Farm UTV/RTV Purchase

[AGreenFarmer]

I have a 40 acre hobby farm, bushlot, that I maintain with a 2008 Kubota Bx2660 tractor and a 2016 Kubota RTV x1100c ... I smile when some snicker about the slow speed of the Kubota RTV models, but quite frankly I never get it up to 25 mph on my property and I doubt I could if I owned any side by side or truck. But boy do I like having a hydraulic dump bed that holds three tractor buckets, of gravel or soil (or hay up to the roof) ....or hydrostatic trannie that slows me with out needing brakes used. Or a winter warm cab or summer AC cool cab. .....so look at your needs carefully, how many times will you hsve 4 people to decide seating, ( my grand kids sit in the box many times and have a riot) Decide whether you will need a heavy capable lift box , and yes will you ever need to go over 25 mph on your property. How.much parking room or trail width do you need. A Kubota only needs 60 in wide trails. Eg ....A pickup will need much more . Do you want gas engine or a economical sipping tough diesel 3 cyl. ....Many things to prioritize....good luck

All good points... food for thought. Thank you for much.

 

[mvoght]

I learned that I really wanted a side by side when my boarder loaned me her Mule 2 seater with a manual dump bed last winter.
At first, my husband was all "don't need it", then he watched me using it, driving it into the barn, cleaning stalls into it, drive to manure pile, back up better, dump with ease, go out at 11pm to give more hay...I back up to the loft door, drop a few bales into the bed, drive it out to the horses, take blankets back and forth, run out to check the water. All things that I stopped asking for help with. After a couple of week, he said "I've changed my mind, I think you do need something like this".

I did not like the fumes or noise. I went and looked at new Mule, I could have bought the neighbor's, but decided EV was the way for me. I have the Polaris Ranger EV on order. Paid my deposit...was given a ridiculously long window for when it will ship. Dec. 15-Jan 26, 2022. It was "they should be shipping in November" when I put down a deposit. At least I locked in the pre-$1200 increase price. Next up is getting an outlet installed next to the likely parking area under the awning on the barn.

I'm a little sad that it is bucket seats, not a bench seat, but I really wanted that EV, and not made in China, I like that the Polaris are made in the USA still. Even if some of the parts are not...

I find the kids that come to the farm LOVE riding in the bed. Top speed is not one of my concerns.

 

[tmaurina]

Perhaps some of you very wise farmers out there can direct me to determining what UTV/RTV to purchase for my new farm. It will need to have 4 seats (Family) and a lift bed. Kubota is an interesting one. Any help would be appreciated. A couple of things. Farm is 22 acres of pasture, few trees in North Texas. Plan to have cattle, orchard, vegetable and berry farm.

We had one of Kubota's 900 series. Loved it. We looked at Polaris, etc. and the one thing that tipped us for Kubota was the dump bed. All the others had power assist but my wife was not strong enough to easily close them. Kubota has hydraulic up and down. You can dump it from the cab - and if it will matter, your wife will easily be able to do it. My wife considered the Kubota hers. She would let me drive it but it was her baby.

 

[slotmedic]

Perhaps some of you very wise farmers out there can direct me to determining what UTV/RTV to purchase for my new farm. It will need to have 4 seats (Family) and a lift bed. Kubota is an interesting one. Any help would be appreciated. A couple of things. Farm is 22 acres of pasture, few trees in North Texas. Plan to have cattle, orchard, vegetable and berry farm.

I have the Kawasaki Pro Fxt and love it. It has the 4 doors and the bed can convert to a bed that will fit a pallet. It takes less than 2 minutes to convert it. Love the power of the machine

 

[Hermio]

I am a little late for this thread, but I have an Intimidator UTV, which is also marketed by Mahindra under their nameplate. I have the "crew" model, which seats 6 people who don't mind being really close! I chose it because it had the heftiest axles and brakes on the market at the time I bought it (about 2012) and the highest towing capacity (2000 lb) and the highest dump bed capacity ( 1000 lb) and a lot of suspension travel (11") for a work-type UTV (as opposed to the Polaris type, which is more geared for recreational uses). By today's standards, it is slow (max speed 33 mph) and not that powerful (25 Hp), but I don't need to go that fast on our Ohio hills. I probably drive 10-15 mph max when off road. My only beef with it is that they put the battery under the dump bed, which means you cannot get at the battery if it is dead, as the dump bed has an electric lift. I have since had the battery moved under the hood.

 

[benbentley]

Perhaps some of you very wise farmers out there can direct me to determining what UTV/RTV to purchase for my new farm. It will need to have 4 seats (Family) and a lift bed. Kubota is an interesting one. Any help would be appreciated. A couple of things. Farm is 22 acres of pasture, few trees in North Texas. Plan to have cattle, orchard, vegetable and berry farm.

Make sure your dump bed is power operated. I have Polaris Ranger with a manual lift. I can’t dump a partial load, as in spreading gravel. Once it’s lifted, gravity takes over it all will come out. Then you get the shovels.

 

[Ghost River Retrievers]

Like some of the others, I love my 2015(?) Polaris Ranger 570 full size ... I wish that all my other equipment was as dependable as the Ranger. It's used pretty much every day ... most days it's pulling an 8-bay dog trailer around our 86 acre farm. I got the front windshield and back glass to keep the dust out of the cab. I haven't had any issues with the belt (or anything else for that matter).
A buddy bought a Honda Pioneer and couldn't stand all the rattling, so he sold it and bought a Ranger.
I'm sure the others are fine, but if I have a reason to buy another UTV, it'll be another Ranger.

 

[jpgasstrom]

Kubota Rtv1140 is the best farm purchase I’ve made. Never have had a problem climbing hills. Have had the power to tow a half full fuel truck with a dead battery out of a field. Hydraulic dump bed is a godsend. Make sure you get the front winch. I like that the top speed is about 22 mph. Means the kids don’t abuse it.

 

[OzarkChris]

I've got (my second) a Mule Trans 4x4 that does everything I need to do, two bench seats with the back one that folds up making a larger bed. It only does ~25mph but for running around the property I've rarely wanted to go much faster - my property isn't all road like and has many hills, holes, ditches & rocks.

My first Mule was a diesel, I really wouldn't recommend getting one though. Turns out that the diesel pump is actually part of a bigger system that when it goes out you are looking at ~$3000 just for the part. I traded the diesel in on my Trans that uses gas when my pump started losing pressure at higher revs.

I see some big city folk out here that have to have the razors, etc so they can go 60+mph, but in my opinion, unless you do a bunch of highway driving with your sxs, why would you want to be able to go 60+? We have folks & kids get killed a lot because they ran into a tree or flipped their rig. Me I'll take an extra couple of minutes to get there, but will arrive in one piece and not be rattled to death.

 

[FarmanJoe]

I am in Texas as well. I opted to go with Kioti since I love my tractor and the dealer always takes care of me. Not to mention Kioti actually had a decent inventory. I bought a K9 2440. It goes up to 31mph and has a large dump bed. Definitely not the best turning radius though since it’s so long. The K9 series comes with some extra features such as doors and sprayed bed liner. Kioti also makes a Mechron series if you’re looking for something more basic.