# The Kubota RTV1100



## Dargo

Yes, at long last, I broke down yesterday and bought a new Kubota RTV1100 in RealTree Camo. (I never was overly keen on the orange RTVs)  I just wanted to give some "first" impressions of ownership as well as first impressions as compared to the RTV900.  For better or worse, I feel that I am relatively fair in giving the info straight the way I feel.  I won't build up something just because I bought it (think iPhone review) or slam anything unless without reason.  Now, please remember, this first review is being made after only 4.2 hours.  

The first, and most obvious difference between the RTV900 I've owned for 3 1/2 years is the factory cab.  I've been in 3 different RTV900s that have had high quality (expensive anyway) Curtis cabs and heaters, but no A/C.  The initial impression was that the factory cab on the RTV1100 (for convenience will be referred to as 1100 from here on) is that it has had considerable R&D go into it's development.  If is far more "automotive" in style than the RTV900.  Also, it's impossible to not notice how air tight the cab is.  The doors seal extremely well.  Further, I was pleasantly surprised at the amazingly quietness of the cab.  Other than a not unpleasant sound from the diesel engine, all else is extremely quiet for a vehicle in it's class.  The only noticable distraction is that you can definitely hear the power steering pump.  After opening the front hood (which is heavily insulated and has gas lift rods that open it) I found that the power steering pump is located just behind the steering wheel and the steering shaft has a total length of maybe a foot to the pump.  Anyway, you hear it, but it's not a big distraction.

There is much better storage under the seat and the storage tray is easily removed.  Also, the bench seat and head rests are cloth.  I have an industrial quality "Scotch Guard" type product my company carries that I will apply today before any stains appear.  Next, I was pleasantly surprised that an antenna and speakers are pre-installed in the 1100 even if you don't opt for the (overpriced) Kubota radio.  I'm sure I have one laying around that I'll install.  Also, under the floor mat, there is again more heavy insulation.  This eliminates the need to have Line-X applied to the floor inside the cab as I did with the 900; which made a *huge* difference in sound deadning.  There are also two convenient beverage holders in the dash; nice touch.

On our 100 degree days, the A/C was given a good workout.  I'm happy to report that after about 15 minutes, my son actually said he was cold and turned the A/C down a bit.   Air flow and air flow options are good.  I have not tried the heater at this point, but I have no reason to think it would be any less impressive.  There is also a hand throttle control that can be used a a sort of cruise control or, most likely, used to keep RPM's up to allow you to use the rear remotes for powered items like a PHD or splitter.  If you've ever heard any long term complaints about the 900, it mostly centers around the inability to get it out of gear after being under a load on on the side of a hill.  To be honest, I learned to _always_ shut the 900 off to get it out of gear.  The new pressure release know on the 1100 really works!

Also, one of my firm assertions about the 900 was, that with aggressive tires, I ran out of power before I ran out of traction when I attempted rather extreme hills.  I can report, without any qualifications, that the 1100 (even with A/C on) never suffered from that lack of power.  It would easily spin the aggressive tires where the 900 would just grunt.  However, the 900 had more "punch" to it when driving it.  I don't know if this is due to it weighing 700 or so pounds less or from the fact that I upped the injector pump on it.  The 900 would rather easily cruise at 30 mph on paved roads.  The 1100, as of now, sits exactly on 25 mph; as advertised.

More later.  It's a weekend and I need to get my 80 hours of yard work done today and tomorrow.  So far, I have to rate my 1100 as a pleasant surprise with no issues discovered yet.  That's a good thing considering I am a rather brutal and blunt person when doing product reviews.


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## Dargo

Here are a couple of pics of the new RTV1100 after putting my Maxxis Bighorn tires and chrome wheels on it.  I thought I had a spare radio to put in, but I was mistaken.  I guess I'll have to buy a radio to put in it.  Oh well, I wanted one that would have a jack for an MP3 player anyway.  I'm just curious as to how the factory installed speakers will sound.  I don't have high hopes for them.

The A/C continues to be able to nearly freeze you out on even 100 + degree days.  I think I can get used to that.


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## DaveNay

Is that a door net inside, or a reflection of your porch railing?


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## Dargo

Oh, yeah, that be da reflecten. :mullet:  Im gud wid dat camer, huh?


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## Dargo

After looking around inside the cab to see how to install a stereo, I noticed what I'll comment of as my first complaint; did they get my 7 year old to weld the door frame on these RTV1100's?!  The frame welds, the roll cage welds, the cab structure welds are all just fine.  However, the welds on the door frame looks like bird shit spattered around the 1" square tubing material.  I'll take some pics and post them later on this issue.  Kubota ought to *immediately* fire both the person/company who made these welds as well as the fool who allowed them to pass QC!  I assure you, whoever made those welds would never pass any welding exam.

On the positive side, I did find that I had a Kubota factory stereo mounting bracked included with the RTV1100.  It was in a package in the under the seat storage area.

That extremely crappy door weld job is reeeally bothering me.  I wonder if I ought to see if other Kubota RTV1100 door frame welds are just as crappy.  Not only is the weld pathetic, but they didn't even get proper alignment between the two pieces of 1" square tubing that are welded together!  Terrible I tell you...


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## bczoom

Congrats on your new 1100.

Sounds like a decent review.

A couple questions if I may.
I'm assuming the Bighorns are off the 900.  Do you have any clearance issues?
For the doors, my _very limited_ experience is that it requires a good slam to get them fully shut.  Can a small child (5 year old) do it?  I was thinking to leave the front window unlocked so it can swing slightly open to relieve the air pressure to make closing the doors easier.  Have you tried this?

Are you keeping your 900?

For the seats, I know of many others that are getting seat covers.
Here's the site but I believe the 1100 seat covers may take a couple weeks.
http://www.hatchiebottom.com/v2007/utv-acc.html


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## Dargo

I didn't even see my home during daylight hours yesterday, so I didn't get to spend any time at all with the 1100.  I intend to try to figure out a way to install my wireless Ramsey winch on the 1100 as well as go buy a stereo to install in it.

BC, the Bighorn 25's fit no problem with no rubbing anywhere.  I intentionally put it in twisting binds on hills and across ruts with the steering turned each direction with the suspension mashed and didn't have any rubbing at all.

It is very difficult to "slam" the door shut on the 1100.  However, my kids discovered that it is rather easy to push it shut and give it just a bit of a shove when it is closed against the door gasket.  That way you are not fighting air pressure.  My 7 year old is able to close the doors from both inside and outside using that method.  He was not able at all to get it closed by trying to "slam" the door shut.  The air pressure just stops that motion.  Besides, I'm definitely not big on slamming doors at all.  Anyone who has ridden in one of my collector cars, hell, any car for that matter , knows that I ask people to not slam the doors on my cars.  Slamming car or truck doors only assures loose door panels and plenty of rattles....I hate rattles!

I did order a set of interior covers for the cloth seats, seat back, and head rests from Green Mountain.  I know one guy who purchased their camo version and is very pleased with the quality.  I see I have a notice that they shipped yesterday.  I did apply a heavy coat of fabric protector to all cloth surfaces already, but I still feel that the camo covers will protect well and hide most stains.  Still, I'll apply fabric protector to them as well as soon as I install them.

I actually traded my RTV900.  After my dealer came and looked at mine, he did have to admit that it looked nicer than a new RTV900 he has had in stock for 2 months.  His new one has sat outside for two months, and mine has never sat outside.  Also, when I put the original wheels and tires back on it, he even commented that it still had the little injection tits not only on the sidewall, but still on the tread.  Based on that, along with the low hours on mine, he offered me a price that, considering the tax credit for the trade, made it reasonable for me to just trade.  I kept my custom made toolbox, my winch, and my wheels and tires.

The dealer commented that it appeared as if my RTV900 has never been dirty.  Well, I told him that it has been dirty, but he said it apparently hasn't been that dirty because he couldn't find any dirt in any crack or corner.  While on that conversation, I did notice another nice addition to the RTV1100.  If you over-fill the bed on the RTV900, dirt will drop on the engine between the bed and the cab.  Also, the alternator lines right up in that crack and gets plenty of dirt and sand right inside it on any overflow situation.  The new RTV1100 has a nice shield over the alternator to prevent debris from getting into the alternator when you overflow the bed.  I thought that was nice.

*edit*

Although the RTV1100 is not any faster than the RTV900, it does have quite a bit more grunt power.  After installing the Bighorns on it, I took it to a really steep hill that the RTV900 could never climb.  You can't get any run at the hill and it is extremely steep.  At no time could the 900 make it up the hill.  With the traction afforded by the Bighorns, the RTV900 would just flat run out of power no matter how you manipulated the throttle.  The RTV1100 made it right up the hill with no issues at all.  I even tried to mash the foot throttle all the way down when half way up the steep hill and it then did spin the tires where the RTV900 just fell flat on it's face and only grunted.  I really like the additional torque of the larger engine.


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## bczoom

Dargo said:


> I didn't even see my home during daylight hours yesterday, so I didn't get to spend any time at all with the 1100.


Ummmm, they do have headlights.  



Dargo said:


> I intend to try to figure out a way to install my wireless Ramsey winch on the 1100 as well as go buy a stereo to install in it.


Kubota has a winch bracket available.  If I recall correctly, the integrated slot on the 900 isn't available on the 1100.

Glad to hear all other aspects of the 1100 are meeting (or exceeding) your expectations.


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## mtntopper

Dargo, I stopped by my local Kubota dealer and looked at the RTV1100 yesterday. I really like the solid cab with air and heat. I took a close look at the welds on the door square tubing and on this machine they looked good. You may want to revisit you dealer with your door issue. Yours was probably done by a trainee, someone that was pi$$ed at the boss or just late on a Friday. Great review and insights in to the 1100.


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## Dargo

Hmm, how interesting.  As I was installing a sound system head unit in my RTV1100 last night I noticed that there are all these little stickers on parts giving the date the part was made as well as a circle around either 1, 2, or 3 shift.  I'll give you one guess what shift the extremely crappy welds were made on.  Yup, every shitty weld was done on 3rd shift!  Hello....Kubota...you out there?!  You need to fire your 3rd shift welders!!!  And, as I stated earlier, take your QC people with them!  For such a nice (and expensive) unit, there is no excuse for such poor quality welds.  I'll get a picture of one and post it later.


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## Dargo

mtntopper said:


> Yours was probably done by a trainee, someone that was pi$$ed at the boss or just late on a Friday.



I'm guessing a trainee on their very first time to weld anything.    I did write Kubota to ask them what happened to their quality control system and to let them know that they are better off not having 3rd shift welders if what I have is an average sample of their welding ability.  After thinking about it for a bit, I am going to have to require them to replace the one door.  There is no way the pathetic weld will last with vibrations and the door being open and closed constantly.  And, I don't feel that I should have to take the door apart, grind the terrible weld off, properly align the parts, and re-weld it and re-paint it myself.


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## Ricochet

Awesome Brent!   Give me a call or shot me an email when you get a chance.  

BTW, great review and I have to remember that door shutting method! Also, those door frames are not welded by KMA.  I guess someone needs to shot that supplier...I'll see what I can do!


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## catdieselpower

hey i was wondering if you had any tips frrom installing your radio.  does the wiering harness have adapters to make it work with any type of CD player? i have a Sony CDX-GT07 that i wanted to install.
thanks alot
-Forrest


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## Dargo

catdieselpower said:


> hey i was wondering if you had any tips frrom installing your radio.  does the wiering harness have adapters to make it work with any type of CD player? i have a Sony CDX-GT07 that i wanted to install.
> thanks alot
> -Forrest



After spending weeks trying to find an adapter I discovered that Kubota intentionally used a proprietary plug in order to encourage you to buy their radio.  I cut the plug off and pitched it in the trash and installed a Kenwood system.  Once I decided to ditch their plug, it took less than 1/2 an hour for the entire installation.


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## Glink

Dargo said:


> I cut the plug off and pitched it in the trash and installed a Kenwood system.



Bird   told me, to tell you, that you voided your warranty.


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## Dargo

Glink said:


> Bird   told me, to tell you, that you voided your warranty.



Oh darn the luck!  I suppose he would think Kubota would even have a problem with the gooseneck hitch I welded up in the shop for the bed of the RTV as well.


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## catdieselpower

Dargo said:


> After spending weeks trying to find an adapter I discovered that Kubota intentionally used a proprietary plug in order to encourage you to buy their radio.  I cut the plug off and pitched it in the trash and installed a Kenwood system.  Once I decided to ditch their plug, it took less than 1/2 an hour for the entire installation.



ok thanks man I really appreciate it.


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## quail hunter

Is there an easy way to remove the doors on the 1100?  The hinges look just like the ones on my skid steer (new holland) but they will not budge when I try to lift them off.  Any suggestions?


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## catdieselpower

quail hunter said:


> Is there an easy way to remove the doors on the 1100? The hinges look just like the ones on my skid steer (new holland) but they will not budge when I try to lift them off. Any suggestions?


 

yes sir you have a clip holding the door from sliding up. after removing the clip on the pin the door will lift out. make sure you pull strait up because their isn't very much wiggle room for that pin.


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## Udog

I Googled to find out if there were any recalls or problems with the Kubota RTV1100 and found this thread on Forums Forums. What a find! 
I have twice had oil leaks from the couplers on the short hose running from the oil filter to the block. I took it to the dealer about a week before the one year warranty expired and they replaced the hose. We looked on a new 1100 that was on the lot and the new one had a hose that was larger in diameter. This leads me to believe that Kubota had trouble with the original hose couplings and replaced newer ones with the heavier hose and couplings.
I snapped the original radio antennae off and was wondering if anyone knew of a replacement other than Kubota? Also, I am going to install a radio other than the high$$$ radio from Kubota. Any suggestions?
Also, thanks for the tips on closing the air-tight cab doors.


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## Tractors4u

Welcome to Forums Forums Udog!


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## atherbys

Hey, I too just ordered the RTV1100 Camo Kubota and am excited to get it!  Has anyone found an option to mount Side Mirrors on this thing?

Gary


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## bczoom

Gary,

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your RTV.

I don't believe it's been covered here but has been on one of our sponsor sites.
Check out the RTV section at http://compacttractorreview.com/cs/forums/

Brian


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## Doc

Welcome to Forums Forums.  Congrats on your RTV.  One of my neighbors just got one and they sure do look versatile.  I have not looked that close at them but I'm surprised Kubota does not have a mirror already added to them.


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## atherbys

Thanks for the welcome and input!

BTW: This Kubota is replacing my 2009 Polaris 700 HD.  I bought it last December and while the B.O.S.S. plow system worked well in the snow (no heated cab though so it was cold here in Utah) the real problems with my Ranger began when I took it off roading this last month up Millville canyon...

This canyon would be described as a fairly easy uphill off-road test for pretty much any ATV/RTV, but after about 10 minutes on the Polaris 700 HD, our seats started getting very warm (the motor seems to be located almost directly underneath the seating area.)

At then end of our half hour ride, our butts were so hot that we were sweating, plus the design of the Polaris Ranger was such that we noticed dust and heat being 'blown' into the lower area of the riders cab during our trip (my father and I had to both beat the dust out of our clothes when we returned home), and everything, the dash, console, controls, seats, etc was caked with a thick layer of dirt....strange considering we had a partial hard cab on the vehicle.

So after $300 more spent on a half-height 'summer' windshield, and removing the back portion of the cab as well as drilling a bunch of 2" holes in the armor plating that had been installed on the bottom of the Ranger for extra venting, we took it back onto the same dirt road to give it another try...end result, the exact same problem, tremendous heat and large amounts of dust were blown through the small center opening directly under our seat in the cab area, and our off-road experience was such that we quickly returned home, and I posted my Ranger for sale the next day.

Another thing that really bothers me about the Polaris Ranger HD is that when you try to achieve higher speeds (anything over 25 MPH) the engine loudly whines like you are stuck in first gear (yes I was in 2-wheel "High") and it's almost impossible to carry on a conversation with anyone, or even enjoy the ride, with that much noise present...I've had the vehicle into the dealer probably 10 times in 5 months to address issues like this, and each time they would tell me that there was nothing wrong, that these things were normal for the Polaris HD, lol...

I'll bet I spent $23,000 on that Ranger...but cannot recommend anyone else buy one until the engineers at Polaris spend a little more time at the drawing board as my 'off-road' experience with my over-priced Ranger just made me angry!

Anyway, I had a chance to test drive a Kubota 1100 and immediately was impressed with how much quieter it ran than the Polaris, and of course Polaris can't even begin to compete with the enclosed air-conditioned and heated cab...something I consider a must after having to hose myself down after a ride off-road on the Ranger.

Anyway, I'll post any reviews (good or bad) on the Kubota once it arrives, but based on what I've seen so far...it is in a different class than anything Polaris currently offers...

Gary


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## Art454

Can anyone tell me were the speakers are located at in the 1100?
I have a 2006 900 and my neighbor has the 2007 1100.
I think it is a 2007.
Anywho I could not find them in his 1100. 
He wants me to put a radio in it.
Am so glad I found this site about the radio connector.
Save me alot of time trying to find no adapter so I'll just splice in before the connector...so he can still keep the orginal adapter there.
I just can't find were the speaker are if there is any on maybe the first year of the 1100.
Any help would be helpfull or I'll have to go to the dealer and see were they are.
And how good are the factory speakers if they are there?


BTW...Anyone want to buy a 900 with 95 hours on it with cab, heater and plow?

I want a 1100 myself.
Thanks....Art


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## Dargo

The speakers are in the ceiling towards the front of the cab.  If you look closely with a flashlight, you can see them.  They are 'okay'.  You can hear them fine, but you won't mistake them for high quality audiophile speakers.  All you have to do is hook your radio up to the existing wires behind the dash.


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## Tact

I'm hesitant on asking this question for fear that I might trade my 900, but what price are you guys paying for the 1100 camo with the cab enclosure?


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## BigAl RIP

Please stop posting these pictures . It makes me want one !


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## Art454

My salemans is on vaction but we talk a little and the price he gave me on the 1100 with the blizzard blade on it and extra lights, turn signal hazard kit and maybe a radio.....was about 23,000 to 24,000 with the tax.
They have to come out and look at my 900 for trade in but said around 10,000 to 12,000 with trade in.

Not cheap in my book but what is anymore.

Best part is zero percent rate for 4 years right now.

Art


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## Erik

$24k is pretty close to sticker price on my Dodge Dakota quad cab 4x4, and significantly more than I actually paid for it!


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## BigAl RIP

Art454 said:


> My salemans is on vaction but we talk a little and the price he gave me on the 1100 with the blizzard blade on it and extra lights, turn signal hazard kit and maybe a radio.....*was about 23,000 to 24,000 with the tax*.
> Not cheap in my book but what is anymore.
> Art


 
For A FRIGGIN oversized ATV !!!!!!! Holy Cow ! No thanks .I'll just walk ....


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## Tact

$24K.............................


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## bczoom

Art454 said:


> My salemans is on vaction but we talk a little and the price he gave me on the 1100 with the blizzard blade on it and extra lights, turn signal hazard kit and maybe a radio.....was about 23,000 to 24,000 with the tax.


Did they give you a price without the extras?  As I recall, people are paying about $15,500 - $16,500 for an '09 model.


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## Dargo

I think I paid about 17k for camo, Line-X bedliner and wireless winch.


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## Tact

I couldn't resist, so I called my dealer. He quoted $17K for camo, full cab enclosure, heat and air, and radio w/ CD player. 

I'm keeping my 900 ..............


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## Art454

Extras add up....factory bedliner is 200.00....blizzard blade is 3,500.00

And were else am I gona get 10 to 12 grand for my 900?

I have made no deal yet.

What I like about the RTV is no plates and ins year after year.

I have bought a lot of stuff from that dealer over the years and I feel like I have been treated right so far.

What you gona do if you want one?.....lol

Art


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## Art454

Tact said:


> I couldn't resist, so I called my dealer. He quoted $17K for camo, full cab enclosure, heat and air, and radio w/ CD player.
> 
> I'm keeping my 900 ..............


 
lol 

Should have asked what they give you for your 900 on trade?

Art


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## Tact

Mine has a Curtis Cab enclosure, heat, and hydraulic dump bed. He said probably around $9000 in trade, but without seeing it in person, it's hard to give a trade in value over the phone, which I can understand. Even still, if they gave me $10K, I'd still have to come up with $7000 difference. I just don't see $7000 difference in mine and theirs. Mine only has 182 hours.


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## bczoom

Oops.  My pricing was for orange, not camo.



Art454 said:


> What I like about the RTV is no plates and ins year after year.


Art,

What state are you in?  Never heard of a state requiring registration and insurance and then dropping it.  If you borrow to get it, the lender is going to require insurance.


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## Art454

bczoom said:


> Oops. My pricing was for orange, not camo.
> 
> 
> Art,
> 
> What state are you in? Never heard of a state requiring registration and insurance and then dropping it. If you borrow to get it, the lender is going to require insurance.


 
Am in Michigan.....my homeowner policy covers it as long as you use it on your own property.....at least my ins policy does.
Have bought other stuff through Kubota....borrow... and all they wanted was a copy of my house ins.

What I meant about plates and ins is over what a truck 4x4 is over the RTV.

So as the years go on you don't have the expense in the RTV over a truck 4x4.

Art

Art


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## Tact

bczoom said:


> Oops. My pricing was for orange, not camo.


 What's up, Brian?


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## Dargo

Art454 said:


> lol
> 
> Should have asked what they give you for your 900 on trade?
> 
> Art



I did, and that was the problem.  After my 'cash' quote, my dealer offered me $600 less for my RTV900 than I paid for it new.   Trust me, that got the hook sunk in quite deep.  I only lasted another day...


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## bczoom

Tact said:


> What's up, Brian?


Not a lot.  How are you doing Fred?  Haven't seen you around much.


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## Tact

bczoom said:


> Not a lot. How are you doing Fred? Haven't seen you around much.


 I'm here every day.....just don't post a lot.


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## Art454

Dargo said:


> I did, and that was the problem. After my 'cash' quote, my dealer offered me $600 less for my RTV900 than I paid for it new.  Trust me, that got the hook sunk in quite deep. I only lasted another day...


 
Please give me r dealers name and phone #
I paid 15,915 for my 900 with all the add ons and if that dealer will give me 600.00 less than what I paid for mine on a 1100 trade in deal I'll be down there the next day.

Art


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## Art454

Well I got my 1100.....they gave me 11,000 on trade in....have to say the 1100 is much nicer and more quite than my 900 was.....not as quick as my 900 was but the 1100 is about 700 pounds more in weight.
Have to say I like the 1100 much better and boy does the heater drive you outa there fast......lol
So far so good....if I have any problems I'll kept you all updated.

Art


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## JimVT

I plan on getting a 900  and am worried  about the ground clearance and power. Can you add a leaf to the springs for more height or would tires be better so you don't screw up the axles?
I read about the loss of power. I plan on hauling 1000 pound loads of green wood and have a steep  long hill to climb. Salesman  said lots of low end pulling power and not to worry. Have the newer ones been changed? he was  talking about the 900 diesel engine one.
I have a 660 rhino now and I pull the hill with plenty of power  while  overloaded with 800lbs  of wood and one person. It has 10 inch ground clearance.
thanks Jim


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## bczoom

Jim,

Sounds like you need a demo brought to your place.  Load it up and climb the hill.

How about you pose your question over at www.nettractortalk.com 

There's a huge contingent of RTV owners over there and the RTV has it's own forum section.


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## Snowtrac Nome

atherbys said:


> Thanks for the welcome and input!
> 
> BTW: This Kubota is replacing my 2009 Polaris 700 HD. I bought it last December and while the B.O.S.S. plow system worked well in the snow (no heated cab though so it was cold here in Utah) the real problems with my Ranger began when I took it off roading this last month up Millville canyon...
> 
> This canyon would be described as a fairly easy uphill off-road test for pretty much any ATV/RTV, but after about 10 minutes on the Polaris 700 HD, our seats started getting very warm (the motor seems to be located almost directly underneath the seating area.)
> 
> At then end of our half hour ride, our butts were so hot that we were sweating, plus the design of the Polaris Ranger was such that we noticed dust and heat being 'blown' into the lower area of the riders cab during our trip (my father and I had to both beat the dust out of our clothes when we returned home), and everything, the dash, console, controls, seats, etc was caked with a thick layer of dirt....strange considering we had a partial hard cab on the vehicle.
> 
> So after $300 more spent on a half-height 'summer' windshield, and removing the back portion of the cab as well as drilling a bunch of 2" holes in the armor plating that had been installed on the bottom of the Ranger for extra venting, we took it back onto the same dirt road to give it another try...end result, the exact same problem, tremendous heat and large amounts of dust were blown through the small center opening directly under our seat in the cab area, and our off-road experience was such that we quickly returned home, and I posted my Ranger for sale the next day.
> 
> Another thing that really bothers me about the Polaris Ranger HD is that when you try to achieve higher speeds (anything over 25 MPH) the engine loudly whines like you are stuck in first gear (yes I was in 2-wheel "High") and it's almost impossible to carry on a conversation with anyone, or even enjoy the ride, with that much noise present...I've had the vehicle into the dealer probably 10 times in 5 months to address issues like this, and each time they would tell me that there was nothing wrong, that these things were normal for the Polaris HD, lol...
> 
> I'll bet I spent $23,000 on that Ranger...but cannot recommend anyone else buy one until the engineers at Polaris spend a little more time at the drawing board as my 'off-road' experience with my over-priced Ranger just made me angry!
> 
> Anyway, I had a chance to test drive a Kubota 1100 and immediately was impressed with how much quieter it ran than the Polaris, and of course Polaris can't even begin to compete with the enclosed air-conditioned and heated cab...something I consider a must after having to hose myself down after a ride off-road on the Ranger.
> 
> Anyway, I'll post any reviews (good or bad) on the Kubota once it arrives, but based on what I've seen so far...it is in a different class than anything Polaris currently offers...
> 
> Gary


i worked on those things in iraq we used them to carry lazy officers and fat first seargents around they might work good around the house or for a weekend hunting trip but for every day use the transmissions were junck and would loose their gears cvt clutches fell apart and brakes and electrical were junk charging systems would fail usualy a voltage regulator so in would go an optima and a solar charger. because we couldn't get parts for comercial equipment.


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## Dargo

In case anyone ever wondered about putting a turbo on their RTV1100, I've had my turbo on for about 2 full years now.  It's not really any faster, maybe 2-3 mph, but it gets there faster and will hold over 20 mph on the road going up steep and long inclines. 

I've not noticed any difference in my oil when I change it.  In other words, it doesn't look blacker than before adding the turbo.  I've never had any over-heating issues, oil consumption issues or, acutally, any issues at all.  My RTV almost never got used the first year.  That "throw you through the windshield when you let off the throttle" pretty well prevented my wife from ever wanting to drive it and the same went for my kids.  I think I installed the coast valve (original coast valve on eBay) a month or so before the turbo kit.  After the turbo and coast valve, it gets used quite often.  I have a special made toolbox in the bed just like in a pickup and I'm always using it to go work on something around the property.  The toolbox is full of tools and the rest of the bed is generally filled with building materials.  The tailgate makes a good makeshift work platform.

At my larger parcel of property there were several places my RTV900 could not get to nor would the RTV1100 (stock) because there were several long and winding hills that were really steep and roughly 100 - 150 feet rise in elevation.  The addition of the turbo made this climb a complete non-issue.  There is now no need to try to carry too much speed around some corners to make the climb after the corner.  With the turbo on the 1100, I can easily pick up speed as I encounter these hills in 4X4 and, if needed, step on the rear diff lock.  Now, if I know I'm going to be going up those hills, I just lock the rear differential when I unload.  It's not like I'm worried about leaving marks in a lawn.

The turbo was relatively expensive, but I feel it was definitely worth it.  The RTV1100 is actually quite heavy and the turbo makes the engine a good match.  When I was installing the turbo I was pleasantly surprised that all of the cooling and oil supply and return lines were already made into the RTV1100 engine's block.  All I had to do was remove the plugs and install the turbo lines.  In my mind, that almost makes it a sure thing that this particular Kubota engine must be offered in some form with a turbo from Kubota.  If my memory is right, I think the $1600 spent for the entire turbo kit and coast valve were well worth the money.  We use the RTV relatively often now and I have no desire to own anything different.  You can count this as my 3 year ownership review if you want.  Except that crappy weld on the door frame, which I simply fixed and rewelded both sides since Kubota clearly wasn't going to do shit about it after I hounded them months about it, nothing else has broken and I've only done normal maintenance.  

I would recommend one after my 3 years of owning one, but I'd highly suggest checking out the door frame welds on the unit before you buy it.  It's too late now, but if Facebook and YouTube was as popular then as they are now, I think I could have gotten Kubota off their dead asses and made them fix the flat ass shitty welds on my door frame.  I feel they owe me $300 for my time and labor to fix their piss poor workmanship that did break as I said it would, yet Kubota simply opted to ignore me when that happened.  Rather than park it for months, I just fixed it myself.  Hmm, I still have all the pictures....maybe I ought to put a video on YouTube about Kubota's piss poor workmanship on RTV welds and get it to go viral by having all 1200 friends or so I have on Facebook view it and have their friends view it.  I've noticed that companies don't seem to like making the evening news due to a viral YouTube video pointing out their screw-ups and refusal to make good on fixing them.  Obviously I'm still a bit chapped about Kubota forcing me to fix their piss poor welding job.  Otherwise, it's a great machine.  I just made a mistake by not taking Kubota to court for failing to abide by their own warranty and making me fix their problem.  Oh well, live and learn.


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