CentralNC
Silver Member
My wife and I are building a new house on about 15 acres. We live about 1/2 mile across a soybean field from my in-laws. We have worn out a path around the soybean field traveling back and forth. My in-laws have a golf cart and driving it around has been very handy during the construction process.
Using the golf cart has put the idea in our heads that a Utility Vehicle would be very nice to have. We have 3 small boys and we will live about 1/3 mile down a gravel driveway, so checking the mail can be a chore.
Our neighbor has a Kawasaki Mule 610 (camo paint) that we have used in the past. It is a great little vehicle. This forum has gotten me to thinking about a Kubota RTV500. I stopped and looked at both today. A local dealership carries both Kubota and Kawasaki Mules. I could literally look at them side-by-side.
My initial impression was that the Kubota was a much stronger built vehicle. It is wider and with more HP, but the seat is not good for riding 3 people in the front. The Mule is not as strong, but looks very solid.
The RTV500 was ~$9500 and the 610 Mule was ~$7500. Kubota has 0% financing and Kawasaki has 2.9%.
I believe my wife would use the fool out of either one of these things. I have two tractors and an old Ford truck, but this Utility Vehicle will be hers. I can't imagine we will ever take it 4wheeling in the mountains, but we hope whatever we buy will last many years.
I have seen a lot of posts on the forum about Kubota RTVs. They seem to be the most widely owned product here, but several of you own the Mule. My questions for the group are
- Do those prices seem reasonable for each?
- How do the Mule owners like them?
- Is it reasonable to expect one of these things to last 10+ years?
- Is the Kubota worth the extra $2k over the Mule 610?
- Does anyone own a Mule 600?
- Is there another Utility Vehicle that we shold consider? How about one of those new Bobcats?
As you can imagine, $$ is tight with a new house under construction. I don't want to buy one of these things and then wish that I had bought something else. Any comments or discussion would be appreciated.
Using the golf cart has put the idea in our heads that a Utility Vehicle would be very nice to have. We have 3 small boys and we will live about 1/3 mile down a gravel driveway, so checking the mail can be a chore.
Our neighbor has a Kawasaki Mule 610 (camo paint) that we have used in the past. It is a great little vehicle. This forum has gotten me to thinking about a Kubota RTV500. I stopped and looked at both today. A local dealership carries both Kubota and Kawasaki Mules. I could literally look at them side-by-side.
My initial impression was that the Kubota was a much stronger built vehicle. It is wider and with more HP, but the seat is not good for riding 3 people in the front. The Mule is not as strong, but looks very solid.
The RTV500 was ~$9500 and the 610 Mule was ~$7500. Kubota has 0% financing and Kawasaki has 2.9%.
I believe my wife would use the fool out of either one of these things. I have two tractors and an old Ford truck, but this Utility Vehicle will be hers. I can't imagine we will ever take it 4wheeling in the mountains, but we hope whatever we buy will last many years.
I have seen a lot of posts on the forum about Kubota RTVs. They seem to be the most widely owned product here, but several of you own the Mule. My questions for the group are
- Do those prices seem reasonable for each?
- How do the Mule owners like them?
- Is it reasonable to expect one of these things to last 10+ years?
- Is the Kubota worth the extra $2k over the Mule 610?
- Does anyone own a Mule 600?
- Is there another Utility Vehicle that we shold consider? How about one of those new Bobcats?
As you can imagine, $$ is tight with a new house under construction. I don't want to buy one of these things and then wish that I had bought something else. Any comments or discussion would be appreciated.