I can buy a Diagmaster outright with license and up to date Kubota software for around 8 grand. Just what I need for my pre 4 units............ 
I'm sure it's black market...
I'm sure it's black market...
Talking about Diagmasters
- Thread starter SidecarFlip
- Start date
the license is a dealer-only deal, and diagmaster is married to Kubota. What dealers do with Diagmaster leaves footprints, and all the footprints is sent to kubota, per epa reg. They have to keep records of what's done and why. You can't get a key unless you work for a dealer and agree to terms and conditions. So there are copyrights and other legalities involved. Deere had a suit filed for this kinda stuff but I do not know it's outcome (if any) but it was sure interesting, to say the least.
I would like to see a handheld with limited functionalities for consumer use. But consumers don't need all the functionalities of diag master. It wouldn't really be all that hard to make a handheld work with limited functionalities but I don't know it's potential legal issues. That stuff is above my pay grade.
I bet someone who either works at (or DID work at) a dealer or perhaps KTC may have offered up an old key. If that's the case the keys are changed often so you could spend a whole lot of money just to find out that the key don't work no more; and since everything is 'married', the information would be sent to kubota, then are they coming after "you"? Who knows.
way it works is you install the software, you buy the hardware and cabling, BUT you need access to the dealer-only website in order to activate it. So you spend a whole lot of money and very likely get an OLD outdated key, with an old outdated website user/password, so basically nothing works. Half the time it doesn't work for the dealers. You're a tech, you hook up and put your information in. It doesn't work. Then you gotta go to the service manager and tell him/her to update the credentials, could take days or months. Or maybe the internet connection is down. Or Kubota updated the T&C and dealer hasn't agreed to them yet. Or maybe the key changed, in any of those cases you ain't getting in and your'e dead in the water.
Day in the life of a kubota tech. Former tech speaking.
I wouldn't buy anything like that, it's useless, probably a scam but I can't say for sure unless I bought into it (and I ain't). I'll keep my old garbage that requires no computer interface, just a few wrenches can fix everything on my old junk. No more than I use it, doubtful that I ever "upgrade"
I would like to see a handheld with limited functionalities for consumer use. But consumers don't need all the functionalities of diag master. It wouldn't really be all that hard to make a handheld work with limited functionalities but I don't know it's potential legal issues. That stuff is above my pay grade.
I bet someone who either works at (or DID work at) a dealer or perhaps KTC may have offered up an old key. If that's the case the keys are changed often so you could spend a whole lot of money just to find out that the key don't work no more; and since everything is 'married', the information would be sent to kubota, then are they coming after "you"? Who knows.
way it works is you install the software, you buy the hardware and cabling, BUT you need access to the dealer-only website in order to activate it. So you spend a whole lot of money and very likely get an OLD outdated key, with an old outdated website user/password, so basically nothing works. Half the time it doesn't work for the dealers. You're a tech, you hook up and put your information in. It doesn't work. Then you gotta go to the service manager and tell him/her to update the credentials, could take days or months. Or maybe the internet connection is down. Or Kubota updated the T&C and dealer hasn't agreed to them yet. Or maybe the key changed, in any of those cases you ain't getting in and your'e dead in the water.
Day in the life of a kubota tech. Former tech speaking.
I wouldn't buy anything like that, it's useless, probably a scam but I can't say for sure unless I bought into it (and I ain't). I'll keep my old garbage that requires no computer interface, just a few wrenches can fix everything on my old junk. No more than I use it, doubtful that I ever "upgrade"
I'm like you, old stuff pre 4 no emissions. Was just nosing around on the Net and found it. really not interested as I have no use for it and I can put 8 grand to use in better ways. What I found interesting is that someone else builds the units for Kubota, Kubota don't build them so I believe Kubota pays the other company royalties for the use of the equipment. The one I found on the net looks exactly like the one Dennis uses at my dealership. Right down to the blue plastic case.
Never bought a tractor for 2 grand. My cab M9 I bought new in 2004 and it was just shy of 50 grand and my 2002 open station I bought 2 years ago for 16.
FLip, was that open station in good shape when you bought it? How much time was on it?
Is it DT? And Did it have a loader? If so...you stole It.
(I paid 17K for my 362-hours on the meter 1996 M4700DT w/FEL in 2018 and, at the time felt I was paying top-dollar, but later realized I’d paid a fair price at the time, and nowadays feel I was lucky to get it. It’s got zero emissions and starts instantly upon revolution and runs perfectly every time.)
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It's an HDC. Hydraulic shuttle 8x8, front wheel assist with the loader, 2 buckets (material and excavation) and has the Kubota 2 pin SSQA, it came to me with 5600 hours on it which is nothing for a non emissions turbocharged Kubota 4 cylinder engine. Has 6 on it now, I used it extensively last summer for haying, It's a very unusual low mount exhaust instead of a vertical, that was an option on the M9's. Kind of like not having an exhaust pipe in my line of sight.
It was cosmetically rough when I got it but mechanically ok. Spent the better part of the summer before last redoing the cosmetic stuff, stripped it down to the rolling chassis, pulled all the sheet metal off and redid it and pressure washed (numerous time) the rolling chassis and repainted that as well and sent it off to Dennis (my Kubota technician at the dealership and told him to go through it mechanically and get everything up to snuff, which he did. I did an immediate oil and fluid change and all the filters. Fluid was dirty, oil was black. I used my usual 15 gallons of THF synthetic in the case and 5-40 Rotella in the engine sump.
Lets see, he replaced the front main seal (was weeping) replaced the king pin bushings in the left outboard and seals (was leaking internally), pulled the injectors and tested them (were fine, pop off pressure and spray pattern, adjusted the valves to spec (were all loose and I could hear the overhead nose), Was there in the shop when Dennis pulled the valve cover off, in fact I gave him a hand with it (they let me out in the shop and Dennis and I are personal friends, in fact if I need a specialized Kubota tool, like the one used to remount the cast center rear wheels, he loans to me. The overhead was clean as new. No blowby, no sludge (least the previous owner changed the engine oil regularly), replaced the multifunction dash switch and replaced the steering wheel shaft bushing, set the hydraulic shuttle lock up pressure, installed LED bulbs in the headlights (big difference), removed the hood (it had 2 dents in it) and fixed that and repainted it, replaced the left tie rod, was sloppy and kept it inside the shop the whole time. Dennis used it for 'make work' as they are slow in the winter.
My dealer charged me 3 grand for everything Dennis did, parts included, picked it up at the farm and delivered it back to me in the spring, so all in, I'm just shy of 20. Think I said elsewhere that Dennis put it on their dyno and it's making 93 pto. M9's are rated at 82 factory, I asked him if he 'made it smoke' and he said, 'dam right I did'...
Was it worth it, sure was and the rubber it came with is still good. In fact the tires are a bit better than the ones on my cab M9. Cab unit goes in after New Years for an overhead and injector test as well.
In fact, Keith (the owner of the dealership) offered me 25 for it. I passed. I bought it to use and it's emissions free (even has a road draft tube)... The way I want it.
Paid 16, put 3 in it plus my time and materials so, 20 total (I added a Tuff Top canopy.
I consider myself fortunate to have the dealer I do and Dennis as well. we have been personal friends for years. He actually tolerates me which is amazing, know the whole family as well as the owners family. Pre Covid we always get invited to family stuff and we always go too.
I'd never use that to leverage anything from them. I believe in paying for services and stuff that is beyond my capabilities.
Yes, I have an open account there.....
Yeah... WE ALL AGREE on how Amazing that is...!!
It sounds like you ended up with a good version of a Kubota.
I will say that I’m impressed with most things about these earlier M’s.
How I present myself in person and how I 'play' on here are 2 different things and I'll leave it at that.Yeah... WE ALL AGREE on how Amazing that is...!!
It sounds like you ended up with a good version of a Kubota.
I will say that I’m impressed with most things about these earlier M’s.
I'm always impressed with the M series (pre 4), why I have one and bought another. Electronic gizmo's turn me off entirely and that includes emissions junk None of the diesel engines I own have any, tractors, semi or pickup truck.
Dennis told me I could realistically expect in the excess of 10K hours on them with no major issues, so long as I did regular oil changes and filter replacements, which I do.
I know of one farmer near here that has a 4020 Deere that rolled his hour meter over and had little mechanical issues. Of course the paint is faded (like Kubota's do) but in my mind that is pretty impressive.
Both will outlast me and both are holding their values just fine.
Lil Foot
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
1979 B7100DT Gear, Nissan Hanix N150-2 Excavator
Sounds like you have two amazing tractors, but your dealer is from another planet & another timeline.
I think I would be delivering doughnuts, beer, and whisky at regular intervals.
I would love to have a dealer like that, instead of one that just pi$$es me off every time I even drive by the place.
I think I would be delivering doughnuts, beer, and whisky at regular intervals.
I would love to have a dealer like that, instead of one that just pi$$es me off every time I even drive by the place.
I do and I appreciate them by buying 90% of my perishable items from them. Always Kubota filters and Kubota parts that I need. I get my lubricants from a jobber in drums as well as the grease and it's delivered to the farm, not that I would not buy Kubota lubricants but I've had excellent service from what I use now.
best part of buying from them is, I don't need to go there, I call them and they deliver to the farm. The parts manager lives about 2 miles from me so he drops the stuff off and we chew the fat for a while.
I never price watch but I don't think they are overpriced, well, except for that relay I bought but I chalked that up to not asking first and they have no control over what Kubota charged anyway.
I'd recommend them to anyone anytime and have and people have purchased tractors and accessories on my recommendation from them.
No fancy dan store or glitzy showroom, just real plain jane but they do a good business and it's basically all word of mouth and repeat customers.
I even bought my 2 zero turn mowers there. he sells Cub Cadet, Landpride, Rhino, Lucknow and the full Kubota line. Amy bought the side by side from them on a handshake and never signed anything until it was delivered.
I think they do mail order too, not sure though
It's Carleton Farm Supply, Carleton, Michigan 734 654 8222 The owner Keith is the only salesperson and Greg is the parts manager and Dennis is the lead technician (Dennis is an excellent marksman too. I shoot 50 foot competiton pistol with him and his son).
What I find refreshing is, they don't care where you bought it at, it's all treated the same. I didn't buy the open station from them, bought it from a John Deere dealer but they don't care, I get the same excellent service none the less.
Same employees all the time. No turnover at all.
Keith has a lot of older, smaller Kubota tractors he's taken on trade if you are looking for a smaller one. The bigger ones don't usually get traded in.
Not sure if I can 'plug' them on here but I did anyway.
best part of buying from them is, I don't need to go there, I call them and they deliver to the farm. The parts manager lives about 2 miles from me so he drops the stuff off and we chew the fat for a while.
I never price watch but I don't think they are overpriced, well, except for that relay I bought but I chalked that up to not asking first and they have no control over what Kubota charged anyway.
I'd recommend them to anyone anytime and have and people have purchased tractors and accessories on my recommendation from them.
No fancy dan store or glitzy showroom, just real plain jane but they do a good business and it's basically all word of mouth and repeat customers.
I even bought my 2 zero turn mowers there. he sells Cub Cadet, Landpride, Rhino, Lucknow and the full Kubota line. Amy bought the side by side from them on a handshake and never signed anything until it was delivered.
I think they do mail order too, not sure though
It's Carleton Farm Supply, Carleton, Michigan 734 654 8222 The owner Keith is the only salesperson and Greg is the parts manager and Dennis is the lead technician (Dennis is an excellent marksman too. I shoot 50 foot competiton pistol with him and his son).
What I find refreshing is, they don't care where you bought it at, it's all treated the same. I didn't buy the open station from them, bought it from a John Deere dealer but they don't care, I get the same excellent service none the less.
Same employees all the time. No turnover at all.
Keith has a lot of older, smaller Kubota tractors he's taken on trade if you are looking for a smaller one. The bigger ones don't usually get traded in.
Not sure if I can 'plug' them on here but I did anyway.
Keith and his late dad who started the business both have a different aspect towards business for sure. Place has stayed old school from when Keith Sr., had it. Nothing changed at all. Don't know where it will go in as much as Keith is in his late 50's. Don't know if his daughter will continue it, he didn't have any sons to pass it on to, but his dad lived into his 90's and worked at the store the whole time. Great guy too. I miss him. Always had hard peppermint candy in my pocket when I visited. Keith Sr., loved peppermint hard candy.Sounds like you have two amazing tractors, but your dealer is from another planet & another timeline.
I think I would be delivering doughnuts, beer, and whisky at regular intervals.
I would love to have a dealer like that, instead of one that just pi$$es me off every time I even drive by the place.
Dennis and I were talking about that a while ago. He told me Kubota constantly pushes Keith to build a new, glitzy dealership but he ignores them. I guess the amount of units he sells and customer loyalty kind of dulls that out a bit. Kubota whines but thats about it.
Only place where I can go behind the counter and look at the parts computer and no one says a word. Cash drawer is right there unlocked too but I'd never touch anything and I think they know that. Most people around here have a different outlook on things I guess.
I do recommend them for parts and tractors. Friend of mine wanted a used Grand L and I told him to see Keith and sure enough Keith had one and sold it to him. He decided to put a SSQA adapter on the FEL so I have the bucket in the shop. I need to weld on the adapter plate and install the tooth bar, ATI of course.
There is another Kubota dealership about equal distance south of me but I never go there. One of those glitzy, John Deere style places with preppy salesmen and spiffy neat shop. Not my thing. I'm old and old school too.
Any piece of equipment is only as good as the dealer who provides service you cannot do yourself. Don't matter if it's a tractor, skid steer, car truck boat, anything with an engine and complexity. Only reason I bought the open station from a JD dealer is Keith could not find one for me and I found it 500 miles from here. Pre 4 units especially bigger ones are getting hard to find. people are keeping them. Understandable.
unfortunately pre tier 4 stuff is aging and at some point will go away
it might take 20 years or more but it'll happen
i say this because, well for one thing if a dealer needs to order an engine, they gotta provide proof of the old engine's destruction. That means dealer gets to drill a 1/2" hole through the side of the block and through a cylinder wall, then has to document it (pictures) and document it's scrap (via receipt of selling it to the scrap metal recyclers). It's a mess but it's the ONLY way the dealers will ever get a +30hp engine sent to them. Sub 30hp is not required (yet) and I do not know if it's diesel only or gas and diesel. Was rare to replace a gas engine on anything but a lawn mower which most are under 30hp anyway; but did plenty of diesels (usually tractors). 99% of them were overheated or run out of oil or both in a few cases. This is an absurd regulation but I am not epa, i just had to follow the laws in order to even order an engine. And they were really strict about it too! If I didn't get the serial number in the picture along with the drill bit sticking out of the block, or it wasn't clear enough, they'd kick it back and ask you to drill another hole or whatever. i hated it. The thought process is that the engine being replaced can never be used again. That could hurt the used parts industry and/or the used diesel equipment industry
you can thank your government for it. You know, those same people that keep saying "we work for you".
Sore subject with me along with many others
it might take 20 years or more but it'll happen
i say this because, well for one thing if a dealer needs to order an engine, they gotta provide proof of the old engine's destruction. That means dealer gets to drill a 1/2" hole through the side of the block and through a cylinder wall, then has to document it (pictures) and document it's scrap (via receipt of selling it to the scrap metal recyclers). It's a mess but it's the ONLY way the dealers will ever get a +30hp engine sent to them. Sub 30hp is not required (yet) and I do not know if it's diesel only or gas and diesel. Was rare to replace a gas engine on anything but a lawn mower which most are under 30hp anyway; but did plenty of diesels (usually tractors). 99% of them were overheated or run out of oil or both in a few cases. This is an absurd regulation but I am not epa, i just had to follow the laws in order to even order an engine. And they were really strict about it too! If I didn't get the serial number in the picture along with the drill bit sticking out of the block, or it wasn't clear enough, they'd kick it back and ask you to drill another hole or whatever. i hated it. The thought process is that the engine being replaced can never be used again. That could hurt the used parts industry and/or the used diesel equipment industry
you can thank your government for it. You know, those same people that keep saying "we work for you".
Sore subject with me along with many others
I fully understand that Lugbolt, why I take excellent care of my pre 4 M9's. I'm extremely careful about the care and feeding of them and being 70, I won't be around when they finally expire anyway because I'll expire well before them.
Dennis told me the same thing you posted. They have to destroy the motor before Kubota will replace it with another one and document the destruction. Having said that Dennis did allude to removing some 'key' parts for future use however.....
Not planning on doing a destructo on either of mine and if something did occur, I'd probably go to a rebuilder like Crosspoint for a reman engine, versus a Kubota factory engine. Much less expense involved.
Dennis has told me more than once that the VTE engines in my Kubota's with normal care will last way past 10K hours with no internal issues.
I'm a long way from that..
Dennis told me the same thing you posted. They have to destroy the motor before Kubota will replace it with another one and document the destruction. Having said that Dennis did allude to removing some 'key' parts for future use however.....
Not planning on doing a destructo on either of mine and if something did occur, I'd probably go to a rebuilder like Crosspoint for a reman engine, versus a Kubota factory engine. Much less expense involved.
Dennis has told me more than once that the VTE engines in my Kubota's with normal care will last way past 10K hours with no internal issues.
I'm a long way from that..
One thing I always wondered about and that is, how do you run one out of oil? I can understand compromising the oil filter with a stick or something (would be hard to to on mine as the oil filters are pretty high up). Do people never check the oil level? I check mine before I ever start them. First thing I check is the engine oil, followed by the transmission oil and kick the tires and then I fire them up. Do the same with my cars and trucks. Let them warm up a bit and look underneath for leaks and then move them. I always do that and I keep the radiators clean and check the coolant bottles regularly too for coolant level.
I have seen some pretty raggy Kubota's in the shop at the dealer before, I will say. Lot newer than mine and a way more beat up too. Mine aren't pristine but they aren't raggy either and certainly not filthy. I don't like filth on anything, especially a tractor.
I guess doing the pre start inspection comes from years of big trucks where you were required by law (DOT Regs) to always perform a 'pre-trip' inspection, just something is engrained in me to do.
I have seen some pretty raggy Kubota's in the shop at the dealer before, I will say. Lot newer than mine and a way more beat up too. Mine aren't pristine but they aren't raggy either and certainly not filthy. I don't like filth on anything, especially a tractor.
I guess doing the pre start inspection comes from years of big trucks where you were required by law (DOT Regs) to always perform a 'pre-trip' inspection, just something is engrained in me to do.