Utility vehicle for the mountains

[Alan L.]

We own a 2WD Mule, a model 550. We like it just fine since we don't care to go fast. However it does not have much power for going up steep hills and even worse, it will free-wheel coming down. So we are thinking of a more powerful unit, one that has more power and the trans will hold it back on the way down steep hills. Would like to trailer it to the mountains and New Mexico and to Ouray, Colorado where there a hundreds of miles of jeep trails.

I don't want to pay enought to buy a truck, just enough to enjoy driving my wife and I up the trails and down safely and reliably. Any experiences with this?

 

[Gary Fowler]

I don't think any of the UTV have engine/transmission braking other than the Kubota RTV series. They are $10K and up depending on the model. I have had mine (RTV 900) for several years and it was $12K with the options I have but it is worth every penny. Many folks claim they are underpowered but I don't find that to be true. If you are going up a hill, just like any HST transmission, if you put the foot on the floor, it will stall down. As load increases on an HST, you have to slack off the HST pedal to give more power but slower speed. THE RTV is the same, slack off the pedal a bit and it pulls most hills with ease in M gear. H(igh) is not that great for hills but does allow 25MPH speeds on flat terrain and the RTV is only going to go as fast downhill as you allow it via the throttle. If you are travelling on flat ground at 10 mph and don't change your throttle position, it will go 10 mph downhill. I run mine in M most of the time simply for convenience and I am not going that far so speed isn't important.

 

[Xfaxman]

I have the Bobcat 2200D, it has engine braking down hill if you keep the RPM just above idle. They don't sell this model now, but New Holland does, called the Rustler. Made by Club Car, model XRT1550.

It has a CVT, so when you put the pedal to the floor on a hill it just goes up it. It has one lever, F-N-R, it runs in 2WD, shifts to 4WD if needed, and locks each differential if needed, all automatically.




XRT1550 - Club Car Utility Vehicles

 

[PapaPerk]

I don't think any of the UTV have engine/transmission braking other than the Kubota RTV series. QUOTE]

That's not true. Many of the UTV's have engine braking. Some to consider are Yamaha Rhino, Honda Big Red, Polaris 900, etc, etc!

 

[aczlan]

We have the RTV500 and it has engine braking with its hydrostatic transmission for under $10k. We have a Toro Workman 2100 and also tried the Mule 610, Deere 625i and RTV400. All of those have belt CVTs which have engine braking as long as you keep the engine going fast enough to engage the centrifugal clutch. If you let it idle, you don't have any engine braking.

Aaron Z

 

[Alan L.]

Quite a bit of the terrain involves top speeds of maybe 2 mph and coming down can be really hairy if the engine is not holding the whole thing back to 1 or 2 mph.

 

[aczlan]

Quite a bit of the terrain involves top speeds of maybe 2 mph and coming down can be really hairy if the engine is not holding the whole thing back to 1 or 2 mph.

In that case, if you want engine braking, I would go with an RTV500, RTV900, RTV1100 or a Honda Big Red and avoid anything with a belt type CVT.

Aaron Z

 

[TripleR]

We have a Mule 500 and 550 and know what you mean, the 500 stays on our flat land farm and the 550 on a not very hilly one. In 2006, I got tired of being stuck all the time and not being able to climb hills on our home farm and bought a Rhino 660 and still have it. It will go about 42 as is and 50+ with a different CDI from Black Rhino or Hunterworks. It has engine braking and when going down steep hills, I just put it in low 4WD and it creeps along.

Other companies mike nice ones too, several more advanced in design than mine, Rhino now uses a 700cc fuel injected model. I would go look at Can Am, John Deere, Polaris, Artic Cat, Kubota etc. to see which one fits. My wife and I are getting older and really appreciate the safety of a UTV and rarely use our ATV's anymore and they are quite a bit of fun.

 

[Rod1]

Bobcat 3400 and 3400D, Can-Am commander, John Deere Gators (option) and Kawasaki Teryx have engine braking too. It seems to me Arctic Cat Prowler 700 HDX has it too; I didn't find it now on their web page but several forums talk about it.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I don't think any of the UTV have engine/transmission braking other than the Kubota RTV series. QUOTE]

That's not true. Many of the UTV's have engine braking. Some to consider are Yamaha Rhino, Honda Big Red, Polaris 900, etc, etc!

When you take your foot off the gas, do they stop or do they continue to move. I guess I should have said transmission braking as in it wont move or moves very very slow if you aren't on the throttle regardless of the degree of slope. I don't think any of those you listed does that.

 

[texasjohn]

I have a Kubota RTV 1140. It handles extreme slopes easily. Downhill just put in 4 wheel drive low and take foot off of accelerator...barely creeps down. I'm talking a slope that makes you hang on to stay in seat and would overturn if sideways. The HST transmission is awesome for speed control and putting power to the ground. I keep the 2 seats...so handy for extra people and stuff.

 

[whistlepig]

Sounds like you need an ATV more than an UTV. For the price of one UTV you can buy two very nice ATV's. One for each of you. The wife and I are 60 years old and still ride our ATV's daily.

 

[Alan L.]

The UTV will serve double duty - carting stuff around our property and taking to the mountains, so ATVs really are not useful for our land use. Actually I just like the UTVs better anyway. I have no desire for speed and prefer a bench seat and steering wheel rather than a saddle and handle bars.

 

[trailmaker]

Quite a bit of the terrain involves top speeds of maybe 2 mph and coming down can be really hairy if the engine is not holding the whole thing back to 1 or 2 mph.

I have an rtv 1140 and can confirm what Texasjohn reported about the excellent engine braking. This makes me a little more comfortable allowing less experienced people drive it. Mine can't climb as well as my Rhino so if your slopes are really hairy that's something to think about. Mine came with the worksite tires, It might climb as well as my rhino with more aggressive tires.

 

[DIXIEDOG]

When you take your foot off the gas, do they stop or do they continue to move. I guess I should have said transmission braking as in it wont move or moves very very slow if you aren't on the throttle regardless of the degree of slope. I don't think any of those you listed does that.

They slow down very quickly, you tap the throttle and the clutch engages slowing you down.

 

[sam5570]

I have a ranger 6x6 it has the engine braking you just got to keep it a little above idel, it has all the power you need. i take it to the mountain and load up with down wood and it works great. the only compliant i have ever had is it takes 28ft of space to turn around. oh yea it's made in the usa.

 

[David_Kb7uns]

Having to blip the throttle to keep the centrifugal clutch engaged is not true engine braking and failure to keep it engaged with a load will either get you hot brakes or a ride you will not forget. Depending on the year and product different Polaris ATVs have had the the oneway bearing for engine braking in the clutch, my CANAM Outlander has an excellent engine braking system for an ATV but the oneway needs to be serviced every 100 hours and the one they had on the Polaris RZR was similar in the upkeep or they would freeze up and not work properly and were only used on the RZR for a year or so not sure about the Ranger.

The Kubota RTV has very good hill climb and dynamic braking for steep terain going downhill and a runaway downhill while in gear with the hydro is a crawl. And by the way my RTV1100 was made in the USA also.

David Kb7uns

 

[plykins]

The UTV will serve double duty - carting stuff around our property and taking to the mountains, so ATVs really are not useful for our land use. Actually I just like the UTVs better anyway. I have no desire for speed and prefer a bench seat and steering wheel rather than a saddle and handle bars.

I'll second the suggestion for the RTV. I have a RTV900xt and i use it here on the property all the time.The RTV with the Diesel engine will not require any rejetting in the mountains like the carbed ATVs. I also like running around the mountains of Colorado. In the years past we have used ATVs. But this year I will be taking the RTV. We go to Taylor Park, miles and miles of old gold mine roads. Hey Alan, where are you located in Grayson County? I have a lake house in Sherwood Shores. Perry

 

[Milo]

I recently went from a Mule 610 4x4 to a Polaris Ranger 500 EFI. The Ranger can freewheel but only seems to disengage when going very slow. If I'm crawling down a steep hill I just make sure it's in 4wd so all the wheels are braked evenly. One reason I bought this is because it's fuel injected and I may be taking it to higher elevations in Arizona/ Utah/ Colorado this Fall. The brakes work very well, *much* better than the Mule, not to mention the suspension, power and speed. It also has a 7.5 gallon gas tank which is nice. It's only 6" wider than the little Mule but much more capable.

 

[lutt]

I have a 700 ranger crew with a ranger ware cab. I regularly haul red oak firewood stacked in 2 rows to the top of the cab with a s-10 trailer loaded with wood behind it. Braking is non issue, Rangers have 4 wheel disc. You also get engine braking with the ranger. A Razer and Ranger are 2 entirely different machines. We do not have the mountains in my part of the state, but I haul wood out of some pretty steep areas on different properties here in the foothills of the Ozarks. I have never had trouble stopping. Ranger Crew are a little more beefier than regular rangers, and there long wheel base would be good in the moutains. I think, I would have to put a tape on it,from wheel to wheel is just under 12 feet. LUTT