Utility Vehicle

I'm thinking of getting rid of my 95 Polaris 4 wheeler. Looking at a Cub Cadet side by side. Not sure how reliable and durable they are. Any input would be helpful.
Thanks

I have two Kawasaki diesel Mules. I have been very satisfied. The engine has been trouble free, but we worked the older of the two really hard and have broken axles, front and rear differentials, etc. Maybe I should say we abused it. If you are going to work one really hard you will probably be happier with the Kubota UTV.Moderate to light work the Mule is excellent. It drives and rides good and is lighter than the Kubota. I like a UTV with a bench seat so I can get in and out of either side. My neighbor has a Polaris, and the only thing I see superior to the Mule is the Polaris is faster on the road, if you need speed.

Older gentleman here has one. Uses it as an 'irrigateing buggy'. Been several years with no problems

If the quality of their side by sides is anything like the rest of their products RUN. Thats a lesson I learned the hard way. I was looking at SxS before I bought a four wheeler. If I would have bought a SxS I would have bought the Arctic Cat. I personaly would avoid anything Cub Cadet made in the last 20-30 odd years or so. They will find every excuse they can to get out of warranty. Brag about american made yet use Chinese knock of engines and parts. And thats just the beginning. I didnt learn the first time with CC and got burnt twice. Sod Buster

Grandad has a 700 cc cub cadet side by side. Thing is built pretty stout. The company that makes them actually has nothing to do with mtd or cadet, mtd just buys them and re badges them. They are actually made down in Tennessee. The motor is a torquey little sucker and sounds really good. Box on it is built pretty stout. Drives nice. About the only thing I don't care much for is the throw in the shifter is a little weird but I just get nit picky about stuff like that, it's not really a big deal. I would have no problem buying one.

We have Kubota diesels, John Deere 825 and 625 and cub cudets at work, I like the Deere 825i the best good power decent speed and rugged, kubotas are nice have cabs with heat and air but the diesel
Versions are dogs very underpowered, we had cub cudets when plant was first built and they are junk could not handle being used 24-7-365 like the Deere and kubota we had all kinds of issues with the cubs I would stay away from them

I had a Bobcat utv for years that had a kubota diesel as a power plant. They were built by Club Car and rebadged. Never had an issue at all and used it daily in winter for snow plowing and the rest of the year as the go to vehicle on the farm.

We have a Kawasaki Mule Trans gas. They are the measurement for WORK UTV's but are not bullet proof. We have had clutch or fuel delivery problems. Dealer says clutch but it sure act like fuel delivery, ours is the first year of fuel injection. We really like the bench seats! And the convenience of changing from 2 to 4. We have steep hills and I wish for more compression, might look at a Kubota next time for the Hydrostatic. Keep in mind that ALL UTV's are "luxury" items and the dealers charge accordingly. Orange and Green especially!

Bill

Boy on the other side of the Cub Cadet coin, my rifle club owned a 1042 riding mower with the Kohler Courage engine. They call it a "Courage" because you have to have lots of it to own one, apparently.

Well after several years and almost 300 hours, the Courage engine grenaded due to the Rube-Goldberg internal balancer design. Right on schedule according to our research.

Cub Cadet supplied, at their cost and no questions asked, a replacement short block engine. Because the mower was years out of warranty, they did not cover labor, but the Cadet dealer did the work for under $200.

Got two kawasaki diesels,,, one gas kawasaki and one kubota diesel..

the kubota,, has smoother ride, and can run wide open on the rougher roads... hydraulic bed dump, a/c, but not a lot of power pulling.. heavy as can be, and will bury itself in mud in a heartbeat. So other than light mud, its does not like swampy, wet conditions. IT gets stuck and stays stuck... Have to frequently keep cleaning the screen on the radiator or it will run hot, every 3 months or sooner.

The two kawasaki diesels have be worked to death with over 3000 hours each and still keep going, but rough riding over 10 mph on rough roads.. driven over cactus and mesquite brush daily, so they are really abused, but keep on ticking. They go anywhere, anytime, and get you there. when all the tractors are stuck, and the 4wd tractors are stuck, only the bull dozer does better than the kubota's.

The kawasaki gas.. have to rebuild the carb every year or run it dry if leaving it for a couple of weeks. otherwise great.

All the kawasaki's will go anywhere anytime in the mud... if put in 4wd... they will float on the mud... shimmy, slide a bit, wiggle and then eventually pull through all the mud pits.. just be patient and not give it too much throttle..

SO... would buy a kawasaki diesel as first choice everytime for farm work... A kubota for speed and air conditioning and city stuff.

Had a jd and got rid of it quick, but they have changed since then...

SOTXBILL Is your gas mule newer than 2010 and have fuel injection? If it is, I would like to talk to
you about symptoms.

Bill

(quoted from post at 22:30:01 09/28/17) If I would have bought a SxS I would have bought the Arctic Cat.

Click to expand...

the Arctic Cat Prowler 500s and 700s are rebadged Kymcos

I have a 2015 Kymco UXV450i, it is the same machine as the Prowler 500 with different stickers and a parking brake for $1500 less list price, and likely you can work an even better deal than that .

unbelievable what the little 450i can do, narrow and short enuf to fit in an 8' bed pickup truck, I can skid logs tree length, to my 1000 lb Cricket Toe-Hoe down (or up) the road @ 45mph all day long [/img]