Was using the backhoe in the pond and :ep hydraulic leak!! Stopped doing what I was doing and got the tractor up on "land". Cleaned up the fluid and moved everything, determined that it is one of the hoses for the cylinder that raises and lowers the lower arm. It is getting picked up tomorrow by the dealer.
@greybeard do you have a comment on my question? They are picking it up soon and I would like to know if there is a chance I screwed something up or there was just a weak hose on a new machine.
So a question for the backhoe knowledgeable:
Is there anything *I* could have been doing that would cause the hose to go? It is definitely a hose, not a fitting. Of course the hoses are covered with thick fabric so I can't see the leak.
Yes I do.
Get used to it.
OEM hoses have a short lifespan, just as tires on a brand new vehicle do. On most import farm equipment and implements, anything ancillary to the engine and drive train is made as cheaply as possible.
I'm assuming the leaky hose is part of the FEL and not the backhoe attachment? Or did you mean it is a hose that raises and lowers the BkHoe stabilizer?
On loaders, I saw it constantly when I worked at the Kubota dealership, but they finally learned it was costing them $$ in the long term due to lost customers and too many service related warranty claims. We ended up just changing out every hose on some loaders under warranty while we had them in for one leaky hose, whether the rest leaked or not, using locally made hydraulic hoses.
NO, there is nothing you could have done in your dirt work that could cause the leaking hose. You haven't had it long enough or put nearly enough hours on the unit for it to be a case of the hoses rubbing together inside the fabric cover either, and even if you dead headed the control lever (holding it so that a cylinder is fully extended or fully retracted under pressure for more than a couple seconds) the pressure relief valve is supposed to ensure pressure stays well below burst point of the hyd line/hose.
IF, you were using it out in heavy brush, it's possible a hose could have been hung on something, but I'm pretty sure from your pictures and work description this is not the case, especially in light the leaky hose was encased in the fabric sheath.
Likely as not, the service dept will simply shrug, tell you "it happens" and offer no realistic explanation.
On my brother-in-law's Kubota tractor, I replaced every hose on his FEL and grapple within a few years 2-3 of him buying it, and I insisted we get the hoses made at a local shop as a hydraulic shop or even NAPA makes better hoses and fittings than OEM, and lots of dealerships just make their own or has a local place make the, anyway.
So far they have been good, hopefully that will continue.
I thought you were saying to get used to you having an opinion and commenting.
