Thou Shalt Use Mud Flaps!!!

The once popular ad campaign of "This is your brain on drugs" comes to mind.

This is your RTV without mud flaps.

Frame after removing all forward sheet metal.


Right side (passenger) cable trough. Thin enough to be bent like a beer can.


Driver's side floorpan support. All puffed up and half way rotted. Heavy wet sand had gotten between the two and the rust began.


What's left of passenger floorboard.


Driver's side wheel tub. Hey look!!! There's the nut where mud flaps could have been installed!


Driver's floorboard.


A set of $30 mud flaps would have helped a lot.

This all happened in 5 years on a 2007 unit. Sheetmetal is not available from Kubota but a whole frame is available for $1680. It's almost worth it because there's plenty of rust other places too.

-RFL

Wow Mud flaps indeed.

So, are you going to fabricate the cab yourself? If so please take pics and share your project with us here. That would be awesome!!!!

Not sure if mud flaps would have saved it. My RTV 500 had a lot of the paint lifting with rust under it before it hit 10 hrs...they do a poor job on their prep work for painting.

DIXIEDOG said:

Not sure if mud flaps would have saved it. My RTV 500 had a lot of the paint lifting with rust under it before it hit 10 hrs...they do a poor job on their prep work for painting.

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That's not good.

-RFL

This is the reason I jack up the front end and power wash the underside every month in the summer time .An easier way is find them big water puddles and hit them at about 15 mhp natural power wash.

Man, that looks tough. My '05 looked almost like new when I sold it, even with the manure I went through. You have your work cut out but it will look like new when you are done. You are right about the floor mat trapping moisture too. I am now a fan of the fluid flim product to spray under the machine. It does collect dust but it offers a protective film where you put it.
With the rims so rough as you were saying, have you had a chance to change the front end fluids yet? I was wondering what they looked like. bordercollie

Time for a new RTV

bordercollie said:

Man, that looks tough. My '05 looked almost like new when I sold it, even with the manure I went through. You have your work cut out but it will look like new when you are done. You are right about the floor mat trapping moisture too. I am now a fan of the fluid flim product to spray under the machine. It does collect dust but it offers a protective film where you put it.
With the rims so rough as you were saying, have you had a chance to change the front end fluids yet? I was wondering what they looked like. bordercollie

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Fluids have been drained and they were clear.

So far problems are just the rusted panels. Too bad Kubota doesn't have weld in tubs. It sure would be easier than building new tubs or stitching the old ones together with new metal.

-RFL

20/20 said:

Time for a new RTV

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Well, if I had known then what I know now, I would have passed on it. Price was right, but labor ain't free.

-RFL