I'm considering getting one of these utility vehicles for around the property and some trail riding, must be able to be driven by my wife for landscape / garden work, pulling, hauling, whatever. I don't want to have to baby it or worry about it breaking, but I won't actively try to destroy it. It will be properly maintained.
Does anyone have the XUV 620i or 850D? Please offer opinions and advice. I'm also all ears regarding other brands that might be better. Kubota? Also any do's or dont's since this will be my first. I might get rid of the Sportsman 500 for this instead.

my mom and stepdad have one on the farm (850d). they absolutely love it. it's their second one as the first one was destroyed in a fire. it's bullet proof and very hard to get stuck as it has a locker. you can never go wrong with a deere

I love deere but the kabota ruv is the best in my opion

I love deere but the kabota ruv is the best in my opion


The kubota is alot bigger machine then the JD, alot more complicated too. If you want a simple little mean nachine Id go jd. Those kubotas are nice though.

I'm getting an 850d for beach crawling to surf fish! Yanmar makes great marine diesel motors from what i'm told, and Deere is solid,quality stuff. Search on youtube for that model and watch the tug of war w/ a deere tractor. Definitly not being babied!

It looks to me like the JD 850D and Kubota RTV900 are around the same price. They're both expensive! But if I spend the money, I really don't want any second thoughts.
landscaper, you say the kubota is better, why? I know people with other kubota machines who seem to love them. Is it more than brand loyality? Same thing with the JD. I'm a little hesitant to buy something with a CV transmission and belt, but I guess they hold up. I'd be worried about slippage with starting out, especially pulling (like logs) heavy and slow. I guess the Yanmar is basically what JD has been using for years, but kubota's is their own, right? Is one better than the other?
If anyone knows of a forum to collect more opinions please let me know.
Thanks,
Jim

One other thing, would either of them fit in the bed of our trucks?
I'm thinking they're too wide.

One other thing, would either of them fit in the bed of our trucks?
I'm thinking they're too wide.

yea they're way to wide.

I've been around a few RTVs and they will climb really step slopes, I was teaching at a closed ski lodge and they'd drive it up the hills. the hydro is nice.
I've been looking at the cheaper TX gators and new cub cadet 2x4 for the wife to use for yard work and running to the neighbors' houses a 1/2 mile away.

Love My RTV Kubota it pulls like a brute goes everywhere i pull my tractor at it handles 8000lbs much better than i thought it would. But its a work machine i been looking for a fun machine got it down to Kawaski Teryx or Yamaha Rhino from what i seen they are crazy fast and fun on trails

One other thing, would either of them fit in the bed of our trucks?
I'm thinking they're too wide.

I think the 4x2 gatoes would fit in a pickup

It looks to me like the JD 850D and Kubota RTV900 are around the same price. They're both expensive! But if I spend the money, I really don't want any second thoughts.
landscaper, you say the kubota is better, why? I know people with other kubota machines who seem to love them. Is it more than brand loyality? Same thing with the JD. I'm a little hesitant to buy something with a CV transmission and belt, but I guess they hold up. I'd be worried about slippage with starting out, especially pulling (like logs) heavy and slow. I guess the Yanmar is basically what JD has been using for years, but kubota's is their own, right? Is one better than the other?
If anyone knows of a forum to collect more opinions please let me know.
Thanks,
Jim

Will your dealers let you drive the kubota or deere? I know bobcat is making somethink like the kubota now, maybe you should look into that.

Love My RTV Kubota it pulls like a brute goes everywhere i pull my tractor at it handles 8000lbs much better than i thought it would. But its a work machine i been looking for a fun machine got it down to Kawaski Teryx or Yamaha Rhino from what i seen they are crazy fast and fun on trails

Tyrex and Rhino are good units. I would try the Tyrex because of the motor and it doesn't take as much clink to get it into the mid 50 mph range from what I have read.

I just had a Deere Salesman Admit to me that the Rhino is the best he has seen for riding and playing. He also said that for utility its Kubota or Deere Bobcat has some neat tools for theirs Kubota also has some Hyd driven tools for theirs .I see this trend on here with small tractors and now UTV-RTV thats deeres the best too lol. whens theres others out there that have been in to it for just as long

At 49, I'm thinking more utility than high speed. But I live near the Uhwarrie National Forest which has 4x4 off road trails. They're sometimes so rough and rutted that they're awful, but at other times they're better. They aren't high speed trails at all, more crawling type stuff for the Jeep crowd and fun for the ATV people. I'd take my UTV there (and hopefully not get it stuck lol ) but primarily it'd be for around the property, carrying a sprayer, hauling dirt, pulling my 5x8 trailer, whatever.
I like the idea of the Kubota bench seat, but if there aren't 3 good seatbelts then you couldn't go off roading where I'm talking about because its too rough and you'd get tossed about. Or out.
That Ranger 6x4 is impressive in the video climbing over the fallen tree.

Get one of these, its electric. :D

lots of info here http://utilityoffroad.com/forum/default.asp
i love my rhino. pic in garage

That Ranger 6x4 is impressive in the video climbing over the fallen tree.

my wife's aunt lives in SE W. Virginia, we take her Ranger up the sides of big hills to get onto the strip mines. this summer they had to tow my son up one of the hills on his Honda 450 4x4, he couldn't keep the front end down. It really impresses me every time we run it.

Get one of these, its electric. :D

Actually, no joke, that is what has brought me to where I am now. I've had an electric golf cart which I completely rebuilt and repaired, then it got pounded to dealth using it in the fields (not made for that, but try telling your daughter when she and three friends are having an absolute blast driving down the trails...) and I repaired it, and it broke, etc. Time for the right tool for the job.

Make sure you throw a good winch on too gives you a good piece of mind

Actually, no joke, that is what has brought me to where I am now. I've had an electric golf cart which I completely rebuilt and repaired, then it got pounded to dealth using it in the fields (not made for that, but try telling your daughter when she and three friends are having an absolute blast driving down the trails...) and I repaired it, and it broke, etc. Time for the right tool for the job.

Im surprised your golf cart was beat to death, I couldnt be harder on this ez-go. It pulls alot of weight around the yard too. My sister and a gothic drug addic friend of hers was running around on it and the front wheel hit a grape post going full speed. The front wheels were almsot 90deg. The gear box was bound up so I unbolted the steering wheel and it let loose. The steering is a little mpre sloppy now.:mad:

Make sure you throw a good winch on too gives you a good piece of mind

You can get those little winches cheap, worth having.

Make sure you throw a good winch on too gives you a good piece of mind

I'm glad you brought this up, because I want to share my brother's experiences and see what you all think.
I've got a Polaris 500 Sportsman with a Polaris/Warn winch, and I've used it a few times for trail "rescues" of other stuck ATVs. Great tool.
My brother's sister-in-law has a Gator HPX, 2006, with front and rear hitch mounts and winch (new, from Deere dealer) and they've burned out the motor twice now. First time was under warranty and replaced, now they're out of warranty and will be spending their own money. When my brother looked into this, to try to figure out why they've burned out two motors, he says the winches are only designed for a 10% duty cycle, and you should only operate them one minute then allow a 10 minute cool down. He points out that at six feet per minute, following those guidelines, you'll spend a LONG time getting yourself unstuck or helping someone else. He claims nobody advertises this but if you dig deep in the winch manufacturer's information this is what you find. They ruined the winches pulling logs. Working them too hard (not weight, but duty cycle) and did so unknowingly.

So I ask you, is this a common experience or did they have a run of bad luck? I guess I've never used my ATV winch long enough to encounter this problem. Maybe one minute every ten is reasonable for the application. I'm thinking I'd be better served with a hand come along and some line. It would certainly be cheaper!

I'm on vacation this week and hope to locate some dealers to allow me to see and try the XUV, Kabota, and Bobcat machines. I appreciate everyone's recommendations regarding trail superiority of the Ranger and Rhino, but I don't want to buy trail superior, I want farm utility with some trail capability, and I'll be handing this to my accountant for appropriate depreciation on my taxes as a farm implement. It needs to pass first muster with the tax people, too.

Instead of the bed, get a 5'x8' or 5x10 open utility trailer at lowes or depot for about a grand:)!

The kawaski mule or the kawaski terrex is by far the better then the deere, kubota, and what ever else is out there.

IMO a Kubota or Bobcat are the toughest. I'd say Deere is up there too. The rest of them are like ATV's and probably not tough enough. I sure wouldn't buy and Arctic Cat UTV.

The kawaski mule or the kawaski terrex is by far the better then the deere, kubota, and what ever else is out there.

Do they make these in diesel? I was reading in farm shaow some guy had one in a diesel, I think it was a kawasaki.

IMO a Kubota or Bobcat are the toughest. I'd say Deere is up there too. The rest of them are like ATV's and probably not tough enough. I sure wouldn't buy and Arctic Cat UTV.

I agree with duramax, do with the tractor brands if you want to haul, pull alot. The others are just a big atv, Im not saying they are junk I just think they wont hold up to alot of stress.

you can get the mule,deere,kubota,bobcat,and cubcudet in a diesel.

you can get the mule,deere,kubota,bobcat,and cubcudet in a diesel.

What kind of engine does the diesel mule have?

After looking at the site, I'm testing a bobcat before buying the deere. Nice looking unit! (2200 4x4 diesel)

After looking at the site, I'm testing a bobcat before buying the deere. Nice looking unit! (2200 4x4 diesel)



Bobcat has a bigger one with a loader I thought was cool. At first I thought it was a stupid idea but the more I thought about it I guess its not so bad. 4wd, cab with heat and ac, a dump bed and a front end loader.

I've already got a JD 5210 tractor with front end loader, so I'm not interested in that.
I would like it to be trail capable to some extent, but I have no interest in "extreme" riding like the You-tube videos of people mudding and driving under water, etc. Just want an off road working machine that can handle rough terrain without getting stuck, go up hills without bogging, haul anything I feel like putting in there, pull a big lawn roller without turfing (does the rear differential unlock?) etc. I want it to handle bumps and holes without worry, drive over small stuff in the way, etc.
I looked at those Ranger videos and those seem to be very nice, probably more biased toward trail riding than utility, but I have to admit I'm more than a little hesitant about Polaris given past experiences. And more than a little favoring JD, given past experiences and close dealer support.

(does the rear differential unlock?)

There should be a button you hit to lock it up.

Any one seen the New Honda Big Red i hear they are hard to come by still

Michealjp86, I read some reviews of the 2300 4/4, but the attachments seem to be limited use. The big one with the enclosed cab is super heavy duty, almost like having a full on skid steer bobcat!( way too much for my meager beach cruising needs!)

Can't go wrong with the Kubota RTV it is one hellofa hard worker....I've gone off road..work it in the farm hauling well over 1500lbs of rocks in the bed repeatedly and it pulls like there was nothing there. Well worth the money and its fuel efficient.

Anyone know what he bought? I was going to reccomend the RTV then i noticed this thread was old enough to be dusty.

Go out test driving would be my suggestion

Everyone should keep an eye out for the CaseIH Scout and the New Holland Rustler they are built by clubcar for CNH from what i hear kubota diesel power and a 4 seater also

Could just buy the 4 seater RTV and get full on kubota engineering, not a golf cart...


Im just saying.....

Everyone should keep an eye out for the CaseIH Scout and the New Holland Rustler they are built by clubcar for CNH from what i hear kubota diesel power and a 4 seater also

Those look like junk IMO

I am a salesman at a John Deere dealership and we get to test the different brands all the time to compare each one. The closest to the gator is the ranger. Kubota's are nice but there engine breaking system is terrible. It feels like it will throw you through the winshield. Deere just released the new XUV which is the 825i fuel injected with a metal/composite bed that the sides come off that is really nice. Top speed is like 42-44 mph on that one.

http://www.doranev.com/e-ATV-from-Doran-Electric-Vehicles-EV.htm

I want one of these for our farm. Seats 2, fits where the bigger stuff won't. Can charge from solar panels. :)

I am a salesman at a John Deere dealership and we get to test the different brands all the time to compare each one. The closest to the gator is the ranger. Kubota's are nice but there engine breaking system is terrible. It feels like it will throw you through the winshield. Deere just released the new XUV which is the 825i fuel injected with a metal/composite bed that the sides come off that is really nice. Top speed is like 42-44 mph on that one.


If you learn not to go from 100% throttle to 0% throttle like a 5 year old it is an excellent option. It works well for me on my farm, and i nor my gf have any problem with the fluid drive tranny. Hauls well, holds a huge load, and the locker works like a charm. Hydraulic dump bed lifts massive amounts of weight, and is cheap and easy to fix compared to an electric screw setup.