pics of ya'll monster tricked out rtv's or any utv .

please give us an update because i would like to install a set on my rhino.

I will post an update, with a few more pictures and my thoughts, after I put a few hours on the shocks.

Captain's 05 RTV900

Mine are listed. Captain

Here is your update, Peanut. The air struts are build like a tank. The stock front struts are built light. The air struts are solid aluminum. The rear air shocks are built just as heavy.

The kit had more than enough air tubing supplied, however, the electrical side didn't have enough wire to suit my need. The instructions had the air pressure gauges and air pressure switches mounted on the dash. Being 6' 3'', my knees were touch the dash already and didn't need anything else to bump into, so I mounted the gauges and switches underneath the seat. The air compressor mounted on the right front fender beneath the hood. It was an easy install.

Ride quality is much smoother, I haven't found the best ride pressure yet. The front struts require 120 psi to keep the stock geometry in front. The rear doesn't need much air when empty because of the leaf springs.

Haven't had any weight on it yet, other than me standing and bouncing on the front end. The machine doesn't bounce like it did with the stock struts. It should work great with a snow plow hanging off of the front.

thanks man thats a very good review. you have me wanting to put them on my rhino.infact that will be the next thing i put on them, by the way what brand and how much was everything. i nned a smoother ride the rhino has a really good soth ride but anything is better if it improves the tailboane area.

Here is a link for Legend Air Suspensions...

http://www.legendsuspensions.com/

Bumping this thread.

Air struts/shock suspension for the RTV. Here is an updated review on the system with some pictures that haven’t been posted.

I have had the air suspension for a couple of years now on my 1100. You can adjust the suspension air pressure to change the ride quality based upon the load being carried. It is quite expensive setup, but it makes the RTV ride like your sitting on an air seat.

The only thing that had caused a problem with the air system was a lock washer on the front struts did not have enough tinsel strength. The strut assembly came out of mounting location and broke the air fitting. I replaced both of the lock washers, on each front strut with a heavier tinsel strength lock washer. I had to order two new air fittings from the manufacture (one for a spare part). I made the mistake of ordering of their website and they sent the wrong fittings. I called them up and they sent me the correct fittings at no charge and got to keep the wrong ones. The wrong ones will work on the rear shocks, if I ever need to replace them. They are good people to work with.

The installation of the air shock system was straightforward. The air compressor is mounted underneath the hood on top of the passenger side wheel well. I adjusted the stock locations for the air gauges and pressure switches. I moved those from the recommend dash area to below the seat, which required more electrical wire than the manufacture supplied. They do supply ample amount of airline for the relocation under the seat. The relocation keeps a tall person from hitting the metal frame of the gauges with the area below the kneecaps. The gauge location beneath the seat is safe from being kicked with my feet. The only downside with the location of the gauges is it is a bit hard to see the air pressure on the gauges when it is dark.

Here are a few of mine. I have 4 total, all with around 2500 hrs - got them new in Apr, May & Jun 2012. Getting 2 more soon.

Additions: Factory hard top, glass windshield with wiper, soft doors, inside mirror, brush guard, custom mirrors on brush guard, 215/60/15 tires on 15x7" Cragar "Soft 8" wheels, trailer hitch, trailer brake, PA system, cab fan for driver, phone charger, wired for 2 different trailer connectors, + speakers & passenger lights on trailer. Oh yeah, and bright blue paint...

I'm Transportation Supervisor at IMG Academy, a 650-acre private school/sports resort/country club/athlete training facility.

The trams run from dorms to main campus thru sports fields, more dorms and back. The route is 1.8 miles in ~7 minutes, then wait ~3 minutes for more passengers and go again. Depending on need, we have from two to five trams running at all times. We start at 5:30AM and run til 10:30PM, 365 days per year.

RTV900s ROCK!!!!!

kevin

Very impressive vfr! Would love to hear about any failings that this type of usage causes on the RTV.
It's like a controlled endurance test.
And I assume you ride a V4 Honda as well?

Here are the problems you can expect, beating on RTVs like I do: You'll buy lots of fuel, oil, Super UDT and filters. And some tires.

Yup. That's it. Well, not quite "it". I have had one oil cooler hose leak and one temp gauge go bad. And a wiper fell off. That's really all.

I follow the service intervals in the factory manual, except only one unit has had the valve adjustment checked. When the warranty runs out, I may do oil analysis and stretch my intervals out.

Fuel consumption is a little more than 1/2 gal per hour.

Tire life is a tough question because at first I had HD front springs that I shouldn't have gotten, so my front tires wore badly on the outside. I suspect I could have gone 1500+ hrs on the HDWS if it wasn't for the springs. Hoping to get 8-12 months on the street tires. That'll be around 40,000 miles.

The throttle pedal stops are adjusted to limit speeds to ~12mph and we run in "M" range.

I simply can not say enough good things about these little rigs. They're miraculous.


My other vehicles include 17 Ford trucks & vans, 5 school busses, a charter bus, an Escalade, a Town & Country minivan, several Turf Gators and Club Car XRT950s and about 50 golf carts.

I'll PM you about motorcycles...

That's some serious workout! The fuel usage seems like a lot. Last I checked, I was getting over 2 hours per gallon but I'm not hauling a wagon all day either. With the 12 MPH limiter you've put in place, does the engine get ample RPM's so it's not bogging down?

VFR:

Glad to see you sharing pics of your RTV on the Forum. Gives the rest of us a no question look at your application. Really nice setup you are using there. Good tire/wheel combo. See you arent in a location where snow/ice is a concern. LOL Pirates Training Camp nearby?

Zoom-- If I'm doing my math right, my "a little more than 1/2 gal per hour" and your "over 2 hours per gallon" aren't too far different. I'm only estimating, since I don't track the actual running hours per day per unit and the exact gallons used. (Well, the info is there but not all in the same place and I don't look at it - bigger fish to fry) We fill up every night, but if we miss a fill-up we can get close to noon the next day before fuel levels get critical.

I wish I had tachometers, and an ideal speed limiter would allow more throttle opening for acceleration but govern the top speed, rather than just blocking the throttle, but they don't seem to struggle or lug at all, they just take off more gently than if you had full throttle range.

Keifer-- Hey, I loved you in "Flatliners!" Yup, Pirates are right down the road. No snow here, the last pic I posted above, with the guy driving, was taken yesterday....

Tires are Sumitomo HTR4. They seemed a little sporty for long life, but they're doing real well so far. My tire guy and my Kubota dealer have followed my tire change with interest, as they have several customers who could benefit from my experience.

If any Kubota fans are ever in this part of FL, I'll be glad to take you for a ride on my trams.

later
kevin

vfr700f2 said:

If any Kubota fans are ever in this part of FL, I'll be glad to take you for a ride on my trams.

Click to expand...

I may take you up on that. Mrs. Zoom has been asking about going to FL for a week or 2 this spring. I've "been there, done that" so many times (75 week long trips for work and about 25 more week long vacation trips) that I kind of cringe at the thought so I may be looking for other things to do while the Mrs. and the kids do their thing.

vfr700f2,

Where did you find those doors?

Cliff

Cliff-- Those are factory soft doors.

kevin

Kevin,

Kubota doors?? I have wore google out looking. Sorry to be a pain.

Cliff

If you visit http://www.kubota.com/part/partsList.aspx

select the part number tab and search for 70000-01099 (which is a replacement door skin I had to buy)

you will get a diagram for the door kit V4212A

I haven't found a more straightforward way to find it...

later
kevin