Kubota R420

[coopers]

Anyone on here have experience with these loaders? If so, how'd they preform? I'm curious how they preformed, power, lifting etc. What attachments you had for them etc.

Thanks,

[PineHandlePro]

A contractor in town has a older R420 with the side shift backhoe that he swears by. Think it has about 8000+ hours on it and he still uses it more than his excavator or skid. He says take the excavator and skid just leave him the kubota, for his niche of small jobs it works great. Drives it to a lot of jobs bangs them out then drives to the next.

Ive never run it but it's got a good lift capacity, kubota's site has some of the specs, its not too bad on diesel, articulation is easy on turf, think its got a 3/4 yard bucket heaped up it handles it fine. He has the forks with a quick attach that works great from what i've seen. The side shift backhoe is neat but I think his is a bit tired after 8000hrs. I have been looking for a loader and have been considering these, TCM and Yanmar make similar units.

Hope this helps

[Dirt Devil]

A contractor in town has a older R420 with the side shift backhoe that he swears by.

So do i.
It takes the place of a bobcat and excavator package easily, and with no set backs. Its a small machine, not too much bigger than a bobcat width wise, but in height it depends if you have a cab or rops. If your buying new, they come stock with rops i think, but the cab is an extra 6 grand AU on top of the 70 000 grand AU you pay for it. In every way but better it acts like a bobcat, you can have any attachments you want on it, i have even had the joy of putting a chain trencher on the front just to mix things up. The backhoe wont let you down either, running at 1/4 throttle will get you through sand, clay, rock or watever you wan to throw at it. Its a pleausre to opperate, ill definately be buying one when i get some more of that money type stuff.

[Dirt Devil]

oh also i dont no the complete lifting capacity, but the other day dad and me were shifting 2 tonne pallets of batteries around, on and off trucks with no problem lifting to full height or losing power at all. and for everything else, here is a few little things i got off the spec sheet for the R420:
4wd limited slip diff's
aux hydrulics standard
bucket breakout force of just over 2 tonn
8 degree frame occilation over bumps without lifing the front/back wheels
40 degree articulation left and right
load sensing transmission/auto bucket leveling
electric shuttle gear shifting
electric automatic parking break
turbo charged Kubota D1503-M-T-E3 Liquid cooled, 3-Cylinder Diesel engine
41.2 hp @ 2,600 rpm

and the side shift backhoe comes as an optional extra.

yes i do love these machines. cheers =)

[PineHandlePro]

They spec out well for lifting capacity http://www.kubota.com/f/products/r.cfm

[fendtman]

friend has one that slips when it get hot, Is it the hydro pump, what does a new or rebuilt pump run.

[DirtWorker]

Oh gosh, we must own 20 of the things, though the 520 r/s models. We also have a couple 510's ( actually from what i hear its the best dinky toy we own). We also have this 410 from wayyy back. ill see if i can head out to the yard and take some photos of the little fellers. There not really in my scale size, but have spent a couple minutes here or there on them, and this is what i can say. All of our 520's have loaded rear tires and hoes on them, and can lift more that there worth in gold. The boys beat the snot out of them everyday all day, and they last, actually there amazing. There expensive from what i hear in comparison to a another Jap grey market nock off.... But can say they boss man buys them for a reason because the boys who run em are the greens and nothing else stood up in abuse. I will get back to you with those pictures asap.

[coopers]

Thanks Dirtworker,

Your observations are consistent with mine on Kubota products. They are built very well.

[therealjohnboy]

I started my Business with a TCM 810 A with a detachable backhoe hanging off the back. It was the best machine i have owned, over-engineered, and it never failed me in 5500hrs of hard work, could get a little hairy in steep terrain but that was my fault for going there and would easily lift 2ton plus it didnt beat you to death like a skiddy. Wish i hadn't sold it.

[Marc V]

I currently own a R420 and am looking for an adaptor plate to run skid steer attachments on it. I've found the Warren Uni-dapter used on line but does anyone know of another?

[hvy 1ton]

How hard would it be to get a backhoe for an R420/520 if it doesn't have one already? This is one of the options a friend of mine is looking at, but we can't find any with backhoes.

[Marc V]

I own a backhoe attachment for my R420 and I lucked out a few years ago when someone traded theirs in as part of an excavator purchase I paid 5k for it but when I checked on the price of a new one it was $14,000 Good Luck on your search

[stevel]

Go see your dealer and ask him for a price on a K7915 (mechanical) or K7916 (hydraulic) skid steer coupler to go in place of your OEM coupler. Granted, if you have both types of implements, it might get to be a chore swapping couplers but at least you won't have the issue of moving the implement even further forward of your coupler's lower pivot point.