Almost a new Owner, couple of questions for the group

Hello,

I have just sold my Kawasaki Mule that has been a great machine.
I am looking to replace it with a Kubota RTV. There is one coming
up for sale at auction that I'll try to get, but my luck at auctions
has not been worth the time to go to them. I went to see the
machine today, 37 hours on it, "work" model, Plastic roof, plastic
windshield, bed lift, and mirrors. I have known the owner for 18
years and he has only hauled the grandchildren in it. It is a
nice unit.



He recalled that he paid $10700 for it new. At some auctions I
have seen bidders bid more than new prices. I hope that there are
none of those there.



Now if I have to buy new, Please advise; Windshield; plastic or
glass. I am thinking glass. My Kaw Mule with plastic has a
couple of scratches but has a slight haze to it that makes it dificult
to see through when the sun is low and you are pointed west.



Roof; Plastic or metal. Any reason not to get the plastic one?



I'd get a winch and bedliner too



Any other suggestions from you owners?



Thank you,



Bob in S. Central Illinois

Auctions are a funny thing. Sometimes you make out, sometimes you pay more than new retail. </P>


A new windshield is $600, roof about $200. So figure that into your price and bid accordingly. I am a big fan of the glass windshield. It is expensive, but its much nicer than a plastic one. Nothing wrong with the plastic roof either, its pretty sturdy. </P>

Bob,</P>


Yea, people can get a bit crazy at auctions. I regularly see people bidding higher than what things would cost new. With only 37 hours, it's still worth a decent sum although the accessories added don't add much.</P>


I like the plastic roof. I don't have any experience with the metal one but the plastic can withstand impacts from branches and such and always bounces back.</P>


For the windshield, I too like glass but at $600, I didn't get it. Plastic does scratch and yellow if it came with one, I'd use it but once it got bad, I would take it off and replace with something else. I made one out of something inbetween. Lexan with Mar-Guard. Very strong and the Mar-Guard makes it scratch and yellowing resistant. I believe they guarantee the surface against scratching/yellowing for 10 years.</P>


Winch is great to have. If you asked for my recommendations, I would suggest either a Warn or Ramsey 3000#. I opted for the Ramsey as it comes with a wireless remote which I've found handy.</P>


On the bedliner, what kinds of things do you expect to be hauling? I know many that had it sprayed with Rhino-liner (the stuff that's normally sprayed into the box of a pickup truck) in addition to, or instead of the bedliner. The bedliner will give better protection against impacts. If you go with the Rhino-liner, almost everyone I know that did it also removed the rubber floor mat in the passenger compartment and did that area as well. Water has a tendency to pocket under the OEM rubber floor mat.</P>


Other suggestions:
Tire selection will be important. Example: the HDWS tires on the worksite model do NOT like mud. What types of ground conditions will you be riding in? A lot of us opted for aftermarket tires. The Maxxis Bighorns or ITP Mud-Lites are 2 favorites.
Tell us more about your uses for other suggestions. I have 2 kids, so I put a center seatbelt in which was an important item for me. I added a lot of things but found lights that illuminatethepassenger cabin and cargo box to be very beneficial.</P>


Brian</P>

Please advise where you got the center seatbelt. Is is a Kubota accessory? Thanks....

I just bought a rear seat (center) seatbelt for a car off e-bay (about $3.00). Grey color strapping matches the others but the hasps are grey instead of black (and are marked "Center") so they're easier to identify.</P>


Brian</P>


PS. On the plastic vs. steel roof, I like the plastic but needed to put a metal plate on the top center area for the amber strobe light. I went with magnetic instead of a permanent mount since the light would make it too tall to fit in a standard sized garage door.</P>

Brian,

Thank you for the info. Here is what happened today. I went
to 2 dealers with my "wish" list (after a trip to the bank to deposit
the procedes from the Mule sale). The second dealer in Newton
Illinois was great. He offered to take a trade in on a little
used 4 wheeler I have and that closed the deal. So now I do not
have to fuss with the auction, loose another week hoping for a deal,
and the 4 wheeler is turned back into cash. I get a new RTV.
Wohoo!



He had nearly all of the accessories in stock but has to order in a few
items and install them. I went with a Plastic roof, Glass
windshield, speedometer, work lights, tail lamp guards (learned from
experience on that one) amd the plastic bed liner. I haul a lot
of firewood and wanted the added (marginal) impact protection. I
had him add a rear view mirror and heater too. I do use this baby
all year round.



Your comments on the tires have me thinking. Most of the year,
and most use is on hard surfaces, gravel drive, pavement, and rock hard
Illinois clay in the summer. That clay turns to muck in the fall
and spring and those trips to the woodpile can get really sloppy.
I did order the worksight machine so it has the standard worksight
heavy duty tires. I'll be reading your posts and make a
selection.



The mule had a "knobby like" stock tire that got me through most
situations. A wee bit more aggressive than the Kubota tire,
it got me through most every mud hole and trail that I
encountered. What would you suggest? I'll look at the
Maxxis and ITP's that you suggested.



I mentioned the shaft rattle problem and told him about the new
universal joint part available with the spline clamp (learned from this
site yesterday). He offered to install that part if it is
available before I get the machine.



Looking forward to the new machine.



Bob

Sounds good, I would not stress about the tires. Wait and see how the stock ones do for you, from your description i think they will be fine 99% of the time.

Bob,</P>


Congrats on your new machine. Sounds like you're already getting key accessories. Heater but no cab? I bought one of those propane radiant heaters that attach to a small propane tank (which fits perfectly in the cup holder spotif you remove the cup holder liner). Did it too late in the year to actually see how well it worked. You'll find the windshield will help enormously as it'll stop the windchill factor.</P>


For firewood, you'll appreciate the bed liner. You may want to consider the Ramsey winch (with wireless remote) as well. Great for dragging the logs to the RTV.</P>


[quote user="Admin"]Sounds good, I would not stress about the tires. Wait and see how the stock ones do for you, from your description i think they will be fine 99% of the time.[/quote]</P>


As soon as you get your RTV, go everywhere you can, and through all the terrain/conditions you may encounter. Obviously, you'll have to wait for snow... I never got to try the HDWS tires in the snow but they did fine on all hard surfaces. They just don't like mud or wet clay since they cake up.</P>


Brian</P>


EDIT - PS, I didn't bother replying to your post on TBN since we're chatting here.</P>

The HDWS tires work fine in packed snow (icy)covered roads in 4x4 mode. Yeah, the heater will not be much good if you do not have a complete cab.The Ramsey (wireless remote) winch is the best...the Warn winches are not powerful enough.</P>


BTW, don't forget about this $400cab coupon Kubota is offering now: </P>


http://www.kubota.com/f/products/rtv.cfm</P>


http://www.kubota.com/f/products/RTVcoupon.pdf</P>

Bob , I am selling a like new Kubota . It has a SS bed liner , aluminum wheels and cleated tires .</P>


You can see it on PRC forum .</P>


Neal - central Ohio</P>

There is a classifides forum here for this kinda thing.

http://compacttractorreview.com/cs/forums/14/ShowForum.aspx

Thank you , sorry about the mistake .</P>


Neal</P>


</P>

Neal.

Thanks for the reply although I made a verbal commitment on this new
machine and I'll not go back on my word. If you should happen to
sell the machine with the stock tires I'd be interested in the ITP's
and ATV tires. Are they ITP 589's?



By the way the machine at the auction I mentioned sold for $8750.



Bob

Thanks for the info Bob .</P>


What condition and how many hours was on the machine at the auction ? I placed mine on the for sale thread on this forum and just wondered if my price is in line . Mine is perfect condition and 110 hours (still new) .Mine also hasthe hydraulic dump .</P>


Yes , they are 27" 589's and I will keep you in mind if someone purchases my RTV without them .They make a big difference in traction and add a small amount of top end speed(little taller than stock).</P>


Please let me know what you think about my price .</P>


Neal</P>

Hi Neal,

The machine at the auction had 37 hrs on it. Plastic roof and
plastic windshield, rear view mirror, stock worksite machine.
Compared to that, you are priced about the same. How worn are
your tires. Have they been on all 110 hrs?



Bob

No ,</P>


Tires have around thirty hours . I forget what model I have ,does worksite mean hydraulic dump .</P>


Neal</P>

Bob ,</P>


I have been thinking , if I sold you my tires I could reduce the price on my machine and possibley sell easier . If interested my phone # and email address is on my add in the "for sale" .</P>


Thanks , Neal</P>

[quote user="Anonymous"]I forget what model I have ,does worksite mean hydraulic dump[/quote]</P>


Right next to the VIN stamp (on the frame above the battery) is a white sticker with some barcodes. The top line gives the model. If it ends with "W", it's the worksite. Don't quote me but I think it it ends with "T", it's turf, "G" is general purpose and "R" is recreational.</P>


Brian</P>


</P>

<DIV>Thanks Brian .</DIV>
<DIV>Neal</DIV>

Just a quick note to encourage you guys to register and post under a user name. Its quite confusing to read the thread above and know who is who.