Kubota SVL65-2 weak drive on left side

[MG84]

Well my brand new Kubota SVL65 is already having problems, only has 52hrs on it. Not sure if this problem has been there since the beginning or is just developing. This is the first heavy dirt work/excavating job I’ve done with it so maybe I just hadn’t noticed until now.

Problem is when pushing into a bank the left track always stalls before the right track. In fact it doesn’t have enough power to spin the left track when pushing unless the conditions under foot are slick. Acts like it just opens a relief valve when you push it hard on that side.

Is there a relief valve that could just be maladjusted from the factory? That is my hope but I’m not holding my breath. I will call the Kubota dealer next week but am not thrilled about taking it in for them to work on it. Got tons of work lined up and can’t have it sitting in the shop for weeks. Anyone have any ideas to check before taking it in? Unfortunately I have not gotten any service manuals for it yet so I don’t even have any schematics of how the system works.



Rant: Is all new equipment Junk these days? Every new vehicle and piece of new equipment that we have bought in the past 20yrs seems to have ‘issues’. We’re not buying cheap stuff either, brands like Ford, Dodge, John Deere, Kubota, Honda, Stihl, etc. I remember stuff we bought in the 80s and early 90s going decades and thousands of hours without needing a wrench put to them. Has quality control just gone out the window these days?

 

[PeterG]

Not sure what you mean when you say pushing into the bank. Many operators try and fill the bucket by just driving into the bank or pile and hoping to fill the bucket that way. This is a hard way to do it. The correct procedure, which you're likely doing is to drive into the bank or pile with the bucket all the way down, and then as soon as the machine starts to "bog down" a bit immediately start lifting the bucket loader arms as you move forward with a final curl. If the material is hard you may need to do the procedure a couple of times to loosen the material up. Also a digging bucket is a big help. If you're still having issues, I would take it back to the dealer under warranty before you mess with it.

 

[MG84]

Thanks for the reply. I don’t want to come off as sounding snarky, but I have several thousand of hours of seat time on various types of loaders, my technique is not the problem. Digging out of a vertical bank is one scenario where you have a lot of traction from the breakout force of the loader and it makes any drive issues very apparent. It will do the same thing when excavating on the flat if you have enough traction, left track always gives up first and doesn’t provide as much tractive force as the right side.

 

[92U 3406]

How's the track tension? Too tight is going to take more power to drive it.

 

[MG84]

How's the track tension? Too tight is going to take more power to drive it.

Both tracks are the same and if anything a tad loose. They’ve broken in a bit from new and could each use a shot or two of grease on the tensioners.

 

[Acoals]

Rant: Is all new equipment Junk these days? Every new vehicle and piece of new equipment that we have bought in the past 20yrs seems to have ‘issues’. We’re not buying cheap stuff either, brands like Ford, Dodge, John Deere, Kubota, Honda, Stihl, etc. I remember stuff we bought in the 80s and early 90s going decades and thousands of hours without needing a wrench put to them. Has quality control just gone out the window these days?

I have had "issues" with most everything new except a Toyota Corolla . . .

 

[KSSS]

It could just be an adjustment issue or it could be a bad drive. Things happen, doesn't matter the color. They happened in the 80's and 90's and they happen now. I agree probably more so now, simply there is boat load more to go wrong with todays machines than those built then. I wouldn't get overly excited yet. Worse case, your drive motor is bad and it will take a while to get it fixed, just don't leave the dealership without a loaner and put hours on one of their machines. Feel like really holding them to the fire on an extended time repair? Make sure they extend your warranty for the amount of time it spent in pieces at a dealer.

 

[MG84]

So I’ve got a bit of an update, although not a good one.

Took it to the dealer Monday and dropped it off. They confirmed the drive on the left side was weak, symptoms as I described. Tested all the pump and relief pressures and all were good. Dealer and Kubota talked and decided the left hand drive motor is bad. Probably bad from the factory. Kubota is going to replace the left hand drive motor under warranty as far as I know, no word on when or when the parts will get here.

The dealer says I can have the machine back and run it until new parts arrive. I’m hesitant, although I really need the machine. I’m envisioning metal and crap from the bad drive motor going through the system, although it probably already has been for the past 57hrs. I don’t think the dealer has cut open any filters or checked the hyd return or tank for metal.

So what should I do, bring the machine back to my shop and cut the filters open myself? (its due for the 50hr hyd filter change anyways). Take some hydraulic oil samples and send them off to be analyzed? I’m worried about the longevity of the machine now and how to position myself from both a practical/mechanical stand point and a legal one to make sure this problem doesn’t come back to bite me in the future.

 

[KSSS]

Asking you to run your machine that way, cant be good. What happens when it stops for good? What if you cant get it out easily from wherever it is at when it poops the bed for good? How do you load it then? As you mentioned, what does it do to the rest of the machine when it grenades? I am surprised they would allow you to take it with you, probably so they don't feel obligated to give you a loaner. I would be certain that you will get your machine back faster when your running one of their loaners in the mean time. Not to mention that your productivity will be reduced now and I am sure progressively worse as the situation worsens.

No way I would take it back, but that is me. Your mileage may vary.

 

[MG84]

Yeah I think I’m going to leave it there until fixed. The loaner is a no go, they don’t do rentals and don’t even have any new or used skid steers there for sale. Said it’d be a couple month wait before they get any new ones on the lot.

The next couple jobs on the schedule I’ll just use the 1845c, but I do have a couple after that I really need a track machine for. Its pretty bad when the 25+ year old equipment with 5k hrs is more reliable than the new stuff...

 

[KSSS]

Well I would at least get them to extend your warranty for the amount of time your machine is in their shop. Having the ability to loan out a piece of equipment is important, especially on a machine that is under warranty. I would remember that when the day comes to get another one.

 

[MG84]

This is the second machine I’ve bought from this dealer and so far they have been good to work with. We’ll see how this whole situation shakes out, maybe my opinion will change. This Kubota dealer is only 30min away, there is another about an hour away that I won’t deal with because they are shysters, and a third larger one that has a good reputation but they are 1.5hrs away and in another state.

The Case dealer is also 1.5hrs away but has an excellent parts and service dept. They of course also sell larger equipment so they have service trucks and they have a rental fleet. The Case machines were high on my list before purchasing a Kubota, but I wanted an open station machine and they didn’t have any in stock and were unwilling to order one.

 

[MG84]

Good news and bad news. Dealer did come through with a loaner machine, will be exact same model and available to pick up Monday morning. They are bringing it in from another branch 2hrs away so I appreciate that.

Bad news is Kubota declined the warranty claim on the drive motor, said they will not warranty it without ‘proof’ that it is bad. Well everything else checked out ok, not sure what more proof they need. Dealer said we may have to get the regional service rep involved if Kubota doesn’t want to cooperate.

 

[KSSS]

Good of them to come up with a loaner. I would think there is some way to check pressures or something on the drive to confirm that it is bad and make Kubota happy.

 

[Tones]

Seeing as the pressures are good a simple casedrain flow check would confirm what the state of the motor is.

 

[James Sorochan]

Whats the power train warranty on the unit? You may also want to take an particle count on the hydraulic oil when you get it back. Check to see if the first hydraulic oil filter change is done at 50 hours. Check the operators manual maintenance section on this. If your dealer has been good to you so far that's a good sign. Be patient.

 

[MG84]

Oil sampling is something I’ve never done before, but this is case where it may prove valuable. As it sits right now, with 57hrs on it, the machine has the original hydraulic oil in it as well as all the original filters. The main spin on hyd filter is due to be changed at 50hrs which I was about to do before this problem, so I decided to wait incase they wanted to check the filter. The machine also has a return line filter and suction line filter, both of which are more of a cartridge type filter, I think in the tank and are to be changed at 250hrs. I’m assuming the dealer will flush the system and change all of those filters as part of this repair. With that being said, should I go ahead and try to get an oil sample now? Try to get the used filters to cut them open myself? I’m sure one way or another they’ll get the drive motor replaced, but my biggest concern right now is the long term effects from this problem. I want to have documentation of everything in case there is trouble in the future.

 

[Vetech63]

With 57 hours and Kubota already denying a warranty claim? IDE be demanding a new replacement machine or my money back.

 

[MG84]

With 57 hours and Kubota already denying a warranty claim? IDE be demanding a new replacement machine or my money back.

Believe me, that thought has crossed my mind. I’m going to see how this plays out a little bit first before going down that road.

 

[MG84]

Picked up the loaner machine yesterday, brand new svl65-2 with 1.4hrs on it, only difference is its narrow track and has a hyd coupler. Walked thorough the shop and they had my machine torn down with the drive motor out. There was indeed metal in the bad drive motor, hopefully that will be proof enough for Kubota. My question for yall, should I be worried about the long term reliability/longevity of the machine since metal has gone through the system? Dealer seemed to act like a good flush and new filters and it’d be good as new but IDK?