coalcreekfarms10":2ub6f6v8 said:
If you don't mind me asking why would you say Kubota would be tied for last? I went on a ride this weekend with a Polaris 900 and a Kubota 500. I was able to see both of them in action and even drove the Kubota for a little bit. I really liked the Kubota but man it doesn't have much get up and go speed. It was taken is some pretty rough places and never missed a beat when it was in low range. I even watched the Polaris and Kubota go up the same hill and the Polaris spun the back tires twice and the Kubota never spun the first tire.
Don't mind at all, I'm and expert on my opinion.
The Polaris spinning the wheels doesn't mean any thing. Trying to feather that Polaris 900 throttle had more to do with it more than capability.
If that Kubota was staying with the Ranger the stuff yall were driving was not that bad. The Polaris Ranger is one of the, if not the, most capable off road sxs on the market. If you are doing mud bogs, riding the dunes, rock crawling... the Ranger is in your top 2 or 3 bikes. The only thing I knock Polaris for is longevity. If you own one and run it hard day in and day out you will put it in the shop more than any other bike to replace wore out parts. For the cost of those things, they are in the shop too much IMO.
There are 2 kinds of Kubota sxs. The RTV and the RTV-X. I have not been around the X enough to say what it can or can't do but I doubt its that much different. The regular RTV will not do what I need out of a sxs. I buy a sxs to go where my pick up can't. That is partially due to size and partially do to terrain. When we hunt we always end up in the worse spot on the ranch. Its the boggiest, thickest, bottom area, that you can imagine. Several guys have tried to run the Kubotas and they are constantly having to be pulled. The bog down too easy and their drive train is week. You can bind them up where they won't spin the tires. Nothing is worse than trying to get to dogs and you have some one getting stuck constantly.
The most extreme case I have see is we were hunting some country that is basically level with the bay. When the tide is high enough it goes under water... very soft stuff. I'm in a Mule with one guy and another guy is following in his Kubota. All the sudden we look back, they aren't there. I back down the road until I see them. They are stuck. Luckily he doesn't spin it down too far. We hook up to it with the mule and Im locked in and in Low. I do not want to break the tires over or I'm going down with him. The guy that was riding with him jumps in my bed to help with traction. The guy jumps in and gives the Kubota a little gas. We will it probably 5' and still can't get it on top. Tell him to get out and just reach in with his foot and give it gas. Go another 5-10'. Still can't get it on top. Finally the guy gets a stick and just walks beside it giving it a little gas. I have to pull it 20 or 30' like that before it finally jumps on top. I never spun or broke thru with the mule. This happens all the time to this guy. He is trying to sell that Kubota right now because with all the rain we have been having he hasn't even been able to take it most of the time.
That is not a big deal to some people. If your cruising your home place. Got decent roads, maybe see a little slick mud here and there in the pens or what ever it will be fine. If there is a bottom to it you will be ok and will like the machine.
We have some soft stuff between the sand pastures and bottoms. These past two years I have leaned heavily on the Mules to check cattle, water gaps, fill feeders, ect. A lot of the pastures were not accessible to trucks and you even had to be carful in the sxs. For a fact, the Kubota would not have gotten me where I needed to go these past 2 years.
They are not bad machines, just definitely designed for a certain application (which is actually plants, refineries, construction sites, ect). IMO the Mule, Gator, and Ranger are better all around machines... that will do any thing the Kubota will... and a lot more... for the same cost... or less. One other plus for Kubota is they will lend money to a tree stump... but a lot of people don't talk about that. ;-)