by Nick Drew | Tue 30 Jun 2020
New Dash-5 Kubota’s Look a Class Act
The Japanese manufacturer has launched, (all be it quietly), three new 5 tonne excavators, including one aimed specifically at the plant hire sector. Kubota have always had a strong and loyal customer base in the UK and fans of the long-established brand will be excited at the prospect of these new generation of excavators.
According to Kubota the KX060- 5, U56-5 and U50-5 have been developed in response to customer feedback, with the focus put on safety and operator comfort.
Glen Hampson, Business Development Manager for Construction at Kubota UK, said, “We’re proud to be welcoming three new models into our 5-tonne range.
“The new range builds on the success of its predecessors when it comes to how the machines operate and overall functionality. The new machines, however, offer improved comfort and safety to the user.”
As we have come to expect these days, and in keeping with other manufacturers each machine has a larger cabin with better insulation, improved visibility and is generally more operator friendly.
The exterior of the machines has also been redesigned to give them a modern aesthetic and from what I can see in the photos they have done a good job.
With the launch of the three new models, Kubota’s customers have the choice of either a conventional excavator or a reduced tail swing version.
The KX060-5 offers a conventional tail swing option, which can be used in different applications to the U-series. For instance, it is the machine most suitable for heavier attachments due to the offset of the counterweight.
Meanwhile, the U56-5 is said to have a powerful engine and, as the largest reduced tail swing machine in Kubota’s range, it is designed to offer good lifting capacity.
All three excavators feature a full-colour, high-resolutions 7-inch LCD screen and jog-dial navigation as standard, to give operators better access to machine information. They also all have a high-visibility orange seatbelt and alert functions to encourage the operator to wear the seatbelt.
Noise levels inside the cab have been reduced by 5dB to 74dB. The three excavators are fitted with a Kubota Original Direct Injection Engine with common rail system (CSR) and diesel particulate filter (DPF) muffler, making them Stage V compliant.
Also, the new DPF was said to help reduce maintenance requirements by increasing the service intervals for both the regeneration filter and the ash cleaner. When maintenance is required though, better access is offered by the wide opening bonnets.
Apparently the U50-5 will become available from next month. We look forward to getting a chance on the sticks of these new models in due course.
Checkout the promotional video on these exciting new models from Kubota.