Am I the only one ??

[gorgar]

Am I the only one ?? KX 161-3 problems

Hello Friends , I'm new on this site and have been looking for something like this to get some information on what i think is a problem with my KX 161-3 Excavator . Soon after purchasing the machine i noticed that there was getting to be a lot of play in the Boom . Coming to the end of a swing the boom rocks back and fourth for 4-6 seconds before coming to a complete stop . The Salesman , the head mechanic , Then the factory rep all said there is a problem . It was in the shop 3-4 times and is still no better . Now the official statement from the rep is that its normal for that machine and most others . All of the sudden there is nothing wrong Does anyone else have issues like this ? I've been in plenty of excvators but haven't seen this much play in a new machine . It now has just over 300 hrs on it . Its about to make me nuts ! Anyone else have this machine ? I'd love to hear from others .. Thanks

 

[aquaforce]

Re: Am I the only one ?? KX 161-3 problems

Hello Friends , I'm new on this site and have been looking for something like this to get some information on what i think is a problem with my KX 161-3 Excavator .

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the orange equipment


If the slop is not the mechanical simple stuff like pins, joints etc then two other things that come to mind are the hydraulics and the rotation components.

Has the hydraulic reliefs and pressures been checked? I can't remember if this is mechanical hyd controls or if it is electric? In either case was the control side checked for this function?

The other thing that I thought about is the slew ring (rotation bearing) and gear. IF the bull gear is not adjusted to the correct clearance on the ring then a lot of slop would result.

This is just of the top of my head.

 

[gorgar]

Thanks for the reply . I'm not sure what they checked. It was back in the shop 2 or 3 times and its never better . The kubota rep now tells me its normal and that i just need to slow down on my swing . That just about made me nuts since they advertise how hast the machine is . I just wish i knew someone that had one to check it with . I havent found any other around me in northern Wisconsin . Thanks,

Rick

 

[Rust Addict]

I just put on over 20 hours on a 14ton machine last week. The Hitachi had over 1324 hours on it. I found that on the 1st day I was nearly bouncing off the walls of the cab as I learned the controls. On the last day I could lift an egg of the ground and set it on the hood of a Kubota with out breaking it. It takes time to develope the touch on the controls. For control, slow down the rpm and learn to decelerate on the swing in anticipation on the stops, opening an other valve to power a bucket simulatiously will daw some of the fluid power and act as an automatic dampener. Just wanted to say it took a me the better part of 12 hours to really get smooth on the controls, and the after the first hour I wanted to call the rental company and say the same thing that the machine felt loose. I had someone watch me and they said the machine was rocking on the tracks and the gimble was locking up too fast, machine wasn't broken, maybe too tight was maching it rock and feel loose. Not having recent time on an any other excavator, I didn't know that it was the way the controls are run that make all the difference.

 

[Bulldog]

Re: Am I the only one ?? KX 161-3 problems

I haven't been on a 161 but did get to spend some time on a U 45 and it didn't have any abnormal slop in the boom. It was very fast and I really gave it a workout. I put about 40 hrs on it in three days and really had a lot of fun with it. Rust Addict did make a good point about operating technic but it seems strange that a Kubota rep looked at your machine and first said you had a problem and now has changed his story. Something just doesn't seem right about that to me.

 

[gorgar]

Thats what i dont get . Yes theres a problem then no its normal . I just got thru writing another letter to kubota but they always go to the same regional rep . As for time on the machine, I've spent hundreds of hours in excavators and have over 300 in this one now. No matter how slow you rotate the boom it will rock back and fourth before coming to a complete stop . I've never had a machine do that . I dont dare work close to a building and really have to watch trees like never before . Maybe before its all over another 161 owner will log on . thanks for the input guys..

Rick

 

[Bulldog]

Since these excavators have a extra moving point (swing boom) have you checked all the points where the boom linkage is? You may need to get some one to help you check all these points but if it has slop in the linkage it has to be loose somewhere. Maybe a undersized pin or a missing bushing. Is the slop just limited to the boom or is the movement going thru the entire house? It could be the swing drive. Just for the sake of asking, is the movement you are having a side to side or is it more like a pendulum type movement? Has anyone checked the joint where the stick and boom mate up?

I wore a groove in a pin one time that was almost 1 inch deep all the way around and it never made a squeek or anything. I was using a big hydraulic breaker on a Linkbelt 4300 and did this much damage to it in two or three days time. The breaker weighed so much that it would hang straight down so the wear went unnoticed and then when I applied down pressure to do the breaking again it went unseen. I found it when I removed the breaker and went to install the bucket. Turns out the pin that I was given to pin the breaker on wasn't hard enough and it couldn't handle the beating. I greased the entire machine every day no matter if I was digging or breaking so I know that it didn't wear from lack of lubrication, it was just the wrong metal for the job.

If it was mine finding the point where the slop is coming from would be my first task. It just about has to be in the boom linkage or the house itself. It can't be that hard to narrow it down. There aren't that many points to check. Get someone that you can trust to move the controls for you and find out where the slop is coming from. If you locate where the problem spot is then you will have a ace up your sleeve when you talk to the rep again.