Mule 610 vs Rhino or hold out for RTV?

[Boondox]

Thanks for all the input, guys. Regardless of reliability issues, after checking them out again I ruled out the Rhino simply because it has the smallest bed of all of them and couldn't haul much more wood than what I currently strap to the front and rear racks of my Foreman 400. And if I go with a Mule it ought to be the 3010 because it would be seriously uncool to find myself with a bed of heavy firewood unable to get myself out of one of the many low spots or gullies on my land.

And when you price out a 3010 Mule it comes awfully close to the price of an RTV. The painful part of all this is one of the reasons I moved up from my L3010HST to the L4630HST was so I could use a larger winch and drag more trees home for firewood...and another was the FEL capacity that would help me move mass quantities of dirt and gravel around my property. And it does all that, but!

Skidding logs home covers at least part of them with mud, which must then be pressure washed off before slicing and dicing with the chainsaws. The best firewood on my property is in the form of blowdowns, most of which can't be reached with the tractor so all that power is useless in harvesting it. Thirdly, while the 4630 can lift and transport a lot of dirt, gravel and stone, it does it in relatively small quantities and at slow speeds. Face it, driving a tractor with a bucket filled to capacity down a 22% slope is not fast! If I had a UTV with a dump bed I could load it with the tractor and drive much quicker and more safely to where it needed to go. And that hydraulic dump on the RTV is sweet! And of course with an RTV I could get away with a much smaller tractor, probably a B3030, and be perfectly happy.

So I must work on the wife. Soften her up to the idea of moving up from the ATV to an RTV. Ahem, another challenge!

Pete

 

[Deerlope]

I can atest to what the RTV can do. I use it strictly for work. It hauls all the wood for the sugarhouse and my outdoor wood boiler for our home. I had it at a friends sawmill and we put 1500 bf of lumber on a wagon and the RTV hauled it over some pretty rough woods roads. It also hauls all the maple sap. Also this year I am putting a set of Cat tracks on it for winter use and will not remove them until after syrup season is over. If I had not have bought the RTV the 3010 Mule was my second choice. It came down to the Mule dealer being 60 miles away and the RTV dealer at 6 miles.

 

[Malvern]

Hi All,
I belong to the Rhino Anonymous Club
I have an addiction! I love my Rhino!

We have a small horse farm and our Rhino is used daily. Wood, hay, rocks, dirt you name it. It pulls our 8 x 8ft harrow in wet or dry sand, that takes power (my old JD 2210 wouldn't pull the harrow in wet sand)

Bottom line is for the money, options, hop up goodies you can't beat a Rhino.
They can't be that bad, Yamaha sells a ton of them.

Just my humble option.

Malvern

 

[Boondox]

We have a small horse farm and our Rhino is used daily. Wood, hay, rocks, dirt you name it. It pulls our 8 x 8ft harrow in wet or dry sand, that takes power (my old JD 2210 wouldn't pull the harrow in wet sand)

Malvern

The Rhino was a nice, smooth ride and had plenty of get up and go...but I just couldn't deal with that tiny bed. We're all used to making do with what we have, but given a choice there are features on the RTV that make it -- for me -- a far better work vehicle.

Pete

 

[dsb5610]

Pete,

Have you tried using a trailer with your ATV to get more hauling capacity? I am dealing on a pair of ATVs and plan on getting at least one trailer to use for hauling.

I've owned a 6x4 Gator (gas) as well as an HPX Trail Gator. Used them for all kinds of chores including hauling wood, mulch, soil, etc. Performed beyond my expectations. I sold the last Gator and now have a Toolcat that I use for the heavier work. Now I want something that I can use for running around, light work and fun.

dsb

 

[Malvern]

Doomdox,

Choice! That's all this comes down to.

The only reason my wife and I didn't get an RTV was the price. I happen to get a sweet deal on the Rhino because my son races for a Western PA Yamaha dealer.

Trust me, I would love to have a shinny new RTV in my garage. Don't thing my 3120 would like it but oh well.

Malvern

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Boondox, so if the cargo bed is too small look at the bright side, Your doggies get to make 2 trips!

Seriously, I think the RTV is far and away the better workhorse. But, for hunting and serious trail riding the Rhino is hands down the better machine. Diesels without turbos don't do well at extreme altitudes. So, if you ever have plans (and you should) to go to Colorado and ride up in the mountains, I recommend the rhino for beer sherpage.

 

[Boondox]

Pete,

Have you tried using a trailer with your ATV to get more hauling capacity? I am dealing on a pair of ATVs and plan on getting at least one trailer to use for hauling.
dsb

I use a 4x8 trailer for hauling stuff in my fields, but there's no way it can fit between the trees when I go up in the woods to harvest firewood. I looked at a smaller trailer with ATV tires, but it looks like I'd have the same problem with that. Besides, it's a pain having to load and unload a trailer by hand. Sure would be nice to be able to dump a load from the driver's seat!

Pete

 

[Dargo]

I'm tellin' ya, I know where you can find a perfect condition Worksite RTV900 with less than a hundred hours on it this spring when the new RTV1100's come out.

 

[dsb5610]

I use a 4x8 trailer for hauling stuff in my fields, but there's no way it can fit between the trees when I go up in the woods to harvest firewood. I looked at a smaller trailer with ATV tires, but it looks like I'd have the same problem with that. Besides, it's a pain having to load and unload a trailer by hand. Sure would be nice to be able to dump a load from the driver's seat!

Pete

When it comes to loading, wouldn't be any different loading a trailer versus a UTV. As far as unloading, having owned one Gator without hydraulic dump and one with, I would never buy another without it.

As far as hydraulic dump trailers go, take a look at the Polar Sport trailers.

dsb