RTV 500 Owners

[DIXIEDOG]

Dixiedog,
Based on your username, i assume you are used to southern mud. My RTV500 accumulates mud around the rear axle shafts and really doesnt have the power or the ground clearance for serious mud duty.

If I had to do it over again, i probably would opt for the Polaris 400 ranger..

Nope not Southern at all, I live in Maine. I just have a dog named Dixie:laughing: Well I hope it works because I own one now :ashamed: :confused2:

Now I only need to hit the lotto so I can afford the track kit :thumbsup::licking:

 

[gobraphil]

weve got 3 inches of snow coming in the am here in alabama, I might need a snow plow!!:laughing:

 

[Sparkyca]

I have seen where there have been some 500's that were in need of transmission adjustments. The engine and transmission have to be in sync. If they aren't, they don't perform well.

Couple guys had theirs tuned and suddenly they have billy goats..... climb anything. 20/30% improvements.

 

[timswi]

I have seen where there have been some 500's that were in need of transmission adjustments. The engine and transmission have to be in sync. If they aren't, they don't perform well.

Couple guys had theirs tuned and suddenly they have billy goats..... climb anything. 20/30% improvements.

Yup that's true...Kubota should have had a recall on this.....They are shooting themselves in the foot by ignoring the issue...I've heard from many that they were infuriated by these threads...Too bad, owners /customers always know best.

They have a potential market leader with the 500 if they would just address the fact that it is woefully underpowered. I loved everything about it except that. I squeezed everything I could out of the one I had.

 

[DIXIEDOG]

Yup that's true...Kubota should have had a recall on this.....They are shooting themselves in the foot by ignoring the issue...I've heard from many that they were infuriated by these threads...Too bad, owners /customers always know best.

They have a potential market leader with the 500 if they would just address the fact that it is woefully underpowered. I loved everything about it except that. I squeezed everything I could out of the one I had.

Do they need a recall or better trained service techs? I haven't suffered any of the common lack of power issues I always hear about. It just flat out goes, in low range it's got monster torque and in high range I am able to climb most any hill without issues. The only time I've seen it lacking power was in mud going up inclines in high range, once I shifted into low it had plenty of goat:thumbsup:

The one complaint I've got is the lack of storage on this thing, if they fixed that I'd be one happy camper

 

[timswi]

Yup Dixie..Storage is an issue..Not a whole lot better on the 1100. The entire underhood area is eaten up by HVAC. It does have a little underseat storage though.

Kubota either got the message, or you got lucky, on the power issue...Not going to speculate. But I'm thrilled that you got a good one.:drink:

 

[KubieTwo]

I have seen where there have been some 500's that were in need of transmission adjustments. The engine and transmission have to be in sync. If they aren't, they don't perform well.

Couple guys had theirs tuned and suddenly they have billy goats..... climb anything. 20/30% improvements.

Not just 500's. My RTV1100 was 8 full turns too tight (too aggressive) on the servo response. It would struggle (bog the engine) in H range going up even the slightest long grade, often requiring a shift to M. It blasts up grades now in H that it struggled up in M before the adjustment. I could not believe how much adjustment it took and was afraid to keep adjusting out, but knew how it was supposed to react, so kept turning one round at a time then driving up a long grade to test it. At 8 full turns, it was a different machine. I don't know how to rate the improvement as a percentage but it would be more than 30% for sure.

I have about 500 hours on mine and would not have anything else. It is a work horse and does everything it is supposed to do, many times over. For some a Ranger may be a better choice for what they do, but not for my use. The RTV's are not Indy cars, but they might well be the Kenworth's of UTV's. (My wife loves to drive it.)

 

[SpudHauler]

Kubie Two,

what happened when you went 9 or 10 turns?

or did you stop at 8 because you were okay with the performance?

I have the RTV1100 as well and found a nice increase by backing it out but not sure how many turns it's at. Shows about

Currently showing about 20mm of thread from the locknut out to the end.

I had tried turning the adjuster in completely and then backing out 5 or 6 turns.

Adjusted it so many times, not sure what turn count it's at now.

Just would like to know what goes wrong when it is too far in or out.

Brian

 

[timswi]

Kubie Two,

what happened when you went 9 or 10 turns?

or did you stop at 8 because you were okay with the performance?

I have the RTV1100 as well and found a nice increase by backing it out but not sure how many turns it's at. Shows about

Currently showing about 20mm of thread from the locknut out to the end.

I had tried turning the adjuster in completely and then backing out 5 or 6 turns.

Adjusted it so many times, not sure what turn count it's at now.

Just would like to know what goes wrong when it is too far in or out.

Brian

If I remember right, too far out and it won't move. Too far in and you'll have no power going up hills etc. If you got it, you got it.

 

[KubieTwo]

Kubie Two,

what happened when you went 9 or 10 turns?

or did you stop at 8 because you were okay with the performance?

I have the RTV1100 as well and found a nice increase by backing it out but not sure how many turns it's at. Shows about

Currently showing about 20mm of thread from the locknut out to the end.

I had tried turning the adjuster in completely and then backing out 5 or 6 turns.

Adjusted it so many times, not sure what turn count it's at now.

Just would like to know what goes wrong when it is too far in or out.

Brian

At 8 turns I can climb a grade without having to back out of the throttle. If that had not been the case I would have come another round or so, but it now runs like I knew it should have. I can tell you that when it is too far in the engine bogs down. Mine was so bad it would bog down on level ground if I floored it at a dead stop. Now that is not a problem and I can start on a small grade in H that earlier required M and part throttle. It is like a different machine after the adjustment.

Kubietwo