RTV 500 Question

[sandtuck]

I'm thinking about buying a Kubota RTV 500. Has anyone had any experience with them. I know they are fairly new. Worried that it might be a little small or underpowered. Any comments welcom

 

[Jason537]

Go try one,.. my first review changed after we had it in the bush,. and my dealership sells them. Without test driving, you will never know if its the right recreational UTV for you.

 

[sandtuck]

I drove one at the dealership, but only on flat ground and the street. I was comparing it to a used Polaris Ranger XP that had a much larger box and was more powerful. Don't want to buy it and find it is too small.

 

[sandtuck]

Did your opinion get better or worse after then?

 

[Jason537]

It got better

 

[jimdan]

Sandtuck, I have had one for about a month now. Bought it for my wife to tool around the property and the adjacent 200 acre tree farm. I really don't have the experience to contrast it to other models, have only driven the RTV 900, which was too big for what we wanted. It is plenty peppy, and we haven't had any trouble navigating some pretty roung terrain. Starts right up, is quite, shifts easily between L and H, 2 WD and 4WD, and locking up the differential. The bed is nicely counterweighted so you can easily tip it to dump the contents. We like it.

 

[tb8100]

I've been curious about this machine since it has the Kubota gas engine. Alot of other brands have a Kawi. Where is this one priced at roughly? Gotta be up there being a twin cylinder EFI (which is unusual for this category of machine).

 

[sandtuck]

About $8000 base

 

[Happyman]

My dealer (Cavalier International, Ashland, VA) has the RTV500 for $8,300.

 

[kubota man]

i recently pruchased a RTV500 for its use around house and small farm. Though it is not the 900 or 1100, it is a very useful compact sized utility vehicle. I was going to purchase a kawasaki mule, but when i saw kubota had this compact rtv500, I had to have it. I have two other kubota (L4310, zd21 pro). i have had nothing but great service from kubota, I felt I could not go wrong with this one. I drove it at the dealership, I loved it. It is very simple in function, but can climb,pull, and cruise exactly as the kawasaki mule does. same speed.

IT is very quite. Kubota does not have a electric/hydraulic dump for it yet, however the bed is balanced perfect and dumps with one hand. It will fit in the rear of a pickup.

It rides great.

it is built for work, not for speed, it will not compete with a polaris ranger with speed. The bed is all steel, no plastic.

 

[kubota man]

the gas engine is plenty powerful, just remember, it is a work vehicle, not uilt for speed. it has 4x4, diff lock and low range.

 

[kubota man]

i paid 7800 cash for my rtv500, camo

 

[kubota man]

I have a rtv 500 also, just a note to you,, Cycle country atv is currently working on a electric bed lift for this machine. I emailed them and they said it will be ready in the near future.

 

[jlbota]

Has anyone here compared an Rtv 500 with a Kawasaki Mule 610 model? I know the 610 is compact as well and will fit in a truck bed.

 

[lschultz]

My son had a 98 Mule 550 which he sold to get the RTV 500. He looked at the 600 or 610 before he got the RTV 500 drove them both and said the RTV drove better and rode better and looked like it was heavier duty so he bougth the RTV. I have drove it and it does ride smooth and pretty darn quiet. The Kaw comes with a storage box under the hood but you can also put one on the RTV if you need it. There both good its your choice. Drive them both and you will see.

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

Has anyone here compared an Rtv 500 with a Kawasaki Mule 610 model? I know the 610 is compact as well and will fit in a truck bed.

The RTV500 was built with the Mule 610 in its sights. You'll find a lot of size simularities.

 

[Heywood Jannockitov]

We bought a Mule 610 a year ago for my MIL to drive around the farm with her Bichon-Frise. It doesn't have to work at all really, except to carry some gardening tools around. It works fine and seems well made. But it is SLOW. So don't expect too much in the speed dept. She drives slow anyway. Steering is fairly light; not as light as a golf cart but not bad. The engine in the 610 is only an air-cooled single though. Sounds like the liguid-cooled twin in the Kubota would favor that machine. Maybe smoother and quieter. Probably would have bought the RTV500 if it was available then, based on the engine choice alone.

 

[Ricochet]

The RTV500 was built with the Mule 610 in its sights. You'll find a lot of size simularities.

Yep, and the RTV500's inline-2 EFI gas engine, disc brakes and HST (VHT) are superior to what the Mule 610 offers ( [FONT=&quot]carbureted[/FONT] single, drums and CVT). I have a relative that has a 610 and it has held up well and is a nice machine and I like the RTV500 as well. The ride is a little better with the Mule 610 IMO, but the RTV500 beats it with better features.

 

[SUPERNUG]

Anyone know about the snow plow option for the RTV500? Could justify getting the machine if I could plow snow with it. I wonder if it is a curtis plow?

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

there is a Curtis plow, and probably some other plow options comming with time.