Newbie with a question pausing transmission.

the gear case and the hst are separate. so you have two failures it sounds like to me. the filters are plugged with debris from the HST problem and the ball is evidence of a gear box issue. uncommon for the gear case to fail. i would take it out as a unit and fool around with the gearcase on the bench to examine the damage but a rebuilt transaxle or salvage is about the easiest probably. it probably isn't worth much as a trade in it's present state.
 
Well its off to the dealer today, did the math and the least expensive route, lowest net loss for me, it to get it repaired. Ill keep you all updated.

Talking with the dealer, it sounds like the minimum damage is the brass Swath plates and piston in the HST and a bearing in the Transmission, but they wont know till they crack the case open.
 
Well I heard back from the dealer. Is 1pm too early to start drinking??? Asking for a friend! ;)

Water got into the HST, they recon not much but when it was cold and i was plowing the snow in -10 the water in the HST refused to compress like water does and caused a catastrophic failure in the HST, piston and swath plates are destroyed, and the trans suffered damage also. rebuilding the Transmission and HST is uneconomical, as a new unit is cheaper, but even then its a $8,000 CDN fix ($6,000 USD).

How did water get in the HST? well as stated in my first post "I picked up a 2014 RTV-X1120D in July and have used it around the acreage all summer, but nothing major used shuttling the wife and I around planting saplings and hauling water. The Kubota works perfectly fine for all of that."

The Tank I used to haul water, which was placed in the dump bed, was a little leaky, and water got everywhere, i hauled about 2 dozen loads with a 55 gallon tank 400 lbs ish. the dealer also noted a breather pipe was cracked and the oil ring on the transmission dip stick worn and the dip stick loose. could that be how water got in?

well how it blew up is not the big issue, what to do next is. If i replace the trans and HST I get a 1 year warranty, and for $8,000 I cant buy a replacement machine. I could haven them fix it then turn around a trade it in of a B series tractor, but can i sell or get $8,000 trade in for it?
 
one year warranty is all you get on a brand new machine. so thats good. cracked breather pipe or bad oring on dipstick or even condensation from short on off trips without getting warm can be the cause of the water. i vote for the cracked breather line and you hauling water. water is death to a HST. i am a little surprised the filter didn't catch some of the water. was the oil in the hst OEM SUDT? were the filters OEM?
 
oil and filters were OEM, premium UDT, Kubota records have the unit being serviced in June 2020 with 680 hours, it currently has 690, i got the unit with 684 hours, so 6 hours of short trips hauling water, with a cracked breather and loose dip stick thru the summer, then one session on snow removal in -10 weather. Or the unit got some water in the HST and tranny after its service but before i got it.
 
Thanks you have been a great help.

I was thinking about how this all happened and have a theory. There was water in the HST unit, not much, in the warm weather it just flowed around got caught in the filter or emulsified in the oil. The last thing I did before plowing the snow and blowing up the HST was to water the trees we had just planted, before the first frost and the ground froze. The Kubota got a little wet that day, then it sat in my garage for a few weeks, as the weather got cold but no snow, then it snowed and was -20 overnight and in the minus teens the day I plowed the drive. My thoughts are a small slug of water that had not made it to the filter froze or crystallized and blocked a oil passage way, pipe or even the filter, causing the HST to over pressure, blowing up the swath plates and piston and causing damage to the transmission, maybe thru blowing out a seal and bearing, I assume the HST has a physical connection to the trans thru a shaft which should have oil seals and bearings?

now what to do next, I see four options maybe more but I haven’t thought of them yet. ?

1. cut my losses, pay the dealer for his time and part out the unit.
2. pay the $8k and fix the unit, then sell in the spring and buy a acerage tractor.
3. pay the 8k to fix the unit, trade it in on a new or used Tractor at the dealer, they have a nice 2008 BX25 with front end loader, back hoe and post hole auger with 540 hours.
4. pay to have it fix and drive it till it dies.

either route I’m out $8k, but option #3 is my preference route, already planning thing I can do in the spring With a backhoe. ?
 
remember the BX has a very similar hst transmission. once the transaxle is replaced it will be as new with a warranty as new. the tractor part is up to your needs. the transmission didn't over pressurize. most likely a pump plunger seized in the block and catastrophic failure from there.
 
Well I was hoping to have the RTV back by now, or at least back by Christmas so I can use it on my time of. But it looks like it will be another month before I see it, the HST unit shipped from the US last week but is not expected to be at the Canadian warehouse until next week, then has to take the 4 day truck ride from the warehouse to the dealer. wIth COVID and Christmas shutdowns the dealer isn’t expecting it until the first week of January.
 
First ...my apology for offering this idea AFTER so much time has passed...(just now ran across this thread)... But NEXT TIME this happens to someone....
One might consider that labor costs the dealer much less than it does the customer. Additionally, the mechanic/engineer who makes the repair can be used on the project during “slack” times when the employee-time might be better utilized.
A dealer also gets parts for much less than the customer.
With that in-mind... a “deal” might be worked out with the dealer to take the defective RTV iin-on-trade towards the purchase of a new BX (or whatever) ... with less disparity of price-difference than the owner spending retail-dollars to make a repair on an RTV that’s to be traded-in for new equipment. In other words, the $8K needed for the customer to make the repair might actually cost the dealer considerably less ... and that might make more sense than spending ”real dollars” for a trade-in.

Hope this works out for you Iron mike.
 
I have had the rtv back a few weeks, but no reason other than a few joyrides to use it as it has not snowed since the day it died. Rides and shifts nice and has lots of shinny new parts under the bed. Now I have a Rtv with 700 hours on the motor and chass and 1 hour on the HST with a 1 year warranty.

would I get the work done at the dealer next time? Maybe, doing the math the dealer was higher than doing the work myself or having the unit rebuilt but not by much.
 
Congrats on getting it back and all working once again.
I'll guess you will have some snow to play in real soon.
 
Well it is a love hate relationship at the moment. we got some snow so i went plowing, was not to impressed with my first experience just doing out 400 foot gravel drive, guess i was expecting more, but the kubota seamed to struggle and was lacking power.

So in to the garage and while the oil was nice and hot a oil change.

Removed the skid plate removed the drain plug the oil was flowing in glugs/surges so i removed the oil filler cap, now the oil is flowing fast, right on to the lip of the forward skid plate and going everywhere except in the catch pan. Fast forward 2 hours and i've cleaned up the mess, wreaked a good set of jeans and the stain on the shop floor look like Jerry Lewis. :unsure: So fresh oil and a new Kubota filter (Shell Rotella T5 10W-40), Ok time to put in the hand throttle. took about 45 minutes, 20 of which were trying to read the oil soaked instructions, but got it in no problem.

Off for a test ride. The hand throttle makes the world of difference, I had it set to half throttle and decided to try plowing a path around our land, well 45 minutes later i finally called it a day, the hand throttle makes plowing so much better, no lag, no loss in power, cuts thru anything i went up against. Only reason i stopped was it was -20 and getting dark and i had beer in the fridge.

Started off the day wanting to sell the Kubota, ended the day looking into how i can get a heated cab. :)(y)
 
Iron mike said:
oil and filters were OEM, premium UDT, Kubota records have the unit being serviced in June 2020 with 680 hours, it currently has 690, i got the unit with 684 hours, so 6 hours of short trips hauling water, with a cracked breather and loose dip stick thru the summer, then one session on snow removal in -10 weather. Or the unit got some water in the HST and tranny after its service but before i got it.
Click to expand...
I'm late to the party: Anyone have a pic of the breather tube Mike is referring to? I want to check mine and ensure it's ok.

Thanks!
 
Iron mike said:
Ill post a pic when i get home later tonight.

Mike
Click to expand...
Glad to hear you got this fixed. I’m having trouble with my 06 rtv 900. It’s in the shop now squch plates replaced but only help a little. Now they telling me it needs a new hydraulic charge pump which is 29 hours labor $3300.00 cost. So I know the feeling.
 
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Old German said:
Glad to hear you got this fixed. I’m having trouble with my 06 rtv 900. It’s in the shop now squch plates replaced but only help a little. Now they telling me it needs a new hydraulic charge pump which is 29 hours labor $3300.00 cost. So I know the feeling.
Click to expand...
check the suction hose from the filter. they have collapsed or internal they can come apart and cause these symptoms. i think the charge pump can be changed without much disassembly. 3300 dollars?????
 
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