Kubota B3350SU Discontinued
- Thread starter rancher1524
- Start date
i have made the point a few times on this page and it really seems to be overlooked and or ignored. How many 3350 units has Kubota sold? How many complaints on the net have you seen from different people. I have seen many post with different issues other then DPF but dPF gets blamed. Treadle pedal safety switch, water in fuel to name two that come to mind. The unfortunate thing is the title of the post reads 3350 dpf something or another and that is not the case. I am just as guilty, anything goes wrong I think oh no the dPF but it's not the issue. I feel for anyone that has had problems and I also worry about mine. The seed has been planted and unfortunatly its gotten two black eyes. I feel this is a really nice machine and I wouldn't want the 2650 and have been told by a few dealers that the issues have been solved. I have also been told with all the updates there still is a lot of operator error or misunderstanding..Future will tell.
True, but the overwhelming number of issues with the 3350 are regen related.
Yes, Kubota does blame some such issues on "operator error," but this is a red herring, especially when the operators manual and DPF decals are inaccurate.
BTDT.
SDT
I ran mine at full rpm... still had all sorts of regeneration issues. dealt with it for a year, before buy back. out of the year I had a total of 42 days of use... I averaged over 80 hrs a month with the L3300 I traded in. my 2650 averages about 50 as most of the work is finally getting completed... I'm a year behind schedule due to the b3350. the b3350 had the following replaced. computer, alternator, exhaust filter, wiring harness. had 6 service calls and 5 trips to dealership for repairs... not sure I would buy another Kubota, I bought Kubota this time, due to buyback and all of the attachments wouldn't fit brand x machines...
Some here are aware of my trials and tribulations with my 3350. As a former Submarine Missile Technician, its engrained into me to follow directions. When I got the 3350 I read through the manual several times and had a PDF of it on my phone. (Call it anal-retentive, 30 years of doing that just makes it normal) The 3350 was just poorly engineered for regen. My normal operating RPM was 2300 and I let it warm up prior to use.
Regen occurred like clockwork at 12 to 15 hours between events. The first failure was around 70 hours with it shutting down during the regen operating at 2200 RPM and not being able to restart until 30 minutes later to finish the regen parked. This got worse until I traded to the L3901 at almost 800 hours. I have 105 hours on the "L" with at regen at 35 and 101 hours. The regen on the L is quite a different cycle than the B. I liked the 3350 as it was a workhorse at the ballfields I helped maintain. When it was running
Regen occurred like clockwork at 12 to 15 hours between events. The first failure was around 70 hours with it shutting down during the regen operating at 2200 RPM and not being able to restart until 30 minutes later to finish the regen parked. This got worse until I traded to the L3901 at almost 800 hours. I have 105 hours on the "L" with at regen at 35 and 101 hours. The regen on the L is quite a different cycle than the B. I liked the 3350 as it was a workhorse at the ballfields I helped maintain. When it was running
shootem604
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L245DT with Kubota (Arps Model 22) FEL and Kubota B/L4520B (Woods 650) BH
Anyone offering "delete" kits? That seems like a nice out of warranty fix for what could be a cheap used tractor to pickup...
a cheap used tractor? i wouldnt sell mine for $40,000. Kabota got tier 4 jammed down its throat after the tractor was already designed, they did not have time to make it dummy proof out of the gate. 5 yrs, 650 hrs and not a hiccup, this tractor punches above its weight class. Yes the manual can be confusing, dont need it, the tractor tells you when the light comes on it needs to clean out, 2200 rpm and walk away, how friggin hard is that.
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North Idaho Wolfman
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L3450DT-GST, Woods FEL, B7100 HSD, FEL, 60" SB, 743 Bobcat with V2203, and more
Like the other ranting post that you put up.
I'm glad you feel so highly about your tractor, hope you never have issues with it!
Issues with this model are not always operator error, far from it.
Like I said before, take a breather, no need to insult or defame anyone that's had or having issues with their unit!
Good Works Tractors has a video pointing out the 5 WORST tractors on the market and the B3350 is the first in his DO NOT BUY list. (The orange thing in the background is one of the BEST in his opinion, a B2650, little brother to the awful B3350. You can skip the intro if you wish... start at 2:00 mins into the vid:
it didn't have tier4 jammed down it's throat. The EPA don't give a rat's backside how the emissions are reduces, all they care is that they are reduced.
At that (and this) time the least invasive method is the DPF, and on 75hp+, DEF with DPF.
Trust me, if it could be done any better way, it woulda already been done. Kubota didn't want it, neither did anyone else. But they had to meet a standard that the government set forth, and the way they chose to do it was the least invasive from many points.
While I do agree that the reformer system is inherently flawed, most of the time if the operator understands how the system works, it just works. Unfortunately, educating owners has and still does leave a LOT to be desired. Salespeople are in a hurry to go sell more stuff and they don't spend enough time with owners and their new equipment. At some point it catches up, as it did with the place I used to work for.
If you guys had the training available to you as I did for me when I got "familiarized" with the reformer system, you'd better understand and respect it, which leads you to a mostly trouble free life with it.
Why a reformer? Because a common rail engine designated for dpf was so small and so much more expensive, that it wouldn't properly work with the dpf, and put it into a price range that wouldn't compete with other brands. The reformer was added. Basically it's a retrofit to a then-currently available V1505T.
Now that "they" know a lot more about DPF's and common rail, and they also have more sources for parts, they can actually do this correctly, once and for all. It's been in testing for several YEARS but they did NOT want to just send something out to the masses like they did with the B3350 and ZD1511 (same engine). By the way, argue all you want but they ARE the same engine (I had one of each). Cut little baby turbo on both of them, on the 3350 the turbo is buried and you can't hardly see it, the 1511 it's not covered up as much.
So why not just add a dpf to an already existing engine? Because a dpf has to run at a certain temperature in order to passively regenerate (in the background as you work) without needing excessive extra fuel added, of many other things. On a turbo engine, the turbo cools the exhaust temp before it reaches the dpf. How do you heat it back up? Blow air and fuel into the exhaust stream. This requires sensors, wiring, a blower, an injector, lines, pump, hoses, and a bunch of other stuff--aka "reformer" system. 3350 is a smooth running 4 cylinder with a small 1.5L displacement, turbocharged. The engine was used because it was already available, just modified to work. Common rail? Adjust injection timing and quantity elecronically. Much easier much cheaper makes more torque maintains rpm much better runs quieter simpler easier to service fewer parts etc in comparison to reformer system. And-with common rail, in a very simple way of describing it (on a diesel) you can take an existing larger engine and adjust the fueling way down so that it will make less power, or you can take a little bitty engine and throw the coal to it and make the same power, both ways are relatively easy with electronic control of the injection keeping in mind that they also have government standards to meet. That means piston shape become critical, compression ratios, induction, exhaust, a ton of things all play into it.
it's a fine line between doing what consumers want and doing what the government wants! Sometimes the outcome is a black sheep, which is what we had with the 3350. Hated by many loved by a few (one?) and Kubota is...FULLY aware of it's issues. They were aware of potential issues the day it was OK'd for production.
At that (and this) time the least invasive method is the DPF, and on 75hp+, DEF with DPF.
Trust me, if it could be done any better way, it woulda already been done. Kubota didn't want it, neither did anyone else. But they had to meet a standard that the government set forth, and the way they chose to do it was the least invasive from many points.
While I do agree that the reformer system is inherently flawed, most of the time if the operator understands how the system works, it just works. Unfortunately, educating owners has and still does leave a LOT to be desired. Salespeople are in a hurry to go sell more stuff and they don't spend enough time with owners and their new equipment. At some point it catches up, as it did with the place I used to work for.
If you guys had the training available to you as I did for me when I got "familiarized" with the reformer system, you'd better understand and respect it, which leads you to a mostly trouble free life with it.
Why a reformer? Because a common rail engine designated for dpf was so small and so much more expensive, that it wouldn't properly work with the dpf, and put it into a price range that wouldn't compete with other brands. The reformer was added. Basically it's a retrofit to a then-currently available V1505T.
Now that "they" know a lot more about DPF's and common rail, and they also have more sources for parts, they can actually do this correctly, once and for all. It's been in testing for several YEARS but they did NOT want to just send something out to the masses like they did with the B3350 and ZD1511 (same engine). By the way, argue all you want but they ARE the same engine (I had one of each). Cut little baby turbo on both of them, on the 3350 the turbo is buried and you can't hardly see it, the 1511 it's not covered up as much.
So why not just add a dpf to an already existing engine? Because a dpf has to run at a certain temperature in order to passively regenerate (in the background as you work) without needing excessive extra fuel added, of many other things. On a turbo engine, the turbo cools the exhaust temp before it reaches the dpf. How do you heat it back up? Blow air and fuel into the exhaust stream. This requires sensors, wiring, a blower, an injector, lines, pump, hoses, and a bunch of other stuff--aka "reformer" system. 3350 is a smooth running 4 cylinder with a small 1.5L displacement, turbocharged. The engine was used because it was already available, just modified to work. Common rail? Adjust injection timing and quantity elecronically. Much easier much cheaper makes more torque maintains rpm much better runs quieter simpler easier to service fewer parts etc in comparison to reformer system. And-with common rail, in a very simple way of describing it (on a diesel) you can take an existing larger engine and adjust the fueling way down so that it will make less power, or you can take a little bitty engine and throw the coal to it and make the same power, both ways are relatively easy with electronic control of the injection keeping in mind that they also have government standards to meet. That means piston shape become critical, compression ratios, induction, exhaust, a ton of things all play into it.
it's a fine line between doing what consumers want and doing what the government wants! Sometimes the outcome is a black sheep, which is what we had with the 3350. Hated by many loved by a few (one?) and Kubota is...FULLY aware of it's issues. They were aware of potential issues the day it was OK'd for production.
Lugbolt, that’s an informative way to throw oil on the whitecaps.... but it remains that Kubota produced a troublesome model and is paying the price in injured reputation over it. It’s easy to just blame the gub’mint ... but every mfr’r had the same reg to meet.
That's why I stick to old equipment. I have one tractor made in 1959 and a Kubota made in 1987. My newest car is made in 1993. The greenies are going to kill us all.
Anyone who lived in or visited Los Angeles in the 1970’s.... and have gone back since.... will not agree.
I’ll never forget coming over-the-hill on I-10 in 1979 and seeing that city below the brown-smog-level that was simply choking.... versus now and how clear the skies are and how much public health (which we all pay for one way or the other) has been improved.
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That is a rather specious argument.
Nearly all of the needed improvements vis a vis air pollution were made decades ago yet the federales never stop and have been imposing increasingly ineffective and expensive mandates for additional decades.
Have you ever heard of a governmental agency saying "Our mission has been accomplished and it's time to dissolve?"
Federales must continue to make our lives more and more miserable in order to justify their existance.
SDT
Specious? Have you considered the huge INcrease in numbers of vehicles and population since the late ‘70’s... And YET...the air is cleaner?... the water is cleaner... Less mercury in your diet...?
If the EPA were abolished... what do you think would occur? EPA was signed into law by Richard Nixon but the man who’s been in office less than 2 months is to blame for emissions enforcement according to some.
