Is there any advantage to a diesel side by side over a gas model?

I bought mine because it only gets used during hunting season. Less issues with fuel going bad. It’s also a fuel miser.

A diesel will last longer. A diesel has more power. A diesel gets better fuel milage. A diesel will start as long a s the battery is good after sitting for an extended time. You need any more reasons?

I can see the +’s and negatives of the diesel. For me they are all too loud.

That actually was my mail concern..

I have an older Kubota RTV900 diesel ...

pro's ... minimal upkeep, runs forever on a tank of fuel, plenty of power, long life expectancy without rebuild, no tune ups, no ethanol gas issues

con's ... noisy, slow, heavy

I suspect other makes/models are similar

the deer get used to it, merely look up to see what it is and go back to grazing.

Unless you have a turbo charger a diesel does not have more power.


They are great on fuel however.

To many con’s for a diesel in a side by side for me and I’m a 100% a diesel guy. There loud, smelly, parts are more expensive, to heavy, hard to work on when needed, to slow and cost to much for what you get in return. It’s simply not a practical set up in my opinion, some would argue that point but it’s not like your pulling a plow with it or driving across country where you need to get 50 mpg so why do it.. Most solid red necks can work on a gasser but not so much on a diesel and when you decide to sell it down the road your target buying group is going to be super limited.

I wouldn’t buy one unless for farm/ranch use where diesel equipment is king and it keeps you from having to buy an additional fuel.

The gas powered SxS’s rule the market in the power department. With EFI on every machine now, bad fuel isn’t really a big concern like with carburetors.

I have a John Deere Gator diesel with two rows of seats. Just took five people out for about four hours. Used a 1/4 tank of fuel and the tank only holds 7 gallons. The little three cylinder Yanmar Diesel engine runs and runs while just sipping on the fuel. It goes as fast as anyone needs to go on ranch roads, and has a 1,400# payload capacity. It is not loud, not seeing that as an issue at all. As mentioned above, the deer and other animals are used to it and if anything associate it with cattle cubes falling off the back.

It has over 8,000 miles on it in the South Texas heat eating dust and runs like a champ. It's been a good buggy. I'll buy another if it ever gives up.

Did add aftermarket Spartan run flat tires, which I highly recommend for any buggy, especially in areas with thorns.

I am on my second Kubota 1100 diesel and love it - is not loud and the gas mileage is amazing. Has plenty of power for manuvering our deer lease and tops out around 20-25 mph which is plenty fast enough for me - very little maintenance

I switched to those tires for transpecos and been highly impressed.

In reality, Just extended fuel storage on prem. Easier to storage diesel then gas on a ranch.

Other then that not really. I can’t think of any that are turbocharged, so power is a wash. As far as sitting my mule just sat from Jan 15 to Sept 2 and fired right up. As far as longevity, I’m at 2k miles, and good friend has two JD gas SxS(same engine as mule pro). 4k miles and 10k miles. No engine issues. I know of one guy in STX that has one with 14k miles.

So to answer your question NO. Only difference would be IF there is a specific diesel SxS with a specific cvt/tranny and rear end combo designed to pull, and you pull all the time. That’s it.

My Kubota RTV 900 must be about 14 years old (bought it slightly used). It is loud, but the gas SxS vehicles I’ve been in are pretty loud too. Maybe the Honda isn’t. Algae in the diesel last year caused me to have injectors replaced, but that’s about it for 14 years. Has about 1000 hours on it, so maybe it’ll last 3000 and wind up outlasting me. Without a doubt, I’d buy another one if I ever need another one. This is a work vehicle - steel dump bed and hydraulic dump.

In all those years, I’ve never replaced the plugs.

I'm right there with you 603 ... I think mine is a 2006 RTV900, bought used circa 2009 and about all I've had to do was replace an alternator and some fuel rail components after I left a sulfur salt block in the bed for a few months with rain/condensation which dripped thru the front seam of the bed directly into the alternator and fuel rail, damaging both. I swapped out the Essex surefoot run flat tires from my old RTV and had to replace one of those about a year ago with the Spartan run flats (replaced 2 so they matched). I wish I could find the Essex again as they had so much better traction.

had a Kubota service manager tell me the RTV engine was good for 4500+ hours before needing rebuild ...

The deer are used to it and know that my road feeder will bring them groceries. I would buy a 1140 (dual row seating) but those are stupid expensive in this market and have a smaller bed when set up for both rows of seating.

PMK,

for maximum traction on the Spartans, only use 12 psi if not already doing that.

Had 3 Polaris Ranger 6 wheelers - first one was good and then the quality went down hill

Went to the Kubota diesel and love it - cab is dust proof, great AC and heat, ---- works for what my needs are

Must come with good plugs from the factory?

Ive got a JD Gator Diesel that goes forever on a tank, you can barely hear, will hall butt. I don't believe i would ever have another gas side by side.

All I do is keep it serviced, and not another problem

Another +1 on the Kubota 900. Mine is either a 2006 or 2008, has the hydraulic dump bed, and just under 1000 hours on it. Bought it used from the Kubota dealership about 11 years ago. We do yearly oil changes and I flushed the radiator a couple of years ago because it was running hot. Also had to replace the canister fuel filter because the plastic nipple on the top broke one day (ran over a stick and it broke the filter). Other than that, it's great not having to worry about old/bad gas on a UTV that may get driven 20 or 30 hours a year. It is slow and it will beat the hell out of you on rough terrain. Fortunately, I'm not in any hurry to get around the lease and I just wave at the Ranger guys as they blow by me on the trails.

2 Cons i can think of about the RTV 900's was it would nearly throw you through the windshield when you let off the gas.. some sort of fault in the hydrostatic trans, but they fixed that issue. And another was the seat, it almost felt like i was having to lean forward slighty. I like our Mule as the seat is back slightly. pretty much in natural sitting position, but the RTV, i felt like i was leaning forward slightly.

After being thrown into the windshield a couple of times when my kids were driving, I bout an aftermarket coast valve for mine. I think it was like $75 and fixed the issue where the RTV did an instant stop when you took your foot off the gas. I think Kubota fixed that issue around the 2010 models. But yeah, without the replacement coast valve, you were constantly cleaning palm prints and face prints off the front window.

I own six Kubota RTV-X's, a gas Honda pioneer, a gas mule pro-fxt, and a gas Polaris. The Polaris is a POS and I will never own another one. I have tried three and they all have let me down. The mule is really nice and quiet and is my hunting rig. It only has 60 hrs so I can't really comment on its longevity . The pioneer is the the small one that isn't much larger than a four wheeler. I have it because it fits in the bed of a truck and it works great for what I use it for. The Kubotas are tanks. I have had no major issues out of any of them. They often get 70 hours a week on them in all kinds of rough terrain. They sip fuel. The 900's will run three full days and the 1100's two days. We have diesel everywhere. Bulk tanks for heavy equipment and tractors, transfer tanks in pickups, etc. Gas is carried in 5 gallon cans and a pain and they use more of it.

The cons are they are loud, ride rough, and are heavy.

I think it's a given that a diesel is louder than a gasser. You either accept this or not. Animals are going to hear both coming. I always parked a good walking distance from the blind even if I was driving my gas pickup. If you want stealth, then consider electric. I bought my diesel because I wanted one that would outlast me. I keep diesel for a tractor so that's not an issue. If you get a gasser, be sure to use ethanol free gas. Even on the fuel injected gassers the ethanol will eat on your gas lines unless you have ethanol resistant fuel lines. I'm lucky as I have a station near that has ethanol free gas. I use it in my motorcycles and yard equipment. Mine has been a great machine and I'd buy another diesel Mule in a heartbeat. It just comes down to personal preference.

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Curious on your Kubotas - are they older models? I have had two - first one the ride was rough but on the 2018 the suspensions were redone and they ride very smooth now - mine is a 1100