Go BottomHelp - Cracked Kubota L series 3ph casting
 | HuckMeat
Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 121 Colorado 
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2008-04-11 152908
So I loaned my tractor to my good friend, who is always very kind to my tools. Unfortunatly, pulling a 6' box blade, no scarifers, somehow he broke the right side lower 3point attachment point. On my L4330 HST, this mount appears to be cast integral to the right side of the differential housing.
My dealer quoted me $249 for the casting, and $700 minimum to install. The used tractor dealer (sells everything) said they could do the work for $350 if I provide the parts, and seemed to want the business.
A) Can this be welded?
B) It appears to me I need to remove the wheel, axle, subframe, then replace (sealant/etc) the casting. Are there any magic tricks to this.
c) Wouldn't it make sense to make this a bolt on piece like some of the other kubotas (LA)
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 | harvey
Join Date: Sep 2000 Posts: 1550 Moravia, NY 
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2008-04-12 152909
It is cast, you will have to use a nickle rod. Pre heat weld small area peen with hammer as cools. Keep repeating and keep the slag chipped out I also wire brushed each layer. Work different areas GO SLOWLY. Very important to peen out to relieve stress as cools.
I did one on my ford 1500 15+ years ago and built it up, more metal than original. The tractor is still in operation with another owner.
Nickle rod is not cheap can't remember how much I used but I was not stingy with rod and only burned half a rod and discarded/saved for something else non critical. ....
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 | auerbach
Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 2168 West of Toronto 
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2008-04-12 152911
I'd go after Kubota or the seller if you bought it from a dealer. There must have been a defect in that component. ....
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 | cutter
Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 1307 The South Shore of Lake Ontario, New York
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2008-04-12 152927
I'm not so sure about the defect, there have been threads all over the internet for years with NH, JD and Kubota showing broken castings. Hope you can prove a case for a defect, would make life easier. ....
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 | Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2008-04-14 152953
Something doesn't sound right here.
I of all people know, any tractor out there will lose traction before you get to a fraction of the force required to snap the casting where the lower arms attach. The good Lord knows my guys have have put them to the test more times than I car to think. They have even shock loaded them by catching stuff at a pretty good pace, to the point of bending them or the implement. We have never broken one there, ever.
That leaves two possible causes, 1) your 'good friend' isn't so good after all, and was doing something waaaaay beyond just grading with the box blade, or, 2) the part was defective.
Either way, have your dealer look at your machine. The cause should be pretty obvious to someone who knows tractors. Look for things like rust in part of the cracked area (previous damage) air bubbles or 'foreign' looking material included in the casting.
To answer your original question though, in order to weld this properly, you will still need to take it off the tractor. So, if you have to go to all that work anyways, why take the risk it won't work and you will have to do it twice? IMHO, bite the bullet, and put the new part on.
The other thing to bear in mind is, if this really did just break from 'normal use' (which I highly doubt) why would a repair hold any better the second time around than the factory part did in the first place?
Best of luck. ....
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 | shinefeak
Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 35
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2008-04-15 152989
Huckmeat,
Take a look at the attached drawing. Does this seem like the piece that was broken? I have over a hundred hours of box blade/rear blade/ rotary cutting on this repair.
I posted this story a while back...
Here is the back story. While switching over from BH90 to box blade, I put the pin in place but neglected to bolt it in. Set the top link short and the scarifiers down and had it aggressively tilted. Went to work till I noticed the BB was not going down, get off and look and notice the sway link is bent almost 90 degrees and hung up on the BH frame.
As I am scracthing my head I notice the broken off piece of casting and the pin laying on the ground. Dumbfounded, I wander back to the barn where I see the bolt on the work bench, case of faulty owner not the tractor's fault.
Around this time my 80 year old neighbor rolls up on his golf cart. After a the usual chit chat, I say "I am having a bad day" and hand him the broken casting. He rolls it over in his hand says "Where's this from?", I tell him, he looks under the tractor and tells me I have a load of trouble as if I didn't know.
Tells me probably alot of $ to get that fixed, but hold off he may know someone who could take a look. And he goes on his way, only to show up that evening to see if he could have the part to show to his friend.
The next moring he stops by around 8 o clock and ask me what time I got up, I tell him 6 and he says that's early but I've been up since 4. Tells me he couldn't sleep because he was thinking about my tractor and the sad expression on my face. He hands me the broken casting that he has milled and drilled to resemble the lower half of a connecting rod along with stainless steel bolts and spacers machined to match.
He then vice gripped it in place, commands me to drill to holes which he promptly taps and bolts it on. Tells me I am set to go. It is kinda like looking at the bottom of a connecting rod ( By the next week he had sway bar straightened and and sliding almost like new).
The repair has held up to moderate box blade use and use with the rotary cutter. Any opinions as to the strength of this repair and if T&T would stress it?
It seems like the bolt that was originally left out takes alot off the load anyway, this part of the casting was not damaged in anyway.
Sorry for the long post ....
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| cutter
Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 1307 The South Shore of Lake Ontario, New York
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2008-04-15 153003
I looked at your pictures, what a nice piece of paradise you have there SF. ....
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 | Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2008-04-15 153007
Welding is viable but still a chance it might fail. But so did an original! A lot of things can happen when working with machinery, work with in reason with it welded, bolted or replaced.
I'm glad that your hitch is still working well SF! ....
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| shinefeak
Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 35
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2008-04-16 153021
Cutter,
Thanks, I like to think so.
Art,
Not only is the repair still holding, my neighbor still tinkering on things. I came across an old butter churn in a crawl space...the old man made me an engine so I could take it to a show, have a look...
Let's wish Huckmeat good luck with his repair!
....
Link: Butter churn in action
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