2011 RTV 500 Low Compression

Tooljunkie

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L1501,home built carry all, mini plow blade.
May 13, 2014
4,150
27
48
59
Lac Du Bonnet, Manitoba,Canada
Posi-lock pullers are the ticket. The cage prevents jaws from slipping off especially when they can get a good bite. I sold lots of them,mostly the 3 piece sets. Demonstrate it and its a sure sell.

So it came down to rust being the problem with the stuck gear. A little anti-sieze in the factory would have saved a ton of grief.
 

North Idaho Wolfman

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Lifetime Member

Equipment
L3450DT-GST, Woods FEL, B7100 HSD, FEL, 60" SB, 743 Bobcat with V2203, and more
Jun 9, 2013
28,294
4,853
113
Sandpoint, ID
Too bad Kubota doesn't make a gas engine as simple and reliable as their TIMING GEAR driven diesels....a timing belt design is CRAPPY no matter how you look at it.
Actually they do, it a motor that is 90% or more the same parts as the diesel.
I don't know why they choose to use a different engine in this model, maybe it's a higher rev motor, just not sure. :confused:
 

lugbolt

Well-known member

Equipment
ZG127S-54
Oct 15, 2015
4,807
1,575
113
Mid, South, USA
The RTV500's chassis won't let a diesel converted to gas engine fit in there-not enough room. The little gas engine that it used on them (twin cylinder) is either a pump or generator engine used overseas, I forget where and what it was used for-but it was an existing engine that Kubota used instead of reinventing the wheel. Sure a little 3 cylinder would be nice but then again, you'd be back to having an RTV900, or if it were a gas burner, maybe an RTV700 (Using a little gas version of a D722?). Then the price goes up. Doesn't seem like it could, given that the 500 engine is already $4500 if you have to replace it.

So back to the RTV500 vs their competition. The Kawasaki Mule 610. The mule is MUCH simpler, rides better, has a better following, has MUCH better brakes, is cheaper, runs exactly the same on a pavement drag race and will KILL the RTV400 and 500 on any hills, uses less fuel, runs quieter, costs less to maintain and operate, costs less to repair, carries a better warranty, air filter location sucks, the list goes on and on. Dealer I worked for carried both and if a customer came in and drove both, they always, 100% of the time, bought the Mule. It got so bad that when we had the 500's, we had to put the Mule's in the back of the showroom or even in the warehouse if we had a bunch of 500's to move, bury them, so that they didn't see them. That was the only way we could sell the RTV500's. And we traded a few RTV500's in for new Mules, but the bad part is the company who bought the traded in RTV500's didn't pay anything for them to speak of because their markets didn't want them. I think about $1500 is the most I ever saw which really surprised me. Kubota really needs to redesign and/or simplify the RTV500, they've done away with the 400 (finally...what a pile), to make it simpler, ride better, more power under loads, cheaper, and improve the warranty from 1 year to 2. It could be a good seller but as it is currently, it pretty much sucks, and the dealer got to where the only way they sold them is if someone came in and actually wanted it specifically-which was kinda rare.
 

Cottonwood

Member

Equipment
G2000. F2560
Jul 15, 2015
46
1
8
Courtland, MN
I have a little of every kind of Kubota engine. The RTV500 little two cylinder, an F2560 3 cylinder diesel, and a G2000 3 cylinder gas. While the 500 is a little doggy for some I am sure, and while I at times I would like the 1000/1200 diesel, the 500 has some distinct advantages. It turns shorter, it's easier to get into as it has no door pieces. It's quieter. Brakes aren't really an issue the hydro normally is enough. It's great for us to move around the 6 acres and back and forth to our daughters place over a mile away. It's a little slow, 22 mph, but will keep the grandkids in check. If I had 40 acres of woods, or 110 steers I think a bigger one would be ideal. But the 500 for some people really does work well. Just don't buy one to hill climb or pull stumps, they aren't made for that.
 

skohler

Member
Aug 4, 2014
55
3
8
Gettysburg, PA
Just don't buy one to hill climb or pull stumps, they aren't made for that.
My hunting buddy bought one used with 23 hours on it, 3 years old. Thought he got a great deal until we tried climbing uphill with us 2 and 100 lbs of corn, it got the job done but would not have carried any more. Looking back, the guy he bought it from lived on a hill and his family all were running around on quads. He probably bought it and tried to show it off only to realize everyone was laughing as he couldn't climb a hill. Just a shade better than a golf cart.

My buddy will probably be selling it off now with 24.5 hours on the clock.