k0ua
Epic Contributor
I wouldn't go quite that far on mine. Great machine overall but there are several minor annoyances. Nothing deal-breaking, but some aspects that could be improved.
1. Seat belt - it keeps tightening and won't loosen even sitting still. So the longer you wear it, the tighter it gets. Eventually after enough bumps it is so tight and uncomfortable you have to stop, take it off, let it retract all the way, then re-fasten it. No problem on mine
2. Seat belt - female part is fixed with no flexible lead and mounted low. So my (normal sized - not a real big guy) left butt cheek is continually getting poked by the corner of it. Not on mine
3. No included toolbox. With all the NX features, lack of even a simple plastic one from factory is disappointing. Mine has the toolbox. yes plastic. But serves my needs. Gloves and rags, and a couple of tools
4. Radiator screen - mentioned previously, but you have to have the FEL arms up out of the way to remove it easily for cleaning. No big deal, but often don't remember to leave them up - not in habit yet. Nope, mine is two piece and comes up toward the open hood.
5. Hood latch/hood pneumatic arms. Very difficult to get the hood closed and latched. Either the latch is too stiff or the pneumatic arms are too strong. But real easy for it to appear closed and latched, then on first little bump, hood opens. Takes a lot of force to overcome the arms and get it closed - fairly strong slam and wife can't close it. No problem on mine
6. Seat sensor. If seat suspension is adjusted to where it won't bottom out on roughest bumps, any slight movement makes sensor think you're not in seat. Switching operators - wife ~45 lbs lighter than me - machine won't start for her or stay running since seat sensor thinks she isn't there. So seat suspension has to either be left too low for me or each of us has to readjust. Mine does not have nor ever did have a seat sensor
7. Seat/starting safety interlocks. Machine will not start if not in N, parking brake set, butt in seat. I can see that to prevent you from doing something dumb and running yourself over or unexpected movement starting in gear although unlikely with HST. But just raising up for a couple seconds to see pallet forks for example, machine cuts off. If not in N and parking brake set, you can't raise up from seat without cutting off engine. Gives you like 1.5 seconds.... But if you want to hop off and remove something in your path or pick up a stick, you have to set range to N and apply parking brake. Also irritating that just pressing the brake pedal isn't enough to start it - must set parking brake. Mine must be in N to start, BUT does not need to be in N to get off with it running or no need to set a parking brake and has no seat sensor. No problem when standing up to slip in the pallet fork tips
8. H/M/L range selector lever. Very awkward engagement and can be difficult to find M range. L or H range fine, but sometimes takes some coaxing to get it in M. Have read that smooths out over time but @ 50 hrs now still have to fiddle with it to get in M as much as day 1. Mine was a bit stiff to start but at near 500 hours no problem. Try just barely touching the either the forward or rev pedal if it won't go into N. Don't grind it, but just let the gears move a tiny bit. Don't shove. just finesse.
9. ROPS bolts. Shoulder bolts with nylock nuts. Very difficult/time consuming to fold ROPS. Replaced with 3/4" redhead pins which makes it real easy but the OEM shoulder bolts are slightly oversize and 3/4" pin allows enough movement that it makes ROPS noisy - buzzing vibrating sound at times. Since I need to fold ROPS to park it would prefer a simpler/better design from factory. Well, I don't and have never folded ROPS, so can't comment. Mine has always had the canopy so ROPS folding is out of the question.
10. Zerk at front of loader. Most forward 2 zerks cannot be reached with bucket on. SSQA so not terrible, but having to detach bucket to hit those fittings seems like poor design and they could have been located a little better to take a grease gun with bucket on. No problem with those zerks at all, BUT the hydro pedal shaft zerks should have been 90 degree zerks. I made an adaptor for my grease gun to grease these two stupid zerks.
These are all minor and can be fixed/worked around without much fuss. If we were making a list of what is awesome about our machines, I'd run out of room. But these things I've noticed that could be better.
Looks like some things have crept in since my DK35se was current. Mine is a joy to operate and service.
OH, the air cleaner housing latches could be better thought out, one you have to fumble with cause you can't really see it well. But how often do you really need to do that? And of course the two stupid zerks.