Why the RTV?
- Thread starter swoods80
- Start date
I am looking to buy one or the other. It is interesting how you say it is built stronger however, bczoom has a picture of his unit with a wooden bed as he mentions the original bed wouldn't take the abuse of his large loads of wood.
Just for clarification for all readers, I didn't mean to say "the box wouldn't take the abuse". Without looking back at the posts, I meant to say, "I wasn't sure it could take the abuse for the overloading I do". I don't hesitate putting 1500-1800# loads in my wood box (and when putting the big stuff in, I don't set the logs in. I'm not a real big guy so the 100# logs get tossed in). I got the first RTV in my area and therefore had no input from others (nor the dealer) on the box integrity/capabilities. I've posted a couple inquirys on this site and others asking how everyones boxes have held up under heavy load. Nobody has said they've had any problems but I didn't get many responses. I figured better safe than sorry which is why I made mine.
Dargo - you've been hauling wood. How's your box doing?
Flyingn, lloyd123, zeus, slippy, and all... throw in your experiences. How much abuse have you given your box and how's it doing?
Neil (messick) - what have you been seeing?
Dargo - you've been hauling wood. How's your box doing?
Flyingn, lloyd123, zeus, slippy, and all... throw in your experiences. How much abuse have you given your box and how's it doing?
Neil (messick) - what have you been seeing?
lloyd123
Silver Member
I haven't really abused my cargo bed - at the most just some 5" or so diameter trees that I cleared and cut up - so I haven't experienced any dents. I also have the bed liner. I'm not sure about all four sides of the bed but the tailgate is doubled walled at least on the bottom half.
Edit - Checked behind the bed liner - the only side that's doubled walled is the tailgate.
Edit - Checked behind the bed liner - the only side that's doubled walled is the tailgate.
Dargo
Super Member
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2004
- Messages
- 5,974
- Location
- S. IN
- Tractor
- Jinma, Foton, TYM, Belarus, Yanmar, Branson, Montana, Mahindra and maybe some green and orange too.
Okay, I've piled firewood in the bed until I couldn't get another piece in it. This is about 3' over the side walls. I've piled dirt into the bed until not a shovel full more would lift it. In neither of these circumstances have there been any hint of a strength problem. As in a pickup truck, if you pile enough round logs in it with the tailgate down, the bed sides would undoubtedly flex outward I'm sure. However, if you have the tailgate closed, I've proven that you can pile as much firewood in the bed as you want; I've done it. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I do have a spray in liner with a Kubota plastic liner over it protecting the bed. It works well, as I've loaded and hauled several loads of rip rap out to the banks of my lake without any leaving any mark in the bed. With dirt, apparently I had under-estimated the weight I'd put in the bed of the RTV initially. If you use a FEL and pile heavy, compacted wet clay soil in the bed until it runs over every side, you get closer to 2000 to 2500 pounds of a load in the bed. Obviously this is over the recommended limit and the dump will not raise the bed, but the RTV has no problems hauling this load up any hill and suffers no adverse driving characteristics. As a matter of fact, it actually drives just fine with this much weight in it. I'd like to see someone put 2500 pounds in the bed of a Ranger and take it for a spin through the woods. I believe there would be issues. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
I do have a spray in liner with a Kubota plastic liner over it protecting the bed. It works well, as I've loaded and hauled several loads of rip rap out to the banks of my lake without any leaving any mark in the bed. With dirt, apparently I had under-estimated the weight I'd put in the bed of the RTV initially. If you use a FEL and pile heavy, compacted wet clay soil in the bed until it runs over every side, you get closer to 2000 to 2500 pounds of a load in the bed. Obviously this is over the recommended limit and the dump will not raise the bed, but the RTV has no problems hauling this load up any hill and suffers no adverse driving characteristics. As a matter of fact, it actually drives just fine with this much weight in it. I'd like to see someone put 2500 pounds in the bed of a Ranger and take it for a spin through the woods. I believe there would be issues. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
flyingn
Silver Member
The RTV is WAYYYY more heavy duty.. The bed is larger too.. If you seen both close up you would see what I mean.. Not even close..
Frank
Frank