Interesting personal email from Kubota

[Dave_eng]

I have been posting about shear bolt failures being experienced by the owners of front mounted blowers which are driven by mid pto's. My comments are negative. I was surprised to find an email in my inbox from: CustomerService@Kubota.ca. with the topic Shear Bolt failures.

I have not opened the email fearing a virus but checked and Kubota Canada posts that same email address.

I sent an email to that address at Kubota.ca saying I received an email looking like it came from them but I would not be opening it.

I suggested if they have anything to say about shear bolt failures they should join the forum(s) and disclose who they represent. I also said many frustrated owners would like to have a person at Kubota to deal with.

Have any of the forum members been contacted by Kubota like this?

Dave M7040

 

[trapperdrew]

I would have read the e-mail. Perhaps not followed any links or opened attachments. But just looking at the header info and the message text is likely safe.

 

[Dave_eng]

I would have read the e-mail. Perhaps not followed any links or opened attachments. But just looking at the header info and the message text is likely safe.

Send me a pm with your personal email and I will try and forward it to you without opening it.

I just finished dealing with a nasty virus masquerading as a Bell Canada Survey.

Dave M7040

 

[Tooljunkie]

Well, if it is legit, its good to know somone is watching.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Dave,
You have my email send it to me, I have a program that scans and checks the email.

 

[1970cs]

I am not sure if the general mailbox has a send option. The address for Canada looks to be legit. But normally corporate to dealer would be in this format as followed: first name with a period, last name, @kubota.com (john.smith@kubota.com)

Pat

 

[mdhughes]

I would wonder where they would have gotten your email address from, both a spammer or Kubota. To get it from OTT they would have to be a member to send you a private email. This is something for OTT to look into I think.

If one of you that have asked for the email could look at the email headers and see where the email was sent from might help figure out who sent it.

 

[Ridger]

I have emailed Kubota on a couple of occasions and they responded back within a couple of days. The email was from "Customer Satisfaction" and had "Kubota Email Response - Contact #XXXXX" in the subject line.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

It's very likely that it is a valid email.

 

[olthumpa]

BE CAREFUL! ! !

For about a week I have been getting several emails that are showing legitimate AMAZON email addresses but have not been sent by AMAZON.

Spam filter automatically put them in a spam folder, I did not open any of them.

Just spent 1/2 hr on the phone with AMAZON on a order issue, (solved quickly), and the spoofed emails. They were already aware of the problem.

 

[mbu]

If you're worried about it being a virus than make a copy of it on a thumb drive, etc. and take it to your local library and open it there. The library has very adequate protection against viruses!

 

[sheepfarmer]

Being lazy, curious, and already virus-bitten, my suggestion would be: how about just calling the 800 number posted on the website page pictured above and asking them if such an email was sent? We have had Kubota reps on OTT before, trying to help or trying to explain a little about what Kubota was doing (re the b3350) to the degree they were able, so it is possible it is a genuine email.

If you filled out the new owner survey when you got your tractor, there is a box for your email address, so it may be on file somewhere.

On the other hand maybe it is yet another hacker at work.

 

[tcrote5516]

I'm betting it's legit and based on your posting I don't blame them for not wanting to get into a public discussion with you about it. You come off as someone with an ax to grind on this issue with little factual support that there's a problem outside of people that put the wrong sheer bolts in.

From what I've seen the audience (myself included) don't share your concerns and Kubota most definitely doesn't appreciate the miss-information you are disseminating.

Just my .02c, take it for what it's worth.

 

[sagor]

I have been posting about shear bolt failures being experienced by the owners of front mounted blowers which are driven by mid pto's. My comments are negative. I was surprised to find an email in my inbox from: CustomerService@Kubota.ca. with the topic Shear Bolt failures.

I have not opened the email fearing a virus but checked and Kubota Canada posts that same email address.

I sent an email to that address at Kubota.ca saying I received an email looking like it came from them but I would not be opening it.

I suggested if they have anything to say about shear bolt failures they should join the forum(s) and disclose who they represent. I also said many frustrated owners would like to have a person at Kubota to deal with.

Have any of the forum members been contacted by Kubota like this?

Dave M7040

Any email can have the "from" address spoofed. Thus, this so called return address may or may not be legitimate. You can usually right click on most emails and look at the full headers or full content, to see if there are any links. Links that point to anything but Kubota.ca would indicate the email is fake.
I use a service called Spamcop (spamcop.net) to process all my suspicious emails (spam). It parses the full headers and lists where the email really came from (you have to be able to extract the full email headers however).
Another option is to move the email to your junk folder, open it safely (most junk folders do not allow live links), simply hover your mouse pointer over any link (but NEVER click), and most browsers will show where the link goes to. If the displayed link is different than the actual link, it is a fake link, hence fake email.
There are other options, but they get more technical yet.

 

[Dave_eng]

I can provide the next chapter for those who want more than just 2 cents.

I find it sad when a member of the forum feels free to disparage the opinion and efforts of others (post #13 this thread). When I arrived on this scene needing help and guidance, I could not have had a more helpful, warm response. I hope we can continue in that vein with the odd hiccup. Wolfman's contribution and tireless efforts to help everyone has to be mentioned when talking about how individuals are received here. Recently, he quietly and thoroughly made me realize that the wiring diagram from a B1700 WSM was wrong in the area of the stop solenoid and my advice to the owner with a problem was wrong. He could have just sarcastically told me I was full of it and did not know anything acquired by getting ones hands dirty but he did not and I greatly appreciate that

Kubota did reply to my email I sent directly to them and did not just click reply.

They were contacted by RAD who I emailed on behalf of a frustrated Kubota owner who was getting no satisfaction with his dealer.

My only ax to grind is enjoying helping people resolve technical problems.

I am very happy with my larger M7040 bought new in 2012. I am impressed with the product Kubota produces. Where they have fallen short, is to put their color on a product which was not up to the normal uses an owner requires. In the 1980's era of McKee snow blowers, Kubota painted them orange. These blower have stood the test of time and still run flawlessly. If you have not seen one with its bevel gears designed to run unlubricated and in the open, you should. Amazing metallurgy. Try that on the bevel gearbox.

My 90" inverted blower, bought new in 2006, has never broken a shear bolt and I live on a farm and blow long hiking trails throughout my and my brothers farms totaling 200 acres. Owners of front mounted blowers made by RAD cannot believe that is how life blowing snow should be.

To comment on owners putting the wrong shear bolts in, please take a minute to look carefully at the package and extra shear bolts a Kubota owner in Ottawa was provided when he bought a new front blower just before X-mas 2016.

The Kubota labelled package that came with this new blower specifically states use Grade 2 bolts only on the fan shear bolt. Now look at the head of the 2 shorter bolts his Kubota dealer gave him as spares. He was given Grade 5 by his dealer.

If anyone does not accept that what I am claiming is Grade 5 I can post the email from the owner who was very upset his dealer provided the non recommended bolts once I suggested he physically check them.

Look at the long bolts in the second photo. The ones with the groves cut in the shank of the bolt. The shear bolts for the two auger halves.

Kubota dealers are offering a smorgasbord of alternatives. Two shallow grooves, two deep grooves, one groove. They dont know what will work and send the customer off to do field testing. Each of these alternatives are being offered are for the same blower to the same owner.

I look forward to hopefully getting a through knowledgeable reply from Kubota Canada.

Another member on another forum, emailed RAD too, thinking as the manufacturer, they would be anxious to help an owner of their product.

Although he lives in and sent his email to RAD from the USA, Rad had Kubota Canada deal with it first and now his " FILE" is being forwarded to Kubota.com. His expectations on the amount of support he will receive are now much moderated.

Dave M7040

 

[tcrote5516]

Hey Dave, I'm lucky number 13 and I'm sorry you feel sad. I also put my name at the bottom so I can be easily identified. Calling me by a post number strikes me as quite impersonal but I digress.

Here's how I see it. When I order a meal at a McDonalds or a fancy restaurant I expect that a certain, small percentage of the time that order is going to be wrong. I would say about 1% of the time my hamburgers come with cheese on them. 1% isn't much but IMO it's higher than it should be....I mean their entire job is filling orders and they do it millions of times a day all over the planet right? Now being lactose intolerant if I was to eat the burger I'd have a tough time blaming them for getting me sick. Why? Well I should have noticed the damn cheese on the first bite. Then again, people successfully sue for hot coffee and everything's someone else's fault so maybe I'm the minority but I still believe in paying attention to what you're doing. Bottom line, you don't see me picketing in front of every McDonalds warning people to stay away from the hamburgers.

I expect the same level of operational execution when I deal with any other human at a dealership. I take personal responsibility to validate what I asked for is what I was given. I can be confident in that because the manual is quite clear on the specification as you so appropriately highlighted.

It's very unfortunate that "he" was given the wrong part but I promise you "he" wasn't the only one to come from a dealer with the wrong part that day and surely won't be the last.

Again, the information you are posting is incorrect and I'm sorry you take that as a personal attack which is ironic given the tenor of your WARNING posts and here's why:

The cuts you see in the bolts are not "to weaken them" it's to provide a clean break that prevents a portion from getting bent out of shape and wedged in the slot. This is common practice for a sheer bolt in many applications where they need to be changed on the fly and with few tools. Anyone with a small pipe cutter or an angle grinder can make their own from everyday grade 2 stock but running them uncut would NOT shred the gearbox. Running them uncut would only run the risk of an uneven break and a little extra time spent fishing it out of the hole.

Now putting in the wrong grade bolt as I stated earlier will destroy the gearbox which is otherwise built plenty stout for everyone who uses the right parts.

I'm not sure how you came to champion this cause but I'm afraid I simply don't find any merit in your grave concerns with these blowers. The good news? That's just my opinion, my .02c if you will and that fact alone shouldn't send you into a tailspin or question the otherwise agreeable forum we all know and love. Good luck!

 

[bxray]

I had a friend get hit with a crypto lock virus!
Here is a way to open emails I am implementing.

Using a virtual machine. A computer environment running on a computer but separate.

Free vmbox.org is the first software and ubuntu is the free os.

If you open something in vm it only hits that system.
Just reload or shutdown without saving.

You can also surf the web and not worry if you stumble imto something.


Ray

 

[sheepfarmer]

Thanks for posting the picture of the shearbolts Dave. They look like the ones I have been provided with by two dealers as replacement parts on my 2016 blower. I'll look closely at them tomorrow. I have not sheared any of the originals yet, fortunately.

 

[Dave_eng]

Thanks for posting the picture of the shearbolts Dave. They look like the ones I have been provided with by two dealers as replacement parts on my 2016 blower. I'll look closely at them tomorrow. I have not sheared any of the originals yet, fortunately.

Thanks for your Thanks!!
Would you mind posting a picture of the fan shear bolt area on your machine which has been trouble free. If we assemble a number of images of trouble free designs, those owners with problems will know where they need to alter their machines to start having your experience.

Dave M7040

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Following, and trying to figure out why your so upset Tom???
I don't find any of the subject misleading or wrong?
Tom, do you want to explain to me the problem?
If you want you can do it in a PM.