Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJUPaI6-vgc (14 min)
Mike from Rippa USA Sales walks a new owner through the pilot controls on a Rippa excavator. He recorded it after talking with an old school operator who had run other brands for years and wanted to know how a Rippa machine works.
IN THIS VIDEO
- Introduction to Rippa excavators
- Basic pilot controls
- Machine operation overview
- Stick and boom functions
- Control layout and future upgrades
THE BASICS
There are two joysticks, and the layout depends on whether the machine is set to ISO or SAE pattern.
- Boom: the boom is the one big piece from the machine body out to the elbow. Pushing the joystick forward or back fills or empties the boom cylinder, which raises or lowers the boom.
- Bucket: moving the same joystick left or right curls the bucket in or opens it out.
- Stick: the other joystick moves the stick, pulling it in or pushing it out, using the stick cylinder.
- Swing: moving that joystick side to side rotates the entire upper body, including the cab and boom, around the machine.
GOOD TO KNOW
- You can swing and run the stick and boom at the same time. Operators call this working the stick and boom together.
- Years ago, some machines could only turn around a handful of times before the swing joint unscrewed. That is no longer a worry, and you can keep rotating.
- Always raise the hydraulic safety lever whenever you are not working so a bump on a control cannot start anything moving.
- Rippa is also adding more buttons on the joysticks for the thumb and other attachments, so you will not always need floor pedals.
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.


