2011 changes

doggman

doggman

Member
I talked to a Kubota rep last week and he told me about a couple of changes for 2011.

First - the u-joints will now have zerk fittings for greasing. I guess Kubota finally listened to the complaints.

Second - they are changing the hydraulic sensor so that the machine speed doesn't drop when climbing a grade. He said it's not a change to the fuel injection/governor system, but, to the hydraulic system. So maybe there will be no more of having to reduce the throttle to get the hydraulic system to ramp up. (I never could figure out why Kubota did it this way when 95% of heavy equipment systems sense the load in and change the swash plate without a major drop in RPM/throttle position...)

Third - I guess Kubota got tired (or scared of lawsuits) of people getting launched into the windshields so the hydraulic braking will be softened and more easily changed to suit the purposes of the owners.

Fourth - there were some other changes such as improving the seats, shifting gears, materials, etc.

We're due for a new RTV so I guess we'll wait for the 2011s...
 
That's great!

Thanks very much Doggman!! Now that is some good news. Whenever I do replace mine it will 2011 or later. And a minor point ,but those seats are not very soft especially when you hit ruts. After my 2nd seat went bad,I put some memory foam under marine grade upholstery and now I has a cush ride. Thanks again for the update, bordercollie
 
Bordercollie - funny that you mention the seats - because that's another thing that they have changed for 2011. Full length back rest with contoured bottom. (No more having your wallet slip into the space behind the seat bottom.)

A different grille - I don't think that was on anyone's list of needed improvements...

The rear axle splines are tougher and more waterproof.

Kubota estimated that the 2011 models will be about $200 more than 2010.
 
I had my wallet come out of my hip pocket when bush hogging. Was lucky it did not fall and get chopped to pieces. Ever since I try to remember to leave my wallet behind when I'm on any tractor.

I was out moving snow around a few days ago and got to wondering ... I have nice heated seats in my car ....why not have a heated seat on the tractor? Sure would be nice when out pushing snow around.
 
Now that would be nice.I would like to see the layout. My pliers are always coming out of my back pocket and going up under the seat.The crevice there seems to collect a lot of stuff that I toss on the seat while working. Wonder if they changed the oil stick location as it would be nice to check the oil without lifting the bed. Doc, the heated seat would sure spoil me if thatidea was ever incorporated in the future. :) Bordercollie
 
I searched and found them for most cars, including Jeeps, and even motorcycles. Both Jeeps and motorcycles have seats that are prone to getting wet, so I figure one could work on a tractor.
 
2011 RTV900 impressions

My dealer made me an offer I couldn't refuse (trade in value) on a 2011 RTV900. So we waved goodbye to our trusty 2005 and welcomed in a 2011.

We only have 8 hours on it so we haven't put it under any real loads yet.

The 2011 major change is the trans. I can tell you that it is much different than the older ones. It's kind of like the difference between a manual and an automatic trans. Direct drive vs. hydrostat drive.

The gearing, especially reverse, seems much more geared down in the low speed ranges - kind of like a "granny low" effect - high engine rpms and low ground speed. (In race car terms it's like they really increased the stall speed.) As you increase speed over time the rpms remain the same or even drop down. In "H" this is really noticeable. I haven't had it flat out, full throttle, but I find that with no load I'll be going down the road at about 23 and, yet, I have it throttled way back. With the old RTV, to go that fast, I would have had it at about 90% throttle - like manual direct drive. So I find that the load sensing is different. The other thing is that when I come to a mild uphill grade the speed remains the same and I don't have to increase the throttle. (I guess if it was really steep I'd have to put my foot in it.)

It will be interesting to put it under a low speed load or steep climb. I suspect the days of taking your foot out of the pedal to increase the drawbar pull are over. I'll report on that when it happens...

The hydraulic braking is still there but it's different - I don't know how to explain it. It is less radical and kind of seems like it depends on what you're doing. By that I mean that it depends if you're going fast or slow, going uphill or down, etc. It's still predictable for the situation.

The new seats are nice but I like the old style back pad better because the new one pushes you forward in the seat. I heard complaints of guys hitting the keys with their knees and turning off the machine - but I never had that problem with 2005. With the new one I have done that several times, now.

So far, getting it in and out of gear is no problem. Step on the brake and change gears. You can still feel it a little but with straight gears that's just going to happen - they're strong but they are hard to mesh.

The muffler is different and the sound is more throaty. Don't know where they hid the spark arrester but it's not visible.

Having 2" receivers is much more convenient. I did have to grind a little off the receiver tube so that the pin holes would line up.


All in all I think Kubota made some good improvements. The load sensing on the trans needed to be improved and seems much better.

I'll take some pics when I get a chance but it's all stock...
 
Thanks for the info doggman and CONGRATULATIONS on your new RTV!!!!

I'm still driving my early 2004 model but it's been good to me.

Starting a couple years ago, the spark arrestor is now inside the muffler. IIRC if you did a search on the forum, you'll get details and pics.
 
Congrats on the new machine. It really helps to hear input from a RTV owner even more so than a salesperson. Even an honest saleperson might not have day to day experience operating a RTV in a variety of conditions and uses.

Thanks for all the information.

Keifer, a RTV wannabe
 
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