My 138fr boom lockout disengages before the boom completely clears the cab. Have any other FR series operators experienced this? I pulled the boom back into the right front corner of my cab!
Hi there,i live in Australia and have a new TB-138fr,do you still own the above mentioned machine,and were you able to find the source of the problem(lock out pin adjustment)? Would you know if any guys over there have air-con problems with this model,as mine is just about useless after a few hours of digging! Have threatened the the dealer with legal action as its been dragging on now for 13 months,and they cant fix it! Its hotter in the cab than outside temps,
Uuuh - hotter inside? Did you turn the seasonal heater valve off?
Takeuchi (TB-138fr) air-con issue Hi there guys thanks for the speedy reply,yeah the heater controls are off,the dealer has checked everything,re-insulated the air-con box,replaced drier, checked the pressures, regassed twice,fitted a new evaporator core (new model) to stop water droplets being thrown out the vents,(138's and 153's) have that problem.I am seeing around 7-9 deg celsius at the vents when i start digging of a morning and that climbs slowly within 3-4 hours it has reached 19-21 deg at the vents and the cab temp is over 30 deg,all the air-con specialists over here claim the whole system is way under designed,have even spoken to YOUR air-con guys in the US,they say the system is pretty well useless over 80deg/f,my dealer is fed up with me complaining and is not getting much help from Takeuchi,thats why i got legal addvice,as the brochure claims, i quote!!( Air Conditioner provides a comfortable operating enviroment in even the warmest climate.)which is not true!and the cab costs an extra $10,000-00.AUD, The dealer claims they dont have a problem with the air normally,yet the Yanmars,and most of the Kubota's have the air fittted here now,as they were having similar problems,not sure what Takeuchi do when someone wants a machine to go to some of the hotter countries in the world,i know i would hate to be in my cab in Dubia or somewhere like that,its very frustrating to say the least??
My AC has never worked right since new. The boom system has never had any issues. My only issue has been the AC. They have worked on it and have told me that the air is 30 degrees at the vent which is true, but as you said as the machine works it soon blasts hot air. Its a messed up system no doubt.
I find it amazing that they can't figure out what the problem is. "it soon blasts hot air"???...it's a simple A/C system, we're not talking about the guidance system on the space shuttle for cryin' out loud!
Hi there,yeah its not rocket science as you say but if they admit there is a problem with everybody's air-con,can you imagine the can of worms that would open??? Like i said earlier,the evaporator and condenser are both to small for the job at hand,some specialists here wont mount the condenser on the motor radiator,they remote mount them on the cab with a thermatic fan,as they claim on the smaller excavators there is so much heat under the bonnet,and of course where have Takeuchi mounted the whole air-con unit? right along side the Hydraulic tank(80-90 deg/c),i feel its time we all started getting on to our dealers and say enough is enough???
My TB 135 also has air issues. Worked ok when new, gradually got worse. I've had it checked and recharged, refuse to let Tak work on it as they seem to think they are just going to wrack-up hours trying to trouble shoot it. My mechanic thinks it's the orifice that is plugged, as soon as I get a schematic he will pull it and check it. I mounted a fan in the cab so I could stand being in there. Buddy of mine also has an identical TB 135, he's having the same issues. Both machines are '05's. Too bad, I doubt I'll buy another Tak at this point, great parts network, but laxidasical attitude when you have an issue they aren't sure about. They just want to sell parts or wrack-up billable hours.
Hi there "atgreene",a bit disappointing after you buy something new that appears to have a "known problem" and they fail to recognize it! Have you ever contacted the factory in the U.S ? I contacted them regarding mine,even though the machine was built in Japan,they replied within hours and also contacted the dealer,i even told them that i would not be buying another Takeuchi product unless this issue was rectified,i just wonder if we could get enough of us together regarding this matter to mount some sought of claim legally,i think they call it a (class action)?Unfortunately i dont personally know any one else in my area with another (Taky),but i have not doubt that there are plenty of customers with Air-Con problems here and over there? I have only just joined the forum,not sure if i can even post a new thread yet,this problem needs to be made known World-Wide,you probably think i am carring on about this,but i have been in the building trade for over thirty years,and hate being taken down buy anybody.My dealer has been pretty good about the whole problem,no charge so far,but its such a waste of time and effort,when really its just a (Miscalculation) on Takeuchi's behalf on how much heat is generated by the motor ,exhaust and hydraulics and absorbed by the cab,its like having your hands tied!!!
I'm with ya. The machine is a good machine and I have worked it hard, but it gets maintained and anything wrong gets fixed. I've had other issues and had to deal with the factory reps, they always call it abuse or neglect no matter the issue. It is their standard answer. The other side of this is that every machine has it's quirks, I've run quite a few and the Tak had the most power, so I bought 2. Next time I may try another brand just because of these issues. That, and other brands are always improving. Feel free to include me in any complaint you have with them. Mine was out of warranty when I had issues with the a/c, so I had an a/c shop and another mechanic work on it. The local Tak dealer subs out their work, so they charge extra and you don't get to talk to the guy that actually works on it. Good luck.
Dang fellow's, I feel for ya'. Seems like your in a pretty crappy position with the A/C issue. :Banghead
Well, it's pretty obvious you fellows are in a pickle, or would it be more appropriate to say your in a "sauna". I have a crazy thought. And, no, I don't expect it to fix your problem. Curiosity more than anything. Assuming we're working with a condensor that's too small for the job, and a great deal of heat within the engine compartment; I wonder if it would even slightly improve the performance of the AC system with the bonnet open and propped up while operating machine. The open bonnet would make the airflow from the fan less restrictive and greatly improve removal of heat from the engine compartment. Just curious if it would make a difference. I only suggest this as trying to noodle through a problem and maybe come up with a workable solution, since not many folks I know have the change in their pocket that would allow them to pour diesel fuel on the machine and burn it then go out and purchase a new one.
I've looked at moving it, and may, it will take some mods to get it mounted behind the rear window. I've looked at making more air slots, moving the hydro cooler etc... etc.... Even looked at adding an aux cooler for the radiator and adding an electric fan. Haven't found a good way to do it, so I'm waiting for someone else to find a fix. As for running with the cover open, I've tried it, nope, no difference. Even w/o a/c running, on real hot days temps get up near redline, never had it overheat, but it is up there. I steam the radiator on a regular bassis to clean it out. At some point I will remove all the shrouds from in front of the radiator and see what I can do for better air flow. I think elect. fans may be the best way out, set them up on a thermostat so they kick on when hot.
Well I have to say that's the most FUBAR design I believe I've ever heard of! I hate that for ya fella's.
Hi Diga, where in oz are you? I am near gladstone in queensland.Haven't got a takeuchi,but have been thinking about grtting one. I have a jcb8080 excavator,with plenty of problems ,Air con being one of them When the clowns that design these things put the control valve on the back of the cab engine and muffler right beside the cab,you end up working in a sauna.My machine the window glass on the side of the cab gets so hot you cann't put your hand on it .Back later got visters .ian,
You will find that the evaporator is freezing over , that's why it works OK for a while . The thermostat is not cycling quick enough . Some of my machines do it as well , as soon as you feel the air temp rising , turn the thermostat to off . Leave the fans running , you will feel the air get colder when the ice melts and the air can blow through the evaporator core . When this happens , turn the thermostat back on . The unit will run cold until it freezes over again , that's the water/ice you are feeling being spat out of the vents . You need a new thermostat , make sure the sender bulb is situated in the air stream of the evaporator so it can sense the air temp .
You guys must live in a very hot climate if you can't work without air conditioning. How hot does is your typical day? Would you not be better off opening up all the windows and maybe installing a fan? On my Hitachi, which has no air conditioning, I just lift the front window wide open and slide open the window in the entry door. I keep the right side window closed to keep the engine noise out. But here the temps rarely go above 85 F or 30 C. The fresh air feels great!
Hi Ian,good to here from you! I live in Cleveland(suburb on the bay near brisbane),yeah mate i like the machine really fits the bill for me,i am a plumber/drainer,had backhoes on and off for years then switched to TB138fr,optioned mine up from the factory with a longer dipper arm,i use 4 ton buckets instead of those small ones they all try and sell you,otherwise its like digging with a shovel,back to the air-con issue, not sure what to make of it all ha? According to Brisk-Air here in Brisbane this is normal for factory fitted air in a lot cases,they fit an American brand to all the the Yanmars that come in down here,someone has made the suggestion that the condenser is freezing up,not according to the air con people that have worked on it to date! ( [email protected] )
This is why I have not gone after TK on mine, its BS that the AC doesn't work as it should and we all paid money for it to work. Honestly the heat working is much more important to me, but about 1 month a year, it ticks me off severely and then I get over it. As far as buying something else. I don't think I can live without that side to side boom design. Like someone else said the machines are very powerful and the FR series machines are so handy, changing OEM's would be difficult as no one else runs anything like this. They just need to be the AC figured out and its a winner.
What i said was the evaporator is freezing over , not the condenser . The evaporator is the inside bit and the condenser is usually in front of the radiator . A unit that has been serviced and re gassed and given the all clear and still does not stay cool is usually freezing the evaporator fins and not allowing the air to be blown through the fins .
Hi Diga, Sorry about taking so long to get back to you. I bought a jcb8080 and the air con in it has been a problem since day one.Dealers fix was to put an adjustable thermistate on it which didn't help.Least your dealer will talk to you.Dealers have had so many dramas with this model they stopped importing them.Even the poms on another forum don't have much good to say about them. To be fair to the original poster and seeing both of us have enough posts up now to start our own thread, Ishall do just that.