Will_C
Veteran Member
- Joined
- May 24, 2002
- Messages
- 1,773
- Location
- Upstate N.Y.
- Tractor
- Kubota L3560, Toro 52" and 60" ZTRs, Kubota RTV 900
Looking forward to hearing about your adventures.
Will
Will
Kubota RTV400ci
- Thread starter amigauser
- Start date
- Views: 67850
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- Tags
- kubota rtv400ci
daugen
Epic Contributor
Got the unit home, absolutely spotless, though I did take a couple hours detailing it if only because I'll never have it that clean again, and it helped me figure out what system was where.
I have a whopping .8 hours on it, so this is very premature, and more later, with lots of pics. Very little decent pics online.
* awful vibration at low idle, shakes the whole thing, makes the rear view mirror look like a funhouse at time. Simply unacceptable and hopefully fixable with some additional rubber mounting. This is a big single cylinder "thumper" and boy does it thump and vibrate. But once you get moving, things improve rapidly. Put it in low and it scoots forward when you put your foot into it, but is pretty noisy and vibrates, again...
* gorgeous machinery, very high fit and finish
* power yet untested under load, no problem getting up to speed, albeit pretty roughly. Kinda like a really old Subaru....maybe it's the DNA
* the engine is a Subaru GH4120
* lots of places they could have put storage and didn't. Definitely "decontented"...
* foot off accelerator, turn key, starts on first rev every time and idles without missing or burbling. Remarkable.
* ride seems fine so far. Really not in service yet, just put it away in the barn for the next sunny day, which won't be this weekend.
more to follow. Drew
I have a whopping .8 hours on it, so this is very premature, and more later, with lots of pics. Very little decent pics online.
* awful vibration at low idle, shakes the whole thing, makes the rear view mirror look like a funhouse at time. Simply unacceptable and hopefully fixable with some additional rubber mounting. This is a big single cylinder "thumper" and boy does it thump and vibrate. But once you get moving, things improve rapidly. Put it in low and it scoots forward when you put your foot into it, but is pretty noisy and vibrates, again...
* gorgeous machinery, very high fit and finish
* power yet untested under load, no problem getting up to speed, albeit pretty roughly. Kinda like a really old Subaru....maybe it's the DNA
* the engine is a Subaru GH4120
* lots of places they could have put storage and didn't. Definitely "decontented"...
* foot off accelerator, turn key, starts on first rev every time and idles without missing or burbling. Remarkable.
* ride seems fine so far. Really not in service yet, just put it away in the barn for the next sunny day, which won't be this weekend.
more to follow. Drew
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daugen said:Got the unit home, absolutely spotless, though I did take a couple hours detailing it if only because I'll never have it that clean again, and it helped me figure out what system was where.
I have a whopping .8 hours on it, so this is very premature, and more later, with lots of pics. Very little decent pics online.
* awful vibration at low idle, shakes the whole thing, makes the rear view mirror look like a funhouse at time. Simply unacceptable and hopefully fixable with some additional rubber mounting. This is a big single cylinder "thumper" and boy does it thump and vibrate. But once you get moving, things improve rapidly. Put it in low and it scoots forward when you put your foot into it, but is pretty noisy and vibrates, again...
* gorgeous machinery, very high fit and finish
* power yet untested under load, no problem getting up to speed, albeit pretty roughly. Kinda like a really old Subaru....maybe it's the DNA
* the engine is a Subaru GH4120
* lots of places they could have put storage and didn't. Definitely "decontented"...
* foot off accelerator, turn key, starts on first rev every time and idles without missing or burbling. Remarkable.
* ride seems fine so far. Really not in service yet, just put it away in the barn for the next sunny day, which won't be this weekend.
more to follow. Drew
It's a shame you get that much vibration. I used to own a JD Buck 650cc single cylinder ATV. That thing was amazingly smooth even at idle. Keep in mind you're sitting directly over the engine on an ATV too. So it can be done right if a manufacturer wants. And you think Kubota would figure that out way before they start selling them. Good luck with your new toy.
daugen
Epic Contributor
thanks. I need to put some hours on it and get the engine broken in a little, so I can put my foot into it and see how it does. So far I've only been puttering around with it, and really want to reserve judgement until I can run it in more situations. But so far the rear view mirror buzzes and distorts at a variety of different rpms, which is not a good sign. I bought a new Honda Foreman ATV back in 1988 with a single 250cc motor. Not a lot of power, but always adequate, and while a thumper, it never vibrated. This thing vibrates.
Anyone who has ridden a Harley would probably like it. :thumbsup:
I'm wondering if they need to soften some mounts. Apparently there has been one recall on this model, but before my build date, for some diddly thing.
Maybe they'll work on the vibration if enough people complain. But my guess is we will all get used to it and running at speed will be fine.
Anyone who has ridden a Harley would probably like it. :thumbsup:
I'm wondering if they need to soften some mounts. Apparently there has been one recall on this model, but before my build date, for some diddly thing.
Maybe they'll work on the vibration if enough people complain. But my guess is we will all get used to it and running at speed will be fine.
General Lee
Veteran Member
Whats the top speed for this machine?
daugen
Epic Contributor
spec states 15mph traveling speed in Low, 25mph in High, 15 mph in reverse.
daugen
Epic Contributor
timswi
Elite Member
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2008
- Messages
- 4,997
- Location
- Beaver County Pa
- Tractor
- Kubota BX23 TLB, Kubota RTV1100, Kubota Z724 & Polaris RZR 900 Trail
It's a 500 with a 400 in it (observation by picture)...Keep us up to date as to it's behavior.
:drink:
:drink:
daugen
Epic Contributor
I have a little seat time now and even got it stuck, high centered on a log my Honda Foreman would have handled but not this one. Operator error despite crawling ever so slowly over the log. A couple of logs for pry/lift bars and off we went. Yes, it's still noisy and vibrates at low speed. But once it gets moving it's quite pleasant. I wish it were quieter but it's not bad.
I went through some woods and thicket with it, slowly as the leaves were still wet and it went through everything in plain 2wd. Did not detect much strange behavior, e.g. binding in turns, with the 4wd level pulled, though it really didn't get used. Same for the locking rear. It worked...they both spun nicely together. The CVT works fine, one accelerates after a fashion, but plenty fast for me. This is not a 40hp Gator... No jerking or weirdness from the CVT, it just worked nicely. And the thing overall felt both steady at speed and steady while slowly crawling over steep inclines.
I had a friend look at this, someone very knowlegeable with heavy equipment, and he was like me the first time..."where is the engine"? The CVT casing is strange, the motor layout is strange, I don't get the visual cues like the kneebone is normally connected to the thigh bone here. More like "what is that thing?". I read the manual and will now compare their pics to the real machine. No zerks anywhere, just linkages requiring spray grease, so very low maintenance, EXCEPT, wow, what Kubota expects one to do, like replacing fuel lines after some very short number of years, and other parts that went far beyond any maintenance spec or time frame I have ever seen.
I remember that Yanmar did some funky warranty things like this on marine engines, but I didn't realize Kubota imposes what look like severe duty requirements on every day run around use. I read the charts in the manual pretty carefully and kinda shook my head. The overall warranty isn't long enough to matter I suppose; I'm not going to put 200 hours on it in the first year anyway. Change oil at the first twenty hours, which I will do religiously, and after one more oil change after that, will go to synthetic.
I went through some woods and thicket with it, slowly as the leaves were still wet and it went through everything in plain 2wd. Did not detect much strange behavior, e.g. binding in turns, with the 4wd level pulled, though it really didn't get used. Same for the locking rear. It worked...they both spun nicely together. The CVT works fine, one accelerates after a fashion, but plenty fast for me. This is not a 40hp Gator... No jerking or weirdness from the CVT, it just worked nicely. And the thing overall felt both steady at speed and steady while slowly crawling over steep inclines.
I had a friend look at this, someone very knowlegeable with heavy equipment, and he was like me the first time..."where is the engine"? The CVT casing is strange, the motor layout is strange, I don't get the visual cues like the kneebone is normally connected to the thigh bone here. More like "what is that thing?". I read the manual and will now compare their pics to the real machine. No zerks anywhere, just linkages requiring spray grease, so very low maintenance, EXCEPT, wow, what Kubota expects one to do, like replacing fuel lines after some very short number of years, and other parts that went far beyond any maintenance spec or time frame I have ever seen.
I remember that Yanmar did some funky warranty things like this on marine engines, but I didn't realize Kubota imposes what look like severe duty requirements on every day run around use. I read the charts in the manual pretty carefully and kinda shook my head. The overall warranty isn't long enough to matter I suppose; I'm not going to put 200 hours on it in the first year anyway. Change oil at the first twenty hours, which I will do religiously, and after one more oil change after that, will go to synthetic.
MessickFarmEqu
Super Member
the RTV's look messy under the bed, but they are very easy for shops with the right tooks to work on. For the most part, the engine and trans assy can be slid out of the machine very quicky with the right service jigs. Makes anything involved much easier to do.
