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Baseline UTV... 4x4, #7225050 07/15/18 04:49 PM
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sig226fan (Rguns.com) Offline OP
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Looking at Kawasaki Mule vs Polaris Ranger, mule seems a little cheaper, and has a steel bed vs plastic.... Are there others I should check?

No need for larger ones or raised or playthings, too old for that... want one to work around the house/farm, and go fill feeders with...

Re: Baseline UTV... 4x4, [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #7225054 07/15/18 04:59 PM
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If you want a real workhorse side by side, go look at the Kubota RTV900 diesel. Hydraulic operated steel dump bed. I have about 1000 hours on ours, and I can’t remember a time when it failed to operate perfectly. Glass windshield and wipers. Cup holders will hold a wine bottle, just so you know.

Not great in deep mud. I have stuck it once in 10 years. Other than that, it’s absolutely reliable. And one of the guys on the forum got the model with full cab, doors, heat and a/c. I want one with a/c, but the wife has veto power.


Not my monkeys, not my circus...
Re: Baseline UTV... 4x4, [Re: 603Country] #7225069 07/15/18 05:21 PM
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sig226fan (Rguns.com) Offline OP
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A buddy has one of the Kubotas, but cost way more than the Mule/Rangers don't they?

Re: Baseline UTV... 4x4, [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #7225119 07/15/18 06:54 PM
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Originally Posted By: sig226fan (Rguns.com)
A buddy has one of the Kubotas, but cost way more than the Mule/Rangers don't they?
Yes but they will still be running when the others are dead.

Re: Baseline UTV... 4x4, [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #7225162 07/15/18 08:13 PM
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Mule hands down...………….


"You may all go to hell and I will go to Texas".
Re: Baseline UTV... 4x4, [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #7225195 07/15/18 08:48 PM
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Yes, I’ve driven my Kubota over to my rancher buddy to help work on his Mule many times....


Not my monkeys, not my circus...
Re: Baseline UTV... 4x4, [Re: 603Country] #7225225 07/15/18 09:29 PM
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Originally Posted By: 603Country
Yes, I’ve driven my Kubota over to my rancher buddy to help work on his Mule many times....


My uncle has a Kuu-Bo-ta as he pronounces it at his ranch in Lampasas....bulletproof...the only thing he has had to replace is oil, gas, and tires.....


Originally Posted by Sneaky
I believe in science and I’m an insufferable [censored]
Originally Posted by beaversnipe
Actually, BBC is pretty damn good

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Re: Baseline UTV... 4x4, [Re: snake oil] #7225688 07/16/18 12:49 PM
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Originally Posted By: snake oil
Mule hands down...………….


Quail hunting is like walking into, and out of a beautiful painting all day long. Gene Hill


[Linked Image]




Re: Baseline UTV... 4x4, [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #7225727 07/16/18 01:36 PM
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I just did a mental memory scan to try to remember what parts or whatever that have failed on the Kubota RTV900 since I bought it used about 10 or 11 years ago.

1 right headlight bulb
The little rubber thingie on the air filter
Wiper blade

That’s it. Total cost of maybe $20, if you include shipping for the rubber thingie.

I’ve done oil changes as recommended, and same with filters and hydraulic fluid. Replaced the brake fluid once. Replaced the glass windshield that the wife destroyed on a tree limb. Replaced the accelerator cable that didn’t need replacing.

Same tires
Original battery still on it

Can anything be lower maintenance than that? The wife loves it. Calls it her little dump truck, due to the hydraulic steel dump bed. Never, in 11 years, has it failed to start.


Not my monkeys, not my circus...
Re: Baseline UTV... 4x4, [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #7226270 07/16/18 08:50 PM
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The wife said that I did replace the battery once, about 5 years ago. And we’ve had it 12years, not 11.


Not my monkeys, not my circus...
Re: Baseline UTV... 4x4, [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #7226408 07/16/18 11:06 PM
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Are you looking at new or used?

Kubotas are durable but noisy and will beat your kidneys into submission.
Built heavy with heavy suspension but if you throw 200-300 pounds in bed it rides a lot better.

Polaris seems more like lightweight playtoys and I repair a lot of them.
In their defense, some of the folks only use them as summer ranch rides and let them sit over winter and never put stabil in their gas so they always have startup blues.

I have a 2001 Mule that I can't kill so I can get something new.
I abuse it, drive it on ranch all week and push/pull race cars at track on weekends with it.
I do religiously do maintenance on it with regular oil and filter changes including air and gas filters.
On my 3rd belt but I do abuse it pushing cars.
4th or 5th battery but I use walmart riding lawnmower batteries at about 30 bux each instead of ATV/UTV specific batteries at 2x the price.

The best thing you can do on ANY gas vehicle is keep Stabil 360 in your gas.
When I take cans to get gas for ranch, I add Stabil 360 before I go so it's always protected.
Use same gas cans to fill Mule, 2 Honda 4 wheelers, lawn mowers, 4 stroke weedeater so they are all protected.

Some kind of sealant in your tires can and will save you frustration.
I live with mesquites so it's a welcome addition!

Hope that helps.


Cheers,
Vern1
Texans since The Old 300 in 1824
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Re: Baseline UTV... 4x4, [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #7228405 07/18/18 06:10 PM
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another vote for Kubota ... I have owned 2 RTV900s that I bought used at heavy equipment auctions for a cheap enough price I could do some repairs IF needed, haven't had to do anything other put in a coast valve in the first one and one replaced CV joint (what a PITA!). I kept the first one for about 5-6 years but found the current one with the hydraulic bed, so I bought it to keep and sold the other one to a friend for his ranch. He still has it and another one he found that needed some work. The one I have now I have had for about 5 years and had to replace a battery last year that kept running down while sitting for a week or two ... I think the aftermarket radio my son installed was draining the battery, so it's disconnected now.

I am currently in the market for a RTV1140 dual row seating but haven't come across a good enough deal on a used one yet.

as others have stated, for an all around work horse of a vehicle, these are hard to beat. kinda loud, heavy, slow (~22-25 mph) compared to the mules and rangers but these engines should get at least 4500+ hours before needing rebuild where the others might make 2000 hours.


"everyone that lives dies but not everyone who dies lived..."

~PMK~
Re: Baseline UTV... 4x4, [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #7229714 07/19/18 07:30 PM
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If you have any rough terrain, such as rocky hill country, you'll want four wheel independent suspension, like the Mule Pro.

Re: Baseline UTV... 4x4, [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #7229788 07/19/18 08:29 PM
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another +1 for the Kubota 900. I wanted the 500 initially, but bought a used 900 for the same price as a new 500. If it's going to sit for long periods, you can't beat a diesel. Most of the guys at my lease spend time every year fixing old/bad gas issues with their ATV's and their gas powered vehicles. Is it as fast as the Honda ATV's or Ranger SxS, nope. However, the extra minute or two it takes me to get from one side of the lease to the other isn't that big of a deal to me.


Thanks,
Rich
Re: Baseline UTV... 4x4, [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #7229867 07/19/18 09:34 PM
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Mule Pro

Re: Baseline UTV... 4x4, [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #7230067 07/20/18 12:08 AM
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Mule Pro diesel



Re: Baseline UTV... 4x4, [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #7231407 07/21/18 12:10 PM
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I have a Kubota 1100 - it has the nicest enclosed cab of any out there IMO - AC, heater, defrost, wipers, and most importantly - air tight so no dust inside the cab. The new ones have great suspensions and run up to 25 mph which is plenty for me. Total workhorse.




Last edited by tlk; 07/21/18 12:12 PM.

You can't fix stupid
Re: Baseline UTV... 4x4, [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #7231475 07/21/18 02:04 PM
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tlk for the win. I want that model, but can’t get the wife to agree. Dang it.


Not my monkeys, not my circus...
Re: Baseline UTV... 4x4, [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #7231540 07/21/18 03:32 PM
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Shown this before but here is the blind lift I added - uses a winch to raise and lower





You can't fix stupid
Re: Baseline UTV... 4x4, [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #7232337 07/22/18 05:19 PM
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probably cant go wrong either way

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