Kubota RTV VS Polaris Ranger - or other options

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AudieWyoming

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I just spent the week comparison shopping for a 4-6 passenger side by side and I am no closer than I started. I like the Kubota 1140 RTV and the Polaris Ranger 800 but they are comparing apples to oranges.

The Kubota is a great work vehicle, is heavy built, and will still be working when the Polaris is parked out in the junk, but the ergonomics and passenger comfort leave alot to be desired. They use a fuel pinching diesel engine and a true hydrostatic transmission. It has a whole different feel that takes some getting used to.

The Polaris is on the opposite side if the spectrum. It is snappy, rides great,is fun to drive, has many nice features including a closed glove box and several storage cubby holes. It has that great Polaris independant suspension but uses the snowmoble AVT belt drive (rubberband drive) poor fuel economy and high maintenance. Much lighter steel in the frame and much more plastic. There is a good reason Polaris only warranty's them for six months. If they don't have any more confidence in them than that, why should I.

The local dealers are only $30 apart out the door, for the two models and equiptment I want. My brain tells me long run, the Kubota is by far the better value, but my wife hated the ride and was not comfortable in the driver or back seats. She loved the ranger. They are both a big chunk of change but if she won't use it or drive it-whats the point.

Any other brand experiences or comments would be helpful. @
 
I just bought a Kubota 900 6 weeks ago after almost a year of considering a puchase. I had narrowed the choices down to 3:
Kubota 900
Polaris Ranger
Kawasaki Mule

-I liked the RTV because of the HST transmission & diesel engines in the other Kubotas we own (3 tractors, lawn tractor, zero turn mower)
-I liked the Ranger because we have 2 Polaris ATVs. (1 is 10 years old, the other is new)
-I liked the Mule because there are so many of them and almost all reports on them report them to be tough.

In the end, I followed my gut feeling and bought the Kubota because I believed it would serve me the best in the years to come. This Kubota will be a "work" vehicle which will now replace most of the Pasture work now handled by the ATVs & the pickup. Also, a friend owns the local Kubota dealership and another friend is a salesman there. If I have a problem, all I have to do is call.

By the way, the wife and nephews love the RTV. It will serve you well.
 
I have been looking at getting a RUV again and I am going back and forth between the Ranger and the MULE. The Kawie Mule is the most dependable in my book but that Ranger is soooo comfortable and the power is really handy. No doubt the Mule will be around long after the Ranger and won't see the shop near as much... but man that Ranger drives good. :D

The Kubota is not on the radar because I hunt with a guy who has one and have been around several others. They just seem to be a constant let down. The transmission will bog down on you and not spin the tires and it seems to always be the first to get stuck. I can see there purpose... hard, smooth surfaces... but that is about it.
 
I own a Polaris Ranger and would not trade it for any other on the market. I big item is the suspension. The Ranger will go anywhere and not shake you to pieces. The Mule has always had a rigid rear axle as far as I know and really is mostly for use on roads or trails in my opinion. Polaris is easy to get in and out and easier on the back than many others. I drive in corn fields a lot including across the furrow rows. Also in the woods. It is lighter metal and plastic to save weight. I have pulled fair size logs out of the woods with mine. Saves many hours on the tractor as well as field compaction.

Mine is a 2006 model and other than change to oil and add front deflectors to protect the front drive boots from the cornstalks I tend to drive over, (may be standard now), and add a plastic sun roof, I have done nothing to it but drive it. It is about the most useful tool on my farm. Most of the folks who claim to have had "trouble" with them have tried to power shift it on the go. It is NOT a power shift - you have to be at a full stop when shifting from low to high range or back. I love the 45 mph top speed for visiting neighbors, etc. jmho.

Jim
 
Only polaris I ever owned would chew up belts anytime you went over 45 mph... I've used a mule and they seem to be decent, my bud had no complaints about it
 
Have had a mule for about 7 years now. Not a big one like "duns' but a 610 model. Does everything we ask it to do and runs plenty fast for an old man like me. Can't knock anything about it.
 
I've got a Mule and it's a good hauler. The standard tires are lame for traction. On a 1-10 scale I'd give it a 5.
 
Thank-You for your input. I have beat the websites & UTV forums to death, alot of them are just city people who just bought one or maybe put on 30 hours a year. U-tube is full of kids, (and some not kids) who go out once a month to try and tear them up, then work a month trying to make enough to fix it up and go out & do it again. I wanted some insight from owners that work with it and have had one for a while.

Nowland Farms; How do you like the ride of your RVT after cruising thru the pasture for a couple hours? I am about 6' 4" 230 and after a few minutes I was looking for someplace to put my left foot/leg, the front wheel well was cramping my style. I also worried about trying to hold that high, stiff foot pedal for long periods. This Alabama place had a lot of wet greasy mud last winter, my skid loader was like a pig on ice. Will it handle slick mud? thanks @
 
You are right there Brute, I want the Polaris and Cherie loved it. I have used a Polaris ATV for several years, I use it to check fence & windmills, gather, and sort off bulling cows & bring them to the corral to A.I.
I love the suspension, ride and stability of the Sportsman model. Manuverabilty and SAFETY is important when you are sorting and cutting a single animal in rough terrain, you can't concentrate on the cow and stay in optimum position if you have to watch the ground, and any little divot can flip you.

I hate the Quality and dependabilty issues with Polaris. We have had a lot of electrical problems and component problems with ours and it seems to be a common complaint. The old Sportsman 335 was carbureted and cold blooded, They are snowmobile people for crissake you would think they could make an engine that will start in 30* weather. Toward the end that light frame metal fatigued, I had to taked it apart and try to weld it up twice. I think the engine was still ok, but the frame finally just disintegrated.

When we bought the Alabama property I swore I would buy something else. My wife has a Honda Rancher 4X4 we have several Honda engines. I like the Honda dependable engine but they are "Tip Over Tommy's" I can't work off it and can hardly ride it. The two area Honda dealerships are awful and the Polaris dealer seems pretty good, so I wound up buying a SPORTSMAN 500 EFI, hard starting shouldn't be a problem down here. It has 200 plus hours on it now and it has been an electrical POS. The intake bolts came loose around 30 hrs. Its left me afoot at the far end of the ranch twice now. My wife says I should trade it for a pair of Timberlake shoes. I just hate to keep rewarding them for using subpar compontents, but dam n they ride nice when their running. @


Brute 23":1qscf83p said:
You are going to want a Polaris if you are a bigger guy and ride for hours at a time. The Mule and Kubota with their styles of suspension and front cab room can wear on you after a while.
Click to expand...
 
When we got ready to replace our 2 owrn out mules we looked at the polaris. Too high in the bed to lift anything heavy for this old man
 
I have to order parts from a tool dealer every once in a while and they sell the Bobcat UTV, I have to set in one every time I go there, and wonder if anyone has purchased one? What are their faults?
 
In my research I found out that CaseIH, New Holland, Husqvarna, Bobcat all offer an aircraft aluminum frame machine made by Club Car in Augusta Ga. Kuboda diesel, I forget who made the gas engine. New Holland even has a 2 seat 4/5 passenger unit that looked nice in pictures. I called a few dealers Finally found one in Pensacola, my FIL looked at the Polaris, Kubota's with me up here so I had him look. He said it didn't compare and they apear to be priced higher. He didn't like it as well as his small Rhino, I will look and get a best price when I get down there but I don.t expect they will be in the running. I saw something about a $32,000 Bobcat Toolcat model but I can't imagine it being made by the same people.@
 
Dun
I liked your link to the Kawasaki mules, the smaller version looked to have a pretty good suspension and the mules seem to be one of the big 3 for popular. It has a similar 4 passenger box/seat and rear suspension setup as Kubota only belt drive and a little less money. My local Kubota dealer also sells Kawasaki ATVS, They had 6 new Kobota models on the lot but don't stock any mules. I also found it interesting that the New Holland dealer in Huntsville also carries Kubota's but doesn't have any NH Rustlers on hand. @
 
upfrombottom":2yh99mt3 said:
I have to order parts from a tool dealer every once in a while and they sell the Bobcat UTV, I have to set in one every time I go there, and wonder if anyone has purchased one? What are their faults?
Click to expand...

We hunt out of a 4 seat bobcat and it is pretty comfortable. The guy that has is says he has alot of problems with it.
 
I have an '08 Ranger 700 on the property and it does everything I need. Then I can drive it into the bed of my long bed truck and take it hunting. It handles any rough terrain I ask it to cross. I'd buy one again.
 
I just seen this thread,I am in the market for a new "UTV" was completely happy with my Kawasaki Mule for 5 years,it never missed a beat,never failed to start, no mechanical problems nothing......................then a couple days ago I managed to back over a old tire rim I had in a trap,I use them to feed mineral blocks instead of throwin them out on the ground I put them in an old tire rim works well for me,that is till I backed over one with my Mule,high centered it and broke the belt housing,I dont guess I ever realized the belt housing is fibre glass or some sort of plastic/polymer ? without a skid plate.
That part is only $66 dollars but believe its time for the Mule to go,thinking about the Kubota ????????????????
good luck
 
We have two old mules and one Kubota 900 RTV. I too am tall, 6'3", and the Kubota is much more comfortable for me. The seats of the Mule are much lower and do tend to wear out fast == as far as the covering. I've had quite a bit of problem with the Mules (listed in this website elsewhere), but they still run and are used daily. Mules are very hard starts in the winter - Kubota is easy. We have to pull K-Line irrigation lines daily and the mules drive belts just don't do the trick (slip and squeal) where as the hydrostatic tranny of the Kubota is great. Kubota had problems with their rear axles; I had to replace both as did a friend of mine who replaced only one. The problem was with the CV joints, but to replace the CV joints involved replacing the whole axle. I don't understand all the mechanics of this, but that is what they do. The new ones have grease zerks on the CV joints, the old ones did not. Both my friend and I made a big enough stink that Kobota supplied the parts free, even though out of warranty, and we paid the labor which was about $350 per axle. I've had no problem since they have been replaced. I also had to replace a connecting rod that runs between the engine and the front wheel drive -- it became loose and noisey. Since then works and sounds fine. Other than these two problems, we really like the Kubota and will not buy another Mule. So, in summary after several years of daily use other than about one thousand dollars of repairs on the Kubota, we like it. This amount of repairs is much less than what we put into each Mule individually.

Billy
 

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