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Off Road Utility Vehicle (UTV) input please

Started by Jason_AliceMae Farms, March 07, 2014, 01:01:22 PM

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Jason_AliceMae Farms

I have a four-wheeler that I use most of the time to get around my property but my parents are thinking about getting something that is more comfortable for them to ride together and easier for them to use.  They are looking into a UTV to get around and enjoy the property more.

There are a few dealers that are close (Deere, Kioti, Kubota, Suzuki, New Holland)  so they are able to do some in person comparison which I suggested that they do.  My only requests/recommendations to them was to get a four seat version, diesel, and 4x4.

What models do you guys have or do you have a preference that goes beyond color/brand?  Cost will play into it for them too but for now just looking to get some general input to share with them from those who have one.
Watching over 90 acres of the earth with 50 acres being forest.

Someday I would like to be able to say that I left thes 90 acres healthier than when I started watching over them.

DeepCreek

I have a Kubota RTV500.

Just some of the things to consider....

Turning circle. May be spec'd as radius or diameter. If you have narrow roads or trails, it can be a big issue. 4 seaters tend to be much worse in this area.

Engine braking. Most brands are lousy. Kubota's are outstanding because of the hydro. Steep property hauling loads, Kubota may be the only way to go. Note: Kubota also has the RTV400. It does not have the hydro and looks like and costs almost as much as the RTV500. It also has other issues. I recommend avoidance.

Seating. A lot of brands are sporty and come with bucket seats that make it a chore to get in and out. If your usage involves short hops with someone getting in and out all the time, the seating can make all the difference in the word.

Diesel drives the price up significantly and may never warm up properly in short hop use around the property. Some gassers are fuel hogs. I can say the Kubota RTV500 really sips the gas.

Rear differential. Some brands don't have one. Usually but not always referred to as a live axle. They will tear up grass in a heartbeat.

Differential lock. When you need it, you need it. Usually on the rear only due to steering issues on the front.

Automatic controls versus manual. 4WD selection, differential locking, sometimes even range selection are automatic on some models and manual on others. Both ways are considered to have their own advantage and disadvantages. I favor manual control. Less complexity and better reliability without the uncertainty of automatic controls. RTV500 is manual.

Dump bed. Very handy.

High ground clearance and long suspension travel. Necessary for the play toy models that travel over rough terrain at high speed. Nice to have but not essential for a work vehicle. RTV500 has limited ground clearance and limited suspension travel, but I have been not been stopped yet. 4 Seaters are worse.

Top speed. The sporty models go fast enough to kill you quick. The work horses not so fast. RTV500 is governed at 25 mph max.  That is plenty fast enough for me.

If you have any specific questions about this model, I will be happy to answer them for you.


Raider Bill

My friend has a Geo Tracker. Small, 4x4, a/c, heat comfy paid $500 and a set of tires 5 years ago. Does everything a Polaris razor can pretty much. 
The First 70 years of childhood is always the hardest.

Dave Shepard

We have a Kubota 1140CPX, the big crew-cab model. An RTV900, or the RTV1100 single cab would be handier. Kubotas are not fast, only about 25mph, but the hydro is simple to operate and the diesels are reliable. I personally avoid gas engines like the plague due to alcohol in the gas and other temperamental issues. I also don't like snowmobile belt transmissions that burn up belts or don't work when they get wet.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

MattJ

I test drove a bunch and if you want a smooth ride you can't beat the polaris.  The others I have drove felt like a tank (polaris has 2X the suspension travel of the other utilities) and turned in a much larger circle.  They have a diesel but I have a 500cc gas.  It can haul like crazy both speed wise and hauling.  There is a governor you can enable to limit to 25 mph, otherwise it can hit around 55-60.  Their 4-wheel drive is great and I have gone up steep muddy hills with near 800lb in the bed no problem.  I buried my 4000lb kubota tractor in a creek bed (don't ask) and I had a few people hop in the bed for weight and it pulled it right out, 4-wheel mud rooster tails the whole way.  It has a 2" rear receiver, sips gas, and just plain drives nice which is great for winding through the woods.  Also the model I have which is smaller can fit in the bed of a pickup.

When I tested the Deere Diesel it drove so jerky I struggled to park it in a standard parking place.  Mine also has a dump bed, and 2 wheel drive open diff for the lawn, 4 wheel drive open rear diff, and 4 wheel drive diff lock for nasty stuff.  The last thing is they are american made and significantly less expensive than the other ones.  Parts are easier on the wallet too, I love my kubota tractor but parts are ludicrous.  My starter solenoid went out this fall and kubota wanted $500 as its combined with the starter motor  :o :o :o

MattJ

Saw Dave's post after mine.  I have taken my polaris through many a deep creek and truly pulled way more than the thing is rated for, never had a belt slip or burn up.  I do carry a spare but never used it.

Dave Shepard

Kubota has power steering. 8)

You really need to just try out a bunch of them until you find one you like.

Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

POSTON WIDEHEAD

I have the Kubota RTV500. I love it. 2 seater, gas. Excellent farm helper.
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

DeepCreek

Quote from: Dave Shepard on March 07, 2014, 02:34:18 PM
Kubota has power steering. 8)

You really need to just try out a bunch of them until you find one you like.

Kubota RTV500 (and RTV400) do not have power steering, and don't need it, except possibly for operators with disabilities. Yes, there are all manner of web posts and so called spec sheets that list the RTV500 as having power steering, but it simply isn't so.  Somebody at Kubota needs to tell their marketing people that the small RTV models are not junior RTV900s.

I agree on the trying them part.


Holmes

  I would think a better suspension might be real important for casual riding and enjoyment. If my wife had to ride around in a very bouncy vehicle she would do it once.   
Think like a farmer.

Jason_AliceMae Farms

The very first thing I suggested to them was to go out and drive them all and get in and out of them and start by finding out what is comfortable for them.

I don't really have any steep terrain so not too worried there but I do have some low wet spots and I am sure it will get stuck. My dad likes finding ways to get the tractor stuck but for me it is just more enjoyable time spent with him when I go get him unstuck =)

Not to worried about speed, I don't see them ever wanting to go fast and to me it is another tool to use since I am not a speed demon myself.

Thanks for all the replies so far!
Watching over 90 acres of the earth with 50 acres being forest.

Someday I would like to be able to say that I left thes 90 acres healthier than when I started watching over them.

Chuck White

My brother has a John Deer Gator which I like for it's easy on/off, hydraulic dump box, 4-wheel drive and ease of operation!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

Red Good

If they can get a chance to drive a Canam take it , it will change they way they think about utv's . Red
Stihl 211C saw
Massey 135 deisel tractor with a front loader
Can Am 800 max quad
2001 Chev S10 pick me up
Home made log arch

Magicman

We went the completely opposite direction and have never been more pleased.  Pat and I both have Polaris 4X4 4-wheelers, but our vehicles of choice are Club Car golf cars with the gasoline engine.  They absolutely have to be the handiest quietest and most comfortable rides that we have.  They have enough flotation that getting stuck doesn't happen.


 
They haul people, and we have some steep hills.


 
Trees for planting.


 
Lumber.


 
And sometimes get very muddy. 
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

YellowHammer

I've had a Polaris Diesel for several years and love it.  It's never been in the shop, starts as good as my gas 4 wheelers, seems to make its own fuel, and the best thing is that it has a turf saver differential, which allows me to only put power to one wheel with all others disengaged.  It means I can turn tight without destroying the grass and also reduces overall tire wear. 
YH
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

DeepCreek

As I understand it, that "Turf Saver" isn't a real differential but simply a live axle that disconnects on one side. Do you see any advantages or disadvantages over a regular differential? It sounds like you have to remember to engage/disengage the thing when transitioning from grass to dirt and vice versa.  It seems to me to be less user friendly than a regular differential with a lock control which doesn't require any user action unless he goes into an area that  requires the lock.

Just curious.


Don_Papenburg

I like the old military Jeep or like RaiderBill said a Geo Tracker  They are cheap enough and can haul a heavier load and you can drive on the road.
Frick saw mill  '58   820 John Deere power. Diamond T trucks

scsmith42

I'm on my second Polaris Ranger 6 x 6; it's the single most used vehicle on the farm.

For me, the Polaris has the best off-road suspension of all of the UTV's, the highest top-end speed, and the most weight / trailer carrying capacity.  Those were the things that I valued, hence my choice.  I don't regret it either.

My neighbor has the Kubota.  Hands down a very tough machine.  However, it will get stuck where the Polaris won't (it weighs 2X more), and it's much slower.  Great, tough Kubota quality though.

For an older couple that just want to put around, two that I would strongly evaluate are the Club Car, as Magicman indicated, and the John Deere Gator as Chuck suggested.
Peterson 10" WPF with 65' of track
Smith - Gallagher dedicated slabber
Tom's 3638D Baker band mill
and a mix of log handling heavy equipment.

ksks

I have a Club Car I've taken lots of places off road.  Will probable replace it with EZGO.  Looking for a bit more suspension and locking diff.
http://www.ezgo.com/personal/trail-leisure/expresss4.html

Unless your parents are wanting some sign 4x4 capability, I'd look into a golf cart.  Surprisingly good options.
Striving to be average!

Magicman

I had the Club Car in some serious wet and mud today. It just floats along and hardly makes tracks.  I have Swamp Fox tires on the rear.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

DeepCreek

I looked into the golf cart based machines. Electric power has a lot of advantages. Trouble is, once you get into the purpose designed models with serious off road capabilities, they cost more than the gasoline powered UTVs.


redprospector

I've got an 06 Polaris Ranger 500 that I bought used 3 years ago. It is one of the best machines I own. I bought it when I was thinning a 450 acre project in the mountains, It would go places that most folks wouldn't carry a quart of oil. It carried a 65 gallon water tank during fire season everywhere I needed it to. I took my sister and my 87 year old mother on a ride to see the project, and they both commented on how smooth the ride was.
Mine will go about 20 mph in low range, and about 45 in high range. It stays in low most of the time.
I did get it stuck this winter. I was fighting through about 16" of snow on an old logging road to get to my skidder, and hit about a 12" deep hole in the road. My Ranger won't go through 28" of snow.

All in all it's a very reliable machine, and is up to about any reasonable task (don't let hired help drive one).
I highly recommend them to anyone of any age.
1996 Timber King B-20 with 14' extension, Morgan Mini Scragg Mill, Fastline Band Scragg Mill (project), 1973 JD 440-b skidder, 2008 Bobcat T-320 with buckets, grapple, auger, Tushogg mulching head, etc., 2006 Fecon FTX-90L with Bull Hog 74SS head, 1994 Vermeer 1250 BC Chipper. A bunch of chainsaws.

Magicman

Quote from: DeepCreek on March 08, 2014, 10:04:05 PM
I looked into the golf cart based machines. Electric power has a lot of advantages.
I want nothing to do with an electric powered cart.  They are too heavy and I could just imagine the Grandkids running out of juice a mile from the Cabin.   :-\

Golf Cars are not UTV's by any means.  Just fun reliable transportation.  I could have ridden the Polaris yesterday but chose the buggy.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

DR_Buck

I have a John Deere Gator 825i and it is 100's of times better than using my ATV.   One of the best things I've purchased since moving onto the farm.   8)     Except for pallet forks for my tractor.  smiley_blue_bounce


Been there, done that.   Never got caught [/b]
Retired and not doing much anymore and still not getting caught

MikeON

Quote from: Don_Papenburg on March 08, 2014, 11:55:10 AM
I like the old military Jeep or like RaiderBill said a Geo Tracker  They are cheap enough and can haul a heavier load and you can drive on the road.
I'll vote for the Jeep also.  I recently got a 1963 CJ5 off ebay for $3000.  Will have about another $1500 in various parts and maintenance.  Being a road-legal vehicle is very important to me, because my woodlot is a few miles from home.  I already have a Warn 8,000 lb electric which, which I'm rigging up to use front or back via receiver hitches.
Here's an interesting comparison.  Maybe not completely unbiased, but entertaining at least:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgGm0mA1FLY
Woodmizer LT40HD Super.  WM Single Blade Edger,  John Deere 4310 tractor, M35A2C Deuce and a Half truck

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