Farm UTV/RTV Purchase

[tradosaurus]

Couple of questions:
- what's more important, work or play? I find the most of the UTVs have ventured too far into the sporty space vs. the work space and it impacts things like bed space.
- How often do you need 4 passenger seating? That a lot of wasted bed real estate if you only need it infrequently.
- How big is the property? Yes, Kubota's aren't fasts but @ 25 mph, you can get places in a reasonable amount of time.
- Diesel or gas?

I wrestled with the same questions and ended up with a Kubota 1140 and haven't 2nd guessed the decision once. Easily swaps between 2 and 4 passengers seating. I don't have 4 passengers nearly as often as I anticipated. 90% of the time it's 1 person and a dog.

Those are good questions to answer before purchase a UTV. We knew that we would probably never take our UTV on trails and we haven't for the past 2 years.
Our use is 60% utility work on our property and 40% cruising around the county roads. That's why the dump bed was important for us as well as the back seat to bed conversion.

 

[coobie]

So it just me but how strange is it in this thread folks have been members here for a few years that have 1-10 posts have commented on the thread ??

 

[kenmac]

Canton Powersports in Canton, TX. They installed the AudioFormz roof and windshield at the same time. It clips on the rollcage. The lower part folds up so you can open the front compartment.

Ok, thought it may have been an after market . The one mine came with has struts (shocks) that helped holding the entire windshield up. It was about $800.00 . Was looking for a lower cost option.......

 

[LD1]

So it just me but how strange is it in this thread folks have been members here for a few years that have 1-10 posts have commented on the thread ??

I noticed that as well yesterday.

At first I though it was spam.....some "company" or "influencer" catching wind of a thread about UTV's and creating multiple accounts to push the brand they support.

But then to see they have been members for years. And its not one brand. Everyone is actually offering good advise.

This guy.....been member for 9 years.....first post:

 

[Brily Farms]

We are on our second Kubota RTV. First one was stolen from the barn even being chained to a post. When we replaced it, we bought a used (275 hours) RTV-X900 that has been flawless for nearly three years working our cattle farm. We knew we didn't need speed, nor were we interested in running trails at breakneck speed. The HST pulls on the hills just fine. We now looking to upgrade to the 4 seater RTV-X1140. I believe I can sell the X900 for => than the purchase price with 775 hours now on it. Been watching for a used X1140 but they are almost non-existent on the used market in our area. Probably gonna bite the bullet and order a new X1140 next spring. We need 4 seats for guests to the farm. IMO you can't beat the Kubota RTV diesel. Built like a tractor for farm work. After all, who would purchase a tractor for going fast?

 

[ruffdog]

Then, if you want to go old school like an old willys jeep, the ROXOR is just that. With a 2.5l diesel, manual trans and transfer case, it would be a rugged machine. It tows 3490 lbs too.

The Mahindra Roxor No Longer Looks Like A Jeep. It Looks Like E.T. (But In A Cool Way)

 

[ericm979]

Whatever I have, it must be able to turn in a tight circle without tearing up the turf. Can the Kubota do that?

If that's a goal make sure whatever you get has a rear differential (hopefully with a switchable locker). My Pioneer doesn't have a diff and I didn't think it would be a big deal. I don't drive it on the lawn much, but I have done it a few times and I need to make wide turns when I do.

The locked rear also means that the rear tires wear faster if you drive on pavement that has turns, which we do a lot of. I put more durable tires on mine than the OEM mud pattern ones (with no loss of off road performance) but the rears only last a couple years.

We went with the Pioneer 700 because it's got a torque converter transmission which is not nearly as jerky at low speeds as the usual belt drive CVT. It's not as smooth as an HST though.

 

[llaass]

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.

Some of the answers seem to lament the speed. How fast do you want to go with a vehicle with such a short wheel base and your family in tow? I find my first gen RTV plenty fast and a true workhorse. I have never been able to load it to its capacity and the dump works well.
As advised by others, get a locking differential.

 

[prairiegirl]

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 are very happy with our Kubota diesel. Only one bench though. It does have limited speed, which we actually think is a plus so the kids would not race it. Much safer than the Kodiak RTV 'beast' we had before. Hydraulic lift bed is great.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Exactly.
I have a couple pickups - and a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. All great rigs but too big and TOO HEAVY for a lot of situations. The Rubicon is ~ 5,000lb and the pickups - even the aluminum F150 - are a lot more. My Can-am Defender is under 2,000lb, even with a full cab on it. With those soft balloon tires on it, it will float over terrain that will sink heavier vehicles. It is also narrower than any of my other vehicles, and compared to them it will turn on a dime.
And should I decide I need to go for a ride in the mountains behind my house, the suspension and soft tires on the Can-am smooth out that rough and rocky road like nothing else.
View attachment 720262

A horse will go many places too. Nothing like working cows on horses.