RTV 1140 tow bar. Why not? Where to get?

[texasjohn]

Having used my 1140 for a while now, I find that I often have two vehicles out in the pasture and only one driver. The RTV and the tractor/pickup/etc.

The solution would be to put a tow bar on the front of the RTV and simply put it in 2wd neutral and tow it over the ranch roads to the next location with the tractor/pickup/etc.

I understand that this must be a rather slow speed tow..15 mph or less, never on paved roads...and that's fine with me. It just beats walking back to get the other vehicle, maybe under poor weather conditions.

I spent quite a while looking on the net for an RTV tow bar...didn't find a single one.

Questions:

1. Does anyone see a problem with towing an RTV using a tow bar properly attached to the RTV'S front bumper?
2. Anybody know where to get one already manufactured...or is this a do it myself project?

 

[TOMMYHPX4X4]

i don't know if i would tow it. that trannie needs to be cooled down with oil from a running motor(i think). if it was me i would trailer it.

 

[texasjohn]

Am not an HST expert, but assumed that if transmission was placed in NEUTRAL then the transmission would be disengaged and rear/front wheels would turn without a problem.... have I got it wrong?

 

[Gary Fowler]

The transmission would still be spinning and sometimes towing causes problems with automatic transmissions. I have no idea on the hydrastatic. I would consult a good Kubota mechanic prior to towing it around. If you are talking short distances of 1/4 mile at a time you would likely be ok, but I would still ask the question at the dealer.

 

[smstonypoint]

What does the owner's manual say? The manual for my RTV 900 is at my farm, so I can't check it now.

I am almost certain that the manual for my ZTR mower says that it should not be towed (again, the manual is at the farm, so I can't check it to verify my claim), but I don't recall anything to that effect in my RTV manual.

Even if the manual is silent on the matter, I agree that a call to your dealer would be in order.


Steve

 

[texasjohn]

Max tow distance at any one time would be 1 mile because that's about the max distance from house to farthest fence corner.

I have the manual and shop manual. Will consult since when reading them I didn't necessarily have this question in mind, but don't recall them ever discussing the topic.

Will ask the dealer, and see if they have a reasoned answer. I suppose their answer will be determined by the availability of a Kubota brand tow bar.

Thought I'd ask here, since I can't be the only one to have this problem, and see what others are doing, particularly since the RTV has been in service for years.

I have trailer and can load, and do, for over the road hauls. At home, it takes less time to walk to the RTV than to hook/drive/load/drive/unload/unhook trailer.

Thanks for the ideas, will follow up and report on my findings.

 

[WM75Guy]

i don't know if i would tow it. that trannie needs to be cooled down with oil from a running motor(i think). if it was me i would trailer it.

In most auto transmissions the pump runs off the input shaft. The gears are attached to the driveshaft. Placing it in neutral disengages the input shaft so as you travel down the road everything is still spinning without any lubrication. The manual for my Boomer 8N CVT shows towing it without disengaging the driveshaft, which can be disengaged without having to pull it, even a short distance will ruin the transmission. I would check my manual and still to be safe trailer it.

 

[PILOON]

When I had my Honda BIG RED, I rigged a tow bar and lugged it behind my CUT all the time. Distance was in the under 1 mile range generally.
I did that because driving the CUT home for lunch etc was way too slow at 7 MPH
BIG RED being a 3 wheeler made making a tow bar easier than on a 4 wheel.
as I simply welded 2 studs on the fork and slipped the tow bar ears onto the studs.
With a 4 wheel a steerable tow bar would be an interesting challenge but do-able, I guess.
Think some sort of dolly would be safest way to go.
Something like RV'rs use to tow cars, only in miniature.
2 small wheels on an axle with flat surface to accomodate ATV front wheels and 3-4 ft tow bar, couple of angle pieces welded to chock the ATV in place.
Drive on, clamp/tie the frt end down and drive off.
Should work fine.

 

[radioman]

hmm taking piloons example is a good idea. I think I can take it one step further. Since the RTV is hydrostatic, even if it in neutral, I'd say you might still be doing damage since the fluid gotta flow somewhere when axles is being turned by force. Isn't your RTV rear wheel drive? can you disengage the 4 wheel drive? If so , why not rig up a simple tow bar to go into the hitch of RTV, and use the tractor 3 pt with boom or something simalar to lift the rears off the ground. since the tractor is slow, rtv has 2 wheels on ground, I don't think there is a huge danger of it tipping as long you are mostly on flat ground.

Just have a simple hook or chain to connect to 3 pt to draw bar so its a fast hookup/disconnect. :thumbsup:

Any flaws in my idea?

 

[texasjohn]

OK, I have the official Kubota answer.

Don't tow, ever.

I called the dealer salesman who talked to Kubota and also to their mechanic.

Story is that the transmission, even when in neutral, will have parts moving when being towed. The transmission, being HST, has extremely tight tolerances which depend on the engine running and providing pressurized oil to keep things lubricated. If towed, then the transmission would have parts moving in a "dry" environment... which the dealer mechanic whom I talked to also said would do damage rather quickly.

I didn't think to ask what the answer would be if towed in neutral with engine running.... it was clear that the Kubota answer is: "Don't tow, ever."

Thanks to all who answered, and y'all who commented regarding the HST transmission being the reason to not tow...you win the mechanics award