Kubota RTV-X1100 shifter hangs up, hard to change 'gears'

[Lefty7]

My wife's '14 RTV-X1100C is about 9 months old. Since it was new, the shifter sometimes worked hard. It would get stuck in Reverse, and you'd have to hit the shift lever hard with the palm of your hand to get it out. Then, sometimes, it won't go into the Forward gear. It was even being a slight problem when it was off-loaded from the truck as it was being delivered new. My dealer guy said that it would probably free up with use, but it hasn't. Now it's gotten worse. I just came in from using it for chores, and the shifter is hanging up in Reverse all the time, and often won't go into Forward without a lot of farkling around. This is now a problem for my wife, and it's even become a reoccurring pain for yours truly.

Wonder if anybody else is having - or has had - this problem with these. (?)

The warranty on this unit is good for another 2+ months, and I've got to get this straightened out. I got this for my wife, (at least, that's my claim), and with it behaving like this, she's not going to be able to use it.

 

[texasjohn]

Go ahead and take it to dealer and see what they can do, maybe there is something. If they fix it, let us know.

In my case, not exactly your model, there are two "tricks" I use to facilitate shifting when it "hangs." One thing is to put foot on brake and press hard...this removes some hydraulic pressure and may resolve problem. Alternatively, or in combination, slightly tap the hydraulic pedal while putting slight pressure on the shift lever. Sometimes this will cause the gears to synchronize and allow easy shifting. I think of this as a symptom of HST transmission ...similar to a gear shift car where you gotta find the right mix of clutch and shift pressure and engine speed to make things work without grinding gears.

 

[David P]

My Dad bought a new RTV in 2014 and I believe it's the same model as yours. His did the same thing to the point where it caused him some pain to get it to shift (he's now 75). He had to take it in to the dealer and they've made an adjustment which he said has helped out. I don't think he would classify the shifting as good as his previous RTV (he traded in the RTV 1100 camo version, 6 seater for this cabbed model) but it was an improvement. Hope you get yours taken care of.

 

[Kanook]

Assuming that the linkages for your shifter are set up correctly. Your model RTV has a pressure relief that is activated by the brake pedal. Residual pressure when you come to a stop (particularly if on a slope or heavily loaded) will make shifting out of gear dificult. Apply pressure to the brake pedal and hold it depressed for about 5 seconds.There is a connection from the brake pedal to the transmission pressure relief valve that bleeds off pressure. Some owners have found that the cable tie down under the hood has come loose and prevented this function from working. As stated above, giving the go pedal a little kick while applying moderate pressure to the shifter will ease shifting into gear...

Hope this helps.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

If completely stopping and holding the brake pedal down and maybe "blipping" the throttle pedal doesn't do it then take it to the dealer. Have an RTV1140 for over 3 years and learning the "way" has it now to where it seems easy but it was a learning curve. Had to show my neighbor "the way" on his RTV900 a few years ago. Some times a slight roll forward or backward if on a hill after depressing the brake makes it smooth.

 

[sunnyside360]

I bought a new RTV-X1100C four months ago and have experienced similar difficulty in shifting as you described but maybe not quite as bad. When I took the machine to the dealer for 50 hour maintenance recently the service manager asked if there was any trouble with shifting (before I could mention it) so I firmly believe Kubota folks are very aware of this condition. They made some adjustment on the brake pedal which helped. I also put zip ties around the cable to it's bracket under the hood which seemed to also help. The zip tie fix is thoroughly described with pictures in another post in this forum.

I've had several compact tractors (Green, Orange and Red) with HST transmissions and all have exhibited some difficulty in shifting between ranges (L, M, H, N). I think it is a characteristic of hydrostat transmissions.

Bottom line is there are some things to help alleviate the difficulty in shifting. If you ever get stuck on a steep hill or other conditions where it seems near impossible to move the shifter just turn off the engine while keeping your foot on the brake pedal and it will easily shift.

Additional Info: See post #28 in this thread http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/atvs-utility-vehicles/321980-kubota-rtv-1100c-3.html

 

[houstonscott]

I think with a little patience you will be more happy. My RTV 1100 camo, has similar type issues, what I do is find a range it will go into, move the machine a bit and see if it move into the range you wanted originally. If I'm looking for reverse I might have to find a forward range first and nudge it first before trying reverse. Never push hard, that will damage the gear lever. It's just how it works, it's not a sloppy transmission, I find once really warmed up most of this all goes away. Very satisfied. HS

 

[TravisD]

Someone over on NTT scanned and posted the Kubota TSB for hard shifting on the -X900 and -X1100's.

View attachment x1100 hard shift tsb.PDF

 

[biffnh]

I adjusted the decompression valve cable on my new RTV-X900 and it made a world of difference. I also securely fastened the cable at the firewall. My machine is only 20 hours new and the decompression valve cable did not even move the cam that actuates the valve no matter how hard I pressed down on the brake.

 

[sunnyside360]

Someone over on NTT scanned and posted the Kubota TSB for hard shifting on the -X900 and -X1100's.

View attachment 406715

I made the relief valve adjustment called out in this TSB on my RTV-X1100C and it made a huge difference in shifting ease. It was very easy to check and fix.

Many thanks to TravisD for posting info.