Aux Hydro tank REWELD AGAIN advice

D&D Farm

D&D Farm

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Hey Guys..............A couple of months ago I got some help on the repair of the Aux Hydro tank bracket. Rewelded it using a MIG/TIG with a professional welder doing the job...........</P>


NOW it has broken again. Seems to be breaking when I go over like a 6" or so log. Rare for me to do this; but when I read on here about some of the adventures this thing is taken on, golly it should be able to slowly navigate through some woods. Yes, I go slow and careful. I do kinda use the bump and jump method rather than use traction. Anyway..............I called the Kubota dealer and he advised that he had not heard of this problem before except when I had called a couple of months ago..............</P>


I remember a couple of weeks ago another guy having come up with a bracket type repair for this problem...........The bracket that holds the tank is what is breaking..............The Kubota dealer service guy is gonna call me back after he talks with Kubota about if they have a repair for this.........It's an 05 so I doubt if THEY are gonna warranty it, but; it is a default..................</P>


Anyway, HOW to fix this thing once and for all..........??????????....................Am wondering if just the bracket itself is metallurgically faulty and a new bracket would be the fix...........or a new bracket design?????..............</P>


Thanks Guys</P>
 
D&D</P>


A couple pictures showing the broken bracket and the repair work would help us forum folks seethe problem. Send them in if ya got em.</P>


still a RTV wannabe, Keifer</P>
 
A bit of update............The Kubota service guy just called and advised that they had heard nothing about this being an issue.........This is from the Kubota area rep................</P>


It is enough to "see"...........pics are had to do at this moment; but ........................</P>


Standing at the rear looking at the tank aux hydro tank...........The square looking tank just above the hitch reciever.........The left side is what has broken twice now......This tank, is held onto the frame by a bracket that bolts to a tab welded to the frame...............ACTUALLY, WHAT IS BREAKING IS THE TAB that welds to the frame...........the tab has 2 holes drilled in it that the bracket bolts to...............So, it is the tab that is faulty, not the bracket..............the tab breaks off right at the weld..........Hope you can "see" this....................thanks..........Dennis</P>
 
it sounds like your saying the welds are breaking off the tank?? if so it might be that just maybe the tank is cast iron or some other type of metal other than reglar black iron. . the way you'r supose to weld cast iron is to preheat it to a certain degrees before even welding on it or your welds will just break off in time .please check to see if the tank is a cast iron tank .
 
No the tank is plastic..........It holds about 2 gallons of hydro fluid.............there is a bracket on each side of the tank that bolts onto the tank.............This braket bolts to a tab that is welded onto the frame tube...............the tab is maybe 1 1/2 in X 2 "..............Again, this tab is welded to the frame..........The break occurs right at the weld, not the weld intself; but at the margin of the weld in the metal of the tab itself....................</P>


I do not have a metal fab facility. I do not own a trailer. I do own a welder with a friend to help me weld.............Last time we cleaned up the area with a hand grinder, aligned the tab up to where it should go, and rewelded it................</P>


The metal of the tab itself is shearing off.................The tab is a butt weld directly into the tubing.........</P>


Golly I hope this is descriptive enough..............WHAT TO DO??????????.......Dennis</P>
 
May I make a suggestion.... I have had things like that break on other equipment, but not my RTV>></P>


Best thing to do, is make yourself a whole new tab. The OEM tab might have a weak flaw in it, and you will be just spinning your wheels >>>>. And if possible, make it longer so it may take more stress..... Listening to what you said, your small " metal tab " is weak. This is just my opinion, been there on other things , and replaced with new metal, never have anymore troubles >>>>>>>> might even think about producing some small gussetts to help hold the weight !!!!!</P>


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For the benefit of all, here's a picture of the area in question.

Dennis. Elaborate if/as needed.
 
I would fab up a new tab and weld it on as well. Make it the same size/shape as the OEM tab...the key thing here is the angle of the tab when welded to the T/M frame. If the angle is off a few degrees it will put undo stress on it. I forgot what that angle is exactly, but PM me if I forget to reply with it on Monday.
 
can you send me the old one /if so i'll make you a new one you just pay shipping and make a small donation of what everamountyou wantto the cause.lol or you don't have to donate nuthin just pay shipping but i'll see what i can do for you.
 
You guys are all just some fantastic fellas..................We do the Airstream trailer thing and I ride BMW motorcycles..............NOBODY on those forums have the common sense, courtesy, and graciousness that is shared here............Sometimes I feel like I am at an AA meeting or something the way ALL try to help one another..................The only thing that is missing is Rallies.............ya know.....LOTS of folks show up and share together.........lolol....I can just see the caravan comin out of Birmingham right now..............</P>


Anyway.........</P>


BC.........YES that is exactly the area.............you can just barely see the tab to the right of the muffler/exhaust pipe............the "tab" is that tiny bit that you can see just beyond those threaded fastners................</P>


Am gonna take off the bed, remove the muffler, and get it up on some ramps so I can properly get in there this time.................</P>


Ricochet..........The last time I matched the tab up in the exact position that the metal broke......you could easily see the alignment.............This time however; I am gonna grind the weld down on the frame so I can get a new piece of metal that is LONGER and wider at the weld...........So yes, that angle would be nice.............I am gonna measure the degrees but it looks like 90 to the frame.........</P>


Tommy....................Thanks so much for the offer........am gonna get the old piece off and then go down to tractor supply and buy something appropriate...........that or else just find a welding shop that has lots of scrap.................BUT........if all else fails.......will surely be in touch.........</P>


So..........for now, tomorrow gonna do the dissasemble and see what I need.............</P>


Does anyone have any thoughts about that going over a 6 inch log by "bump and bounce" would be destructive to these machines............In both cases hit the gas about a couple of feet away.......let off for an instant and then did the same with the rear wheels...........the Kubota guy said they werent made for going over logs...............Or should I just slowwwwwww down.......kick in the 4 wheel and traction my way over????</P>


Thanks again Guys............God Bless...........Dennis</P>
 
I thought the left side tab came off at an angle like 30 degrees and the right side came off at 90 degrees. Hmmm. Also, a thicker gauge material will help as well but just make sure you compensate for the additional material thickness.

Going over a 6 inch log should not case this problem...I have gone over much worse and nothing broke like that.
 
I do not have the hydro-lift bed. But do have the tabs. In the morning, PM me if I forget, and I'll snap a photo of the tabs and maybe you can get a look at the angles. The angles are different on them !!!</P>


<FONT size=5><FONT face=Arial> </FONT><FONT face=JohnHancock color=#ff0000>~~~ Two Guns ~~~</FONT></FONT></P>
 
<P mce_keep="true">I had this same problem with the bracket breaking. Kubota does know about it because Iwrote them. I told them I really liked the Kubota but thoughtthe brackets should not breaklike that. I've also heard of others breaking that were not being used hard. The local Kubota representative called me and told me to take to my dealer and they made up new heavier brackets and installed them at no charge to me. The representativealso said there had been some other in his area with the same problem. Mine is a 2004 the second RTV my dealer sold. </P>
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<P mce_keep="true">Hey Mr. Coot..............I have this durn flu and barely feel like gettin up to do much...........achy/hurtin joints.........soppin wet with fever sweats or chilled...............so havent done much on this...............</P>
<P mce_keep="true">I have a good mechanic/welder stopping by this evening to give me a hand; but the way I feel it wont get done today................</P>
<P mce_keep="true">2 different Kubota dealers here said they had never heard of this situation................typical.............What is the phone number for their Customer Service Hotline at Kubota..................</P>
<P mce_keep="true">Problem is, to get the unit over to the dealer is gonna cost me a hauling charge if they fix it for free.......About what I will end up paying a guy to fix it here......Shucks............oughtta just go back to bed and worry about it later...........My wife......the "OWNER" needs it repaired bad though so gotta get it done..................Dennis</P>
 
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<DIV><FONT size=4>Hope you get to feeling better. </FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT size=4>I got the same stuff from the dealer here to, and I believe them. Said they never heard of it before.But I was in aweb site somewhere, that had a couple of guys with the same problem.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>I didn't call Kubota,they calledme after I wrote to them about the problem on this site.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>https://www.kubota.com/f/secure/contact_PR.cfm?</DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>When Kubota called me the representative said he had a couple of other cases in his district. I did have to take it to the dealer. Luckily I have a large trailer to do it with.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Probably cost you more to have it hauled there and back then it is worth. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>By the way if you need to use it before you get it fixed, like I did, you can use bundgee cords to retain it.</FONT></DIV>
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<P mce_keep="true">OK, end of the saga I hope. My Bud came by last evening after he got off of work. Actually he is a former student of mine that I had for 4 years teaching him technology, construction, video, and engineering................Long story; but many guys like him that the ol man can count on when needed. It's a shame that now adays teachers cannot enjoy being that "uncle" that teaches them about life and how to live in this world. That's really why teachers teach..........shut up Dennis.............</P>
<P mce_keep="true">Anyway, I had the bed off. That is so easy to do it is pathetic...................The wiring unplugs in 2 minutes, and 3 hinge type pivot bolts.........Taking off the bed made life a lot easier because I could get into and behind everything. </P>
<P mce_keep="true">Took the brackets off of both sides of the tankand ground down the residual weld/repair that was remaining. The weld itself did not fail. Again, the metal in the tab had sheared perhaps 1/8 inch from the weld.</P>
<P mce_keep="true">To make a long story short, we eliminated the bracket and the tab on the left side. Had acquired a piece of 1/8 X 2 X8 inch piece of angleiron.Aligned everything up and ran the angle iron straight outhorizontally from the frame tubing. Lots ofsurface area for the weld to hold. The tank now sits directly against and on the angle iron. </P>
<P mce_keep="true">Yes, a total redesign, which I have problems with as Kubota pays those engineers big bucks to come up with what is correct; but obviously there is a problem with this tab design. What I have done may not be elegant; but it aint goin anywhere.........................I need to shut this down because I think I am just going on and on................Dennis</P>
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<P mce_keep="true">i didn't think the welds was breakin i figured it was the metal givin out they probably used a cheap lighter steel. if you went with a regular black iron piece your probably good to go but now what you said brings up another concern that plastic tank vibrating on metal??? i would but something like some gasket material in between it so it wouldn't wear a hole through your tank from the vibrations just something to think about.</P>
 
<P mce_keep="true">Yep, mine broke the same way. The weld did not break. I think there must be some flexing going on and the steel work hardens and breaks.I live on top of a hill and everything I do is goingeither up down or side ways. Glad to hear you got it fixed. I just wonder if it is only a matter of time before the other people start having the problem.</P>
 
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