What did you do to or on your Kubota today?

[fried1765]

Not totally tractor related, had Winnebago Minnie 26BHSS travel trailer. 9500lb GVW. Bought it new. Had stylish 16” aluminum wheels and of course new tires. Stupidly think “It’s a decent name brand, no need to check tire or wheel ratings. They wouldn’t spec crap tires on a $35K camper with a name like Winnebago. Trust the engineers.”

First trip out was about 50 miles total as it was the shakedown run. All good. Second run was 250 miles out, 250 back. Check tire pressure pre-trip every time. About halfway back, less than 500 miles total, on a cool, rainy day the right rear explodes. Totally shreds to nothing. Pull off and see the tread is missing, sidewall is just a spaghetti of wires and rim bead killed by hitting the road. Change tire, pray we make it home (we did).

Start looking at tires and researching rims. Rims are rated for 1750lb each. Tires made by some no name Chinese manufacturer rated for 2000lb each. On a 9500lb GVW trailer that weighed almost 8000lb dry weight, well over 8000lb as outfitted and loaded when in use. Bad tires? Bad rim? Bad engineer? Maybe some combo? Regardless: bad.

Replaced all five (including spare) wheels and tires with black steel wheels rated for 3500lb each, shod with Kenda Loadstars rated to carry the full weight of the trailer. Have used Kenda Loadstars on campers, equipment trailers, and cargo trailers for many years. I’m sure they’d blow if I ran over a box of nails or something but thousands and thousands of miles without one failure.

Good trailer tires can be had, but the no name Chinese tires earned the moniker, “China bombs” for a reason.

I’ve heard from others that Greenball is good as well, but no experience with Greenballs.

And yes, I know Kendas and Greenballs are manufactured in China. Seems to be some quality control differences between them and the Fung How Ping Pong Co or whatever random folks make the no name stuff.

Much China "manufacturing" is VERY different from what we are accustomed to.
The Chinese build "knock offs" of many of their own products.
Backyard "factories" produce all sorts of products that are "similar" to those made by their primary Chinese manufacturers.
Kinda crude, but fascinating......A small smokestack/assembly operation in many backyards/alleys.

 

[Trimley]

Post Covid, the products and merchandise found on Amazon is less and less "name brand", and more "off-brand" Chicom junk. The recent change/minimum purchase (for free shipping) jacked up to $35, along with "sold and shipped by Amazon" is more of what I find for my needs. Prior to the $35 minimum to get free shipping, there were many more choices/sellers available of which the purchase could be made. Now that's not so.

 

[Magicman]

Speaking of tires....

If one goes and they are all the same age, etc. and were inflated to 75 psi....

Drive a new set under them. This new set are Goodyears.

 

[mdhughes]

Speaking of tires....

If one goes and they are all the same age, etc. and were inflated to 75 psi.
Drive a new set under them. This new set are Goodyears.

That looks a lot like a tire that was on my Dodge Ram back in 2009. It was snowing and snow on the roads when I notice something wasn't right. This was on a 2 lane county road with now shoulders. I stopped and got my flashlight out and took a look. It was the passenger back tire. It was ripped to shreds. I got the spare down first and then took the flat off. The tire was pulled behind the brake drum backing plate and I had a hard time getting it off. I didn’t want to pull on it to hard so I didn’t pull it off the jack. When it came off it hit my left knee and I wound up with a nice bump. Someone in a truck stopped and came over and asked if I needed some help. I ask if he could help me put the flat in the bed of the truck. He asked me if I had good clothes on, I told him yes, he said that he had work clothes on and he would put it in the bed for me.

 

[fried1765]

Post Covid, the products and merchandise found on Amazon is less and less "name brand", and more "off-brand" Chicom junk. The recent change/minimum purchase (for free shipping) jacked up to $35, along with "sold and shipped by Amazon" is more of what I find for my needs. Prior to the $35 minimum to get free shipping, there were many more choices/sellers available of which the purchase could be made. Now that's not so.

I use the "list" feature to store items to reach the $35 minimum.
I usually have several items "stored" there, that I am not in immediate need of.
Then, when I need a particular item, I just go to my stored list, and add one or more of those "list" items to reach the $35 free shipping minimum.
Works for me!
I consider the $179 yearly Amazon Prime fee to be a total rip off!

 

[OntheRidge]

I use the "list" feature to store items to reach the $35 minimum.
I usually have several items "stored" there, that I am not in immediate need of.
Then, when I need a particular item, I just go to my stored list, and add one or more of those "list" items to reach the $35 free shipping minimum.
Works for me!
I consider the $179 yearly Amazon Prime fee to be a total rip off!

It is only 139, not 179. Worth it for me, but not everyone.

 

[fried1765]

It is only 139, not 179. Worth it for me, but not everyone.

My error!
Thought I read $179 somewhere.

 

[Trimley]

I use the "list" feature to store items to reach the $35 minimum.
I usually have several items "stored" there, that I am not in immediate need of.
Then, when I need a particular item, I just go to my stored list, and add one or more of those "list" items to reach the $35 free shipping minimum.
Works for me!
I consider the $179 yearly Amazon Prime fee to be a total rip off!

I always use the list feature. The Prime, since getting this new Kubota, I've bought a LOT for it, so in that stint I would have benefit from it.

I know shipping isn't "free", but not seeing it, and it absorbed in the price, I like. Since Amazon changed their marketing strategy with the "sold and shipped by Amazon" push, choices to buy through the brand name resellers are fewer. That's my gripe. I've bought elswhere.

 

[Magicman]

I will not subscribe to Prime. Before buying anything on Amazon, I look at the same item on eBay. It is usually cheaper and free shipping anyway.

I have never had an unresolved issue with eBay but I have with Amazon.

 

[GeoHorn]

I find Amazon to be worthwhile, and particularly like their easy almost-no-question free return policies. We live in the boonies and it’s worth a few gallons of gas ($5+) not to have to go to town to pick up many items.

When I think of Amazon …I can’t help but wonder how the now-failed original mail-order-retailer Sears & Roebuck totally MISSED the boat in what was originally Their Idea!

 

[cptbarkey]

More progress today, confirmed one of the safety switches is bad, now just a matter of which one. Engine turns over and sounds like it has good compression, used a remote starter switch. My initial guess as to what is really wrong was confirmed as well when I removed the fuel line after the first filter and diesel barely dribbled out. The seller complained it was bogging badly.

I drained about 2.5 gallons after disconnecting the other side of the filter. It was fascinating to see the water contamination bubbles. I am putting a new filter and pump on tomorrow. Getting excited!

 

[fried1765]

I find Amazon to be worthwhile, and particularly like their easy almost-no-question free return policies. We live in the boonies and it’s worth a few gallons of gas ($5+) not to have to go to town to pick up many items.

When I think of Amazon …I can’t help but wonder how the now-failed original mail-order-retailer Sears & Roebuck totally MISSED the boat in what was originally Their Idea!

Sears = BAD management!

 

[Old_Paint]

Sears = BAD management!

That can be said for a LOT of companies now. I could stand on a soapbox for days on that topic.

 

[Old_Paint]

More progress today, confirmed one of the safety switches is bad, now just a matter of which one. Engine turns over and sounds like it has good compression, used a remote starter switch. My initial guess as to what is really wrong was confirmed as well when I removed the fuel line after the first filter and diesel barely dribbled out. The seller complained it was bogging badly.

I drained about 2.5 gallons after disconnecting the other side of the filter. It was fascinating to see the water contamination bubbles. I am putting a new filter and pump on tomorrow. Getting excited!

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Is that metal shavings I see in the top photo? No bueno, amigo. You're gonna wanna know where that came from.

 

[je1279]

Is that metal shavings I see in the top photo? No bueno, amigo. You're gonna wanna know where that came from.

I saw that as well, but I assumed that the metal shavings were in the pan before he drained the fuel into it. The pump could have grenaded as well though, resulting in a bunch of plastic and metal debris in the fuel system. If that's the case, hopefully the filters prevented any of it from getting to the engine.

 

[cptbarkey]

Is that metal shavings I see in the top photo? No bueno, amigo. You're gonna wanna know where that came from.

Barely anything came out after the first filter, all that came directly out of the tank thankfully. Brand new drain pan. I am replacing the pump anyway out of mistrust.

 

[Old_Paint]

I saw that as well, but I assumed that the metal shavings were in the pan before he drained the fuel into it. The pump could have grenaded as well though, resulting in a bunch of metal and plastic debris in the fuel system. If that's the case, hopefully the filters prevented any of it from getting to the engine.

I kinda thought fuel pumps were mostly plastic these days, but I'm also well aware of the fact I know NOTHING (yet) about diesel fuel pumps. I do know that my fuel filter is between the tank and pump, though with a gravity feed to the filter. What I do know however is that metal shavings in ANY fluid that has anything to do with an engine is NOT a good sign if it came out of the engine or it's fuel supply. The screens on the injectors SHOULD stop it as last resort, but that much trash would likely stop them up if it makes it past the filter. If that came out of the filter bowl, then the filter's doing it's job. Hopefully it's just diesel you bought (which is bad enough) and didn't come from your machine. I can't think of anything upstream of the filter that would have that much trash in it. If that came from between the filter and the pump, though, if the pump hasn't grenaded yet, odds are it won't be long.

If the engine was said to be 'fading' on heavy throttle, I think I'd go ahead and yank the injectors for a good cleaning, or just replace them. It doesn't take much trash in an injector to be a BIG problem. You do you, though.

 

[mcmxi]

Not mine but I got to drive one of these yesterday. It's a cool machine but not something I would buy. I've never driven an articulated vehicle as far as I can remember and it does feel weird but something that I would get used to I'm sure.

 

[Old_Paint]

Barely anything came out after the first filter, all that came directly out of the tank thankfully. Brand new drain pan. I am replacing the pump anyway out of mistrust.

Talk about a sigh of relief ....

 

[je1279]

Barely anything came out after the first filter, all that came directly out of the tank thankfully. Brand new drain pan. I am replacing the pump anyway out of mistrust.

I've seen leaves and twigs in fuel tanks before, but that looks like someone cleaned off their workbench and dumped the dust pan into the fuel tank.