Kubota K Connect Snowblower problems explained.

[DustyRusty]

I have been giving this issue of the K Connect connection parts wearing out prematurely some thought over the past few days. I developed a hypothesis as to the cause and effect of raising the snowblower too high when it is being powered by the PTO. Today was a warm day, so I took the time to remove the 4 bolts that hold the safety cover off of the K Connect and photograph how the coupling works and what goes wrong when you lift it too high. In this first picture, you can see the way that the connector looks when it is randomly engaged by pulling the K Connect lever to the engaged position. Note how the two tabs of the coupling are touching.

In picture #2, I engaged the coupling by starting the tractor and moving the PTO lever into the working position with the snowblower setting on the ground. You will note that the coupling isn't fully engaged, and since my locking pins for the couplings are both in the factory setting position, I believe that Kubota never intended them to fully engage tightly. I believe that might be a mistake on their part, but I will leave that to the engineers to sort out.

In picture #3 I disengaged the coupling to see what it looked like as I moved the bar toward the engaged position. The design of the K Connect is that the tractor side of the connection floats and only when you engage does it self-center itself.

In the last picture, you can see how the coupling separates when the snowblower is in its full-up position. It doesn't look like much, but I believe that it is enough to cause the premature wears that many people are seeing.

In conclusion, I believe that you should limit the lifting of the snowblower to just an inch or so to keep it from dragging when you go in reverse. There is no reasonable reason to raise the snowblower fully, and I believe that if you don't completely raise the snowblower fully, you will lessen the wear on the K Connect coupling. As I said in the beginning, this is just a supposition of my thoughts, and I encourage you to remove the 4 bolts from the cover and perform the same testing that I have done. All pictures that I have taken were with the tractor not running since if it were running, you wouldn't be able to see the differences unless you have a strobe light to "stop the action".

 

[Snowman7]

Dusty, some excellent investigative work there. I am going to do the same thing you did with pics. How old are those couplings of yours? They look brand new.

 

[jkrubi12]

Nice analysis & write-up. The only thing I would have added would be ID numbers imposed onto the pics to be sure that the order that they appear in the thread is the same as you intended with your picture reference numbers; I believe that occasionally the pictures can be displayed out of order from their loaded sequence.

When I look at pictures presented by users who are seeking answers to problems with their snowblower K-connect assemblies, it seems that one can tell which assemblies are problematic by the appearance of obvious wear visible on the teeth engagement surfaces of the 'power coupler' gears, which seem to be of a nice design manufactured with hardened material (which they obviously need to be). The appearance of wear, which seems to be evidence of 'impact' - type injury, would lead one to believe that high speed PTO engagement is to blame.

The one aspect of the system that I don't understand is what is supplying the force that keeps these two power couplers engaged when power is being delivered from the tractor to the blower. Is it a spring, and if so, would this spring system be suspected of providing a lack of sufficient force which could allow the power coupler(s) to become partially or fully disengaged? I get the necessity for the coupler(s) to have some 'movement', thus allowing trouble-free re-coupling when desired, and I wonder if this built-in 'flexibility' is a contributor to the issues experienced by owners. The suggestion of not fully raising the blower with the PTO engaged seems to be sound advice, but one would assume that the 'engineers' contemplated that users would do just that and would have designed the system to withstand such use without excessive wear and tear.

Undoubtably the entire connection system is complex and maintenance-needy. That assessment would not stop me from acquiring one; I'm still looking to add such a setup to my B2601, but with the K-connect attachment, not the previous 'spade'-type connector.

 

[Snowman7]

Nice analysis & write-up. The only thing I would have added would be ID numbers imposed onto the pics to be sure that the order that they appear in the thread is the same as you intended with your picture reference numbers; I believe that occasionally the pictures can be displayed out of order from their loaded sequence.

When I look at pictures presented by users who are seeking answers to problems with their snowblower K-connect assemblies, it seems that one can tell which assemblies are problematic by the appearance of obvious wear visible on the teeth engagement surfaces of the 'power coupler' gears, which seem to be of a nice design manufactured with hardened material (which they obviously need to be). The appearance of wear, which seems to be evidence of 'impact' - type injury, would lead one to believe that high speed PTO engagement is to blame.

The one aspect of the system that I don't understand is what is supplying the force that keeps these two power couplers engaged when power is being delivered from the tractor to the blower. Is it a spring, and if so, would this spring system be suspected of providing a lack of sufficient force which could allow the power coupler(s) to become partially or fully disengaged? I get the necessity for the coupler(s) to have some 'movement', thus allowing trouble-free re-coupling when desired, and I wonder if this built-in 'flexibility' is a contributor to the issues experienced by owners. The suggestion of not fully raising the blower with the PTO engaged seems to be sound advice, but one would assume that the 'engineers' contemplated that users would do just that and would have designed the system to withstand such use without excessive wear and tear.

Undoubtably the entire connection system is complex and maintenance-needy. That assessment would not stop me from acquiring one; I'm still looking to add such a setup to my B2601, but with the K-connect attachment, not the previous 'spade'-type connector.

In my case your assumption of too many r’s at engagement is incorrect. I always engage at idle.

 

[Snowman7]

In my case your assumption of too many r’s at engagement is incorrect. I always engage at idle.

I hope Kubota follows this forum and engineering takes on the challenge.

 

[River19]

My BX2830 is at the dealer now and they are seeing excessive wear and replacing my connection on the blower among other things and want my K Connect tomorrow.......

This is starting to kinda piss me off.....

"Commercial" blower with full hydraulics @ about $7,500 lasted 2.5 seasons of home owner residential use and the issue is it cannot be lifted up the 8" or so the machine allows it to be lifted?

Come on Kubota you are better than this.

 

[Mowbizz]

Hmmm…glad I don’t have K connect on my Bx 25d. For the $$ the sell these things for, one should not have to worry about lifting the blower a little while running. That said, I lift my blower when running if needed….not a lot by any means but this forum made me overly cautious.

 

[River19]

Could the recommended running of the blower in float (which makes sense) be allowing too much up and down and in and out while at full PTO speed? If the spring mechanism is allowing any "in/out" movement whatsoever while in the act of blowing it would certainly cause this coupling to wear as there would be play in it at full 540 PTO rpm.

Add in the fact that while not lifting the blower fully is potentially one way to slow the wear, the blower in float travels vertically several inches when working banks etc. Plus when dealing with a large storm of 24-40" of snow you HAVE to blow some with he blower fully raised (which is really only like 8-10")

Again this is sold as a "commercial" blower, I expect it to be built to handle hard work which is implied by the "commercial" aspect of the unit.......the fact the coupling system needs to be replaced every 2-3 seasons at $600+ each in only normal residential use annoys the ever living crap out of me.......

 

[ItBmine]

Why I like the old cheap reliable systems where you have to bend over and hook up a PTO driveshaft.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

even easier ,on the back and the wallet, I made a gas powered SSQA 48" snowblower for $600.
Have heard/seen HORROR posts about the 'K-connect' system, make me wonder IF the 'engineers' ACTUALLY tested their 'pride and joy' under real conditions, say for at least 2-3 weeks of use ??

 

[River19]

even easier ,on the back and the wallet, I made a gas powered SSQA 48" snowblower for $600.
Have heard/seen HORROR posts about the 'K-connect' system, make me wonder IF the 'engineers' ACTUALLY tested their 'pride and joy' under real conditions, say for at least 2-3 weeks of use ??

I have seen a couple posts on here.....are there more?

I dropped of my K Connect and the service tech (nice guy) said he has never seen anything like premature wear like mine had......

Let's be clear here, my blower and K Connect have maybe 35-40hrs total on the units over 3 seasons. It has NEVER been engaged above idle rpm........has it been run while "fully lifted"? yes, of course, fully lifted at 8-10" barely clears the snow we get regularly......AND I have scoured the manuals and there is nothing that says anything about NOT lifting the blower the full travel of the K Connect while running.

In float while blowing the blower does move around a fair amount by design, which is the way it is supposed to work......if Kutbota's "commercial" system cannot handle residential use and requires major parts replacement every 35hrs of use I feel it should be covered under lifetime warranty unless a new engineered solution can be provided.

I have a feeling the dealer will stick me with the bill on this one........let's see what happens.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Yes, there are dozens of posts, some several pages long with 100s of replies so, sad to say 'you're not alone'. The 'coupling' set is about $600 from what I've read. Lifting the blower should NOT affect coupling life as there's a u-joint between the two shafts. The coupling( 'dog clutch' to me ) design is well, terrible, when compared to a 'Lovejoy' style. Maybe $120 to replace with Lovejoy version ? There's at least 3 other methods of 'coupling' that could be used and NONE of them would wear out in 35 hours !

 

[ve9aa]

How strange.
. I removed my BX2830 (yes, that's the real model #) from my BX2380 today and the couplings look nearly new. I probably have close to 50hours on just the blower over 3 very long NB winters.

For the data miners:

I engage just above idle, then ramp up the RPM's when I'm ready to tackle snow,
(sometime I'll DISengage at full revs if I am forgetful)
I normally operate it in float mode, but my driveway is pretty flat. I do have a couple undulating pathways with stepped concrete pavers I do however.
I probably had 2 hours of really heavy use into "old snow" doing a 60' path mid-winter.
I do "backdrag" (front wheels of tractor up off the ground) out near the main road or near my garage when snow is slushy, and usually don't disengage blower.
I seldom blow with the blower raised up off the ground into a tall snowbank however. If there's more than 2' of snow, I have bigger problems--ha ha

Not sure what to attribute the difference to. I don't baby it at all. I mean, I paid pretty big bux for my 48" "commercial grade" blower as our winters are pretty serious here.

So far I've kept it greased and try to "use it right" but it's a snowblower, so I def. work it.

 

[River19]

How strange.
. I removed my BX2830 (yes, that's the real model #) from my BX2380 today and the couplings look nearly new. I probably have close to 50hours on just the blower over 3 very long NB winters.

For the data miners:

I engage just above idle, then ramp up the RPM's when I'm ready to tackle snow,
(sometime I'll DISengage at full revs if I am forgetful)
I normally operate it in float mode, but my driveway is pretty flat. I do have a couple undulating pathways with stepped concrete pavers I do however.
I probably had 2 hours of really heavy use into "old snow" doing a 60' path mid-winter.
I do "backdrag" (front wheels of tractor up off the ground) out near the main road or near my garage when snow is slushy, and usually don't disengage blower.
I seldom blow with the blower raised up off the ground into a tall snowbank however. If there's more than 2' of snow, I have bigger problems--ha ha

Not sure what to attribute the difference to. I don't baby it at all. I mean, I paid pretty big bux for my 48" "commercial grade" blower as our winters are pretty serious here.

So far I've kept it greased and try to "use it right" but it's a snowblower, so I def. work it.

Same model.

We have some very solid winters here in NH and my coupler is toast after 3 seasons and about 35hrs total. I follow the same exact procedure as you with regards to always starting at idle and ramping up Rpm and always in float. The big difference between my use case and yours is my driveway is steep, long (650-700') and since it is gravel it is pitched slightly to one side for drainage and while backing up I will admit the blower is raise 8-10"......gravel after all........AND there is nothing in any of the manuals that says to NOT raise it while running.

$7-8K for a "commercial" blower setup should not eat $500-700 in parts every 35hrs........it someone actually used it for commercial purposes, around here 35hrs can be one or two decent storm cleanups.....Kubota needs to do better than this.......

 

[ve9aa]

Right--I didn't specifically say it, but I too, have it raised slightly when backing up.
My driveway is only 225' long, but sorta shaped like a "T" . Has an odd shaped parking
lot section near the house.

It's also a mix of various gravels and I chuck a LOT of rocks...especially out near the road where salt can sometimes keep things thawed out most of the winter. It's flat in the middle, but crowned on the left and right towards the lawn, so in the winter I am actually snowblowing a couple feet of lawn on both sides and in the "parking lot" section , so it's always "leaning" a little to the left and right, etc. (depending on which way the wind is blowing of course)

When backing up, I raise my blower (usually, but not always) the minimum from it dragging in the snow.
Maybe 10-15% of the the time it's raised all the way up.

So, all in all, I think we do things 80-90% the same. From what you've said, I don't see our use as vastly different so someone could say "NB guy doesn't do this" or "NH guy does that" so that must be the issue.
If it is, I don't see it.

I don't know the intimate workings of how this all works well enough to even take a real good guess, but my gut tells me there surely has to be a difference between our 2 "identical" blowers.

Different casting quality of couplers? (doubtful)

Maybe yours has a bad bearing or spring or mount or pin or something or some part, or bracket or (??) that allows flex (and thus rubbing of couplers) whereas mine doesn't have it (yet) ?

I wish I knew. I bet you wish you knew even more than me!

The general worry is...if we can ever ID the issue, most if not all of us will encounter it eventually - - right?

 

[River19]

I wanted to close the loop on this. I just got off the phone with the service Dept and my blower and K-connect is ready for pick up. $700 later.....

Their explanation is that "the dog ears wear like that when the lower locking pins on the blower are not locked in and you back up with the blower down it allows enough play in the coupler to wear those down and break off the dog ears".

Here's what I know to be true. In the ~35hrs of usage on this blower.....I have backed up with the blower down Exactly ZERO times. I have a gravel driveway.....backing up dragging a blower is suicide for the driveway.

They claimed they have seen only one other K-Connect/Blower with this issue and that was the cause of the other failure. They did acknowledge "it is all over the internet but these are the only 2 they have seen"........I'm not calling BS, but I kinda am. I have NEVER done what they claim is the cause.

I told him I would see him in another 30hrs or so of use on this "commercial blower" as that was NOT the cause of this failure. I also ensure my lower pins are fully locked in ALL the time. It is a simple mounting system.....it is literally hard to screw up and if they were not locked in, I would have all sorts of wonkiness while blowing.....

Kinda Pissed. $8000K + blower system that is sold as a "commercial" unit that didn't survive 35hrs of residential use.

 

[ve9aa]

I'd be p!$$ed too if I was you ... (honestly)

I do "back drag" occasionally (which I guess is a no-no?) (even to the point of lifting the front wheels off the ground while in reverse but my dogs look nearly new and I have no idea why. I have 75 hours on my machine and over 50% of that is in heavy snow here in NB (gravel driveway)

I just keep wondering what is different between our blowers?
It surely can't be operator use. If anything, I use mine harder (more irresponsibly) than you do.

VERY STRANGE !

 

[River19]

I'd be p!$$ed too if I was you ... (honestly)

I do "back drag" occasionally (which I guess is a no-no?) (even to the point of lifting the front wheels off the ground while in reverse but my dogs look nearly new and I have no idea why. I have 75 hours on my machine and over 50% of that is in heavy snow here in NB (gravel driveway)

I just keep wondering what is different between our blowers?
It surely can't be operator use. If anything, I use mine harder (more irresponsibly) than you do.

VERY STRANGE !

I have no idea how to interpret this blower thing........ should I toss it up as a random quality control issue that Kubota doesn't want to admit that sticks me with a $700 bill?

This blower was expensive as heck (full hydraulics etc.) and billed as a "commercial" blower.....and I treat it like the expensive object it is, meaning I take good care of it and use it as designed.

Not to mention, there is conflicting advice regarding how to back up with the blower....

On this forum the theory was that the blower should not be raised fully while running......then my dealer is suggesting back dragging introduces play into he cogs allowing premature wear......conditional on the lower pins being 100% locked in......which there is no real way to not be locked in.....they either are, or are not from what I recall.

This seems like an awful fragile "commercial" setup if you ask me.......

 

[River19]

I reached out to Kubota directly. Got the somewhat predictable response.

"Our warranty is specifically for manufacturing defects and does not cover wear items such as couplings".

Of course, under normal circumstances I fully agree with their position. But a coupling basically eating itself within 35hrs of use on a "commercial" implement? That is pathetic and embarrassing.

IMHO, shame on Kubota for not stepping up. I don't know what I will do if I end up down for the count during the winter staring at another $700 wear item...............like every 35hrs of use? Really?

 

[Snowman7]

I reached out to Kubota directly. Got the somewhat predictable response.

"Our warranty is specifically for manufacturing defects and does not cover wear items such as couplings".

Of course, under normal circumstances I fully agree with their position. But a coupling basically eating itself within 35hrs of use on a "commercial" implement? That is pathetic and embarrassing.

IMHO, shame on Kubota for not stepping up. I don't know what I will do if I end up down for the count during the winter staring at another $700 wear item...............like every 35hrs of use? Really?

I have the EXACT feelings that you do going into winter 23/24. I had my couplings replaced under warranty as the LX2980 has a two year warranty and it was about 21 months from purchase. We will know soon!