John deere gator or kubota Rtv

   / John deere gator or kubota Rtv #1  

landscapebear

New member
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Jan 20, 2011
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10
Tractor
John Deere 4720, 400x loader, 448 backhoe, F-350 05, F-350 10, Gooseneck, Dump trailer, Enclosed 14ft,
Hey y'all
Need some help, I have been a long time viewer of tractorbynet and it has been a big help for me. This past spring got me a John Deere 4720 TLB and love it. But it is time for me to get a UTV. I need one to help with my company work. I do landscaping and lots of mulching, with property's that have large open areas that would take tons of time to do with the wheelbarrow. But have done it. I have been looking and doing homework on the gator 825i, 625i, and younger/older brother. 620i I would really love a 855D but with the fuel cost and the not using it daily. I think will save so with gas. Like I said will be using with mulching, landscape hauling of plants and stuff, as will as guys around developments, I'm all so looking at putting a Boss Snow V plow on it. So I can do small driveways with it in winter time. As you can see I love the JD gator, but have been talking with some and the say the gator my not have the power I need and with it being belt drive if that gets wet the slipping over time could cost? With me I can not do New no matter how I lay it out. Used is the way I would be going. SO they have been telling me about the Kubota RTV 900 or 1100. Yes it would be enclosed cab on what ever I pick. What do you all think and you all that have the gators, tell me how they are with blades and if you had to beef up the fronts, Kubota let me know how they are? Thank you for your in put.
 
   / John deere gator or kubota Rtv #2  
It's hard to do a comparison if a person doesn't/hasn't owned both brands/models. I've owned/own 15 Kubotas but never owned a JD. I currently have a RTV1140 and believe it (or the other Kubotas RTVs)will/would do a fantastic job for you with little to no disappointment. The Kubota RTVs are work horses and not sport machines, they are slow but they go and carry heavy loads with very little maintenance.
Probably the best way to find info is to go back thru this forum and read articles about the brands/models your interested in.
Good luck on your research.
 
   / John deere gator or kubota Rtv #3  
I had a 900, with their Curtis cab, and then the 1100, Kubota cab of course, both using the Curtis plow purchased when I bought the 900. Curtis cab was okay on the 900 but lack of proper vents to clear the windshield in winter was a real problem. The 1100 cab was great but without the newer side windows, 900 had side windows, I hated not being able to open the window. Newer versions 2010 and up fixed that problem. Pulled 4,000 lb lawn rollers. That took everything it had. Plowed lots of snow with both. Hauled spring tooth harrows and drags for some rough landscape work. All round great machines.

Pros: built and designed by tractor people so longevity must have been one of their goals, reports of 4000+ hrs. on the clock by some owners proves that. Drive system seems really tough, diesel so that little engine has been proven and overall fit and finish is pretty good.

Cons: heavy, slow and no suspension. Did I say it was designed by tractor people. :laughing: Problems with universals but even theses seem to have been improved.

I had to sell my 1100 just recently but no question, if buying something for what I was doing, snow plowing, yard and field work, with a small mix of fun with the kids, Kubota RTV1100 hands down. I would think about a 900 if Kubota could assure me their Curtis cab would fit better. Mine was terrible at the time in 2008.
 
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   / John deere gator or kubota Rtv #4  
The JD is a light residential side by side. The Kubota is a commercial industrial quality machine. I looked at both, I own an RTV100, it's apples and oranges. They shouldn't be compared . Think of the JD as a beefed up ATV, think of the RTV as a tractor without a PTO.

HS
 
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   / John deere gator or kubota Rtv #5  
The JD is a light residential side by side. The Kubota is a commercial industrial quality machine. I looked at both, I own an RTV100, it's apples and oranges. They shouldn't be compared . Think of the JD as a beefed up ATV, think of the RTV as a tractor without a PTO.

HS
Speed wise I'd definitely compare the Kubota to a tractor but if you call the Gator a light residential side by side you obviously haven't looked at them closely. The 825i is built as heavy as any side by side I've seen.....they tow tons of weight...plow a lot of snow.....have far better bed design and tiedown/clamp ability in the cargo box. Hardly light duty.
 
   / John deere gator or kubota Rtv #6  
One of the best ways to get my point across is to look at the weight of each. My RTV1100 weighs over 2400 pounds. The heaviest JD is 1680 pounds. That's allot of steal. The RTV is about 50% more heavy almost twice some of the JD gators. That's the reason I said light duty in comparison, it's true. It's really not fair to compare them, totally different machines. The Kubota is an industrial machine the JD is not.

HS.
 
   / John deere gator or kubota Rtv #7  
One of the best ways to get my point across is to look at the weight of each. My RTV1100 weighs over 2400 pounds. The heaviest JD is 1680 pounds. That's allot of steal. The RTV is about 50% more heavy almost twice some of the JD gators. That's the reason I said light duty in comparison, it's true. It's really not fair to compare them, totally different machines. The Kubota is an industrial machine the JD is not.

HS.


You are comparing a weight of yours with a cab to the weight of a JD without. As for steel I'll agree with that, my Kubota was rusting pretty well at less than a year old, gotta love that poorly painted steel Kubota uses in their bed. You call the Kubota an industrial machine but what industry? Anytime I've seen a Kubota 1100 it was always owned/operated by a private individual that wanted a side by side for puttering around their land same as most Gators, Rangers, Rhinos..... I have seen several Gators used for plowing commercially and they hold up great.


If all you want is heavy weight wise I guess you win the RTV 1100 is where it's at....of course for anybody who is going to go near some mud might want true 4WD and a unit that is 800 lbs lighter but can stand up to all the abuse you can dish out.
 
   / John deere gator or kubota Rtv #8  
What do I mean by industrial? When I watch trains at the yard in Temple Texas, I noticed the RR own RTV's to move maintenance equipment between locomotives in the yard. When I was at Ellington Field in Houston, NASA had RTV's to support runway and ground operations. Those type of examples are all over, I guess I notice more because I own one. For most people with rural property the RTV is overkill, but I wanted AC and insect protection and the extra money wasn't a show stopper. Don't get me wrong the gator is a fine machine, the diesel model with Yanmar engine is outstanding, my second choice over the third choice diesel mule, but I notice more mules than JD's in commercial operations.

HS.
 
   / John deere gator or kubota Rtv #9  
I don't know anything about a Gator other than my brother in law has a cheap one, GS? model in 2 wheel drive gas engine with manual dump bed. Does the big Gators (825, or smaller versions) have a true hydraulic system that can lift a ton of weight in the bed> I know that when my BIL bought his 4 years ago his version had an electric over hydraulic pump that was good for about 3 times before it burned up. My RTV 900 will dump a full rounded up bed of rocks with it idling and never grunt and it will haul that full rounded up pile of rock over rough terrain without a problem. We tried to drag a little super light weight back blade maybe 300# at most out of the barn with his gator and all it would do is burn the belt and spin the tires, the RTV pulled it out in 2 WD without a grunt or tire spin. You need some weight to have good traction and good tires to grip also. Big lug tires without the weight doesn't pull too well but will carry you thru mud very well which I think the Gator would do much better than RTV and they are probably much faster at least it looks that way from the commercials.
RTV are without a doubt more used on construction sites than any other side by side. I have never seen a Gator other than the 6x4 with double seating on a site and it was strictly for hauling personnel around.
 
   / John deere gator or kubota Rtv #10  
One of the best ways to get my point across is to look at the weight of each. My RTV1100 weighs over 2400 pounds. The heaviest JD is 1680 pounds. That's allot of steal. The RTV is about 50% more heavy almost twice some of the JD gators. That's the reason I said light duty in comparison, it's true. It's really not fair to compare them, totally different machines. The Kubota is an industrial machine the JD is not.

HS.

Do you compare weight with tractors too? That would knock out Kubota and JD from the CUT machines cause they are both light.
 
 
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