Kubota Excavator U55 Demo Review
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- Опубліковано 13 жов 2024
- In my quest for searching for the right mini excavator to the fleet I went back to the Kubota dealership and demoed this U55. (Last time I only ran the U35 and the KX040.) I was concerned that the U55 would be over 13,500lbs and that I shouldn't pull it with the 1 ton.
So after talking with John the sales rep, we figured that the U55 is right at the max for overall weight - only about 150 more pounds than pulling the SLV90-2.
IN my opinion comparing the U55 to the Cat 305 & 305.5 is a VERY close match. Very close to HP, very close in weight. The Cat's have a long stick option which gives them more reach - however even with standard sticks, the Kubota Excavator (on paper) has more power.
Overall - BOTH machines, The Kubota U55 and the Caterpillar 305E2 cr are GREAT.
In my opinion however, the Kubota is Tighter, smoother, more responsive, and has more power. I personally like the Interior of the Kubota better as well - Its just more ergonomically intuitive vs the Cat.
Oh..One BIG difference that I noticed was the Kubota Cab is SIGNIFICANTLY quieter and has far less rattle to it than the Cat. The Cat cab honestly I felt was going to rattle off... I think the U55 will have a better price tag as well - John will get back to me with a price mid week.
Hope you enjoyed the video! Thanks for watching.
I'll follow you with the svl95 and purchased it and it is awesome and now I'm considering changing my Bobcat 335 to a bobcat e50 R2 series and I would really value your opinion on that decision
Nice looking machine, I have the angle blade on my U35 and MAN does it come in handy! I was thinking about going to 55 route for a mini but didn't want the extra weight. Super nice machine though.
BarnStangz yes I really like Kubota overall. I think they have the highest bang for the buck for sure.
Yeah, I looked at a LOT of minis since I wanted to get one for my farm. Really liked IHI but I knew that going the Bota route would be good, parts, resales, reliability, etc. Deere and Cat and Bob Cat were really nice, but I found a good deal on the U35 used, so I jumped on it. They are fun toys. Glad you're making a living using them all the time!
I have a Trucking and excavating company I’m about to purchase a Slv95-2 and a u55 anything I should be afraid of? I liked the comfort and load height for loading my steel body tri axles and the u55 just seems awesome in my opinion and it matched nicely to the track loader. Do you think I would be making a bad move figuring on keeping them for a long period of time?
I love the skid steer....Awesome machine...I rented a U35 last year for a project and loved everything about it BUT....The bucket curl out is VERY limited....Limits digging a flat back on a ditch and limits loading/dumping a dump truck...It would be a deal breaker for me...the prices are so good on them though. It was very annoying not being able to curl in and out as much as cat/deere ect. Id have a really hard time buying a kubota excavator knowing that the curl is limited compared to others. The skid steer however is awesome in so many ways.
You can open up bucket more if you move the pin on bucket just reduces breakout force we just purchased kx040 great machine
Thanks guys I was actually gonna get a w.b. Quick coupler and buckets because we change buckets a lot and I was hoping it would curl more with that. But I also have a case cx130 for loading mass quantity of dirt
I wonder how the yanmar vio55 and kubota u55 compare. Can’t pull the trigger
What is your opinion on the bobcat E50 or the E42 ?
Did you ever compare the John Deere 50g? I’m torn between that and the U55 and maybe even CAT 305.5e2 for my Septic Install business
I ran a friend's Rental 50g and was impressed. I think it really comes down to dealer support and price. U55 is a great machine. New cat 305 is pretty nice too.
I own a U55, U27, and U17. All open ROPS machines. 5'9", 30" inseam, 230lb operator. Apprx 6000 hours excavator experience on many brands.
U55 185 hours experience,
50G Apprx 140 hours experience
The Deere 50G has a more comfortable operating station:
The joystick and seat height are much nicer on Deer machines in general. The deere seat heights are lower than Kubota, which lets you sit between the plastic joystick consoles that hold you in the cockpit side to side.
The U55 seat is so high that you can't comfortably use both arm rests at the same time, and the seat is above the plastic consoles, so the actual joystick or the 1/4" arm rest bar is what holds you in side to side. Even at the lowest seat setting with least spring tension, the seat is way too tall. This is what I feel across all of their machines, and we modify the arm rest brackets to make them comfortable.
The Deere 50G also has much faster cycle times compared to my U55. The boom and slew speed especially are noticeably faster on the Deere. They are so much faster that I wouldn't even go full stick on the Deere because the boom would come up so fast and the slew would make me nauseous.
I'm actually very disappointed with my U55.
Hydraulics:
All hydraulic functions are slower than the Deere 50G. The slew is so slow that I find myself going full stick left or right on the joystick, looking over my shoulder to where it's going to swing to, and waiting for the house to get there.
Deere Boom: Comes up so quick that it shakes the machine forward and back
Kubota Boom: I'm waiting
Deere Slew: Snaps you left and right in the cockpit
Kubota Slew: Mushy, no power, and slow
Stick, bucket curl, and track drive are also noticeably slower. Now start mixing functions. Start slewing (spinning), add the boom, hear an audible clunk and slew slows, add stick, another clunk and even slower. Now try to slew while pulling your boom back, stick in, and curling your bucket out.....
Leg room:
U55 leg room is comparable to the tiny U17 or worse. There is no room to stretch my left leg out due to the ROPS upright being in the way, and my right leg is jammed under the digital console because the seat is too high.
Floor:
The floor has a phantom pedal on the right side, and no pedal on the left, so my feet are always at a different level if on the floor. And of course there is no bar across the front of the machine to rest your feet on.
Fuel and regen:
This machine goes through alot of fuel. It's draining it's 18 gallon tank and more per day. This was another consideration I had when buying the U55. What if the U55 at 47.6 horsepower was slower, and heavier than the Deere 50G at 35.9 horsepower? Then you're burning more fuel for no reason? Nightmare
My dealer (same as Kyle's) didn't have this machine in stock and bought it from a dealer in Ohio. They took a thumb off their Kx040 for me and installed it on the U55. After 6 hours on day one (Friday) of operating this machine, I hinted that I was disappointed and wanted someone to look at the machine. Since nobody was able to come out until Monday, I figured I'd operate it for the weekend because I was on a time critical job. At approximately 30 hours and on Monday morning, I stated I absolutely can't stand the machine and wanted to return it for a refund. I was told that they've never done that before, that nobody has complained about the cockpit comfort of a Kubota, and nobody has complained about a slow hydraulic system.
Their mechanic then came out and told me there are restrictions in the pilot controls that give the machine it's "smoothness", which to me feels like "slowness". Instead of a snappy slew like the Deere, you get a mush while the pilot opens the valve slowly as you rotate.
I can admit I'm much more anal about these things than an average joe. We operate on production jobs nearly all day every day in the summer and when you're talking machine speed and comfort, it's a big deal.
I haven't uploaded to UA-cam in awhile, but I might make a video about these machines!
@@marquettetrailbuilders5383 Great comment. I Can relate - And while its been a few years since I made this video I do think the Kubota excavators are slow/mushy compared to the deere. The biggest thing I don't like about the Kubota minis is that the bucket dump doesn't go nearly as many degrees as a cat or deere. For digging footings in tight areas or dumping into a dump truck its annoying. - Also, not a fan of always needing to turn on the auxiliary to operate the thumb. The thumb and bucket degree is my biggest issue and big enough to where It would keep me from buying one.
I knew I was missing a few things. The bucket curl and having to turn on the aux hydraulics are more issues. Also only having one stick option (short) and their terrible rattling sloppy quick couplers are a few more. U55 is currently for sale on Craigslist if anyone wants a deal!
I am trying to decide which mini ex to buy between a Komatsu PC88MR-10, KX080-4, Cat 308E2, and Yanmar VIO80 to put in pivots on my ranch. I'm currently renting a Cat 305E2. I've noticed the seat is pretty tall on that machine as well, but it's nice that you can swing it side to side and dump it faster than other mini ex's. It's funny because when my dad's cousin rented a Kubota, he said it was faster than the Komatsu we were using to put in water troughs on the place we run our cows in the summer. A guy I work with told me Yanmar is cheaper than Kubota, and they have one of the best engines out there (which is probably the same engine used in smaller Deere and Cat equipment).
Curious to know which machine you went with, both look to be very nice machines.
probably gonna go w the Cat... longer reach, cheaper (not by much) but mostly because the cat service/sales/help has been absolutely fantastic so far. as a start up company I feel that my cat rep has treated me exactly the same as someone from a big state wide company. but yes, both machines are very nice. thanks for watching
the warranty on kubota sure is good because 6 year warranty free with them wich nice
@@fordman2698 the Kubota has got to be cheaper than the cat
Is the angle and/or tilt blade worth the cost, weight penalty, more moving parts, etc. to gain the increased functionality and versatility for finish grading?
Good question Jay....I wouldn't say it adds enough weight for concern, the moving parts seem pretty beefy and strong so to me that concern is out, of which we are left with the functionality and versatility...I think Yes it would be worth it. For the extra 2k or so whatever that price may be, it could* save you a trip on each job to bring a skid in to final grade things. (smaller jobs) I do like how it operates and think it could be pretty darn handy. I know this week I was running an old 312 Cat excavator and found myslef wishing it had a front blade on it much of the time. So, possibly it could be one of those things like You don't know what you've been missing until you've realized that you've missed it.
I'm thinking the angle function would be a plus, especially single passing trenching jobs and final grading going the other direction. On the fence about having a tilt function, can see where it would be nice if a guy was grading around a foundation backfill, or maybe landscaping shaping loose dirt. Suspicious of actually cutting ditch unless the virgin material was fairly friendly stuff.
You struggle talking while operating
You must have quit your videos?