How smooth is the 5610?

[Rolando]

I had a chance to try out the 5610 I'm buying at the dealership and I have a couple of questions about how it runs. This unit is not new. It was a demo that they used at shows and training around the country. It's a year old and has about 150 hours.

When I started driving it from where it was parked, I had to go between two pieces of equipment that made for a tight fit so I needed to move slowly. But unlike with my 5600 'C', I had trouble getting it to move slowly. It tended to jerk forward so that I had to take my foot off the pedal, and then it jerked to a spot and jarred back and forth. Is this normal on the 5610? On my 'C', if I press on the pedal slowly and let up on it slowly, the machine moves forward and stops smoothly.

Also, when I was on the pavement, I noticed that it was 'crabbing', so I stopped to adjust the steering. The rear wheels were straight, so I switched to 2-wheel steer and started turning the front wheels. I could turn them to the right without any effort, but then I started turning them to the left, the steering stiffened at one point and they didn't want to go further. Is this behavior normal? I noticed that this happened when the front wheels were about straight but I thought that you were supposed to depend on the lights to tell you when the wheels were in the straight position. I then tried moving forward again and the steering was no longer restricted.

 

[radman1]

When I started driving it from where it was parked, I had to go between two pieces of equipment that made for a tight fit so I needed to move slowly. But unlike with my 5600 'C', I had trouble getting it to move slowly. It tended to jerk forward so that I had to take my foot off the pedal, and then it jerked to a spot and jarred back and forth. Is this normal on the 5610? On my 'C', if I press on the pedal slowly and let up on it slowly, the machine moves forward and stops smoothly.

Also, when I was on the pavement, I noticed that it was 'crabbing', so I stopped to adjust the steering. The rear wheels were straight, so I switched to 2-wheel steer and started turning the front wheels. I could turn them to the right without any effort, but then I started turning them to the left, the steering stiffened at one point and they didn't want to go further. Is this behavior normal? I noticed that this happened when the front wheels were about straight but I thought that you were supposed to depend on the lights to tell you when the wheels were in the straight position. I then tried moving forward again and the steering was no longer restricted.

My 5610 is smooth when I depress or release the pedal in normal mode. As smooth as any CUT I have had in the past. In work mode, the stop is very abrupt if you release the pedal quickly. It will lurch you forward. If you quickly release the pedal at 9mph in work mode, you better have your seat belt on. Conversely, in work mode, if I depress the pedal it will move slowly. If I forget what I am doing, I will press it more and suddenly it seems to take off. In work mode the initial pedal movement result is little movement for finesse work. As it is pushed more, it becomes much more responsive. Top speed in normal and work mode is 9 mph. In normal mode the pedal response is consistent throughout the range. In work mode, there is little response initally and much more noticeable response later. Were you in work mode?
If the engine rpms are low, the hp management fights with the drive motors. This can give a surging sensation when starting to move and inconsistent motion. This goes away with more throttle. I have the same sensation with load match on my JD CUT. Were the rpms low?

The power steering often turns poorly when the machine is at rest. Doesn't matter what engine rpm. As the pedal is depressed slightly, the power steering magically comes to life. You don't even have to make any significant movement with the machine. I don't know why it operates that way. I can have very light or heavy loads and it won't turn well (or none) unless I depress the pedal slightly. Maybe it has something to do with releasing the hydraulic brakes when the pedal is depressed. I have become use to it and don't think about it much anymore. Try moving the machine very slowly and the steering will behave like your C series. I can litterally depress the pedal a very small amount, have no machine movement and the steering comes to life as one would expect. I didn't notice it behaved like this until I owned it for about 1-2 months.

I think the D series behaves differently compared to your C with the different drive system and hp management. I think what you experienced is "normal" for the D series.

 

[Rolando]

I've gotten into the habit of revving the engine up to about 1500 rpm before I move the machine, so that wasn't the issue. I wasn't in work mode and I was trying to move the pedal as slowly as possible. My 'C' will also jerk to a stop if I suddenly let up on the pedal. I wonder if the rocking back and forth had to do with the suspension being being softer on the D series?

The steering was working fine turning to the right and also to the left up to that certain point when the wheels were about straight. In essence I could move the wheels freely as long as it was within the right half of the steering motion. Is that what you're experiencing?

 

[radman1]

I just went out and operated my TC. The power steering is kind of an intermittant thing. It always works normally when depressing the pedal and moving. When sitting still it either will turn poorly or it will sometimes move 5-10 degrees then turn much harder or completely stop. It doesn't seem to matter what position the wheels on in when this happens but is more apparent when the wheels are nearly straight. I think this is what you noticed. If I depress the pedal a very tiny amount, it moves fully throughout the turning arc. Again it is one of those things I noticed a long time ago and now don't even think about it. The times I notice it most is when putting and attachment on the 3 pt and want to turn the wheels while sitting still to align the 3pt better.

I was on cement and tried stopping and starting quickly. You describe a rocking back and forth sensation. If I stop the TC, wait a fraction of a second after it stops, it will move forward and back about 1". Probably lasts about 1 second. Is this what you experienced? If so, that is normal and mine does that. Don't know if it is due to the drive motors and hydralulic pressure in the motors, fuel sloshing ect. I acutally never noticed it before. The suspension is too stiff to cause the sensation you describe. If it was suspension, I would expect my bucket to go up and down slightly and it stays in place.

 

[Rolando]

The rocking was happening I was trying to start and stop very slowly. I was trying to move in between a tight spot so I was trying to go slow. I had the revs up around 1500 or 1600, not work mode, and use a light pedal to inch forward, but it wouldn't initially respond to the pedal pressure and then when it did it move move faster than I wanted. On the rocking, I would try to be moving forward as slowly as possible and then let up on the pedal very slowly, but it would still jerk to a stop and rock the machine. Kind of like with a car when an inexperienced driver doesn't know how to stop smoothly.

 

[radman1]

I think you are describing normal movement for the D series. Difficult to say for certain without actually driving it. Does the dealer have another D series? If not, is there another dealer with a D series?