New owner trying to figure this thing out???

S

someonestolemyusername

New member
Just purchased a 04 camo RTV. This thing looks brand new. 250 hrs on it. I got stuck on my first ride about 5 min in. Tried to go through a skidder rut in 2wd. Yes I know... When I first got stuck could not make the wheels spin. H nothing M nothing R nothing. Finally I figured out I needed to grab low gear and they spun fine. (I was still stuck on the frame) I needed a picture of this huge skidder pulling out the tiny Kubota. I noticed the more I rode it that sometimes when it was in a bit of a bind starting off from stop, pothole, dozer track, whatever it would bog in H, M might go, and L would always go. Is this normal? Should I just not be to proud to choose another gear. The machine seems to be rock solid. According to several posts Just the normal getting used this type of tranny. I would like to give it more grunt and better traction. Any advice or things to look out for would be great. Thanks
 
Glad to see you found us here.

The other forum where you posted is more geared to Rhinos and Rangers so it doesn't get much RTV activity.

When in 4WD, you'll find it's much harder to get the wheels to spin. In 2WD, it shouldn't be an issue. In the kind of muck you described, I would stay in low range. Remember, it's not a racing machine. You'll get to your destination, eventually... When belly up on the frame, you're in trouble regardless.

For tires, I'm assuming you have the ATV tires that came with the camo version. Depending on the types of ground you need to travel, you could go as agressive as 589's (which aren't lawn friendly) or get a good all-around tire (Maxxis Bighorns or Mud-lites). My preference is the Bighorns. If you stay out of the skidder ruts, your existing tires should be fine for most anywhere else.

Start reading through other posts for other information, insights, advise... about the RTV. If you come up with something where you have a question that's not answered, feel free to post it.

Brian
 
Thanks for the reply. I am not wanting to go fast. I was just wondering about extra torque. No problem to spin in 2wd in muck. I climbed a hill in L and 3 wheels spun with no prob. It will just take a while to get used to using another gear. The old amt 626(5wheel gator) would have crossed the muck with no problem, big flotation tires, light weight, and 4 wheels turning (this was about the only upside to the amt). I will just have to figure it out. I will more than likely put on a 2" lift and more aggressive tread. Read somewhere about cleaning the carbon out of the muffler, what are the steps required?
 
I have about 25 hours on my RTV and experienced close to the same thing. I was in M/2WD in some snow on a hill about to pull out on a road. I started spinning so I stopped and put it in 4WD. Stepped on the gas and no spin... just the groan. Just like you I had to put it in L to move. Fortunatly I was able to pull out on the road ( had to hurry up and get it back in H/2WD before traffice ate me up). It appears that M and H really have nothing behind them. I was worried that maybe I need to take mine back but it sounds like this is normal stuff.
 
I love this machine, just a querky trans. I am with you H should stand for highway use only. L feels like it is a badass. I will be changing my oil this afternoon. I will not even ask for opinions because it is like asking someones favorite color. I will use Rotella 15-40 and about a cup full of lucas oil treatment. Any reason why not? I also read that the oil amount was wrong in the manual. Is it 2.1 qts or is it more? I am thinking it will take more. I will be looking into changing the trans fluid in about a week and will need some advice. This site is going to help out a great deal.
 
Don't be shy about stomping on the rear differential lock if you're in snotty terrain. It'll help you get out of low traction or uneven footing scenarios. I wouldn't leave it locked in all the time - just when you need it. (After we got the RTV we decided we needed to keep our old Gator 6X4 for those chores where we need high floation .) </P>


Rotella is a great oil. A lot of the newer oils have had some of the lubricity additives removed for one reason or the other. Rotella still has them all in the formula so it's a good one to use. (Racing enthusiasts are discovering Rotella especially if they are running flat tappet lifters instead of roller lifters. A lot of the new oils don't have what it takes to lube the cam/lifter contact pressure.) </P>
 
OK, my 2 cents. (OK, after reading what I wrote, it looks like closer to 3 or 4 cents...)

MORE POWER:
AUX PUMP:
When the thing is groaning to move in the higher ranges, where is the accellerator pedal? Mashed to the floor or just barely off idle or somewhere inbetween?
The transmission has 2 pumps. Normally, only the primary is in use. It offers max speed and medium power within the particular gear (H, M, L).
For more power (but at the cost of speed), you'll want to kick in the secondary (aka. Aux.) pump for more power.
Finding the "sweet spot" to engage this aux pump takes a little practice but you'll find it at about 1/2 pedal. The best way to find it, get it to kick in and get used to it is hill climbing (if possible). If no hills, you'll need to put the tranny under load by some other fashion.
Here's the easiest hill test. Put the RTV in L range. Get it up to full speed (keep the pedal mashed to the floor) on approach to the hill and let it start climbing the hill. Once the engine starts bogging down, gradually let OFF the pedal to near the 1/2 way point. You'll then notice your RPM's and power going way back up. You'll then have tons of torque but you'll be traveling slower since the aux pump is engaged. If the RTV doesn't bog down because the hill isn't steep enough, do the process in M, then even in H.

TRANNY FLUID
It's been found that many cases of lack of power are due to clogged tranny filters. A regular change of the tranny fluid and filters will/should assure this isn't the issue. Don't use fluids other than Kubota's UDT or SuperUDT as some have shown to degrade performance significantly just by using that fluid.

2 VS. 4WD
You'll normally get a lot more torque in 2WD. 4WD just has a hard time turning everything...


MUFFLER
I don't have my owners manual handy but there's a couple steps to cleaning.
1. Remove the spark arrestor off the end of the muffler pipe and assure it's clean (not clogging up).
2. Remove the drain from the bottom of the muffler and run the engine at about 1/2 RPM's for a few minutes. There's more details but I don't recall what they are...

LIFT KIT
Unless you need it due to a significant change in tire size, I wouldn't recommend it. I put new tires on mine and ordered 25" tires (same as OEM). Well, the 25" Maxxis tires stand 26.5" tall. I was getting a slight rub on very extreme conditions so I installed the lift kit. With the oversized tires, coupled with the lift kit, the center-of-gravity is about 3-4" higher. It is noticable and feels a little more tippy.

OIL CHANGE
Requires 3.1 - 3.3 quarts. NOT 2.1 as noted in some of the manuals.
 
Thanks, I think I have found the sweet spot. Played with it for a
while yesterday, ditches, hills, sand, mud. I had no trouble. I will
change my trans fluid & filters next. I can see that I need some
type of cv protectors. Anyone build their own? I will also be doing
the home remedy front drive shaft fix. Mine rattles like crazy.
Reading this board will keep me busy. Thanks again for all of your
advice.
 
[quote user="someonestolemyusername"]I can see that I need some
type of cv protectors.[/quote]
The only ones I've seen are from Hunterworks.
http://www.hunterworks.com/inc/sdetail/3977
Looking at the pics, they appear to have more protection for the rear than the front. The front seems to protect the outer boot some but relies on the OEM guard for the interior boot.
 
Good afternoon; I am also a new owner of a brand new RTV900. My wife and I have made this our last purchase of a piece of brand new equipment. Ours is loaded up pretty good with all the toys. Cab, plow, HD front suspension, heater, soft doors, roof lites etc. We live on the tail edge of the Lake Erie snow belt in a tiny Town of Lyndon between Cuba and Franklinville NY. We are on top of some super steep hills. We raise honey bees and will be using this to travel thru fields and town roads to get to our bee hives. We traded in a Polaris 2wd Ranger, and a restored 1948 Farmall Cub. We plowed snow with the Cub. What a nightmare. Talk about gutless and slow. The Rtv which we named "Toby", arrived at the right time. We were smashed with over 14" of snow up here in over 48 hours.. What a super little machine. A heated cab to sit in instead of sitting outside. It was -20 degrees. Yes thats right. I could take off my gloves and hat. The heater didn't roast us out of the cab but it sure was a nice treat. My wife plowed snow over 4 hours with it. Our driveway is over a 1000' and we plow out 3 of our elderly neighbors also. I had a hard time getting used to the tranny. Thank goodness for this website!!!! Now we have over 16 hrs on it, and I can shift it super easy without having to use the tranny dump knob all the time. Talk about hills, well we got them up here. I did what people said about not mashing the pedal to the floor and now I can climb the hills at about 10 - 12 mph in High range. This is a different type of machine, and as far as I am concerned nothing comes close for the way it is designed and built. We have owned a Kawaski mule, Polaris Ranger, and I tested out the Cub Cadets, both gas and diesel. I will say this is very slow, especially on the hills. So what. If I wanted speed I would have bought a crotch rocket.This little girl looks like it will be with us for a long time to come. Thanks for all the wonderful helpful posts. Your advise is GREAT!!! Thank you Terry and Dee in Lyndon NY
 
Terry & Dee,

Welcome to the forum!!!

Glad to hear you're enjoying your new RTV. WE WANT PICS!!! Sounds like you have it loaded up nicely.

I was just in your neck of the woods this weekend (just north of Arcade).

Brian
 
Brian; Thanks for the nice welcome. Next time you are in the area, please e-mail me and I will send you directions to stop over to our place.Our e-mail is tjmb@sprynet.com. I am sorry, but I am not sure how to post a picture Thanks Terry
 
Terry,

To post pics:


In the "Reply to an Existing Message" box, click on the "Options" tab.

On that page, click "File/Attachment Add/Update".

Browse to the picture, then hit "Save".

If it doesn't work for you, e-mail me the pic and I'll see if I can post for you.

Brian
 
This isa picture I took of our new RTV in the dealers shop just before I signed the papers on it and it was delivered to our farm. I will post another as soon as I finish the racks for the bed . I hope this pic uploaded ok.
 
Yes it is. I just noticed that the plow isn't on it yet in this pic. It has the hydraulic dump bed as standard equipment. We also purchased the hydraulic power angle option for the snow blade. It works super!!!
 
[quote user="territool"]Yes it is. I just noticed that the plow isn't on it yet in this pic. It has the hydraulic dump bed as standard equipment. We also purchased the hydraulic power angle option for the snow blade. It works super!!![/quote]</P>


Great looking RTV! [H]</P>
 
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