Welcome to the Forum, Lucas! You will find it has information on just about anything you might want to know vis-a-vis RTVs. For myself, I am a relatively newcomer to the RTV. I originally bought an Arctic Cat Prowler, thinking to keep my 'driveway' plowed (1.5 miles winding through the woods) and for chores on the property--gathering firewood, hunting, fishing, etc.</p>
Well, I learned that the Arctic Cat is a fine machine for tooling around in the woods--going just about anywhere and hitting speeds in excess of 55mph if you are crazy enough to drive it that fast. But it is a recreational machine, not a work machine. This is evident when you look at the frame members and etc., esp. when compared to the RTV. Also, the Prowler (like all the UTV's except the Kubota and Bobcat so far as I have been able to discover) is belt driven. Put it under consistent load, like pushing snow over a distance, and it will not be long before it is slipping. And in the first winter of plowing snow, the receiver hitch simply snapped its welds. I needed to reinforce the welds and the front frame members. </p>
The straw that broke the camel's back was when the oil and coolant radiators clogged with snow and ice during an extended afternoon of plowing. This was not something that had ever occured to me as a possibility so I was not thinking about it and the temp guauge was covered with snow, so I could not see it. Anyway, the end result was that it overheated and burnt out all the bearings and seals. Needed a complete engine rebuild at $4400--and only 188 hours on it! (To their credit, the Arctic Cat people covered all the parts, which was about half of the bill. It was, after all, ultimately my responsibility for not monitoring the temperature.)</p>
Finally admitting that the Arctic Cat was not the answer to my needs, I happened to stop by the local Kubota dealer. I had not previously been familiar with the RTVs. When I did my research that led to the Prowler, my internet searching turned up Yamaha, Polaris, Kawasaki and Arctic Cat machines. Not sure why, but probably because I was using "UTV" as my main search term. The Kubota does not often turn up as a UTV. But I saw one in the Kubota dealer's lot and so went in to take a look. Long story short, a week later and lots of web research (I read virtually every posting on this site--no small thing!), I became the proud owner of that RTV900, having been offered a very good deal.</p>
Both vehicles are currently sitting in my driveway, the Arctic Cat up for sale (only got it back from the shop about 4 weeks ago). What I can say is that comparing the two is like comparing a VW Bug to an M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle. One is a fine means of getting around, the other is designed for serious work. Suffice to say that I do not worry about the welds or the belts slipping. And there is no comparing the power and torque of the Kubota diesel. </p>
It is true. I have to be satisfied with topping out at about 20mph. But I did not buy the RTV to race. I rarely need to go above 5 or 10mph. The plow mount is solid. And as Kubota Kanook noted, I also picked up a snowblower attachment (you can check out my set up at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J73BEgcHHzs). </p>
All I can say is that I am deeply impressed by the RTV900. I think most of the recurring issues noted on this forum (gas cap, etc.) have been sorted in the later models. And some of the folks on this forum have put on a great many hours. Like any machine, they need to be taken care of, and having OEM fluids is really important for the RTV.</p>
If you want to go fast, I have an Arctic Cat on which we might be able to cut a deal. If you want to do any amount of real work, especially plowing, you won't go wrong with the RTV. And then there are all the potential add-ons that are possible via the RTV hydraulic system. Not much you cannot do.</p>
Good luck! I am sure if you have questions this forum will be able to provide honest answers!</p>
Onfoot in the North.</p>
