Thanks to Kubota RTV900 Owners Group Forum

I want to thank the group for allowing me access to the forum and the benefit of reading about your experiences with your RTV900s. I have spent the last three weeks comparing utility vehicles and becoming informed about the various things one needs to know before buying. This forum was a prime source of information.</P>


I am "value and investment" oriented and it did not take long to figure outwhy the RTV900 moved to the top of the list over the "hunt and play" units like the Ranger and others of that group.</P>


I am fortunate that I have three Kubota dealers within 50 miles of my central east Texas home. They all got to know me by first name before I made my decision to buy. This week, I bought the camo unit with a glass windshield and camo canopy.</P>


I have 45 acres of sandy, rolling land with pine trees, improved pasture and a live creek bottom. I have some slopes up to 45 degrees coming up out of the bottom land. I have live springs that break out from under the sand in clay areas. I have a large and a small farm tractor that I have stuck several times in the loose sand and this concerned me quite a bit.</P>


I have put about 6 hours on the unit so far and have covered all my property except for crossing the live creek that has8 inches of water and a sandy bottom. After I get enough breakin hours on the unit and have sloped the creeks banks for access and exit, I will try that. I have covered the entire property and conditions in two wheel drive without incident or "working" the machine. I have no problem with the steep slopes in either forward or reverse, no load.</P>


I will be glad to share my experience in the future and look forward to reading what others have to share also.</P>


Thanks again for your input in my buying decision.</P>

Jolaru,

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your RTV!!!!

Glad it gets around fine for you. Are you running the ATV type tires?
Something to test, just so you'll be aware of how it'll act is to play around in sand in reverse, especially, trying to back up a hill. You have a new one which has more power but some owners have had issues with the older ones in deep sand trying to back up. If there's significant resistance (either the tires are buried or backing up a sandy hill), it may not like it, especially in 4WD. Just something to play with to get used to it.

Brian

I'm also interested in which tires you are using and your thoughts on the matter now that you have some experience with them.

The unit I bought is the Recreational configuration with ATV tires, glass windshield and camo canopy.</P>


I did not try to carry a load up or down the steep slopes yet because I want to install a liner first so I can protect the bed. My opinion about a load would be that as long as you don't exceed a reasonable weight (engine torque versus traction), and always select the drive configuration that keeps the down pressure over the pulling wheels, more weight would improve pulling ability as long as you don't exceed the torque of the engine.</P>


On dry soil with grass root bed, sandy soil with leaves and pine needles, I could drive forward up most slopes with two wheel drive (one tire pulling). In one place I had to lock the rear differential to keep from breaking traction on the rear wheels. Two wheels pullingdoubled the traction because both wheels could pull without breaking the grass root bed. No power issues if you do not change the speed control pedal (fuel) during the climb. Some judgement involved in transmission range selection before beginning the climb.</P>


On steeper slopes, uphill required 4 wheel drive to keep from breaking traction, but I never had to use low range power. Slopes too steep for safety issues going uphill had to be taken in reverse. Two wheel drive was not sufficient because the weight of the machine moved from over the leading rear wheels to over the front wheels. In this situation the rear wheels would loose traction. Once I selected 4 wheel drive, the weight on the front wheels was sufficient to climb without breaking traction.</P>


So, it seems to me that if one selects the appropriate power range, and drive range and speed, always keeping the down pressure from the vehicle and load over the pulling wheels, the unit seems to perform as designed.</P>


After all, this is supposed to be a work machine and not a stump jumping, mud bogging, roster tailing ATV.</P>


Results seems to be in the learning curve of machine operation experience rather than more horsepower. Once you change the intended purpose for which the machine was designed, you start tearing up things and become unhappy very quickly. Same principle as driving your truck on different surfaces. If you don't maintain traction, horsepower is worthless.</P>


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