Ok, you convinced me so I bought a brand new R640 from my local dealer. Generally, I am happy with the machine with two exceptions. 1. No throttle lock. OMG how on earth did they forget to include this important feature (or am I missing it somehow? I hope so. Is it an option?). 2. The articulating joint top bearing won't retain grease, but rather it extrudes the grease aggressively after only a couple of hours of operation. I can tell when all the grease has been "pinched" out of the joint because the machine starts "squeaking" and "squealing" at the joint to the point that you can not stand it. It's a brand new machine with only 34 hrs and it has done this from the very beginning. If this can't be resolved and is considered a "normal" characteristic I will have to sell this loader and move to a different manufacturer (and one that definitely includes throttle lock capabilities - my bad for not verifying the R640 had it but I didn't even think to ask as this should have been a given with this type machine especially since it's so easy to include with the electronic throttle system). Performance-wise the machine does fine.
Hey Audry, first we are happy that you're happy with the R640 and thanks for posting a comment for us. Regarding #1. no throttle lock; yes this model does not have a locking throttle. It is not an option and you can thank the safety engineers for this decision, which at the end of the day might be a blessing in disguise. Regarding #2. just from your description this doesn't sound like the bearing seal is functioning properly. This should not be loosing grease. If you haven't already, you should contact the dealer who you purchased from. Just thinking the seal may have been damaged or faulty, but have them look at it for you. Best of Luck!
@@1stchoiceequipment136 Thank you for responding. My local dealer from whom I purchased the R640 has been very supportive and the machine is currently back in their service department. Kubota Tech Support wants to replace the grease fittings before doing anything else even though we know that is not the problem since the joints are taking grease just fine. Problem is the joint is also spitting it out faster than I can apply it!! My local service guy also believes the problem lies with the seals and its likely I will not take the machine back until they install a new seal kit as a minimum. Thanks again for responding. Much appreciated.
I forgot to mention a few more things. You had better be very careful dumping any load that is not on a completely flat surface. I had the machine for about one hour and a friend of mine was testing it out moving some dirt on my property, he rolled it over to about 45 degrees. The only reason it didn’t go completely over was the bucket caught the dirt pile and stopped it. I pulled it back over with my tractor. There is something very strange in the movement in the front axil due to the rotating connecting pivot in the front end. I was on somewhat sloped ground moving brush very carefully and low to the ground and still managed to pick up one front wheel off the ground 4 times. The pivot should have been designed with a torsion type of resistance to help resist the rolling movement of the front in relation to the back end. I am probably going to load the front tires to help keep them on the ground. Another issue is with the mechanism used to lift the loader bucket. I found that if you try to back drag the bucket it actually flexes and will not hold firm. I looked it over and could not figure out how it is able to do this other than having so many linkages that each one of them contribute to the flex. It does come in handy if you roll the bucket completely forward and forward drag the bucket to level ground. It doesn’t jam the bucket due to the flex. Over time this may hurt the linkages due to the leverage on them. The wheel base is very narrow with no capability to move them out. With the onset of emissions control, it is necessary for the engines to run hard at high throttle to clear the particulates from the system. On this machine, the only time it is at high throttle is in low gear. In high gear you can’t throttle it or you will loose control. In the end this is not good for the life of the emissions system to work properly. In conclusion I would have to say it is a very nice machine if you want to stay warm with great views while deer hunting. If you want to use it for what it was designed for you better stay on flat smooth ground so you don’t kill yourself or destroy the machine. This is the result of some very good concepts that were not tested in real life. Get with the program Kubota!
How will the R640 handle a hydraulic powered brush hog with skid steer attachment? The one I'm considering requires 15 GPM of flow. The R640 is rated for 17.8GPM but I'm guessing that's with the engine revving up? Would the use of the inching pedal allow me to use this attachment to get the engine RPM's up without having the machine move forward to quickly?
I think it tops out at 13MPH. If we could get the MPH up past 20, I think more folks would give this a longer look as it would be easier to go from lot to lot.
You forgot the biggest downside of the new unit, it only has a high low transmission. I use mine around the farm. The low is for picking up piles and is too slow trying to move any distance. The high is uncontrollable on just about any surface except flat like a road. I have tried to keep most of my foot off the pedal so I can control it better. It doesn’t work. I am considering putting in a throttle knob to control it better or just getting rid of the machine all together . What idiot engineer decided to get rid of the 5 speed transmission. I can say that being I am a engineer myself. Sometimes I think they don’t bother even testing there design out before dumping it on a bunch of suckers like myself.
