Legal Stuff – Tractor Addict

A few years ago, you bought a Kubota tractor. In the time since, you’ve decided another tractor might be better for you. You’ve found a buyer for your Kubota tractor, but there’s just one issue. Your warranty is still good, and you’d like to transfer it to the buyer, but you’re not sure if you can. Is it possible to transfer a Kubota warranty? According to Kubota themselves, in most instances, yes, you can transfer a tractor warranty to a second owner. Now your buyer can enjoy their Kubota tractor with its warranty still intact. Ahead, we’ll discuss the terms of Kubota’s various tractor warranties, dive deeper into the company’s policy on warranty exchanges, and discuss how to transfer a warranty. If you’re ready to sell your Kubota tractor sooner than later, this is one article you’re not going to want to miss! What Warranty Does Kubota Offer on Its Tractors? Kubota, a producer of farm implements, construction vehicles, utility vehicles, mowers, and tractors, protects each of these vehicles under a warranty. According to Kubota’s warranty page, you receive comprehensive coverage on your investment as issued through the Kubota Tractor Corporation Warranty Department. Some tractors may be protected under the Kubota Limited Warranty and the Kubota Orange Protection Program. Let’s discuss these both in more detail now. Kubota Limited Warranty First is the Kubota Limited Warranty, which is offered on the manufacturer’s construction equipment, turf products and utility vehicles, hay implements and tools, large agricultural tractors, utility tractors, and compact tractors. The large agricultural tractors under Kubota’s Limited Warranty include the MR Series and the MH Series. If you own an MH Series tractor such as the M7, you’re covered for most usage through limited powertrain and basic standard limited coverage. For the basic standard limited protection, you get 2,000 hours or 24 months of protection, whichever happens first. The limited powertrain protection lasts for 3,000 hours or 36 months depending on which happens first. This warranty protection is excluded for any large agricultural tractor implements. The utility and compact tractors included under the Kubota Limited Warranty are those in the L, LX, B, and BX Series. For commercial use, you get limited powertrain and basic standard limited protection. The limited powertrain protection extends for 2,000 hours or 36 months, again, whichever happens first. The basic standard limited coverage is good for 1,500 hours or 24 months depending on which happens first. The non-commercial home and residential use protection include limited powertrain and basic standard limited coverage. The limited powertrain warranty lasts for 2,000 hours or 72 months depending on which happens first. The basic standard limited protection is good for 1,500 hours or 24 months, whichever happens first. Once more, there are exceptions for this warranty coverage. BX utility combos, landscaper utility tractors, and loader utility tractors are all excluded. Kubota Orange Protection Program What if you blow through one of the above warranty protections sooner than you realized? The Kubota Orange Protection Program can help. This program extends the Kubota Limited Warranty provisions past their one-year or two-year mark, adding another year or two of coverage onto your warranty. To be eligible for the Kubota Orange Protection Program, you need to buy it before your Basic Warranty expires. Some exclusions can prevent you from adding to your warranty, such as if you own a Z100 or ZG100 Kommander tractor. If you bought a K&R Series Excavator, a Z100 Kommander, or a ZG100 Kommander between October 1st, 2010 and September 30th, 2011, then you’re also ineligible. In Florida, you cannot get on the Orange Protection Program if you have a T Series or G/GR Series tractor. Also, Floridians must be non-homeowner, commercial customers for eligibility. According to Kubota, their Orange Protection Program allows you to take advantage of tractor repairs with Kubota parts. You also get comprehensive coverage as offered by their Kubota Limited Warranty and no deductible. You can obtain your financing for the Orange Protection Program through the Kubota Credit Corporation USA, but you must buy your tractor and the extended warranty at the same time, says Kubota. Is a Kubota Warranty Transferrable to a New Owner? Let’s say you stuck with the Kubota Limited Warranty upon buying your tractor and that’s still the current protection you have on the vehicle. You’ve also just sold your relatively new tractor to an eager buyer. Can you transfer your Kubota Limited Warranty to the person who buys your tractor? To answer that question, let’s take a look at the Kubota Owner’s Warranty Information Guide. Here’s what the guide says on transferability: “If you decide to sell your Kubota, any remaining warranty coverage may be transferred to the new owner.” That’s a yes, then. However, the owner guide also says you should reach out to your Kubota dealer for more details. Further, the guide states this: “Kubota reserves the right to make any changes to a Kubota product at any time without incurring any obligation with respect to any product previously ordered, sold, or shipped.” This doesn’t sound like it would directly apply to your warranty, but it could. To be on the safe side then, you definitely want to get in touch with a Kubota dealer before you tell your buyer that yes, you can transfer the warranty. Okay, so that’s the Kubota Limited Warranty, which is transferrable in many instances. What if you’ve had the tractor for several more years and you’ve tacked on the Orange Protection Program to your current warranty coverage? Can you still transfer the warranty to the new owner? Yes indeed, you can. Kubota says their Orange Protection Program is “fully transferrable,” so as long as the protection is active, the new owner automatically gets the extended warranty coverage. It’s not clear if they’d have to begin paying for the Orange Protection Program coverage upon receival of the warranty based on the information on Kubota’s website, but we’d assume that much would be true. How to Transfer Your Kubota Tractor Warranty You’re glad to hear you can transfer your Kubota warranty to the new owner of your tractor. How do you get that process started? Like we said before, we recommend calling your Kubota dealer and asking them how to transfer your warranty. You will likely need pertinent contact information of the buyer, such as their full name, their home address, their phone number, and even an email address. You’ll have to provide this information for yourself as well. The Kubota Owner’s Warranty Information Guide does mention that the warranty owner now has some warranty responsibilities. You may want to make these clear to the buyer so they know what they’re undertaking before their name is transferred to the Kubota warranty. For one, Kubota says the warranty owner must take their engine to a Kubota service station or dealer if there are any issues with it. The manual mentions that repairs should take 30 days or fewer to complete. The warranty owner also has to watch which type of engine fuel they use. Most Kubota tractors run on ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel according to the owner’s guide, so that should always be the top fuel choice. Engine care is above all paramount. If the Kubota tractor’s engine was modified, neglected, vandalized, or abused, then Kubota can take away the coverage of the warranty even if the warranty owner is still eligible for several more months or years of coverage. Kubota suggests holding onto receipts as they pertain to engine care and maintenance. This way, should a dispute arise, the warranty owner has documentation proving they weren’t negligent in the engine’s care. Conclusion Kubota warranties are transferrable to new owners should you sell your Kubota tractor. If you extend your coverage with the Kubota Orange Protection Program, it’s also possible to pass that warranty on to the new owner. To transfer the warranty, get in touch with your Kubota dealer. The buyer should be made aware that Kubota has expectations on the warranty owner to follow the terms of the warranty, especially as it relates to the engine. Otherwise, the warranty could be cut short. Best of luck selling your tractor and transferring your warranty!