I’m a geek, I own 5 acres, geese, chickens and a damn cow… So I have a tractor. It’s a small Kubota L2250 that looks like crap but runs just fine. This year I decided to replace the clutch(es), replace front end bushings, change hydraulic and oil/filters etc.
When I went to change the bushings on one of the front spindles I noticed bad wear from the bearing going bad so I decided to order a new spindle. Well, Kubota REALLY loves their stuff. $235.00! Ouch! More digging on the internet lead me to a tractor supply company in Kansas. They had one for $135.00. Hell yes!
The part arrived 5 days later, fit perfectly… (you know where this is going, don’t you?)
Well, after 2-3 hours of using the tractor, the spindle broke! Newton’s 1st law of motion worked as expected, tractor stopped, I didn’t. Ended up on the ground next to the front tire, which was also lying on the ground. Lucky for me I was only going about 2-3 MPH.
Contacted the company to inform them of the spindle’s demise and to see what options I had for replacement or refund. The response I received was not what I was expecting. I got a,
“Looks like you overloaded the tractor and there’s not much we can do”
Damn! This is SMALL tractor with a SMALL bucket. The other spindle is 25 years old! After 3-4 days of going back and forth they said they will refund my money. In the meantime I ordered the part of Kubota and have installed it. What a difference in the quality. So far, so good after 8 hours of running the tractor.
(left – Kubota, right – After market)
Moral of the story, sometimes it doesn’t pay to be cheap. 🙂