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.
