Considering RTV purchase

T

TXRancher

New member
I am close to purchasing a new UV. I currently own a 2003 Kawasaki Mule 3010 Diesel. We have had problems with it from the beginning - I think we got a 'lemon'. It seems like it has been in the shop more than we have had it. I will not buy another Mule, although my problems may be limited to my machine as I know others are pleased with it. I have narrowed my choices to a 6x6 Ranger or an RTV900. This will be primarily used for ranch work in East Texas (hills not mountains, mud and sand). I was leaning toward the Ranger until I drove one (EFI700 4x4) and it just does not seem to be solid enough. I think the composite material will be broken the first winter we have cows crowding around wanting to get cubes out of the back. By the time you add a heavy duty grill for the front, back and sides the cost really gets up there.
I have not asked to have a 'demo' RTV delivered but doubt they would let me use it for free. Driving the one at the dealer, it seemed to be quick enough but others have said negative things about the speed. Anyone having trouble getting in front of a cow heading for an open gait or catching a baby calf because it is too slow?
I plan on getting a worksite model w/ ATV tires, soft cab w/ glass windshield, and front work lights. I plan on having a winch, spray in bedliner for back and floor, and rear trailer hitch installed from 'aftermarket'. Any other accessories that I need for my use?? Has anyone used the 3-point hitch? How does it lift up / down?
One of my main priorities is to have a reliable machine. I cannot find an objective source that rates the different machines like Consumer's Reports rates car repair history. My consensus after reading as much as I can find is that the Ranger is not as reliable as the RTV.
Any opinions on these issues would be appreciated, sorry for the long post.
 
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Not sure if I should pipe in as I have not taken delivery on my 900 yet (I will get it on Monday). I am the type that does his homework and goes to the dealer dial calipers and micrometer in hand. The dealer of choice in my area is both a Polaris and Kubota Dealer so I felt I would limit my choices to those two machines. </P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">I will say the Ranger wins hands down if all you do is read the literature. Even after my dealer/friend told me I wanted the 900 I was still taken in by the Polaris’s literature. My dealer who knows my needs and has sold me a Kubota Tractor and Kubota Z-turn mower told me “If you want it for fun buy the Ranger, if you want it for work (which I do) buy the 900. I too felt the Ranger felt cheap after the test drive compared to the 900. Our applications are a little different; I don’t have to keep up with cattle but will be using it for forest management on variable terrain. </P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Even though I traded in a Polaris 700 Twin that never saw the shop in the 3 years/1400 miles I felt the 900 was the right choice for the following reasons.</P>
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  1. <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">Sold on Diesel engines</LI>

    1. <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.0in">Maintenance</LI>
      <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.0in">Fuel efficiency/Price (Off road Diesel in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State> is about $1.00/gal less then gas). Not sure if this is true but my dealer said the 900 is about 40% more fuel efficient then the Ranger.</LI>
    <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">Durability/Construction</LI>
    <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">Kubota’s reputation although Polaris has a good rep also.</LI>
    <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">Never drove my Polaris ATC over 25 mph</LI>
    <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">Like the color <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Orange</st1:City></st1:place>[:D]<o:p></o:p></LI>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Hope this helps</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Steve</P>
 
For my 2 cents worth, I was looking at the rangers and maybe a mule till I went and looked at a RTV and I was sold on it at my first look at it. I could see that it was built solid and it had a nice size bed and it dumped too. So I decided right then and there that this is what I wanted. </P>


If you compare the quality and features and it being a workhorse the RTV wins hands down.</P>
 
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<DIV id=post_message_1172704>Just I would just throw in a note. I, like you, have asked alot of questions. Wanted the very best for my workload, hunting, and deer management. For over a year, before letting go of the money. I done some really deep,deep researce on all the utiltiy vehicles. As you can read, everybody has a say on what they like or dislike. Like another said, ALL the utility vehicles has thier good & bad points. ALL OF THEM !!!!
We have used & test fired just about all the popular units avalible. (we used all of them approx 5-7 days apiece) Used on the on the plantation for heavy work, hunting , and doing the year round deer management from disc plots, setting up food plots, hauling barrels of corn & suppliment feed to the auto-feeder, & hauling seeds for planting for the farm .
After all said and done, we made the big step this Febuary, and purchased a RTV 900. THE VERY BEST INVESTMENT I EVER MADE !!!!
It is not a speed demon !!!! Don't believe you'd have any problems withcutting off the cows headed for the open gates. For I don't drive that fast anyway, but found that it has ALL the power needed for the job. Hauls more than I want to load, and that Kubota engine, is IT. We have loaded down the back, and loaded up a the trailer, and goes as if there is nothing there.
I've not done any actual deer hunting (yet) out of this unit that I purchased, but has done everything else we purchased it for. Our dealer let me use a camo model for a week last winter, done EVERYTHING any big time hunter would ask for. We hunt in a alot of swamp / marshy land down here in Louisiana. Also, hunt the plowed up fields in the winter, and they get really bad also, but the Kubota NEVER let us down, not even once ~~~~ The hydro transmission is the only way to go as far as I am concered. Tried all the belt driven units, they all slipped, all of them. Now this might not happen to you or anybody else, but the belt driven brands / models did not perform as we wanted it to.
I had my dealer swap out the tires on the unit that we purchased for the aggressive tires like what is on the Kubotra 900 Camo models (At No Cost)They do just fine ! Installed a ROPS High Mount Air Breather for running in deep water, intalled a Ramsey 3000 lb. winch, tractor inplement lights on the front and back, Remote Control Golight on the front, Glass Kubota windshield,
metal top.
Let me state on one thing, we used All the brands / models the same way.
We DID NOT try to tear things up, find the deepest gator hole and try to bury them, abuse them to prove a point, or try to float them like a battleship.
We used these like they were suppose to be used. This was our money, and wanted to spend it wisely. We wanted this unit to be a one time investement !!!! This statement is not to put down any make or model of any utilty vehicles, for they are some good ones out there. But the one that we found to fit our use, hard work, farming, deer manangement, & hunting, was none other than the KUBOTA RTV.</DIV></TD></TR>
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TXRancher,

Welcome to the forum.

My thoughts:
If I recall correctly, the Mule 3010 diesel has a top speed of 25 MPH. If this is correct, it matches the RTV. If your Mule was fast enough, the RTV will be as well. I believe the Ranger has a top speed of 40-45 MPH.

For getting a "demo", entice the dealer. Tell the dealer that you're 90% sure you want it. Pick out the one you want and have them deliver it (and bring the sales papers). Once at your place, you have 1 hour to drive it around, simulating most of the tasks you would like to perform. Someone from the dealership could/should ride along as well. Their riding along is for a few reasons:
1. They get a better chance to see what the RTV can do outside of their parking lot.
2. They have the comfort of knowing your not abusing their machine.
3. You get any info on the RTV (kind of like a walk-through)
If at the end of 1 hour the RTV does what you need, you sign the sales agreement and they leave the machine with you and the deal is done. If it doesn't meet your needs, they should know/understand why in that they were riding with you. No sale and they take it back.

Now, to compare the Ranger to the RTV. When I purchased, it was down to the same 2 machines.
1. As already mentioned, the Ranger is faster so the Ranger wins in speed.
2. The Ranger weighs less. Well, that's good in some of your conditions (e.g. sand) but it's also a reflection of the machine components between the vehicles. (e.g. Metal vs. Plastic).
3. Not sure how big your hills are. Going up hills, the Ranger will get there faster. Going down, the Ranger will get there faster. The bad part about going down is that the Ranger will free-wheel and start picking up speed and braking may be required. The RTV has a solid engine braking system so you have FULL control going down hills. If you're not carrying a load, it's probably not that big of a deal unless you have pretty steep hills. If you have a load in the box or in tow, the engine braking will make a huge difference.
4. The RTV has a steel cargo box, the Ranger has plastic. Although I've never seen a cow try to eat the box, I can say that composite box is pretty tough and should be able to take anything your cows throw at it. Not sure what all you need to carry but the RTV does have a higher capacity.
5. Tires and floatation. Weighing less and having 6 tires on the ground does give the Ranger better floation on sand. I do see plenty of mud and the RTV does fine (as long as you are not running the HDWS tires and I see you've selected the ATV tires). Others will need to elaborate on sand conditions with the RTV or make this one of your testing criteria.
6. Powertrain - RTV wins, hands down.
7. Fuel. The RTV barely even sips it. I can run over 2 hours on a gallon of fuel.
8. Quality/Reliability. RTV wins here as well.
9. Although I've not had the chance to drive one and then immediately the other, I believe the RTV is quieter. The RTV is noisier at idle (but aren't all diesels?) but it "seems" the pitch just changes when driving and doesn't really get any louder. The Ranger gets pretty noisy and higher RPM's. I found it difficult to have any conversation in the Ranger at higher RPM's. I'm able to speak with my 5 year-old at full RPM's in the RTV.
10. Durability. Although the RTV has only been on the market since 2004, I believe it'll far outlast a Ranger. I have yet to hear of someone wearing out a RTV and at this time would "guess" that it can/will go for probably 3-4000 hours before requiring any major work (using proper maintenance and care as you go, but that's true of any machine).

I don't know what you mean about the 3-point hitch. Neither machine has one (unless you're talking about something other than what's found on tractors).

The accessories you've selected sounds good. The rear draw bar is a standard size and can be purchased most anywhere (at a much cheaper price).

Do you have specific winching needs? Just so we have an idea if a mechanical brake or wireless remote should be suggested.

For heading off cows, why is the gate open? Do your cows respond/react to certain noises? I put a set of airhorns in my RTV which are an attention getter.

You've emphasized reliability. I would say the RTV wins in this category. There's been several discussions of some relatively minor issues on the RTV but most were related to the earlier models. I'd say the manufacturer has corrected these on the newer models.

Here's another thread where a comparison has been done between the 2 machines.
http://compacttractorreview.com/cs/forums/thread/5386.aspx
 
Chris,</P>


I am starting out with the plastic top and the high mount air filter. I went for the high mount air filter upon the high recomendations from the group. Most of the time the 900's time will be spent in the forest, but my wife will use it to get the mail (1.5 miles round trip) down our dusty gravel driveway.</P>


Ihad the bed and passenger compartmentspray lined and will be adding a rubber fatigue mat cut to my spec for the bed. I use a lot of chain and other gear plus will be transporting cut wood so I wanted to protect the bed as best as I could.</P>


When I get the time I will also be adding a winch. I will review what has been previously posted and make my choice.</P>


Steve</P>


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BCZOOM,</P>


Thanks for your thoughtful reply. Gates get left open usually because some dummy left it open! Cows somehow know how to look at an open gate and determine if you would want them to go through it or not - if you do not, they will run for it - if you do you can hardly drive them through it!</P>


</P>


The winch would be used for moving logs, pulling up posts, and pulling the machine out of the mud.</P>


</P>


The 3 point hitch is something that I saw as an 'aftermarket' accessory for a box blade. It may be specific for that implement. I have a seeder and some other implements that would go on a 3 point hitch but did not see how it would be raised / lowered. </P>


</P>


I will talk with our local dealer again about getting a demo. I appreciate all the great info that you and others have shared. This information is very helpful for getting the right machine with the right accessories.</P>


Chris</P>
 
/cs/Themes/default/images/user_IsOffline.gif TXRancher </P>


They do make a three pt. hitch for the RTV somewhere, for about three months ago I spotted one on the internet somewhere, I don't remember exactly where, you'll have to do some looking.</P>


Seems like they went for 600.00 - 800.00 ~~~ But it was made just for the RTV . I'll try myself tofind the source again. For I would like to get one later myself ....</P>
 
TXRancher said:
Gates get left open usually because some dummy left it open! Cows somehow know how to look at an open gate and determine if you would want them to go through it or not - if you do not, they will run for it - if you do you can hardly drive them through it!
Click to expand...
Isn't that the truth... Around here if you leave the gate open you're buying the next case of beer.

TXRancher said:
The winch would be used for moving logs, pulling up posts, and pulling the machine out of the mud.
Click to expand...
If you have the right tires, I doubt you'll be pulling it out of the mud. For your other uses, I'd probably go with the Ramsey 3000 with wireless remote. The wireless will allow you to be next to the log or post to guide it. I would also get amsteel rope and remove the cable for both those projects.

TXRancher said:
The 3 point hitch is something that I saw as an 'aftermarket'
accessory for a box blade. It may be specific for that implement. I
have a seeder and some other implements that would go on a 3 point
hitch but did not see how it would be raised / lowered.
Click to expand...
Doh, I need to look around this site more (I normally stick to the forum area). The box blade/3-point is right on this site.
http://www.compacttractorreview.com/popimage.aspx?img=170.jpg&h=500
I could probably come up for a use for it myself but don't know if I can justify it since I have a 6' box blade on the tractor.
I can't tell from the pic, but I'm guessing it's also a Cat-0 3-point. To be compatible with the tractor where you can interchange the implements, I'd hope it's a Cat-1.
 
HI TXRANCHER. I once had a gas 3010 Mule and would never go back!!! This RTV is the best thing that ever happened to me. I have over 1515hrs and have enjoyed every minute of them. We have a LOT of cows and while you can't out run a cow at full gallop, you can sure cut them off in most cases.I pull back rubbers, salt troughs, and other things with this machine. I like the plastic liner for hauling minerals/posts. Get bczooms light plans and you will be fixed up with the RTV. I would be careful of the mutiple tired machines as I here they are cumbersome and not as quick. I LOVE THIS MACHINE!!!!!!I just plain enjoy driving it. We also bought aload bar sling {which uses the same digital Tru test scale head as in the big chute}to weigh our registered calves and then mount it in the front receiver during calving season.Nice!!. I got the plastic roof as it won't rust when scratched by limbs.. also the lights can be mounted easier. I spray small pastures, fence lines, and also cows with the RTV. I built my own toolbox to fit down the driver's side. I also store insulators and spare tools in canvas tool bags under the hood. The WS is nice because of the hydraulic lift. Get aggressive tires!!!I don't have to unload my toolbox or sprayer to check the oil.I hope you choose the RTV ,you won't be sorry. Neither will your pups!!Bordercollie[&][&]</P>
 
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