Kubota RTV 500

[timswi]

My tractor is the same way, but in low gear, it's so slow it won't bog down, heck, I could but it up against a tree and all 4 wheels will keep on spinnin', but in high, goin' up steep grades it does the same thing as your rtv. Guess I don't mind too much 'cause it's a tractor. I guess if it was an rtv, it would bother me some. Was 900 or 1100 a lot more expensive, and are the any less prone to this issue because of the extra power?

Well I have a BX23. I can run that up the same hills with the BH,FEL and MMM attached in high range and never have to pedal it. Even with a load in the FEL.

It's a design flaw in the 500 that Kubota won't own up to.

SHMBO gave me the green light on an RTV1100. I called a couple of dealers to discuss, but the locals probably figured out who I am due to my username on TBN and haven't called me. Note to others: use a name that isn't too obvious.

Anyhoo..I'd like to buy an 1100 for the diesel, heat, cab etc..but i'm very hesitant given the response to my concerns by the dealer and Kubota. let's face it, if I drop 18 large on that machine and run into the same issues I REALLY won't be happy....Sad, because I like what I see on the 1100. Especially since I have to spend hours in bad weather plowing the neighbors driveways and the rightaway leading to my house.

Another plus to the 1100 would be taking my daughter out for rides in the winter.

Again, blaming the owners is not good corporate or dealer policy..See Toyota lately?...Different and more serious, but the same behavior, general arrogance.

 

[dodge man]

I agree the HST pedal is not intutitive. You normally want to press it down farther to go up a steep hill, but that is the wrong thing to do. My BX in high range with a load will not pull a hill easily loaded down. I have to back off the pedal and slow it down or it bogs down. Usually I just use low range.

I'm ignorant of the RTV's. Are they like a tractor where you have a hand throttle and the pedal controls the HST?

 

[robinbr]

All good posts.

Please consider the following:

-Unit is fuel injected; not carburated.
-Unit has lost performance; would easily climb hills in high that it now has trouble with in low.
-The Dealer did my 50 hour service;. not sure what that means as I trust my work much farther than any Dealer period
-Poor fuel quality has never been an issue


Now hear this:

Got a call from Kubota Technical Service today, and they have agreed to have my Dealer perform a hydrostat adjustment along with an RPM adjustment.

The representative tried to be very evasive and tell me these RTV are preset at the factory for level ground -not hills and mountains. When pressed for what type adjustments he beat-around-the-bush and tried to get me to believe an "....altitude adjustment..." That did not go far.

He also said..."One should not believe what is written on these discussion forums". I reminded him that one could not believe what Kubota Dealers are exposing as not a problem, but rather an Operator problem.

We will see what happens. Waiting on a call from my Dealer.

 

[IdahoTractor]

Got a call from Kubota Technical Service today, and they have agreed to have my Dealer perform a hydrostat adjustment along with an RPM adjustment.

Hopefully the adjustment will solve your problem. I'll be surprised if it's a hydrostat issue - it just doesn't seem very consistent with the flat versus uphill conditions that you described.

By the way, did you start having problems AFTER the 50 hour dealer service?

Good luck!

 

[robinbr]

Do not be surprised that it is a hydrostat issue, but not the entire problem.

Unit started experiencing loss-of-power 8-10 operating hours ago. Around the 40 hour mark. Just had the 50 hour service done last week

 

[timswi]

All good posts.

Please consider the following:

-Unit is fuel injected; not carburated.
-Unit has lost performance; would easily climb hills in high that it now has trouble with in low.
-The Dealer did my 50 hour service;. not sure what that means as I trust my work much farther than any Dealer period
-Poor fuel quality has never been an issue


Now hear this:

Got a call from Kubota Technical Service today, and they have agreed to have my Dealer perform a hydrostat adjustment along with an RPM adjustment.

The representative tried to be very evasive and tell me these RTV are preset at the factory for level ground -not hills and mountains. When pressed for what type adjustments he beat-around-the-bush and tried to get me to believe an "....altitude adjustment..." That did not go far.

He also said..."One should not believe what is written on these discussion forums". I reminded him that one could not believe what Kubota Dealers are exposing as not a problem, but rather an Operator problem.

We will see what happens. Waiting on a call from my Dealer.

Finally..Kubota U.S. is starting to own up...What about the rest of us Kubota?

 

[timswi]

I agree the HST pedal is not intutitive. You normally want to press it down farther to go up a steep hill, but that is the wrong thing to do. My BX in high range with a load will not pull a hill easily loaded down. I have to back off the pedal and slow it down or it bogs down. Usually I just use low range.

I'm ignorant of the RTV's. Are they like a tractor where you have a hand throttle and the pedal controls the HST?

The RTV only has a gas pedal...Wish it did have a hand throttle, might help.

 

[marcas928]

This message is for robinbr about the Kubota RTV 500. I bought my Kubota RTV 500 in Dec. 2010 and I am having the same problems. Brought it to the dealer and got the same answer about it being the operator's fault. It loses power unexpectedly and trying to climb a low incline is sometimes impossible. I live in Louisiana and we don't have hills or snow. Did you ever resolve the problem? I am about to sell this thing and get anything but a Kubota. I'd apreciate your help in this matter.

 

[Goosen1]

Well... That just made me change my mind on buying a Kubota RTV.... I was thinking about buying one this fall but now I will be reviewing other RTV's.

 

[Texas Fella]

It is obvious that Kubota customers do not understand HST transmissions. First off, with an HST you can either have speed or torque, you can not maximize both at the same time. Secondly, and HST is a fluid drive transmission, it can not "down shift" when it wants to, there is no such thing. The whole issues here is that on an RTV type vehicle with an HST, you can not simply step all the way down on the peddle to get full torque, it is the way it works. If you are not used to it, or it is differant that other companies units, that does not make it wrong, just differant. Get used to it or buy a belt drive unit.

As for the adjustments, there are several adjustments that a dealer can do to impove performance of the RTV500. These are set up "on the bench" at the factory, meaning that they do not drive each unit and adjust it, they use a gig of some sort. I have seen many customer claim that their machine never ran as good as it did after it had the adjustments done to it. Just FYI.