I am leaning toward a kobata 500 rtv and mule 610. Both of these are easy to get into and four wheel drive. .... Please let me know your likes or dislikes with your utv. Thank you and God Bless
I'll give you my thoughts on a Mule 610 which I bought new about 6 years ago. In short I love it!
It's been totally reliable never missing a beat. Both I and my wife find it so easy to slide in and out of (the roll bar is handy to hold on to) that our ATV's end up just sitting in the garage anymore. I let my neighbor take it for a spin and he came back grinning so I knew he was hooked. A few weeks later he bought one.
I appreciate simplicity in a vehicle like this. It's sealed, fan cooled CV transmission is efficient, quiet, and well proven. It operates just as smoothly as when new. The steering is light w/o needing to be power assisted and there's no bump steer. In other words when it hits a hole the wheel doesn't try to spin the steering wheel. The carbureted engine starts quickly usually w/o needing the choke. Sometimes in cooler temps I'll pull the choke but it can be pushed back in almost immediately. This little Mule just sips gas. It must hold around 4 gallons and we can run it for days on a tank.
The 610 has an open differential like a car so when turning it around the yard it doesn't chew up the grass like our ATV's can. Additionally there is a "diff-lock" position which locks both rear wheels together but I've only needed to use this feature a few times. It goes pretty darn well in 2WD but ours gets it's share of use in 4WD for steep hills, snow, stream crossing, mud, etc. The front differential is a limited slip.
There is a nice glove box and the "hood" lifts up to reveal a large storage trunk. (The engine is under the front of the bed.) The seat tips up and there is a place for an optional storage container.
Ours, nor my neighbor's, have ever been back to the dealer. In fact nothing has gone wrong with them. I bought the shop manual so what little maintenance is required I just do myself since it's so easy to work on. Basically once a year I change the oil and filter, drain the carburetor float bowl, and top up the battery water. Two years ago I adjusted the valves, changed the brake fluid, and changed the oil in both differentials.
Dislikes? I honestly can't think of much. I guess the 25 mph top speed would be for some but for the way we use it in the woods, fields and dirt roads it's probably seldom over 15 mph. It seems quieter than most UTV's I've been around, I notice a little more noise when I have the top on. The bed is steel so I had ours lined with a spray-in bed liner. The factory hard top is easy to put on and it looks nice but it was almost $200. If I can think of anything else I'll edit and add it here.
