mikeyd
Gold Member
As some of you know I have had a RTV1100 on order since January. I stopped to pick up some hydraulic fittings I had ordered from a dealer other than the one I ordered the 1100 from and they had a 1100 on the lot. Got it in two days ago. Anyway I have a good relationship with this dealer as I bought my 5030 there. Would have bought the 1100 there but he wanted 2k more than the dealer I ordered it from. Anyway, he told me to take the 1100 for a spin around the lot and in the field next to them. I took advantage of the offer and spent about 20 minutes with the machine. The first thing that impresses me is the fit and finish of the machine. Some new cars are not as nice. Very well done. The interior is plush and, again excellent fit and finish. Overall, the appearance of the machine is first class.
It was about 75 degree's with sun. The a/c is strong. I had it on the lowest setting and it kept up fine. There is ample headroom, legroom was good, but a tall person might be tight. Dash is laid out thoughtfully, controls easy to reach. Gray fabric over plastic headliner with rearview mirror and dome light looks and fits nice. Cab is virtually airtight, door takes a sharp pull to close. Kubota has abandoned the partial open door feature. Im glad as it looked like a gimmick anyway and I could see where all it would do is rattle. Motor fires instantly, some noise at idle, very quiet under power. Requires quite a bit of effort to push HST pedal, too much really, hope this is something that will improve as it breaks in. Not a rocketship but very smooth linear power. You'd think it was electric with the lack of noise and the smoothness. Could easily speak to someone in a normal voice. Goes about 25 mph. The whole machine feels substantial and tight. Does not shake or rattle when you hit potholes. Very carlike. I have driven other makes of UTV's and imo they are not anywhere near the quality, fit and finish.
Has good power, but the motor is no where near its potential, basically runs at a high idle. I had a ZD28 with the same motor and it ran much higher rpm. I see plenty of room for improvement in the motor department if one is so inclined. I put it in neutral and floored it, motor could not have seen 2500 rpm, probably closer to 2200. My zd28 ran at 3000rpm all day.
A funny thing happened. Before I took the machine I was told that the salesman could not make it up the hill in the field next to the lot unless he stopped and shifted to medium speed. The hill is steep and about 500feet. After I drove around the lot and got familar with the machine I went to the hill. I came to a stop at the bottom. I left the machine in High. When I got up a bit past half way, the machine started to slow down. As I read here on TBN, I let off the HST pedal a bit and it walked right up the hill!!! I let the salesman know when I got back. You'd think this is something he should be telling me.....
I did shift the gears while under light load, no problem. Did not have to use the"knob", same thing going to reverse. Dump bed raises quickly. When you let off HST pedal comes to a smooth braking stop, not at all abrubt, but firm.
I will say the wait has been a form of torture, my dealer says to expect the machine at anytime. After driving it today I can honestly say I'm glad that I did wait. Should it prove to be as reliable as the other Kubota products I have, I am convinced I made a wise choice.
It was about 75 degree's with sun. The a/c is strong. I had it on the lowest setting and it kept up fine. There is ample headroom, legroom was good, but a tall person might be tight. Dash is laid out thoughtfully, controls easy to reach. Gray fabric over plastic headliner with rearview mirror and dome light looks and fits nice. Cab is virtually airtight, door takes a sharp pull to close. Kubota has abandoned the partial open door feature. Im glad as it looked like a gimmick anyway and I could see where all it would do is rattle. Motor fires instantly, some noise at idle, very quiet under power. Requires quite a bit of effort to push HST pedal, too much really, hope this is something that will improve as it breaks in. Not a rocketship but very smooth linear power. You'd think it was electric with the lack of noise and the smoothness. Could easily speak to someone in a normal voice. Goes about 25 mph. The whole machine feels substantial and tight. Does not shake or rattle when you hit potholes. Very carlike. I have driven other makes of UTV's and imo they are not anywhere near the quality, fit and finish.
Has good power, but the motor is no where near its potential, basically runs at a high idle. I had a ZD28 with the same motor and it ran much higher rpm. I see plenty of room for improvement in the motor department if one is so inclined. I put it in neutral and floored it, motor could not have seen 2500 rpm, probably closer to 2200. My zd28 ran at 3000rpm all day.
A funny thing happened. Before I took the machine I was told that the salesman could not make it up the hill in the field next to the lot unless he stopped and shifted to medium speed. The hill is steep and about 500feet. After I drove around the lot and got familar with the machine I went to the hill. I came to a stop at the bottom. I left the machine in High. When I got up a bit past half way, the machine started to slow down. As I read here on TBN, I let off the HST pedal a bit and it walked right up the hill!!! I let the salesman know when I got back. You'd think this is something he should be telling me.....
I did shift the gears while under light load, no problem. Did not have to use the"knob", same thing going to reverse. Dump bed raises quickly. When you let off HST pedal comes to a smooth braking stop, not at all abrubt, but firm.
I will say the wait has been a form of torture, my dealer says to expect the machine at anytime. After driving it today I can honestly say I'm glad that I did wait. Should it prove to be as reliable as the other Kubota products I have, I am convinced I made a wise choice.
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