In this video I share what happened inside the transmission of my Kubota BX23S when the Diff lock failed. The folks at Davis Equipment were kind enough to invite us into the shop while they made repairs.
Good information. I have not had much use where I had to use my Diff lock. I am still a brand new user and the more info the better. I so appreciate having guys like you that inform us. Just went over 30 hours.
Wow she is looking so bare! Super cool to see inside the transmission. It's crazy to me that all the dif lock is is just a couple of pins. Glad they are taking good care of you and your baby! Take care Lucas!
Cool video. I use my lock pretty frequently, but I was lucky enough that my dealer explained it and reinforced that it could break if I didn’t baby it. No issues so far! 🤞
Thanks for sharing your experience with this. I have only used mine once, when I tested the tractor out. I'll definitely be more aware of this in the future.
Excellent video, very kind of those mechanics to explain what happened and how to prevent it. I've heard of this happening to too many people. I'm afraid to even use my diff lock. *Keep on tractoring!*
Thank you for the informative video! It’s cool to see inside the workings of our tractors like that. I have a 23S too and enjoy seeing how other owners use theirs.
sure is pretty cheap for $25.00 same price at my kubota dealer but deere here rediculas $590 on theres thats why kubota makes there parts cheapest and affordable
Nice taking us along to see what happened. Glad it's fixed and back working. Those 3 little pins are definitely a weak point in the transmission. It needs better engagement, in the ring gear.
Glad you had the warranty. I’m afraid to know what the cost would have been without. I’d seen issues before on here with the diff lock breaking apart so when I got my BX I disabled it to avoid that problem. Lots of times people let others use their tractor and they don’t know how to use the diff lock correctly. In my opinion the pins are too small and weak for this transmission. I love these Kubota BX tractors but that’s the weak link in them and possibly other sub compact tractors. If the 4 wheel drive doesn’t get me through whatever, I’ll get another tractor and pull it out ! Just be careful using the diff lock if you decide to still use it any. Looks like you you got a great dealer to work with when needed. Have a Blessed Day !
Yeah, I don’t know that I will totally disable it, but I’ve considered it. I will at least be very careful. I think it would be about $3k to repair without warranty. 🤦♂️
@@PeeksPeakHobbyHomestead What I used was a large enough bolt to go through the opening the diff lock pedal runs up and down in and two large fender washers. Put through opening butting the edge of the washers against the diff lock pedal rod and tighten down then the pedal cannot be depressed !
Them little tractors have alot of moving parts glad to see the internal on them. Ive only had to use my diff lock a few times even at a stand still you have to be careful you can feel it kindof turn a little before it locks in. They have parts ordered on mine hoping to get it back soon all this rain has made my grass angry lol.
Thanks for posting this video Lucas! It was very informative for sure. Its no secret that this is a very weak link in the Kubota BX`s. Now, with that said, i`ve never once used the diff-lock on our BX23s, so ours may never give us any problem in that area. But if one day i DO have to use the diff-lock, my question is, when will it fail me just needing to use it. This is a horrible design. Kubota really needs to address it. Kubota should fix every one of the BX`s out there that have this design with some sort of upgrade so that they do NOT fail so easily. Take a person, who has just run out of warranty, this is a extremely expensive repair. I guess i should have bought the JD1025r instead of the BX23s, and not had any worries later on down the road, lol.
I can tell you I used my diff lock very often and worked the machine hard. I would use it to get enough traction to pull a full 5’ box blade, dig, etc…. I think if you save it for situations where you are stuck and are careful and slow about engaging it, you likely will not have issues. I feel like I squeeze more out of this machine than it is designed to do. 🤷🏼♂️
i have a Bx2350 and i am aware of the this potential problem. i WILL NOT use the diff lock, i just asume cut the pedal off of it. i just use the 4WD and i really dont have a issue
WOW !. Good info Lucas. Almost had tears in my eyes when I saw the BX gutted like that. So the issue is not to use the diff lock when you are moving? I always stop before using mine. Take care and stay safe. PS: It is nice to see people in t-shirts. We are still in winter gear here.
Yes, from what I gathered it is mostly not slowing down enough when engaging. I’d say as little movement and pressure as possible. You have to turn and move to line up the holes, but you don’t want to do it hard.
This happens alot with all tractors. You may not be moving but one wheel may be spinning. You dont want to just jam that diff lock. stop everything and slowly work the diff lock in. You will have to move the drive train some, but dont jam it in at a high speed.
On the backhoes in the military they had similar locking diff setups and they lectured us up and down scaring us to death of them saying that if we tried to engage it while the rear tires were spinning with any difference in rotating speed , major stuff in there would instantly grenade and lock the whole thing up solid. They said they would know immediately what we did and it would be all our fault and cost us the majority of our as*. It conditioned me such that still after 15 years and well over 2,000 hours combined on three different compact tractors and still to this day I can’t even think of a diff lock on anything while any tires are moving at all. I’ve read the tractor manuals and seen people totally doing it so I’m sure it would not be as inclined to break and not as fragile as they told us they were but still, I am also just as convinced to this day that if I did ever engage a diff lock with any of my wheels spinning, those old drill instructors would instantly somehow appear next to my tractor and grab me by my collar snatching me right down off there while chewing my head off, one cheek stuffed bulging out all crazy like back in the day. Even though they would have to come back from the grave to do it. The threatening aroma of winter green grizzly appears as if they are standing right behind me if I even think of committing such blasphemy with a diff lock. After the programming the fear of them tearing us apart remains so strong that threat looms like I’m swimming with Jaws and touching the diff lock would be like twitching around acting like a wounded fish as …. To me that will get you reduced to a sloppy mess just as fast.
@@PeeksPeakHobbyHomestead lol I hope not that level of fear is only rational and healthy if one’s dealing with actual sharks, when it comes from just operating a diff lock…. That probably makes me almost looney tunes committable and I should probably not have admitted all that to the internet. It’s just an absurd thing I got with diff locks, I know I’m not the only one because I wasn’t alone and for some reason I felt the need to put it out there seeing this topic come up. 👍
You Sir, are "Right on the money". These "Rooky Twack-tor Drivers" just "JAM-A-LATE" the diff-lock when THEY'RE "REVED-UP " to the Sky & "Spinning & Jerking"... Never reading or Understanding their "OPERATORS MANUALS ".; ALL the while with a"Dollar down & a DIME a day" for 84 months( they will NEVER make it 98% of the time) just BEAT the snot out these "little Twack-tor's " ,because they got "Super-glue" on those Big-Comfey Seats !
Good video, I wish you would have explained how not to break the diff lock. I just ordered a bx1880. Dealer said to be careful engaging the diff lock but never explained in detail.
To be honest, I don’t think anyone can tell you a fool proof way to protect it besides just not using it. The main thing for sure is to not try to engage it while you are moving, but of course then only way to get it to mesh is to be moving slightly. I basically just never touch it unless I’m stuck, then I am very slow and easy as I try to engage it. 🤷🏼♂️
@@PeeksPeakHobbyHomestead Thank you for the great advice. Looking at it's location, my concern is accidently pushing it down. The tractor is supposed to come next week, I'll see. Thank you again for your reply.
Good it was a relatively simple fix and no real damage to the housing or gear was done. My 2 Cents worth on the cleaning. Over the winter pull the floor plate off, the seat and pull the fuel tank off and give it a good clean in your shop. If you have a hot water pressure washer steam clean the fuel tank out to get rid of all the Krap that builds up in the tank over the course of a year. A clean fuel tank once a year will save you a ton on fuel filters and pumps. When I bought the BX25 I was putting filters on once per month. Finally tore the fuel tank out and OMG the sheer amount of dirt, sludgy stuff, decomposing old algae blooms from the previous owners 3 years of no tank maintenance. I don't do the maint on my Kubotas anymore. Dealership I use started a service you could sign up for and they come every 3 Months take all of my Kubotas back to their shop do any services they are past due or due for, grease them up good , give them a complete top to bottom inspection and bring them back ready to work, It cost a little more than me doing the services and maint myself but they have caught a couple of problems that I missed and saved me a lot of money by catching things that if they broke would have broke other things. Mostly on the 2012 BX25 and the 2002 BX22 LOL when they start getting older generally unseen things start wearing out. The Dealership Mechanics are real good at seeing those unseen things :)
@@PeeksPeakHobbyHomestead Never ceases to amaze me where mud and dirt will get packed into. I went over mine a week ago, couldn't get it start for anything, like not even turn over. Finally gave up after checking the Seat Switch, PTO Switch and HST Switch the 3 usual culprits for that problem. Mechanic dropped by a few days later on a service call for someone else and had it running in less than 2 minute. A hard mud ball was blocking the HST switch making it think the HST was engaged. No where near the switch but he went right to it like a beagle to a rabbit. Now I know yet another hidden nook to look in for mud and rocks.
@@PeeksPeakHobbyHomestead Posted a video I made this morning of the Lake and Ponds spillways and overflow pipe after 5 inches of rain last night that you might enjoy. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-F0XCZ2WoWSM.html
Thanks for the info, very informative. Perhaps I wasn’t a good listener but were you saying it may have broken from engaging while in motion? I have an M62 TLB and I’ll confess I’ve done that a time or two this past year. And if I’m being a dummy I need to change my ways! 😁
Yes, basically. I believe they were saying it requires SOME motion to get the holes to line up, but you don’t want to do it with any speed at all. Just moving it to line up the pins.
@@PeeksPeakHobbyHomestead That`s surely cheaper than replacing the tractor. But how many times will you have to have this fixed. Its a very poor design to start with. Did Kubota have a upgrade to fix this so that it doesn`t happen again? Because putting the same exact parts back in it, is destine to fail, again. Sure would like to know if Kubota has an answer/fix to this commonly known failure in the BX series tractors besides putting the same exact parts back in it that ARE KNOWN, to fail.
Wish I would have known about this garbage design before I got a new BX 2380 will never recommend that anyone get one I do like the tractor just not impressed with the worthless diff. lock they could have made a limited slip rear-end
Imagine paying so much money for modern tractors only to be dismantled or disassembled. This is why I choose old school tractors especially Belarus tractor
The oldies are easier to fix yourself and tend not to blow parts to pieced just because you did something the tractor didn't like. With new tractors you have to actual read the entire owners manual and if you dont follow ever procedure to a t they explode, than the dealership tells you it was your fault for missing step 87 out of 145 steps while operating
Man that thing was filthy lol 😂 So should we only activate the diff lock when the tractor is not moving? I haven’t used mine as of yet . I would have also had them replace the plastic transmission fan with a new one as I hear those are another weak part and hard to change when the tractor is not apart like that ?
You will almost always have to move the tractor some just to get the pins to line up with the holes. The key seems to be slow and gentle with the pedal and feel it slide into place. I am trying to practice that now. I’m hoping to do a little demo video when I feel comfortable that I can share helpful info.
Mine happened at 1500 hours and again at 2500 hours, but I use mine extensively, and using proper and quick engagement and DIS-ENGAGEMENT. Now that I modified my pins from 10mm to 12mm, I am much more confident in using the diff-lock. My BX25 is now at 3130 hours.
No. As the mechanic was showing, the differential spider gears need to move for the pins to line up with the holes. The ONLY way that happens, is one tire needs to move further than the other, as in a gentle turn, until the pins set. Same to release the pins.
I wish I could give perfect pointers on it, but I honestly am not comfortable in thinking there is a fool-proof method to avoid failure. I know the biggest thing to avoid is attempting to engage with the wheel spinning. You want the smoothest engagement possible with the smallest amount of movement. Then ensure that it completely disengages before turning etc. I plan to reserve it for emergencies going forward.
Incorrect. The quickest and best use is to move forward or reverse while turning. This moves the spider gears in the differential, so the pins will align. Never press hard on the pedal.
At 6:00, that is not a brake, it is a shaft stop, used as a parking brake. Brakes act on individual wheels. On gravel or any slippery surface (grass, ice, etc), going downhill pulling a heavy load, in 4x4, you can have 2 wheels rolling on the gravel, and the other two tires spinning in reverse, the 'parking brake' won't stop you. This action can be minimized by applying the diff-lock as well, as it will lock both rear tires.
I don’t know that I agree with your definition of a brake, but I get the point you’re making about the functionality. New operators need to understand how it works for sure!
i have seenthis and done it myself nd what i was told is i tried to enguage diff lock while one wheel was spining and one wheel not spining i wander if that is what happen there
That would definitely do it. I was always careful to minimize movement when trying to engage. I probably was not as meticulous at making sure it disengaged when I no longer needed it. I used it often. I probably won’t use it as often anymore…
It is ok to engage the diff-lock if one wheel is spinning very slow, as the pins should drop in their holes, but as Peeks stated, Dis-engaging is far more important, a quick release.
I honestly don’t know! I use it a LOT, but I’m usually wearing noise cancelling earbuds so I never heard anything. I just went to use it and realized it no longer worked.
It seems as if every other person with a BX has had a diff lock break. I quit using mine all together so as not to chance it. Definitely a weak design.
2 Things: 1) you can use the diff-lock when turning, but only on loose soil. However, because both back tires are locked together, turning might be difficult. 2) quick engagement and especially dis-engagement is important, both are done when the rear tires are turning at different speeds, like when turning slightly. If it won't unlock turning left, then turn right and the pressure is momentarily released and the pins pop out. (unless the fork mechanism is binding.)
THE damage occurs when the diff-lock will not quickly and efficiently release, not the application or engagement. Another issue is the fact that the diff-lock needs to be fully engaged with your heel on a pedal, and during normal operation, it is impossible to keep the pedal fully pressed. However, if you keep heavy pressure on the pedal, the "cam' at 2:15 will splay and restrict the easy movement of the mechanism to release. There needs to be a pedal stop, or better yet, a locking lever system instead. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-noltwZjOOts.html
I watched your videos on this. Great great information! Very nicely presented. I have always tried to pay close attention to ensure it releases properly. 🤷🏼♂️
no, speed is unimportant, unless you are spinning one tire and attempting to engage the lock. I engage the lock BEFORE I need it, using a simple turning motion until the pins lock in.