Are the diesel rtvs really that slow?

[Sidekick]

Im pretty much committed to the diesel rtv platform. I think a couple of the models would work well for us.

Is the hst whine on the rtv chassis as loud as the L, or other series, tractors?

No whine from mine.

 

[NoJacketRequired]

maybe he's one lucky sob and has one of these...

Republic RC-3 Seabee - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

!!!!!!!!

Amphibians are fun machines. This airframe coupled to an LS1 V8 makes a real performer that will go darned near anywhere. The core airframe is a tank. The cockpit is very spacious. I love how the anchor stores beneath the front seat passenger's feet.

There's not much about the airplane that I don't like, as long as it gets a power boost from the original Franklin.

In the meantime, a Lake amphibian is a little more within my budget and ability to man-handle on the ground. If the tailwheel on a Seabee gets turned sideways in grass you'd better hope there are several strong men available to help get it straight. Don't ask me how I know.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Father owned an island on Lake Temagami, I got my PPL when I was 17, we were going to buy a 'seaplane' to get up to the island......sadly that never happened,but did fly single engined Otters and twin beech on floats.

 

[Oliver]

..... I crawled around a few of the utv’s out there, and keep coming back to the diesel rtvs(rtv-x and rtv-x1130). They ‘looked less plasticy’ and more like a tool vs a toy. However as Ive been looking into them, I keep reading about that they are slow, like REALLY slow! Like top speed up a hill of around 12mph, unloaded or loaded. I understand they are torque monsters, i‘ll use my tractor to pull tree stumps....


I dont need 50 mph, but 12 mph is too slow. It will get a fair amount of use on the steep forest roads that lead up into the mountains from my property for cutting wood and more importantly, fishing.

I don't own an RTV or Polaris but I was in the local Kubota store which also sells Polaris talking to the owner about Polaris and the Kubota RTV's. (I ended up buying a Kawasaki Mule but that's not my point)
He flat out told me not to get an RTV. He said the power company ordered 6 of them the year prior directly through Kubota. The units were shipped to them to prep and deliver and Kubota paid them for that service. Within 2 weeks Kubota told them to pick them up and bring them back because the power company was dissatisfied with them for their use, so they picked them up and they went back to Kubota.

He said a few days later a couple representatives from the power company came in to their store and told them the problem which was the RTVs couldn't climb many of their steep right of ways which the old ATV's they had did with ease. They were simply too slow to even get a run, slowed more as the trails got steeper to where they just stopped.

The owner said they are fine working around the farm on flat or mild hills but not on trails, especially steep ones. He said they are heavy and don't have enough power, ground clearance, or enough suspension travel. He took a Polaris Ranger (I don't recall which one) out for them to demo and they liked it because it had no problem going up the right of ways and rode much nicer. The power company bought 6 Rangers directly through Polaris, same deal as Kubota, and the store prepped and delivered them.

 

[Sidekick]

I don't own an RTV or Polaris but I was in the local Kubota store which also sells Polaris talking to the owner about Polaris and the Kubota RTV's. (I ended up buying a Kawasaki Mule but that's not my point)
He flat out told me not to get an RTV. He said the power company ordered 6 of them the year prior directly through Kubota. The units were shipped to them to prep and deliver and Kubota paid them for that service. Within 2 weeks Kubota told them to pick them up and bring them back because the power company was dissatisfied with them for their use, so they picked them up and they went back to Kubota.

He said a few days later a couple representatives from the power company came in to their store and told them the problem which was the RTVs couldn't climb many of their steep right of ways which the old ATV's they had did with ease. They were simply too slow to even get a run, slowed more as the trails got steeper to where they just stopped.

The owner said they are fine working around the farm on flat or mild hills but not on trails, especially steep ones. He said they are heavy and don't have enough power, ground clearance, or enough suspension travel. He took a Polaris Ranger (I don't recall which one) out for them to demo and they liked it because it had no problem going up the right of ways and rode much nicer. The power company bought 6 Rangers directly through Polaris, same deal as Kubota, and the store prepped and delivered them.

I wonder why the new ones are so slow and lose out on hills even when mine is empty. What changed with the new RTV-X series. It was supposed to be a more powerful 900 I thought. I have been considering replacing mine also. Just doesn't seem like 25 HP.

 

[chris_the_wrench]

He said a few days later a couple representatives from the power company came in to their store and told them the problem which was the RTVs couldn't climb many of their steep right of ways which the old ATV's they had did with ease. They were simply too slow to even get a run, slowed more as the trails got steeper to where they just stopped.

I haven’t contacted my dealer yet, I’m waiting till I have the cash in hand Im expecting in a couple of weeks. Im hoping he has a demo unit we can try out on our property before buying. I believe he told me they did, close to a year ago…

 

[Oliver]

.... Im hoping he has a demo unit we can try out on our property before buying.

Riding it up your trail would be a good idea, maybe it'll go fast enough for your needs.

I'm on my 4th UTV and have learned a few things, one is get one that can go a little faster than you feel you need.
My first one was a little Mule 610, now called SX. Top speed was said to be about 25 mph. Most of the time I rode it under 15 mph on my wooded trails and around the yard doing chores where it was just fine. Occasionally I had it "wide open" up the dirt lane where it might hit 22 mph. But at that speed the engine was noisy and felt like it was spinning its guts out.

One day I rode it out my lane 1/3 mile to the main gravel road which I took 1/2 mile down to the little village to do something. As mentioned the engine was noisy and bouncing off the governed rev limiter going down that little road, and on the road 23mph felt pretty slow. But coming back up was what really bothered me because wide open it maybe was doing 8-9 mph. After that I decided for safety sake if I was going to be taking any UTV or ATV on actual gravel roads I wanted it to be able to go at least 25-30 mph up a moderate grade. And I would like it to be able to do so without the engine running at redline.

The UTV I have now has a 700cc single cylinder motor making 40+ hp, with top speed of 44 mph wide open. I really don't need or want to go 44 mph but this means it's relaxed cruising at 30-35 mph with plenty of torque to maintain that speed up hills.

 

[ItBmine]

I don't own an RTV or Polaris but I was in the local Kubota store which also sells Polaris talking to the owner about Polaris and the Kubota RTV's. (I ended up buying a Kawasaki Mule but that's not my point)
He flat out told me not to get an RTV. He said the power company ordered 6 of them the year prior directly through Kubota. The units were shipped to them to prep and deliver and Kubota paid them for that service. Within 2 weeks Kubota told them to pick them up and bring them back because the power company was dissatisfied with them for their use, so they picked them up and they went back to Kubota.

He said a few days later a couple representatives from the power company came in to their store and told them the problem which was the RTVs couldn't climb many of their steep right of ways which the old ATV's they had did with ease. They were simply too slow to even get a run, slowed more as the trails got steeper to where they just stopped.

The owner said they are fine working around the farm on flat or mild hills but not on trails, especially steep ones. He said they are heavy and don't have enough power, ground clearance, or enough suspension travel. He took a Polaris Ranger (I don't recall which one) out for them to demo and they liked it because it had no problem going up the right of ways and rode much nicer. The power company bought 6 Rangers directly through Polaris, same deal as Kubota, and the store prepped and delivered them.

Well they work well in our mine, and the ramp is steep and miles long.
Most people think you hold them to the floor when in fact if you let up on throttle they will recover and start pulling again.

 

[ItBmine]

Im pretty much committed to the diesel rtv platform. I think a couple of the models would work well for us.

Is the hst whine on the rtv chassis as loud as the L, or other series, tractors?

No whine from my RTV-X1100C. Even in high pulling hills loaded. Whereas my B series tractor whines.
I will admit though....Kubota brags in their brochures how quiet the cabs are. Well, loafing along the trails up to maybe 12 MPH they are quiet inside. Easy to have a conversation. But they do get loud from the engine when you are wide open at 25 MPH. Not nearly as loud as say a Polaris or Can Am 1000, but I think they could have done a better job with sound insulation.

 

[Oliver]

You're right, I'm sure some wouldn't understand how to operate a hydrostatic transmission.

 

[ItBmine]

You're right, I'm sure some wouldn't understand how to operate a hydrostatic transmission.

I'm a business owner and an equipment trainer. Trust me, lots of employees only know one thing....hold it to the floor and smash through stuff as hard as you can, LOL

 

[ItBmine]

For those wondering about the RTV's, it is hard to judge steepness and grade in pics, but here is the layout of one of my bush roads.
With the dump bed of my RTV-X1100C fully loaded with pit run gravel and AC on, slowest I've seen climbing these is 7 MPH. When it's fully warmed up I've seen as high as 9MPH. It does all this in high gear.