that if the pto is 60 HP or more no tax 59.9 HP add 13%

My example:

L4701 DTRC 47.3 engine HP 39.3 pto HP
L4701HSTRC 47.3 engine HP 37.8 pto HP

Dave

 

[SidecarFlip]

Power loss and inherent heat of operation in bigger tractors. Why bigger tractors are either Hydraulic shuttle (Powershift in JD language) or CVT.

Nothing wrong with them in the smaller horsepower tractors (below 75 PTO).

With a hydraulic shuttle you get the mechanical advantage of a gear transmission with little added heat of operation and no clutch issues.

Just bought another M9 with 3500 on the meter and the shuttle is just as tight as when new and it was a row crop tractor. Pretty hard to break so long as you keep up on maintenance and change the fluid and filters.

If I was to buy a sub compact or compact, I'd get an HST, no brainer. For what I do, an HST is no good and neither is a clutch. Could you imagine starting a big round baler running at 540 and getting it moving with a clutch trans? Might last a season, maybe. I'd be smoking clutches like cigars.

The hydraulic shuttle allows me to chose my gear, have the pto at 540 and engage the shuttle clutch and move. Because it's a multi plate wet clutch with a proportioning valve built in, it 'feathers' the pack and allows me to get my ground speed without slipping a dry clutch.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Look at the pto power for two same engine tractors. The HST will have less power at the pto than a manual gearbox.

In Canada where this becomes important is that if the pto is 60 HP or more no tax 59.9 HP add 13%

My example:

L4701 DTRC 47.3 engine HP 39.3 pto HP
L4701HSTRC 47.3 engine HP 37.8 pto HP

Dave

Never knew there was a tax on horsepower in Canada. I just learned something..

That loss in PTO power (which is very important to me btw) is all heat loss.

 

[D2Cat]

Look at the pto power for two same engine tractors. The HST will have less power at the pto than a manual gearbox.

In Canada where this becomes important is that if the pto is 60 HP or more no tax 59.9 HP add 13%

My example:

L4701 DTRC 47.3 engine HP 39.3 pto HP
L4701HSTRC 47.3 engine HP 37.8 pto HP

Dave

For the sacrifice of 1.5 HP, I'd take a HST.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

In my size of tractor you have GST and Hydraulic shuttle and I only buy the latter. I dislike the HST as much as you dislike the gear shift. It's wallet time for the op.

GST is NOT gear shift!

GST is Glide shift and it uses a hydraulic clutch pack, so you get all the strength of a Manual Transmission with semi automatic shifting and no clutching.

 

[SidecarFlip]

GST is NOT gear shift!

GST is Glide shift and it uses a hydraulic clutch pack, so you get all the strength of a Manual Transmission with semi automatic shifting and no clutching.

Had another brain fart... You are correct and the GST isn't available in the big tractors anyway. Should have said gear drive, dry clutch or hydraulic shuttle, wet multi plate clutch.

I'd like to see Kubota come out with a CVT in the bigger power tractors.

 

[Missouri]

Update: I was about to get the dealer to come get this thing when he suggested, "did you try the Hi/Low lever to see if you'd bumped it ?"

Upon arriving home from my day job I went out and checked it and sure enough, that was it. I'm currently digging in a big mud puddle and rather than step down into 6" of mud to walk around to the rear and climb onto the back hoe seat I'd been climbing through the Roll Over Safety bar onto the seat. I apparently bumped the Hi/Low lever with my foot and knocked it out of low into neutral on the last trip back there. So the good news is at least for now the tractor clutch appears to be normal and the operator is a total idiot, in my own defense though, I would say this is my first tractor and while I did operate them on my dad's farm near Rising Star when I lived down in the Republic of Texas... that was 42 years ago.

thanks for all the help !
David

 

[D2Cat]

Well, admitting an operator error is humbling, however it might help others in the future with similar complaints, and the fix was EASY! Enjoy the mud.

 

[Newlyme]

Thanks for the update.
Stuff happens.
Bet that won't happen again!

By the way see you Tuesday night at the Bill Engvall "Here's Your Sign" meeting. You'll recognize me, I'll have my sign on. I'll be the guy wearing the old faded yellow one!

 

[torch]

The man who doesn't make mistakes is either lying, or dead. And if he's dead, there's a good chance it was because he made a mistake!

The trick is to keep making new ones instead of repeating the past.

 

[RunAmok Ranch]

I'm hoping for clutch or lever adjustment issue to be my 2014's case, because while it sounded similar to the OP, I have very little power in high Range and diminished power in low. Changed engine oil & hydraulic fluids & filters about 6 Running hours ago at 1442 hrs. on the clock with little noticeable effect on the power loss issue. I'll look things over when I'm on the Ranch in a couple weeks. The WSM doesn't have much in the way of troubleshooting to help a rookie tractor owner out.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I'm hoping for clutch or lever adjustment issue to be my 2014's case, because while it sounded similar to the OP, I have very little power in high Range and diminished power in low. Changed engine oil & hydraulic fluids & filters about 6 Running hours ago at 1442 hrs. on the clock with little noticeable effect on the power loss issue. I'll look things over when I'm on the Ranch in a couple weeks. The WSM doesn't have much in the way of troubleshooting to help a rookie tractor owner out.

You more than likely have a smoked clutch.

 

[lugbolt]

I'm hoping for clutch or lever adjustment issue to be my 2014's case, because while it sounded similar to the OP, I have very little power in high Range and diminished power in low. Changed engine oil & hydraulic fluids & filters about 6 Running hours ago at 1442 hrs. on the clock with little noticeable effect on the power loss issue. I'll look things over when I'm on the Ranch in a couple weeks. The WSM doesn't have much in the way of troubleshooting to help a rookie tractor owner out.

check the freeplay on the clutch pedal. If it's got no freeplay, the clutch is worn. If that's the case you MIGHT be able to adjust the freeplay and get by until you've saved your pennies for a new clutch, pressure plate, throwout bearing and any gaskets/seals/fluids that may be needed to split the tractor.