This is a little longer post - you might want to crack open a cold one or pour a hot one before diving into this
After more than a year of dreaming, planning and learning (thanks to this site), I finally purchased our 1120D and gave it to my Wife as a 30th anniversary gift back in June. Yeah, that actually worked.
But I wanted to say thanks to everyone who helped educate me on the good, bad and ugly about the Kubota RTV products. We are happy with the purchase and wanted to pass along an amateur review for those who are looking and may want to enter the market or upgrade from their existing unit. This information is based on about 100 miles and 17 hours experience. The unit was purchased from dealer stock with the revised axle housing but still in need of the seatbelt recall once the parts are available.
Tires: The ATV tires that came with the 1120 are pretty weak four ply. I see no quality problems with the tires, only that the vehicle will be worked hard in all kinds of terrain with no provision to carry a spare. And we know from experience that four ply tires get punctured easily. For now I will Slime the tires as I did our Honda Foreman which stopped the leaks until we bought 6 ply tires for it. On the RTV, we plan to add ITP Blackwaters soon, just haven't decided on size. Probably 26” so we don’t have to change rims or lift the unit. The stock tires lack the deep tread to motivate a 2100 lb machine in mud.
Rear wheel lock: A few times on wet grass and light mud, the single rear wheel (right I think) just spun. When I let off and then engaged the rear wheel lock, it pulled me right out most of the time.
Four wheel drive: A couple of times, the rear wheel lock wasn’t enough and the again after letting off, I engaged it and pulled right out. Even with 4wd, in the mud these tires would just spin and turn into doughnuts in the red clay here.
Ride: The ride is much easier on my Wife and I than the Foreman which of course, any fully independent suspension UTV would be. It feels solid and traverses uneven fields and hills with relative comfort. The RTV was delivered with the shocks set at the center setting.
Shifting: Stiff but improving; we’ve learned some of the little tricks. Like if you’re parked on a slight hill in gear with parking break on, when the gear shift sticks, remove the parking brake so you can actuate the pressure release with the brake pedal. Also, goosing the throttle frees the shifter when sticky. This has improved since we got it and I hope the improvement continues. The forum members did a good job preparing us for what this is like. Do not shift or attempt to change gears while moving. And if it doesn’t quite go into gear, wait for the revs to go down before moving the shifter again.
Parking Brake – Just like our Kubota BX2230, I am started moving several times with the parking brake on. While there is a red light on the RTV speedometer, there is also one for the seatbelts so I don’t mentally pay attention. An audible alert or an indicator like more within the operator’s line of sight would help.
Steering: Steering is very light and predictable off road. The tilt steering is very welcome when you are in/out, in/out while working in the field. In the few times we’ve been on blacktop, I wound it out to 20mph (with substantial pedal left) and you really have to pay attention and keep both hands on the wheel since you can’t actually feel the road. But it felt safe and controlled all times. One of the few times I did use the 3pt seat belt.
Dump Bed: The dump bed is solid but we had some vibration in the bed panels that seems to be working itself out. We lost several bed plugs but have resealed then with silicone. These plugs appear to be poorly made with very little side contact...only touches on the corners. With enough silicone, even my hat will stay in place. So we’re good for now. Kubota should consider a rubber flap for gap between bed and rear of cab. I know there is a company that makes an aftermarket item to extend the front bed wall 8-10” but that’s another couple hundo. So I plan to fabricate a flap out of discarded tires and some steel channel. One last thing – the dump action is very harsh. Probably what enables the bed to lift so much. After standing up picking pears from the back of the bed, I told my Wife to sit on the bed and I would gently raise it until she could slide off. Well it launched her off of that bed and landed on her feet about two feet away. Guys, learn from my mistake. (it was hilarious though).
Tailgate – Works very well but traps small pieces of gravel between the bed and gate and literally chewed the bedliner material up. Knowing that now, we have to pick out the nuggets before attempting to close the gate. Also, the latches work fine but a single release would have been excellent. Yes, it would have required some design and probably cost more. But full hands would appreciate it.
Front Brushguard/Bumper: While one of the bumper plugs fell out on the trailer home, it new one was purchased and siliconed. staying put now. The bumper is substantial and shoves the brush, trees and in-laws out of the way nicely. Very helpful with trail clearing.
Driver’s Grab Handle: OK, maybe it’s a pet peeve but I would appreciate a grab handle to ease entering the vehicle. But every UTV I’ve seen, including our neighbors Mule, are missing a driver’s side handle. There is an insurance/liability angle here I am sure. I added an aftermarket unit that attaches with velcro – it is OK but am considering welding the handle on.
Rear Hitch – If you plan to use the rear receiver, plan on buying an extension. The one I bought included a skid plate for the transmission. It was about $200 but much cheaper than a stump damaged tranny. Humble opinion is that it should come from factory with usable hitch length and the shield.
Cooling System: I worked the X1120 all day bush hogging a 6 acre field. I was in low gear and low-to moderate ground speed (3-5mph) We also take rides on our trails and nearby township gravel roads. While I have stayed away from top speed during break-in, there are substantial hills. The temp has never rose above midpoint on the gauge under any condition – so far.
Fuel Utilization: I wasn’t sure the fuel gauge was working at first – it did not move until we had driven it almost 30 miles. We had no personal experience with diesel fuel economy.
Refueling: Thanks to the outstanding resources on this forum, I was pointed toward some aftermarket spout kits that transform your gas cans back to the 1980s. I am so grateful for the tip because it saves my bad shoulder.
Roof: The one accessory we did get on delivery was the hard plastic roof. It has paid for itself after protecting my Wife and I on at least one occasion from what appears to be Canadian goose droppings.(Yeah, thanks Canada.) In addition, it protects me from trees that hang over in our field and knocks down the sun a little.
Headlights: The headlights are adequate and while there are upgraded LED bulbs you can get that will fry retinas, I think we will opt to augment with LED work lights instead of messing with the design.
Engine Power: The D-1105 appears to be a well-designed and powerful engine. For a diesel, its not terribly loud. We have not had to pull anything super heavy except the bush hog uphill. It did not even struggle. It would make this configuration nearly perfect if Kubota could make a PTO shaft model available. (Please?) I would trade this one in immediately.
Ground Speed: We knew going in that this wasn’t the Honda Pioneer 1000 that we also evaluated. We wanted a tank that would last us 20 years at least. One of our service roads is fairly steep downhill leading to a township road. If you miss the turn, there is a 30 foot holler. It would not end well. So in low gear if anything happens where you have to take your foot off, the unit stops. Don’t so this in high gear as it will slow down but keep rolling. When on level ground the effect of letting off in low gear is quite abrupt but high gear let off is a little less gut wrenching. My Wife feels much more secure with the Kubota set up.
Transmission Operation: On most of the township road hills, we slow to no less than 12-13mph. Good, hard, steady climb but definitely slower. I wonder why the transmission can’t kick down enough to keep momentum going up hills. I am sure Kubota tries to leverage the tractor drivetrain but a more responsive transmissions could give you’re a diesel with a 50MPH + top speed. Most of our time is spent in high gear. The only time I am in low is when we travel up that steep service road to a ridge top and any time we're on a long uphill grade.
Question: Does anyone have experience with a coast plug in a 2016 or later X1120?
Our planned accessories include:
Accessory switch box and harnesses
Safety strobes – for rear of unit, helps improve visibility.
Front LED work lights
Read LED work light
Winch Warn 4000 or better
Winch carrier receiver - to move from back to front
Side Racks for pruning equipment
Overall, we are very pleased with our purchase and thanks to the folks on this forum, it was an informed decision with no real surprises. I believe this unit will provide a good 20 years service if we take care of it.
It will primarily be used to support planting and maintenance operations for pawpaw, persimmons, various nut trees and to a lesser degree, apples, pears, peaches and plums.
Thanks again to everyone who helped us.
Tony and Pam
Ohio_PawPaw_Farmer
South Eastern Ohio
After more than a year of dreaming, planning and learning (thanks to this site), I finally purchased our 1120D and gave it to my Wife as a 30th anniversary gift back in June. Yeah, that actually worked.
But I wanted to say thanks to everyone who helped educate me on the good, bad and ugly about the Kubota RTV products. We are happy with the purchase and wanted to pass along an amateur review for those who are looking and may want to enter the market or upgrade from their existing unit. This information is based on about 100 miles and 17 hours experience. The unit was purchased from dealer stock with the revised axle housing but still in need of the seatbelt recall once the parts are available.
Tires: The ATV tires that came with the 1120 are pretty weak four ply. I see no quality problems with the tires, only that the vehicle will be worked hard in all kinds of terrain with no provision to carry a spare. And we know from experience that four ply tires get punctured easily. For now I will Slime the tires as I did our Honda Foreman which stopped the leaks until we bought 6 ply tires for it. On the RTV, we plan to add ITP Blackwaters soon, just haven't decided on size. Probably 26” so we don’t have to change rims or lift the unit. The stock tires lack the deep tread to motivate a 2100 lb machine in mud.
Rear wheel lock: A few times on wet grass and light mud, the single rear wheel (right I think) just spun. When I let off and then engaged the rear wheel lock, it pulled me right out most of the time.
Four wheel drive: A couple of times, the rear wheel lock wasn’t enough and the again after letting off, I engaged it and pulled right out. Even with 4wd, in the mud these tires would just spin and turn into doughnuts in the red clay here.
Ride: The ride is much easier on my Wife and I than the Foreman which of course, any fully independent suspension UTV would be. It feels solid and traverses uneven fields and hills with relative comfort. The RTV was delivered with the shocks set at the center setting.
Shifting: Stiff but improving; we’ve learned some of the little tricks. Like if you’re parked on a slight hill in gear with parking break on, when the gear shift sticks, remove the parking brake so you can actuate the pressure release with the brake pedal. Also, goosing the throttle frees the shifter when sticky. This has improved since we got it and I hope the improvement continues. The forum members did a good job preparing us for what this is like. Do not shift or attempt to change gears while moving. And if it doesn’t quite go into gear, wait for the revs to go down before moving the shifter again.
Parking Brake – Just like our Kubota BX2230, I am started moving several times with the parking brake on. While there is a red light on the RTV speedometer, there is also one for the seatbelts so I don’t mentally pay attention. An audible alert or an indicator like more within the operator’s line of sight would help.
Steering: Steering is very light and predictable off road. The tilt steering is very welcome when you are in/out, in/out while working in the field. In the few times we’ve been on blacktop, I wound it out to 20mph (with substantial pedal left) and you really have to pay attention and keep both hands on the wheel since you can’t actually feel the road. But it felt safe and controlled all times. One of the few times I did use the 3pt seat belt.
Dump Bed: The dump bed is solid but we had some vibration in the bed panels that seems to be working itself out. We lost several bed plugs but have resealed then with silicone. These plugs appear to be poorly made with very little side contact...only touches on the corners. With enough silicone, even my hat will stay in place. So we’re good for now. Kubota should consider a rubber flap for gap between bed and rear of cab. I know there is a company that makes an aftermarket item to extend the front bed wall 8-10” but that’s another couple hundo. So I plan to fabricate a flap out of discarded tires and some steel channel. One last thing – the dump action is very harsh. Probably what enables the bed to lift so much. After standing up picking pears from the back of the bed, I told my Wife to sit on the bed and I would gently raise it until she could slide off. Well it launched her off of that bed and landed on her feet about two feet away. Guys, learn from my mistake. (it was hilarious though).
Tailgate – Works very well but traps small pieces of gravel between the bed and gate and literally chewed the bedliner material up. Knowing that now, we have to pick out the nuggets before attempting to close the gate. Also, the latches work fine but a single release would have been excellent. Yes, it would have required some design and probably cost more. But full hands would appreciate it.
Front Brushguard/Bumper: While one of the bumper plugs fell out on the trailer home, it new one was purchased and siliconed. staying put now. The bumper is substantial and shoves the brush, trees and in-laws out of the way nicely. Very helpful with trail clearing.
Driver’s Grab Handle: OK, maybe it’s a pet peeve but I would appreciate a grab handle to ease entering the vehicle. But every UTV I’ve seen, including our neighbors Mule, are missing a driver’s side handle. There is an insurance/liability angle here I am sure. I added an aftermarket unit that attaches with velcro – it is OK but am considering welding the handle on.
Rear Hitch – If you plan to use the rear receiver, plan on buying an extension. The one I bought included a skid plate for the transmission. It was about $200 but much cheaper than a stump damaged tranny. Humble opinion is that it should come from factory with usable hitch length and the shield.
Cooling System: I worked the X1120 all day bush hogging a 6 acre field. I was in low gear and low-to moderate ground speed (3-5mph) We also take rides on our trails and nearby township gravel roads. While I have stayed away from top speed during break-in, there are substantial hills. The temp has never rose above midpoint on the gauge under any condition – so far.
Fuel Utilization: I wasn’t sure the fuel gauge was working at first – it did not move until we had driven it almost 30 miles. We had no personal experience with diesel fuel economy.
Refueling: Thanks to the outstanding resources on this forum, I was pointed toward some aftermarket spout kits that transform your gas cans back to the 1980s. I am so grateful for the tip because it saves my bad shoulder.
Roof: The one accessory we did get on delivery was the hard plastic roof. It has paid for itself after protecting my Wife and I on at least one occasion from what appears to be Canadian goose droppings.(Yeah, thanks Canada.) In addition, it protects me from trees that hang over in our field and knocks down the sun a little.
Headlights: The headlights are adequate and while there are upgraded LED bulbs you can get that will fry retinas, I think we will opt to augment with LED work lights instead of messing with the design.
Engine Power: The D-1105 appears to be a well-designed and powerful engine. For a diesel, its not terribly loud. We have not had to pull anything super heavy except the bush hog uphill. It did not even struggle. It would make this configuration nearly perfect if Kubota could make a PTO shaft model available. (Please?) I would trade this one in immediately.
Ground Speed: We knew going in that this wasn’t the Honda Pioneer 1000 that we also evaluated. We wanted a tank that would last us 20 years at least. One of our service roads is fairly steep downhill leading to a township road. If you miss the turn, there is a 30 foot holler. It would not end well. So in low gear if anything happens where you have to take your foot off, the unit stops. Don’t so this in high gear as it will slow down but keep rolling. When on level ground the effect of letting off in low gear is quite abrupt but high gear let off is a little less gut wrenching. My Wife feels much more secure with the Kubota set up.
Transmission Operation: On most of the township road hills, we slow to no less than 12-13mph. Good, hard, steady climb but definitely slower. I wonder why the transmission can’t kick down enough to keep momentum going up hills. I am sure Kubota tries to leverage the tractor drivetrain but a more responsive transmissions could give you’re a diesel with a 50MPH + top speed. Most of our time is spent in high gear. The only time I am in low is when we travel up that steep service road to a ridge top and any time we're on a long uphill grade.
Question: Does anyone have experience with a coast plug in a 2016 or later X1120?
Our planned accessories include:
Accessory switch box and harnesses
Safety strobes – for rear of unit, helps improve visibility.
Front LED work lights
Read LED work light
Winch Warn 4000 or better
Winch carrier receiver - to move from back to front
Side Racks for pruning equipment
Overall, we are very pleased with our purchase and thanks to the folks on this forum, it was an informed decision with no real surprises. I believe this unit will provide a good 20 years service if we take care of it.
It will primarily be used to support planting and maintenance operations for pawpaw, persimmons, various nut trees and to a lesser degree, apples, pears, peaches and plums.
Thanks again to everyone who helped us.
Tony and Pam
Ohio_PawPaw_Farmer
South Eastern Ohio
RTV-X1120D at 100 Miles
0 commentaires:
Enregistrer un commentaire