I'm liking my RTV 500

   / I'm liking my RTV 500 #1  

DIXIEDOG

Platinum Member
Joined
May 10, 2009
Messages
828
Location
Maine
Tractor
International 2544 / Gator 825i/L2501/General
I've got to say I'm liking my little RTV 500 more everyday. It's a very handy little buggy around the house, I've been using the front hitch to move trailers around in the yard and I'm starting to wonder how I ever did without one:laughing: I think Kubota really hit a great compromise between work ability and maneuverability with the 500. I was thinking I might have buyer's remorse for getting the baby of the bunch, I considered getting a RTV 900 or Polaris Ranger but finally went with the RTV 500 instead just because I'll be taking it down some ATV trails and the others just seemed to wide to make it to me. After using the RTV 500 a little I feel better about my purchase all the time. :thumbsup:
 
   / I'm liking my RTV 500 #2  
Glad you're happy dixie...That's what this all about.
 
   / I'm liking my RTV 500 #3  
I'm seriously considering the RTV 500. My father likes to run around on an old Honda tractor and it's getting a little tough for him to get on and off. He still cuts firewood and uses a small trailer behind the Honda. Thought this thing would be just the right size. Besides, it's a Kubota. The old Honda is an RT5000 nearly 24 years old and still works ok, but he could get on and off this RTV much easier. It's just the right size also. I may look at a small Polaris yet, but it will have to be very impressive.
 
   / I'm liking my RTV 500 #4  
I'm seriously considering the RTV 500. My father likes to run around on an old Honda tractor and it's getting a little tough for him to get on and off. He still cuts firewood and uses a small trailer behind the Honda. Thought this thing would be just the right size. Besides, it's a Kubota. The old Honda is an RT5000 nearly 24 years old and still works ok, but he could get on and off this RTV much easier. It's just the right size also. I may look at a small Polaris yet, but it will have to be very impressive.

I would say that this machine is a perfect fit for what you are describing. Not as fast as a polaris, but I feel that it's more substantial in the build department. Either way, it'll work.
 
   / I'm liking my RTV 500 #5  
Would the RTV500 be good for my wife to use - hay to horses, some landscaping & moving plants from the greenhouse to the sales area?

Plus, she wants to run her mid-80s Mom around the fence lines & back to the creek on our 50 acre property.

Anyone have any comments on how the Kubota might compare to the JD's Gator 620i ?

Thanks,

H

PS - I have a Kubota B2910 with bucket & mower for the heavier stuff.
 
   / I'm liking my RTV 500 #6  
Would the RTV500 be good for my wife to use - hay to horses, some landscaping & moving plants from the greenhouse to the sales area?

Plus, she wants to run her mid-80s Mom around the fence lines & back to the creek on our 50 acre property.

Anyone have any comments on how the Kubota might compare to the JD's Gator 620i ?

Thanks,

H

PS - I have a Kubota B2910 with bucket & mower for the heavier stuff.

An RTV500 would be just fine for that use. It is a very user friendly vehicle. The JD probably rides better though(no experience on my part). The RTV had a fairly stiff suspension. Mine had the heavier struts for the snowplow though..The non-HD version might be much better.

There is a pretty obvious size difference between the two though. I believe the JD is a step up in the footprint department.

Can't lose either way.
 
   / I'm liking my RTV 500
  • Thread Starter
#7  
Would the RTV500 be good for my wife to use - hay to horses, some landscaping & moving plants from the greenhouse to the sales area?

Plus, she wants to run her mid-80s Mom around the fence lines & back to the creek on our 50 acre property.

Anyone have any comments on how the Kubota might compare to the JD's Gator 620i ?

Thanks,

H

PS - I have a Kubota B2910 with bucket & mower for the heavier stuff.

I think it would be a good fit for that application. The RTV 500 is a great size, it's handles great and fits into place that a larger UTV would not fit. The only complaint I have at all with mine is I would like to have more storage for things, I picked up one of the UTV organizers to hook up to my roll cage for holding my winch remote and a few drinks for while I'm out along with any other things I want to carry. I've heard some folks complain about not enough power but mine seems to go great, top speed is slow at 21.5 mph on mine but the acceleration is excellent. I've used mine to tow my 2500lb + bass boat around the yard and it even handled that with ease :thumbsup: Before anybody points it out, yes I know that's more than it's rated for by I don't care:D
 
   / I'm liking my RTV 500 #8  
I think it would be a good fit for that application. The RTV 500 is a great size, it's handles great and fits into place that a larger UTV would not fit. The only complaint I have at all with mine is I would like to have more storage for things, I picked up one of the UTV organizers to hook up to my roll cage for holding my winch remote and a few drinks for while I'm out along with any other things I want to carry. I've heard some folks complain about not enough power but mine seems to go great, top speed is slow at 21.5 mph on mine but the acceleration is excellent. I've used mine to tow my 2500lb + bass boat around the yard and it even handled that with ease :thumbsup: Before anybody points it out, yes I know that's more than it's rated for by I don't care:D

You're correct, the RTV500 has a ton of power in low range. Traction will give out first. Yours must have been set up correctly from the dealer. Congrats on that.

You're correct on the size..My RTV1100 won't go where the quads go. When I had my 500 we used to run trails all over the place. The 1100 can't do some of the trails..I have A/C though:D I can be nice and cool while I wait for the other guys to come back out of the valley....I think I need a quad;)
 
   / I'm liking my RTV 500
  • Thread Starter
#9  
You're correct, the RTV500 has a ton of power in low range. Traction will give out first. Yours must have been set up correctly from the dealer. Congrats on that.

You're correct on the size..My RTV1100 won't go where the quads go. When I had my 500 we used to run trails all over the place. The 1100 can't do some of the trails..I have A/C though:D I can be nice and cool while I wait for the other guys to come back out of the valley....I think I need a quad;)

Surprisingly my RTV 500 has great power in high range as well, if I just mat the throttle it will spin the tires. The demo unit I tried did not so I think your right I might have lucked out on one set just right :thumbsup:


I gotta say A/C does sound pretty good though, even living in the frozen tundra known as Maine I could use that a few months a year.:cool: Full cab would be pretty sweet during mosquito season too.:D
 
   / I'm liking my RTV 500 #10  
I've had my RTV500 for about 8 months now. It certainly would be a much better machine with 25 HP, but it has plenty of torque in low gear, and will climb hills even when loaded with passengers and gear. What attracted me to RTV500 was its size. I looked at Rangers, but they're not much smaller than my Jeep Wrangler. I needed a vehicle that I could maneuver through a heavily wooded property, and carry my chainsaw and log splitter. It won't tow my chipper, but after clearing the trees I can do that with the Jeep.

I did the throttle/HST adjustments posted elsewhere in this forum, and it's made a big difference. I plan to fine tune it once the weather warms up, and get the RPMs set. I've noticed the RTV500 runs much better after about a 20 minute warm-up. Will this temperature dependence disappear once the throttle/HST is optimally set, or is there an engine temp sensor involved?
 

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