TICKED at the dealer...... I paid $5000 for a FEL and they didnt add any hydraulic fluid

[Mrrrkva]

I am new the the Kubota. So far I am not real happy. I have a 2016 L 3301 Manual transmission. I changed the oil and checked the Transmission fluid before I took it. Everything was topped off. I got a Front end loader installed at the dealer. It was Raining ICE and snow, but we got the tractor loaded. The next day I ran it for 30 minutes, basically trying it out and pushed the 3 inches of snow in the driveway. Thought I would check the fluids. There was NOTHING on the Hydraulic fluid stick. I told the dealer. They did give me 2.5 gallons of fluid. It took almost a full 2 gallons. Thankfully I had the Manual transmission and not the HST. Everything seems to work fine. Is there anything I can do? With it being a Manual transmission tractor, did I tear anything up?

 

[OlFerguson]

Was there any oil on the ground? I’d say check it the same time everyday and throughout and note if the fluid fluctuates. If you have to constantly top it off, something internally is not correct. Was it inspected by the dealer

 

[Nicfin36]

I doubt there was any damage to it. It holds 7.5 gallons? So, it would have had 5 1/2 in it and you only ran it 30 minutes or so. It is sad you cannot trust anyone to do the right thing. I ran my front tractor for 30 hours before checking the front axle to find hardly any fluid in it.

In my case, I talked it over with the dealer after letting him know what I thought about the issue. I opted to not make them do anything, even though the salesman said they would disassemble the axle and check it. I told him if I can't trust them to put fluid in an axle, what would make me think they could take apart an axle and put it back together properly. In retrospect, I should have asked for an extended warranty.

Is my situation equivalent to yours? I don't know. But, if you are to do something like that, you should do it right away.

But, again, I don't think you harmed anything. The more experienced guys will chime in at some point.

 

[Mrrrkva]

Was there any oil on the ground? I’d say check it the same time everyday and throughout and note if the fluid fluctuates. If you have to constantly top it off, something internally is not correct. Was it inspected by the dealer

There was no fluid on the ground . I didnt have to add any transmission fluid. I just wanted to comment that the transmission fluid was full when I took it there. I am just assuming they didnt add any fluid after adding the FEL. And the FEL took the 2 gallons. Does anyone know how much a FEL takes when you add it to the tractor? I had the dealer check the tractor out before they added the FEL..... Perhaps I should of had them check it AFTER they added....I just assumed they would.

 

[whitetiger]

Does anyone know how much a FEL takes when you add it to the tractor?

Right at 2 gallons. You had better check the loader bracket mounting bolts because if they can not top off the hydraulic oil after an install, can they tighten a bolt?
You did not hurt anything, but why did you not check the oil when you got it back?

 

[mcfarmall]

When my dealer delivered my tractor we checked all the fluid levels together.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

re: why did you not check the oil when you got it back?

probably cause you ASSUME the professionals you're paying for at the OEM shop do their job ?
I have to 'assume' there's a 'how to install' book and 3rd last item is 'add 10 litres of oil.....' 2nd last 'check all operations', last thing... have a coffee break....

To cover myself, I'd send an email to the dealer, KubUSA and myself nicely explaining what happened ,so that IF inthe furtre anything bad shows up, they were AWARE of the 'booboo'.

 

[GeoHorn]

There is some reassuring things about gearboxes in these type stories.... Gears pick up oil from the bottom as they rotate and deliver them to the gears higher-up as a function of their design. (Think of that little Lucas demonstrator they have in autoparts stores where you crank a little hand-crank and watch the oil being brought up to the topmost gear.... and then drain back down (faster with brand-X oil and more S L O W L Y with the Lucas stuff they want you to buy (Because it has a thickener in it to impress you with that particular little toy.... Notice they don’t tell you what that thick stuff does on cold weather or how it creates localized heat that can burn bushings in the voids it creates when cold..... Hint: you actually WANT the thinner oil so it’ll distribute quickly and not foam when gears are at high speed.... and notice how quickly the thinner oil actually reaches the topmost gear... They don’t think you’ll notice that good feature..)

ANYWAY.... even tho’ a front axle ...or transmission ....may have been VERY low at one time..... as soon as the gears made a revolution or two they had oil brought to them, and gear oils (and tractor Hyd fluids) have EP additives to prevent galling and scoring.... It’s very unlikely they were hurt one bit.

BUT.... any good tech will Always CHECK HIS WORK when closing-up and that is an example of poor methodology and should be brought to their attention!

You’re tractor is not hurt if it was only 2 gal low, especially with a manual tranny.

(that opinion from a former gearbox/rear-axle/differential specialist-technician trained by Gulf States Toyota).

 

[Bmyers]

Reminds me, I need to check the oil in the front axle. Maybe this weekend it will be above freezing and I will give it a look.

 

[lugbolt]

I had a customer once....said install a backhoe, he was the most demanding guy I've ever dealt with. The backhoe was $7500 MSRP which included installation. But it did not include any fluids that may be needed to finish the install, so I did what I was told...install the hoe, double check everything (including fluid level which was LOW), left a note on the steering wheel to make sure to fill the fluid level in the transmission before operation. Customer wouldn't budge on the price, he wrote the check and that was IT. Dude picked it up, tossed the tag off to the side and proceeded to drive off (no tie downs either). A couple days later it's all over the dealer's facebook page that the dealer forgot to fill the fluid level, I get called into the boss's office and took a chewing, corporate chewed him and myself both out then we had to eat a gallon of fluid. I had to go to the guy's house a couple hours away on my own time and add fluid. Mind you, it's out in the sticks where there wasn't a level piece of ground in sight so getting the level correct in the window was a joke. I left the remainder of the gallon there and got in my car & drove home. Big boss's came in the next day for their normal monthly visit and we all had a 'discussion'--after I showed them pictures of the tag I hung on the steering wheel (with a wire tie mind you), and explanation of the fact that the customer was too cheap to spend $25 on fluid. Didn't matter. "Couldn't you just go get a gallon from parts?"...LOL...yeah sure I'll get right on that. "You aint got any laying around"....nope all out (and the shop really didn't have any). Still didn't matter. I just shook my head and went back to working on something, ignoring them.

 

[mcfarmall]

To tag along with GeoHorn's thoughts, I have seen gearboxes and right angle drives run for months in an industrial setting with precious little oil in them and not much damage to boot. Top them off and they run for a few more years 24-7.

 

[JimmyJazz]

Since no one knows who I really am I will confess to having operated my Kubota powered Steiner tractor for four years without once having checked the hydraulic fluid level. It is a hydrostatic driven beast. It wasn't until it blew a hydraulic hose on a steep hillside this past summer and I lost all control including steering and brakes that I thought about the hydraulics. For the next several months you could follow the trail of brown grass down the hill into the neighbors yard ending in a three foot oval of grass killed by hydraulic fluid . Very scary. The prior owner had removed the brake. I was to dumb at the time to understand its importance. Thats how I came to "appreciate " the hydrostatically driven tractors. Somewhat related rant #2; For those of you looking at new vehicles be prepared in that your compact disks (CDs) have recently been rendered extinct. I feel old.

 

[PapaJ]

Since no one knows who I really am I will confess to having operated my Kubota powered Steiner tractor for four years without once having checked the hydraulic fluid level. It is a hydrostatic driven beast. It wasn't until it blew a hydraulic hose on a steep hillside this past summer and I lost all control including steering and brakes that I thought about the hydraulics. For the next several months you could follow the trail of brown grass down the hill into the neighbors yard ending in a three foot oval of grass killed by hydraulic fluid . Very scary. The prior owner had removed the brake. I was to dumb at the time to understand its importance. Thats how I came to "appreciate " the hydrostatically driven tractors. Somewhat related rant #2; For those of you looking at new vehicles be prepared in that your compact disks (CDs) have recently been rendered extinct. I feel old.

I haven't checked anything but the fuel level on mine, but I'm only at 40 hours. I have greased it once. I reckon I should check it more, maybe I'll start after I do the 50 hour service.

 

[Bmyers]

I haven't checked anything but the fuel level on mine, but I'm only at 40 hours. I have greased it once. I reckon I should check it more, maybe I'll start after I do the 50 hour service.

I figure I spent my hard earned money on my machine, I will be checking it before each use. The few minutes of time that it takes me to check fluids, top off, grease, clean the windshields, etc. helps me know that I'm doing my best to keep my machine running for the long haul.

 

[Mrrrkva]

Ill be checking it before I fire it up every time. I was even so paranoid, that I changed the oil and filter as soon as I got it. I also changed the transmission filter, so I knew where I started. Lesson learned. I need to get out there and and check all the bolts they used when they put on the front end loader.

 

[thirdroc17]

1, It is possible the oil level was correct leaving the dealer. It will take many repeated operations to fully bleed all the air from the lines and cylinders. If you would have picked it up, and it had been used 3 hours to ensure oil distribution, would that have been ok?

2, I agree with Lugbolt. He was in a lose lose situation. IF he had just got that gallon of oil and poured it in when it wasn't listed on his work order, would he have gotten his butt chewed for giving away oil not paid for?

 

[whitetiger]

1, It is possible the oil level was correct leaving the dealer. It will take many repeated operations to fully bleed all the air from the lines and cylinders. If you would have picked it up, and it had been used 3 hours to ensure oil distribution, would that have been ok?

It takes approx 2 gallons of oil to fill the loader hoses & cylinders, the tractor came back 2 gallons low after install. It was not topped off after install.
Cycling the loader a couple of times has all but a minuscule amount of air bled out.

 

[GeoHorn]

Surely after installation the shop/mechanic cycled the loader to confirm it’s proper operation,.... and that would have removed the majority of any air in the system. Afterwards any “diligent” workman would check/confirm that the proper amount of fluid be in the reservoir.
If the customer insisted that no “additonal” charges be added to the work-order than the installation of the loader .... then the shop should courteously advise the owner to check his fluid levels.