Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRxy9We42s4 (4 min)

One of our RS06 mini skid steers wouldn't hold a charge after four or five rounds of charging. Mike shows the quick fix and shares how he keeps batteries healthy.

BATTERY CARE

- Mike uses NOCO Genius battery tenders (about $35 on Amazon) and keeps them on new machines for around 24 hours.

- Once a year he runs a desulfating maintenance charger on batteries for about 24 hours. It pulses the battery to knock corrosion off the lead plates. He says this gets him 5 years from a vehicle battery where many people get 2 to 3, especially in Texas heat, and 3+ years from ATV and mower batteries versus about 1.

SWAPPING THE RS06 BATTERY (ABOUT 10 MINUTES)

1. Remove the hold-down screws at the front and back.

2. Lift off the shield plate.

3. Disconnect the wiring harness that is in the way, then the positive and negative terminals.

4. Lift the battery out, set the new one in, reconnect and tighten everything down.

The replacement came from AutoZone for just under $81, and it has more cold cranking amps than the battery that shipped with the machine.

Questions? Call Rippa USA Sales at 817-382-3201 or visit RippaUSASales.com. We deliver nationwide with flat rate shipping, and you get 50% off attachments when you buy a machine from us.

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cyU6leoGos (3 min)

If you push both joysticks fully forward and your RS03 or RS04 pulls to the left or right instead of driving straight, you can fix it yourself in 10 to 15 minutes. The process is the same on both machines.

STEPS

1. Find the two valve blocks at the top of the machine on each side. Next to each pair of blocks is a dark cap, and the adjustment is under the cap below the block.

2. Remove the cap and put an Allen key in the adjuster.

3. Turn it about a half turn.

4. Drive about 10 feet and see if it tracks straighter or worse.

5. Repeat, back and forth, three or four times if needed. Adjust on the side that is pulling to push it the other way.

6. When the machine drives straight, put the cap back on and tighten it.

Questions? Call Rippa USA Sales at 817-382-3201 or visit RippaUSASales.com. We deliver nationwide with flat rate shipping, and you get 50% off attachments when you buy a machine from us.

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjY-SOoRnno (6 min)

On some RS03 and RS04 machines the throttle knob doesn't travel its full range, because the cable has slack in it. Owners sometimes try to force the knob past its stop and break the small pins inside. Mike and Dakota show how to set the cable so you get the full range of travel. The RS03 usually comes set up correctly from the start, so this is most often needed on the RS04.

WHAT YOU'RE AIMING FOR

- The throttle knob should sweep the whole range, from fully back to fully forward, instead of stopping early.

HOW TO DO IT (RS04)

1. Push the throttle knob as far forward as it will go.

2. Remove the side panel (small Allen screws, about a 5 mm Allen key).

3. Find the throttle cable at the engine. Use a screwdriver to loosen the cable clamp. You'll need to reach through the accessory door and around the fuel tank, so plan on getting down on your hands and knees.

4. Use vice grips to pull the cable tight, because it's too hard to pull by hand. Put a finger on the engine's throttle lever and push it as you pull the cable so there is no slack.

5. Tighten the clamp, then test the knob for full travel.

On an RS03 the cable is easy to reach at the back of the machine.

Questions? Call Rippa USA Sales at 817-382-3201 or visit RippaUSASales.com. We deliver nationwide with flat rate shipping, and you get 50% off attachments when you buy a machine from us.

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSIyFnt97c8 (8 min)

Spring is when many owners get their machines out and start asking how to service them. Mike and Jake walk through basic maintenance on the Rippa RS03 so you don't have to figure it out over the phone. (RS04 and RS06 get their own maintenance videos.)

SAFETY FIRST

- Raise the boom all the way up, then set the safety bar in the lift cylinder so the boom rests on it. Never work under the boom with hydraulics holding it up.

- With the boom up, remove the 12 mm screws around the panel and lift it off to reach the engine. You can also get to it from the back.

GREASE

- The owner's manual shows every grease point and the maintenance schedule.

- The toolbox includes a grease tip for the flat-faced points on the cylinders, and a regular fitting for the zerks (look for the little red caps) all around the machine, top and bottom of each cylinder.

- Keeping everything greased is the biggest thing you can do for machine life. Grease until fresh grease comes out.

ENGINE AND FLUIDS

- The RS03 has a Briggs & Stratton gas engine, much like a lawn mower engine, so there is little to it.

- Check oil on either yellow dipstick. You only need to check one. Drain oil from the nut on the other side, then refill through the same dipstick opening up to the line. The manual lists the exact quantity.

- The air filter is the other thing to clean and watch.

- The hydraulic tank has a drain nut on the bottom if you ever need to empty and clean it.

- For bad fuel, drain it from the bottom of the carburetor or remove a fuel line.

TRACK TENSION

- Park the bucket down on a couple of 2x4s and push so the machine tilts back and the tracks lift off the ground.

- Remove the 12 mm screws on the small cover plate. Loosen the lock nut with a 1-1/8" wrench, then adjust the tension with a 16 mm wrench, turning one way to tighten and the other to loosen.

- Re-tighten the lock nut so the adjustment doesn't back off.

Questions? Call Rippa USA Sales at 817-382-3201 or visit RippaUSASales.com. We deliver nationwide with flat rate shipping, and you get 50% off attachments when you buy a machine from us.

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tou7k7WUqQ8 (3 min)

Excavators come with two common control patterns: SAE (often called backhoe) and ISO. On the new Rippa R18 Pro you can switch between them yourself in a minute or two.

STEPS

1. Turn the machine off. Always do this first.

2. Rotate the lever by the seat down to change from SAE to ISO.

3. Open the access panel on the floor plate and find the small round spring-loaded ball.

4. Pull it down and slide it back over to the new position.

5. To go back, rotate the handle the other way, then reposition the lever.

6. Reinstall the access panel.

The switches are in different places on different models. Some models have the second switch inside a box instead, so ask your dealer to walk you through it when you buy.

Questions? Call Rippa USA Sales at 817-382-3201 or visit RippaUSASales.com. We deliver nationwide with flat rate shipping, and you get 50% off attachments when you buy a machine from us.

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WobpvYx9U4 (2 min)

A follow-up to our earlier RS04 video on where the hydraulic filters are, thanks to a customer who sent us details.

- Earlier RS04 (no float on the tank): a metal tank with the hydraulic oil filter mounted outside, easy to see.

- Newer RS04 (with a float): Rippa redesigned the system and the hydraulic oil filters sit inside the tank. Looking down into the open tank, there are three filter elements.

- Hydraulic cooler: yes, the RS04 has one. A line runs from the hydraulic tank all the way back to the radiator area, with a return line going back into the tank.

Bottom line: the RS04 does have hydraulic filtration and an oil cooler, and it's a rock-solid machine.

Questions? Call Rippa USA Sales at 817-382-3201 or visit RippaUSASales.com. We deliver nationwide with flat rate shipping, and you get 50% off attachments when you buy a machine from us.

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J67ICyrTP0o (1 min)

A quick safety lesson from Mike: some attachments aren't made for the RS03 or RS04 because they're simply too heavy to lift.

- On an RS06 with a heavy attachment (the demo uses a large trencher-type attachment), the machine is just barely balanced. If someone stood on the back, it would lay down on the tracks.

- In the video the rear of the tracks is only about 7 inches off the ground. Lift a little more and the machine would face-plant.

Takeaway: the first time you pick up any new attachment, go slowly, keep it low and know your machine's limits.

Questions? Call Rippa USA Sales at 817-382-3201 or visit RippaUSASales.com. We deliver nationwide with flat rate shipping, and you get 50% off attachments when you buy a machine from us.

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPI3MWuSTTw (27 min)

The first video in our technical series on excavators. Mike and Robert from the dealership go through preventative maintenance on the Rippa R57, and most of it applies to the smaller Rippa excavators too.

KEY TIPS

- Fuel filter: fill a new filter with fuel before installing it, then use the hand primer until it gets firm, and cycle the key. Do the same any time you change the filter.

- Grease points: the swing gear (turret) fittings lubricate the gear splines. Wipe the fittings clean first, and clear any paint from the fitting opening with a screwdriver so you don't push paint into the joint.

- Track adjustment: lift the track off the ground, then adjust the tension.

- Hydraulic fittings: never use Teflon tape anywhere on the hydraulic system. Bits of tape in the oil can cause serious, expensive damage.

- Drain plugs: clean the threads after draining so the plug doesn't gall the threads or damage the O-ring.

- Cab heat/air: a stuck blend door flap is a common reason the heater or A/C seems off.

- Throttle: Mike and Robert say operating above about 40 to 60% throttle, unless you need the power, wastes fuel and wears the machine out.

Need parts, filters or service advice? Call Rippa USA Sales at 817-382-3201 or visit RippaUSASales.com. We deliver nationwide with flat rate shipping, and you get 50% off attachments when you buy a machine from us.

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeRBSzXVLPQ (2 min)

At a Powston assembly plant, Mike shows the Kubota engines staged for the next day's builds. They arrive wrapped in plastic on metal cages, ready to install.

The key point is a question he gets all the time: should you drain and change the fluids on a new machine? For a Kubota engine, no. Each engine ships with a specific break-in oil from Kubota in Japan, and Mike says that if you replace it in the first 50 hours, Kubota can void the engine warranty. After 50 hours, change the oil according to the manufacturer's specifications. He suggests you Google it to confirm.

Questions? Call Rippa USA Sales at 817-382-3201 or visit RippaUSASales.com. We deliver nationwide with flat rate shipping, and you get 50% off attachments when you buy a machine from us.

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw7nSzyFR3Q (2 min)

A common question from buyers: should you drain and replace the hydraulic oil in a new machine? Mike explains why we don't.

- Rippa no longer fills machines with the soy-based oil it once used. When machines reach the US warehouses, they are topped off with standard ISO 46 hydraulic oil, shown in the crate in the video.

- When a machine arrives at our dealership, the tank is still low. We add roughly 50 to 70% more ISO 46, so a machine from us ends up with about 90 to 100% good oil.

- Draining and refilling would simply waste money.

Questions about service or fluids? Call Rippa USA Sales at 817-382-3201 or visit RippaUSASales.com. We deliver nationwide with flat rate shipping, and you get 50% off attachments when you buy a machine from us.