Reasons not to buy an RTV 1100C?

[RKP in SB]

Interesting thread -- and it makes me very glad I bought a new 1100C last month. The only real "negative" I see about the Kubota is that it's not fast. That's true, but I knew that going in. I use my UTV primarily for plowing snow in a heavy snow region (200" last winter, 265" a few years ago) down my 1000' long private road. I did that for years with my JD Gator 620i XUV and as much as I enjoyed it, the Kubota is way, way better. I strongly considered and test drove a new JD Gator 835R, too, and priced it out equipped the same way as the Kubota. The Gator was $30,000 vs. $23K for the Kubota and 2 different John Deere dealers didn't want to do anything on trade for my JD X739 garden tractor (which I hated). The Kubota dealer at least gave me $16,000 for the X739 and all the attachments, and although I took a huge bath on that, I'm very happy never to have to sit down inside that screaming machine again and watch it throw snow 15'.
Very, very pleased with the 1100C at this point!

 

[Rock Crawler]

The 1100C bed and cab size is exactly why I didn't buy it. The speed or lack thereof could be accepted. But at the end of the day your buying a bed to do work, and buying the largest bed makes yours sense. And your buying the ability (in my case) to move people to and from the party area in the woods. I can't see the Kubota cab fitting 4, but I easily can see that in the Mule Pro.

If the bed were equal, or if the cab were equal... I would have jumped on orange.

The Kubota has only 3 main strengths over the Kawasaki that I can see, 2 that don't hold much weight to me.

1) Hydrostatic transmission. This is big. The Mule Pro uses a CVT with a belt. It will need a belt every 5 or 10 years I suppose.

2) Factory AC. I just don't think I'll care about that while I'm in the machine moving through the air with the doors off. It's a no/nevermind.

3) Hard cab at F150 truck level build quality! Kubota has only one real brand that equals and even does this better, and that is Can Am. While it's really nice and all on the Kubota.... The Kawasaki soft cab and radiator coolant based heat system will be more than fine. It typically never goes colder than about -5°F here, so it will block the wind and rain/snow and then the heat system will blow and keep it warm enough that your not in pain while out plowing. From what I've read, you can melt your flesh off with these in dash heaters... Even in a soft cab enclosure.

Yanmar = Kubota
Kubota = Yanmar
No real quality difference there.

 

[ovrszd]

I hope you enjoy your new machine. I'm sure you will.

I don't think I'd be satisfied with the cab choice. Especially for all weather use. But hey, that's from a guy with an open station RTV.

I'm also anxious to hear how well the bed lift works. You have several times mentioned the larger bed of the Mule being an advantage. I am curious how well it can haul and dump such loads.

 

[Rock Crawler]

It's rated at 800 lb dump capacity, so I guess we will see how that works out. I looked at a couple newer used Kubota machines and noticed that on both of them the bed was bent/twisted with the front right corner spending life about an inch or 2 above the rubber frame rests. It looks like the Kubota ram will lift greater than the bed frame is capable of supporting to the point that the ram (mounted on that right side) bends the bed.

I'm hoping that the 1,000 bed capacity and 800 lb lift capacity means that the ram can not trust and deform the bed like the Kubota ram can.

Trust me guys, I'm skittish about this choice! I love and trust Kubota, they are globally known as the safe bet in rugged and durable service that is typically second to none.

But I've also had exceptional service multiple Kawasaki machines over 50 years of life, as well as a Yamaha that was just awesome to own.

So it's hard to pick a Kubota over a Kawasaki or vice-versa based on perceived quality or durability.

Story for you guys...
I bought a used 1988 Bayou 300 4x4 in 1990. I also ordered up a Kimpex front mounted 54" fabricated push mower that had a 12 HP Briggs and Stratton. I ran that thing for over a decade as a snow plow in the winter plowing an 85'x300' driveway and as a garden tractor in the summer mowing 3 acres of steep pasture.... I could only mow up and down the hillside because the mower was so heavy that it dragged the front of the ATV down the hill if I tried to side cut. I did try putting 8 rubber bungees to transfer mower deck weight to the front of the ATV, and it helped but it didn't solve it.

I also would disconnect that deck and used the ATV to trail ride, and to haul a trailer for wood. It was used heavy.

I sold that thing after around 15 years, that was a Kawasaki air cooled single that worked it's nuts off hot and cold. So my opinion of Kawasaki is pretty dang high.

So this Mule may change my perspective, I may discover that today's Kawasaki is not that of 30 years ago.

 

[RKP in SB]

The 1100C bed and cab size is exactly why I didn't buy it. The speed or lack thereof could be accepted. But at the end of the day your buying a bed to do work, and buying the largest bed makes yours sense. And your buying the ability (in my case) to move people to and from the party area in the woods. I can't see the Kubota cab fitting 4, but I easily can see that in the Mule Pro.

If the bed were equal, or if the cab were equal... I would have jumped on orange.

The Kubota has only 3 main strengths over the Kawasaki that I can see, 2 that don't hold much weight to me.

1) Hydrostatic transmission. This is big. The Mule Pro uses a CVT with a belt. It will need a belt every 5 or 10 years I suppose.

2) Factory AC. I just don't think I'll care about that while I'm in the machine moving through the air with the doors off. It's a no/nevermind.

3) Hard cab at F150 truck level build quality! Kubota has only one real brand that equals and even does this better, and that is Can Am. While it's really nice and all on the Kubota.... The Kawasaki soft cab and radiator coolant based heat system will be more than fine. It typically never goes colder than about -5°F here, so it will block the wind and rain/snow and then the heat system will blow and keep it warm enough that your not in pain while out plowing. From what I've read, you can melt your flesh off with these in dash heaters... Even in a soft cab enclosure.

Yanmar = Kubota
Kubota = Yanmar
No real quality difference there.

Sounds like your needs are quite a bit different than mine, so it's good you got a different machine. Where I live, we get some cold, snowy winters (heck, we had snow on the ground 'til May last year) and that's 90% of my UTV use. After putting up with all the air gaps, squeaks, and rattles with the Curtis Cabs (a $5K option, mind you) on my last 2 John Deeres, the Kubota factory cab is a real treat. Shoot, the thing is so air-tight that you have to partially roll down a window just to close the door easily. I don't have any way to measure decibels, but I just got done doing a little plowing and that cab seems very quiet to me. It's a pleasure to be in there doing some work (in stark contrast to my old JD X739 where I always had to wear my 3M WorkTunes earmuffs).

For me, the hydrostatic transmission of the Kubota offers other advantages besides not replacing belts, too. First, you can "feather" the Kubota into tight spots with precise control. In my old Gator, the CVT engaged so abruptly that you lurched into motion -- not much fun when you have 2 or 3 inches of clearance on between your plow and the shed doors. That's easy to manage with the Kubota.
Second, I **love** the engine braking. My acreage is heavily wooded with steep hills and ridges. I went up one of those ridges with my Gator once, and as scary as that was, it was the coming down part that was really bad. Engine braking would have really helped.
Glad you like your Mule, but for my situation, the Kubota is just about perfect.

 

[ovrszd]

The Kubota ram is centered under the bed. A twisted bed is the result of outside forces other than the hydraulic lift system. Odd that you have saw two.

Also odd that the Mule claims 1000lb hauling capacity but only 800lb dumping capacity?

1000lbs of dirt will easily fit in the Mule's large bed. Probably 3/4 full or so. 800lbs will be somewhere around 1/2 full. You may find it easy to overload.

Also, the Yanmar=Kubota statement? I'm not aware of any Yanmar components on the RTV?

I too have faith in Kawasaki. I believe the Mule will reliably function at it's capacity. Looking forward to pics.

 

[SirMaxwell]

I need 10 mph and a dump bed. No way do I want a truck so I can spend 6 months of the year winching it around my property.

I don't know, a couple of e-lockers, and a dump bed kit, and you can drive it to breakfast. I love a good UTV and would be lost without mine, but at 20K plus these days, I will never replace mine with a new UTV.

 

[Rock Crawler]

I'm guessing that the Deere had a CVT more like Polaris where the belt drops free when off throttle on a down hill? The Yamaha and the Kawasaki do not do that, if you barely tap the throttle as it starts moving to throw the centrifugal clutch out, it engine brakes.

We in no way get snow for 6 months, typically mid or late December to end of March. And we will get a week or two of single digits, but a lot more of 20 something degree weather.

I hope that the soft top is not a rattle trap.... That will be disappointing.

I'm on Tapatalk so I can't see your location, but you are obviously someplace that gets a lot more snow for a lot longer time than I do in Beaver County PA.

"Beaver County,Pennsylvania*gets 38 inches of rain, on*average, per year. The US average*is 39 inches of rain per year.*Beaver County*averages 24 inches of*snow*per year."

 

[ovrszd]

The engine braking on the RTV is precise. Let completely off the throttle and it will slide to a stop.

The foot throttle controls the engine rpms and the HST. No belt drive even comes close to that precision. Rarely is the brake pedal used. Excellent for back and forth work such as snow pushing.

 

[Rock Crawler]

The Kubota ram is centered under the bed. A twisted bed is the result of outside forces other than the hydraulic lift system. Odd that you have saw two.

Also, the Yanmar=Kubota statement? I'm not aware of any Yanmar components on the RTV?

The Yanmar = Kubota means that if you want to compare reputation, durability and reliability.... Yanmar is equal to Kubota.

Go buy a half million dollar beneteau sailboat, you can see that the hill structure was built around a Yanmar diesel. They don't choose Yanmar to save a few grand on the boat.... They choose it because you have to cut the hull to pull an engine.... A Yanmar will last a long long time before your paying to have your boat cut.

Look at the attached photo, the ram is on the right side of the bed. This bed is one that was bent.