I have a 2018 Kubota RTV XG850 Sidekick with a bad starter. Dealer price seems exorbitant. Starter is marked Mitsuba SM17 I believe it is actually a SM17B. Any ideas where to find a replacement other than the dealers?
XG850 Starter replacement
- Thread starter green hills jim
- Start date
Go to Amazon and search for “DB Electrical” starter motor replacement for your machine. They are typically less than $100 and are identical to the OEM in fitment and quality.
Have used a LOT of DB electrical starters, alternators.
They are NOWHERE near OE quality. But they are dirt cheap, and they have some warranty. I've had to use that warranty many times. Inconvenient, and in the case of customers' stuff, a royal pain in the neck-especially if their stuff is used on the farm or whatever. I ALWAYS recommend OEM parts but give the option for the chincanese stuff with a warning that it may or may not last forever.
Got an issue with my MF tractor as we speak. They say they're gonna take care of it but they need the starter back before they can ship a new one. We will see...
They are NOWHERE near OE quality. But they are dirt cheap, and they have some warranty. I've had to use that warranty many times. Inconvenient, and in the case of customers' stuff, a royal pain in the neck-especially if their stuff is used on the farm or whatever. I ALWAYS recommend OEM parts but give the option for the chincanese stuff with a warning that it may or may not last forever.
Got an issue with my MF tractor as we speak. They say they're gonna take care of it but they need the starter back before they can ship a new one. We will see...
I've tried all of those and all I found on ebay were some used ones in Germany. I tried phrasing the search in many different phrases and with different qualifiers but found nothing equivalent to SM17(B)
Hey jim, you ever find one? Mine just went as well and having a tough time. Bought a few from amazon but fitment was a bit off.
Mine just came apart. From what I have read that starter Mitsuba SM17B is used in some Yamaha and Suzuki products. There is a problem with the epoxy holding the magnets to the case. Yamaha has been covering replacement under warranty. I have had my Kubota service guy file a price question with corporate to find out why they charge $779.00 for a new one. It should be less than $200. If anyone finds a replacement please post the application and part#. I have 3 of the Sidekicks in my family and friends so it is only a matter of time before I will need 2 more. I tried talking to Mitsuba in Japan but they didn’t want to talk to me. Said I needed to speak with Kubota. I refuse to pay the $800 for a 3 pound starter which Mitsuba wholesale’s for less than $100
Any help or advice is appreciated.
Any help or advice is appreciated.
My starter went on my Sidekick and the price of new one shocked me. My mechanic removed and had it repaired for 100 bucks. He said it wasn't a hard fix. Magnets needed to be glued. Been working like a charm.
Has anybody else tried removing it and taking it to a repair shop? My Kubota mechanic said it wasn't the first one he had taken off and got repaired.
20 years ago I could have but the guy retired and the motor rebuild shop closed it's doors.
Have you tried getting your brake rotors/drums turned lately? Everything is considered disposable these days just buy a new one imported from china
So I tried one off a Yamaha ATV and it was the Mitsuba SM-17A which is 12mm shorter so the mount bolts would not line up. I have 2 more on order that are original on a Honda and the other a Suzuki motorcycle will let you know if they fit. I tried to have a conversation with Kubota corporate and they would not ingage just tell me to talk with my dealer. Unfortunately I am afraid Kubota is using a business model that is common with a lot of Japanese motorcycle manufacturers which is sell the original product at a low price point but don’t release any of the components to aftermarket manufacturers so you control the replacement parts and more importantly the $$. I am driving about 50 miles this week to see if a shop can provide the six magnets and glue into place. All my magnets came out in pieces.
You're 100 percent right , everything is throw away. I thought I was going to have to buy a new one. It's been a few months so far but we'll see how the repair holds up.
I guess I might be fortunate that my Kubota mechanic knew a guy he could get to do it. The labour for the removal and install was twice as much as the cost of the repair itself.
I guess I might be fortunate that my Kubota mechanic knew a guy he could get to do it. The labour for the removal and install was twice as much as the cost of the repair itself.
Sorry Small Farm I didn't notice your post when I sent. I guess my magnets were still ok. I'm not sure if they used new ones or not but I thought the mechanic said they only had to be glued.
Well another starter magnet casualty here. Same as another poster that Kubota blew me off. My dealer is trying to pull some strings but no luck so far. Rebuild shop can't find any info or parts to be able to rebuild. Mine is a 2019 model. Not sure if newer models us the same Mitsuba SM17B starter. Magnets at about 8-9 o'clock came loose, broke and ground to powder
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the engine is based on (or made by??) Fuji. Part of Subaru, or is it Subaru is part of Fuji? I forget. Maybe that'll help a starter rebuilder find the parts.
well good news at least for me. My Dealer stayed persistent with Kubota. Between the parts rep me sending them pics af inside of starter and finally warranty they were able to do a good faith discount a new starter. Got the price down to $216 which is what it should have cost in the first place not $800
Hi Folks, just joined your forum after researching the same issue with the xg850 starter. I have a 2018 sidekick thats on it's 2nd starter, the first one went with 40hrs on the unit, the 2nd went at 124hrs on the clock. Needless to say I was alittle exicited when calling my dealer. there is a youtube video where a found out that Kubota issued a PSB on the starter and solenoid, they say that to much resistance in the solenoid and cableling which is over heating the starter. I don't remember The PSB number but the upgrade number is "Starter relay kit" K7811-96200. the Dealer warrantied everything even though I was 4yrs out of warranty. hope this helps!
whitetiger
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Equipment
Kubota tech..BX2370, RCK60, B7100HST, RTV900 w plow, Ford 1100 FWA
PSB-2020-034-E-R1 issued on March 16, 2020
It replaces the starter solenoid relay and positive battery cables.
It is a Fix when Failure only, and is good for 5 years from the date of purchase.
It replaces the starter solenoid relay and positive battery cables.
It is a Fix when Failure only, and is good for 5 years from the date of purchase.
re: throwaway society
read between the lines here. Stuff costs. a lot. Particularly OEM stuff. Ask yourself why?
Along comes the chinamen who make cheap and inexpensive replacements. They're less expensive and that's what we buy on-price. "I ain't payin $700 for a starter that I can get on amazon (or whatever) for $100".
and thus, it's cheaper to throw the old starter out, put a $100 starter on it 6 times than it is to pay $700 for a starter. Right?
From a dealer tech standpoint we have to look at that stuff too. Yes I've rebuilt lots of starters. Ain't particularly hard to do on "most" of them. However, to simply R&R a starter might be 1 hour labor (so $150 in our case). Plus the cost of the starter.
Or I can rebuild it. You still pay $150. Add in the cost of the brushes, armature, re-gluing the magnets if needed, which all adds labor to the cost. Then remember that a shop has a warranty on their work, so it HAS to be right, because the owner is very likely to have some kind of problem later on, be it a dead battery or a fouled spark plug, or a flat tire-and he will REMEMBER that you replaced the starter in April of 2024 and then the shop gets to eat the cost of the flat tire and probably a wheel too. That is how people often are, unfortunately.
So now you're at close to $600 and are gonna likely eat another cost later on down the road. Or you can put a $700 starter on it for $150 in labor and if the starter fails later on, the dealer can pass the liability onto the manufacturer rather than having to eat it themselves. THAT is why things have gone to "throwaway" status-it simply costs too much to repair stuff like the old days.
We shop guys try to keep the costs down as much as possible for the end user, keeping in mind the liability, the future costs, the aggravation, and a whole bunch of other stuff too. In the end the decision is made, repair it or replace it. Most times it's less trouble for both the shop/tech and for the customer, to replace it.
In the case of engines, a lot of times they're fixable. But the cost to fix often exceeds the cost to just replace it-then the replacement may have a longer warranty on it too vs a shop guarantee which can be 14 days or 30 days or 90 days depends on the shop, and that that guarantee entails.
read between the lines here. Stuff costs. a lot. Particularly OEM stuff. Ask yourself why?
Along comes the chinamen who make cheap and inexpensive replacements. They're less expensive and that's what we buy on-price. "I ain't payin $700 for a starter that I can get on amazon (or whatever) for $100".
and thus, it's cheaper to throw the old starter out, put a $100 starter on it 6 times than it is to pay $700 for a starter. Right?
From a dealer tech standpoint we have to look at that stuff too. Yes I've rebuilt lots of starters. Ain't particularly hard to do on "most" of them. However, to simply R&R a starter might be 1 hour labor (so $150 in our case). Plus the cost of the starter.
Or I can rebuild it. You still pay $150. Add in the cost of the brushes, armature, re-gluing the magnets if needed, which all adds labor to the cost. Then remember that a shop has a warranty on their work, so it HAS to be right, because the owner is very likely to have some kind of problem later on, be it a dead battery or a fouled spark plug, or a flat tire-and he will REMEMBER that you replaced the starter in April of 2024 and then the shop gets to eat the cost of the flat tire and probably a wheel too. That is how people often are, unfortunately.
So now you're at close to $600 and are gonna likely eat another cost later on down the road. Or you can put a $700 starter on it for $150 in labor and if the starter fails later on, the dealer can pass the liability onto the manufacturer rather than having to eat it themselves. THAT is why things have gone to "throwaway" status-it simply costs too much to repair stuff like the old days.
We shop guys try to keep the costs down as much as possible for the end user, keeping in mind the liability, the future costs, the aggravation, and a whole bunch of other stuff too. In the end the decision is made, repair it or replace it. Most times it's less trouble for both the shop/tech and for the customer, to replace it.
In the case of engines, a lot of times they're fixable. But the cost to fix often exceeds the cost to just replace it-then the replacement may have a longer warranty on it too vs a shop guarantee which can be 14 days or 30 days or 90 days depends on the shop, and that that guarantee entails.