Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Kubota RTV 900

Anyone have one of these? IF so, I would appreciate a comment or three. Thanks in advance.

Yep We have put about 400 hours on ours. No real problems if you get it in deep water the starter will get wet and rust. It can be rebuilt. They are expensive to service unless you do it yourself. But the power steering is great. The engine breaking system is a little rough at first but you get over it or they make a adapter to make it a little more tolerable. It aint very fast but it gets you there. The power steering is the best advantage over other UTVs.

Thanks. I was at the Kubota dealership here in town looking today and was curious how they hold up. I have an L4400 that I love, but still need comments from actual owners before I put money on it.

How is it to shift from L to M to H? I have read that there are "issues" with that especially when you get on steeper grades. I have three creek drainages on my property and the side hills can get pretty steep in places.

Have owned one for over six years now. Would buy another in a heartbeat.

They are NOT fast, they ARE heavy. Lots of torque. Ground clearance is not very high, but then I'm not rock climbing in mine. Approach & departure angles are great.
They ride a bit better than the Mule and will certainly tow and/or haul most everything I need to around our ranch. I have filled the bed with oak firewood and towed an 8' trailer full of firewood without a problem at the same time.
Having external hydraulic connections is also a plus if you want to run a log-splitter or other hydraulic device.

Service IS expensive, but you can do it yourself and save money.
The Service Manager at the dealership I got mine from told me that the hydraulic fluid and filter doesn't need to be changed everytime you change the engine oil, so that can save money right there.
They sip fuel and we have never had an issue with cold starting.

I just saw your post about the shifting. I also have some pretty steep spots on our place and have had NO issues with shifting. I have had to use the differential lock a couple of times to crawl out of mud holes at a steep angle of attack, but nothing that got me concerned or made me go get my L5030!

Hope it helps!

Ed

Thanks for the replies guys. Speed isn't really a concern. I do some light/moderate ag work around my place and having a sturdy vehicle that will carry a boatload of "stuff" is what I need. I already have a Honda Foreman if I want speed etc, but it won't haul anything except my fat a$$.

If it's like the Kubota Tractor diesels?
Buy one and never look back.

I've had every Kubota RTV they make. The RTV900, 1100 and now the 1140. The newer Kubotas have better engine breaking so you no longer jerk ahead when going down a steep grade. Shifting is multiples better but it takes some getting use to. Depressing the brake will get you out of gear but it still takes some finesse to learn how to get in gears, especially reverse which can sometimes be sticky. I've learned to depress the foot brake and then lightly hit the gas and usually can easily get into any gear but sometimes you need to repeat the process a couple times. Especially on a steep grade. 4x4 can be a bit tricky as well. Sometimes I need to gear into R and go back about 10 ft before it will shift easily. All of this might sound like a pain with shifting but it's really not once you get used to it.



The newer RTVs are also a lot quieter and you can talk to a passenger without having to yell. Like APPD said, they sip fuel. I run around 20 hours on 7 gallons of diesel. Less in lower gear or 4x4. Heavy and built like a tank. Higher gears, especially H are a bit underpowered and you'll see it going up an incline over 10' but they have tremendous power in L gear. I've loaded up the bed with over a ton of rock on multiple occasions and the Kubota has no problem at all moving it, even up an incline in lower gear. I have the snowplow on mine and can easily plow 2 ft of wet snow on level ground in M gear 4x4.


My favorite of the 3 I've owned is the 1140. 4 seater that quickly converts to a 2 seater with extra long bed for work. Has bigger engine and turning radius isn't too shabby. Least favorite was 1140 with enclosed cab. Took all of the fun out of having an UTV because it was enclosed. After a week of having it, I took the damn doors off. Also had quite a few squeaks.



This will be my 6th year running these RTVs and I've yet to have one problem. They're not built for fun. They're built to work and run for a very, very long time.


Here's mine.

Mike, a couple of other models that should suite you are the John Deere XUV 855D 4x4 and the Kawasaki 4010 D Mule. The John Deere is an excellent machine with a low center of gravity. Can go parallel on very steep inclines. Very powerful even in high gear. The Mule is the cheapest of the 3 but is also excellent with a very good track record of reliability. Both weigh quite a bit less than the Kubota and have more versatility as a result. Kubota RTV will do the heaviest work.


John Deere

http://www.deere.com/en_US/ProductC...duct?pNbr=855DSM&tM=HO&link=enav

Kawasaki Mule

http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/product-specifications.aspx?scid=15&id=533

I have been around 17 of them for the last several years. Not sure they are that exact model but certainly the same family.

15 of them are in a large industrial facility that covers several square miles. They are ran on pavement or gravel - most of them 5 days a week 52 weeks a year, a few of them 24/7/365.
Most driven by guys who really don't care - think running one wide open and popping your foot off the hydro pedal to lock up the back wheels - all if in 4wd.

The finest compliment I can pay to the durability of those Kubota's is that I've never seen one broke down anywhere, even after that kind of treatment.

The only thing I have ever seen stop one is gelled fuel - and I think one would not disengage 4wd and needed a repair at about the 3 year point.

The other two are ran on two separate bird hunting operations by adults and will probably start to be slightly broken in somewhere around 2030, give or take a decade. None of those guys have a single issue with them. Ask them how they like them and they break in to a huge satisfied smile.

The range selector can be a dog to shift - I suspect that you'll hardly ever run yours in high.

I have had trouble disengaging 4wd in real cold weather - think 0* or a little below.

The braking action of the hydrostat can be annoying - but this is mostly an issue at high speed. It can; however, make for some jerky stop and goes.

The fully enclosed hard cab is excellent - but I don't think I'd spring for one for farm use. Too much glass begging to get broke.

I doubt that you'll overload one - at least w/o significant effort.

I've never really off-roaded one so I can not comment on their abilities there - that is one thing I'd really want to get actual owner input on. I've driven them on some pretty steep grades (think roads up and down the Mississippi river bluffs) but never in a Tennessee hill setting.
I do not know how stable they are say on a hill side.

Bottom line - they are about bullet proof. If I had a need for that type of vehicle it would be my choice hands down.

The Kubota are tough as nails. If durability and flat out dependability is what you want Kubota is it. 163bc

I've had a RTV900 for about 5 yrs. It has survived my son and grandsons getting it stuck in the fishing pond with the water up to the dash, turned over, and me climbing a stump that was on fire. I tried to push the burning stump over and it climbed on top with no wheels touching the ground. My gas cap leaks and you know what happened next. Fortuneatly my grandson had a 5 gallon bucket of water in the bed. I had to bypass the neutral safety switch as something in the tranny wouldn't activate it. It is a very tough vehicle.
Butch

Thanks for all the replies. Kubota it is. I already have an L4400 which is a great machine, and from what ya'll are telling me the RTV is also. Time to test drive and spend some bucks.