I am a kubota tech at a dealer, so I dont have anything for you to read about it, but what I know is from experience. I have to say, 90% of the shifting problems that I have run into are due to operator error. If you dont know how to shift the trans properly, you will have a problem. It all comes down to taking the pressure off the driveline so you can shift the transmission which is done two ways. The early models did not have the pressure release knob on the dash, so if you stopped for a second with your foot on the brake pedal, and then push hard before you shift, it will just slide out of gear and into the next. The brake linkage is also tied into the hst pressure release valve. The newer ones had the knob you could pull to do the same thing, but still had the brake pedal tied into it like the earlier ones. Now on the new ones, there is no knob anymore, just the brake pedal again. If there is one thing I always tell rtv owners and operators, it is to just have a little patience with the shifting. With a little less speed, they shift perfectly every time.
Kubota RTV 900 problems?
- Thread starter smstonypoint
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CumminsLuke
Silver Member
I have 70 hours on mine and it shifts 10 times better now than when it was new. Seems to get easier all the time, but it was never a problem. It doesn't shift any different or harder than a hydrostatic drive tractor.
lloyd123
Silver Member
I've had my RTV900 for 5 years now and learned early on that the only way to shift is to be patience and allow the engine to totally return to idle speed before attempting to move the shifter - foot must be off the accelerator.
Exactly, it is not a design flaw of the machine, but that some operators were/are in way to much of a hurry. Besides, if you want to do things fast, its pretty obvious that an rtv is not the right machine for the job... Lots of torque, but no speed.
coobie
Super Member
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- 6,302
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- S.Michigan
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- Kubota RTV 1100c, JD 740,Kioti DK 40 with KL401 loader .
I beg to differ on the design flaw.My 2006 RTV 900 tranny slipped the the shifting forks while I was trying to put the tranny in reverse(180 hours),needless to say my RTV 900 was stuck in reverse and would not release.From what I have read on another Kubota RTV board this is a problem with the earlier models.I had my dealer pickup my RTV and it did a tranny mod. to to prevent this from occuring again,so far so good with (206 hours) on the unit.I don,t shift fast,I take my time.IMHO I still think this is one nice machine in spite of its few quirks.coobie
Well, I have to say that it is not a design flaw, but two problems that cause the same result. Some models do have more room in the shift fork guides than others, so they tend to pop out more easily than others. The ones that do come out easier get the updated shift fork installed in the trans to make a tighter fit, which makes it a lot less likely to happen.
If you really did not pull hard on the shifter when yours popped out, then there was another problem in the shifting mechanism. Even if the cables are not adjusted just right they can pop out easier. This is usualy the cause when going from medium range to reverse. If it pops out on any other shift than that, the shift lever was pulled too hard. There can still be two reasons though when it does pop out. It was either reefed on or the dump valve on the transmission is not working or not adjusted.
I work on them all the time and live and work in very mountainous terrain and the only ones that have had an issue were improper operation or needed a cable adjustment. In my area and in talking to all the other techs across the country at training, 90% of all the issues have been a direct result of shifting too hard or quick, and not letting the pressure release from the system to take the torque off the gears. At rare occasions some had the dump valve not working, so people would get frustrated that it wasnt releasing torque and would pull harder (still caused by pulling too hard). The main reason that the earlier models had more issues is because the dealers and the operators were new to the unit, and didnt know how it would react. After some lessons learned, and the dealers starting to tell people how to shift them correctly, the problems went away, at least they did in my area. We sell on average 100 plus rtv's a year, and havent had a issue since, so I think that we have the problem contained.
I am not downplaying your experience, as things do happen sometimes for different reasons, but in my experience with hundreds of customers and the product, there are only two reasons that an rtv ever pops the shift fork out of the rails, and that is pulling too hard on the lever and cables that are out of adjustment. I will agree though that the new fork is a lot harder to pull out, so much so that a couple have broken the shift fork right off in the transmission at the shift collar they pulled so hard.
But the fork didnt pop out......
If you really did not pull hard on the shifter when yours popped out, then there was another problem in the shifting mechanism. Even if the cables are not adjusted just right they can pop out easier. This is usualy the cause when going from medium range to reverse. If it pops out on any other shift than that, the shift lever was pulled too hard. There can still be two reasons though when it does pop out. It was either reefed on or the dump valve on the transmission is not working or not adjusted.
I work on them all the time and live and work in very mountainous terrain and the only ones that have had an issue were improper operation or needed a cable adjustment. In my area and in talking to all the other techs across the country at training, 90% of all the issues have been a direct result of shifting too hard or quick, and not letting the pressure release from the system to take the torque off the gears. At rare occasions some had the dump valve not working, so people would get frustrated that it wasnt releasing torque and would pull harder (still caused by pulling too hard). The main reason that the earlier models had more issues is because the dealers and the operators were new to the unit, and didnt know how it would react. After some lessons learned, and the dealers starting to tell people how to shift them correctly, the problems went away, at least they did in my area. We sell on average 100 plus rtv's a year, and havent had a issue since, so I think that we have the problem contained.
I am not downplaying your experience, as things do happen sometimes for different reasons, but in my experience with hundreds of customers and the product, there are only two reasons that an rtv ever pops the shift fork out of the rails, and that is pulling too hard on the lever and cables that are out of adjustment. I will agree though that the new fork is a lot harder to pull out, so much so that a couple have broken the shift fork right off in the transmission at the shift collar they pulled so hard.
But the fork didnt pop out......
DennisArrow
Platinum Member
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- Iseki TL 2300, Kubota RTV, Kubota B7610
Mstordahl.......I really want to thank you for your help and advice. I read the above advice about applying a bit of brake pedal when shifting........IT WORKS.........Much slicker movement and rarely does it not just go into gear.........THANKS ...........God Bless......Dennis
Kanook
Gold Member
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- Eastern Ontario Canada
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- Kubota RTV900 Kubota B2650 factory cab
Same issue with my early model (2004) Stuck in gear and most prevalent when carrying a load and stop on an incline. Impossible to shift lever into neutral without turning off the engine. Tried the Brake thingy with no effect. The dump valve is mentioned in previous post and I suspect this may be my issue. Is there a way to check if this is operational (dump valve) on my unit. In view of the fact that mine once the engine is shut off will easily disengage and shift into neutral would emply that torque is still being applied to my transmission even if I am standing on the brake pedal.
So...Is there a check a diy can make to see if the dump valve is working correctly and is there an adjustment to set it right?
Kanook
So...Is there a check a diy can make to see if the dump valve is working correctly and is there an adjustment to set it right?
Kanook
First thing that you need to check is to jack the rear tires off the ground and see if the transmission is causing the unit to creep. If it is, this will cause constant pressure on the transmission, not allowing the dump valve to do its job.
So what you need to do is:
Jack the rear tires off the ground and block the front tires.
Start the engine, release the park brake and put trans into hi range.
Find the throttle lever on the side of the injection pump. There are only 2, one is the fuel stop that has the engine stop solenoid holding it, and the throttle lever has the throttle cable going to it. Now what you want to do is rev the engine to maximum by the throttle lever.
If when you rev the engine the rear tires move AT ALL, you need to adjust the hst neutral.
If they dont turn, the dump valve needs adjusting.
I will look tomorrow on my work computer and get the instructions on how to adjust the dump valve as per Kubota in case you do need to do that.
Matt
So what you need to do is:
Jack the rear tires off the ground and block the front tires.
Start the engine, release the park brake and put trans into hi range.
Find the throttle lever on the side of the injection pump. There are only 2, one is the fuel stop that has the engine stop solenoid holding it, and the throttle lever has the throttle cable going to it. Now what you want to do is rev the engine to maximum by the throttle lever.
If when you rev the engine the rear tires move AT ALL, you need to adjust the hst neutral.
If they dont turn, the dump valve needs adjusting.
I will look tomorrow on my work computer and get the instructions on how to adjust the dump valve as per Kubota in case you do need to do that.
Matt