kubota side by sides

[uplandnut]

I'm sure its been brought up here before but what are opinions of the Kubota side by sides? Kind of like the rtv 1140 cpx, has the ability to go from 2 rows of seats to one row with a bigger box. Not sure how the diesel in a utv would be though. Found a used one with 535 hours, is that a lot for one of these?
thanks

 

[bird dog]

They are slow and heavy but stout and dependable. Mine has been a good machine with about 2000 hours on it. Only repairs have been the front CV joints (the boots tore). The main reason I bought mine back in 2008 was the much larger box, the hyd. tilt bed, the diesel engine and the ability to seat 4 or 5 people when the family comes over. Now a days, a lot of other machines have these qualities. It was very handy when I was selling a couple pieces of ranch land and the buyers loved riding in it instead of a truck. They will carry a lot of weight and pull more than you should hook up to it.

The radiator is not in a very good position and needs to be watched in dusty conditions. They have a fuel filter underneath the skid pan that is difficult to get to the first time you take it off but is easy once you learn the tricks. They also rattle a lot. 535 hours is nothing if the maintenance has been kept up. In real sloppy deep mud, they will dig themselves into a hole and bottom out but I have mine in water up over the floorboards.

They are fairly easy to work on and the owners manual will tell you how to do almost everything maintenance wise. I have done everything on mine since day one and I ain't much of a mechanic.

 

[Brute 23]

If depends on what you are buying it for. As said above its a heavy duty machine that is pretty reliable. Its down fall will be off road capabilities such as boggy sand or uneven terrain.

 

[True Grit Farms]

I have one with 2k+ hours also, my only problem is the front drive shaft it's wore out and rattles and shakes when in 2wd. We pull hay trailers with 4 rolls of hay in them daily with the Kubota 1140. Probably the best piece of farm equipment I've ever bought. If your not working it hard the fuel mileage is unbelievable, like 3 times better than some gas model side x sides.

 

[uplandnut]

Thanks for all the input, definitely gives us something to consider.

 

[hillbilly beef man]

Hard to beat if you are going to work it hard, but not nearly as good off-road as many lighter machines. Too heavy for much mud and too stiff for very un-even terrain. Great pasture machine.

 

[Texas Gal]

They are slow and heavy but stout and dependable. Mine has been a good machine with about 2000 hours on it. Only repairs have been the front CV joints (the boots tore). The main reason I bought mine back in 2008 was the much larger box, the hyd. tilt bed, the diesel engine and the ability to seat 4 or 5 people when the family comes over. Now a days, a lot of other machines have these qualities. It was very handy when I was selling a couple pieces of ranch land and the buyers loved riding in it instead of a truck. They will carry a lot of weight and pull more than you should hook up to it.

The radiator is not in a very good position and needs to be watched in dusty conditions. They have a fuel filter underneath the skid pan that is difficult to get to the first time you take it off but is easy once you learn the tricks. They also rattle a lot. 535 hours is nothing if the maintenance has been kept up. In real sloppy deep mud, they will dig themselves into a hole and bottom out but I have mine in water up over the floorboards.

They are fairly easy to work on and the owners manual will tell you how to do almost everything maintenance wise. I have done everything on mine since day one and I ain't much of a mechanic.

We love ours and use it all the time..... hauling firewood, feed, fence posts, the list goes on and on. I prefer the older ones like ours due to the seat configuration; the new one are bucket seats, ours has bench seats. Totally agree with Bird Dog.

 

[True Grit Farms]

They are slow and heavy but stout and dependable. Mine has been a good machine with about 2000 hours on it. Only repairs have been the front CV joints (the boots tore). The main reason I bought mine back in 2008 was the much larger box, the hyd. tilt bed, the diesel engine and the ability to seat 4 or 5 people when the family comes over. Now a days, a lot of other machines have these qualities. It was very handy when I was selling a couple pieces of ranch land and the buyers loved riding in it instead of a truck. They will carry a lot of weight and pull more than you should hook up to it.

The radiator is not in a very good position and needs to be watched in dusty conditions. They have a fuel filter underneath the skid pan that is difficult to get to the first time you take it off but is easy once you learn the tricks. They also rattle a lot. 535 hours is nothing if the maintenance has been kept up. In real sloppy deep mud, they will dig themselves into a hole and bottom out but I have mine in water up over the floorboards.

They are fairly easy to work on and the owners manual will tell you how to do almost everything maintenance wise. I have done everything on mine since day one and I ain't much of a mechanic.

We love ours and use it all the time..... hauling firewood, feed, fence posts, the list goes on and on. I prefer the older ones like ours due to the seat configuration; the new one are bucket seats, ours has bench seats. Totally agree with Bird Dog.

I like the older one's better because they have a 3 speed transmission.

 

[Sd1030]

As ive mentioned in another thread im looking some at getting a utv. I think ive narrowed it down to the mule pro fxt or the kubota rtv 1140. For those with the kubota how do they do in wet conditions. My biggest concern is it getting stuck everywhere. Im looking this for a farm machine not looking for a trail rider but i want to be able to get around the farm even in wet conditions.

 

[True Grit Farms]

Our Kubota doesn't get stuck very often 3 times in 7 years? But the Kawasaki has to go better and should ride smoother. The Kubota has a pedal to lock the rear end like a tractor and has limited slip in the front, they pull hard. I pulled a grain wagon loaded with 160bu of corn with it today 15 mph.

 

[Sd1030]

Thanks for the info, they do seem to built soild and built with work in mind. I like that kubota has a lot of standard features that are add ons for others.

 

[Brute 23]

As ive mentioned in another thread im looking some at getting a utv. I think ive narrowed it down to the mule pro fxt or the kubota rtv 1140. For those with the kubota how do they do in wet conditions. My biggest concern is it getting stuck everywhere. Im looking this for a farm machine not looking for a trail rider but i want to be able to get around the farm even in wet conditions.

Here are the pros and cons from my experience. First of all they are both good, dependable machines, IMO.

I believe the Pro will have a 3 year standard warranty. Not sure what Kubota's is but I don't think its 3 years.

Mule Pro has a higher top speed and a cvt vs the hydro in the Kubota. If you are in boggy, wet conditions, the Pro will shine.

The Pro also is probably cheaper out the door but as you said, probably does not come with as many standard options.

The Kubota look to have a full metal bed. The Pro does have plastic on the sides and a plastic tailgate.

The Kubota does have some accessories that the Pro may not have.

I don't think you will be disappointed in either unless you want a little more than that 25mph top speed or you get in to some soft, wet, conditions. They are both work horses.

I'm not big on needing to go 60mph on a utv but I had some cows go thru a fence in to the hay field yesterday and I did push some of them out with my mule pro. With power steering it will jump up and go fast enough for me to cut amd push cattle if need be. The 25mph top speed utvs, no matter the brand, doesn't have the ump to get up and move to do that easily.

I also do drive from place to place down the highway on mine. One place is 9 miles away and I do it regularly on my Pro with feed, trailers, etc. The 45mph top speed is nice then.

 

[ddd75]

i have a '16 RTV and it'll go through mud up to the floor boards... I had to run it through that over 100' each day to get to my barn when i moved here.

pulled out a 2wd f450 with 18' enclosed trailer up hill in mud.


make sure you get ATV style tires and not the turf ones.



brute did a nice write up.. the mule is a nice machine as well.

only problem I have with mine is the cattle can outrun me and that sucks when they make a break for it. :lol2: atv shines in that situation or a faster utv.

huge plus side is it sips fuel

 

[Sd1030]

Brute everything you mentioned is the exact reasons im wrestling with my decision. Found a dealer that has a pretty good deal on a 18 model mule, guess hes wanting to make room for the 19s. It comes in bought 2k under the kubota. Kubota does have some better finance options though.

 

[True Grit Farms]

Are they both diesel? Our Kubota gets unreal fuel mileage at least twice that of what a gas Kawasaki.

 

[Sd1030]

No mule is gas, i think its about $1200 more for the mule in diesel. So itd be more inline with the cost of the kubota.

 

[Atimm693]

Just my opinion, it's a whole lot cheaper to change a belt every few years than it is to work on a hydro.

 

[Brute 23]

There is no benefit to the diesel mule pro other than convenience if you carry diesel around. It actually has less power and is quite a bit louder.

 

[True Grit Farms]

There is no benefit to the diesel mule pro other than convenience if you carry diesel around. It actually has less power and is quite a bit louder.

If I didn't have a Suzuki Samurai I'd have a Kawasaki Mule Pro. My Samurai is the mean machine around these parts.

 

[Sd1030]

Brute you have any pics of yours? Do you go with factory top or aftermarket?