Add turbo to RTV1100 or go with new Ranger?

nope not me i be puttin all my time into my rhino getting it ready for mud season. done snorkeled it out and installed a mudders clutch kit . now when i step on the gas the rear end tries to come around and race with the front end. top speed went from 41 to 40mph but with the extra power i can climb and dig my way through the thickest stuff.

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Been talking about this since '04 when I bought mine now it really is the same difference between flying a recip vs a turbine, several have already told you how to maximize the power curve in this machine so I won't repeat it except to say if you can't master that simple technique sell it, give it away or something else cause you won't ever be happy! Get something that you can stick your foot in for that instant gratification you apparently need!

Fact: I have never been stuck, run out of power no matter the load or surface or encountered a slope I couldn't get to the top of and just as important as getting up is getting down and NO OTHER machine can control the decent like the kubota does!
Case in point my brother bought one like mine based on my recommendation needless to say he pissed and moaned like some do until I could teach him how to drive it and that solved his problem (Uses it to haul sap, wood and etc) he decided to get in addition to the RTV900 a BobCat (Kubota look-a-like) it damned near killed him coming down the mountain with a load of sap, now the wife uses it on the flatland!

Is it a jack rabbit race machine? NO, it's a work machine and work it does!!
 
Archdean said:
Been talking about this since '04 when I bought mine now it really is the same difference between flying a recip vs a turbine, several have already told you how to maximize the power curve in this machine so I won't repeat it except to say if you can't master that simple technique sell it, give it away or something else cause you won't ever be happy! Get something that you can stick your foot in for that instant gratification you apparently need!

Fact: I have never been stuck, run out of power no matter the load or surface or encountered a slope I couldn't get to the top of and just as important as getting up is getting down and NO OTHER machine can control the decent like the kubota does!
Case in point my brother bought one like mine based on my recommendation needless to say he pissed and moaned like some do until I could teach him how to drive it and that solved his problem (Uses it to haul sap, wood and etc) he decided to get in addition to the RTV900 a BobCat (Kubota look-a-like) it damned near killed him coming down the mountain with a load of sap, now the wife uses it on the flatland!

Is it a jack rabbit race machine? NO, it's a work machine and work it does!!
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If you're implying that I just need to learn to drive an RTV, I'll politely tell you that you have no idea what you're talking about. I've had an RTV probably longer than anyone here and I've had more factory reps out using my machine to try to work out the early bugs than probably any other machine. With aggressive tires on an RTV900, I assure you that you'll run out of power on steep hills (some don't understand what I call steep) and in heavy thick mud. No question, no doubt, no debate; period, end of subject. Telling me that my RTV won't climb really steep hills is my fault is like telling a ship captain that his ship being sunk by a torpedo is his fault and if he knew how to drive it, it wouldn't have sunk.

I've now installed 4 turbos in RTV900's for friends and put a turbo on my RTV1100. Even set at a "mid" setting, it has all the power I need. And, yes, it will spin the rear tires taking off on pavement as a matter of fact.

FWIW, back in mid '04 I'd already had factory reps out working on the powertrain adjustments on my 900. I took notes and quickly learned where the governor screw for fuel was located, how to adjust in the proper direction, the inch lbs. to use on the jam nut, how to adjust the full load governor that's completely different and located near the injection pump, the specific adjustments Kubota made to compensate for altitude as well as power, how you'd get lots of black smoke if you shorten the screw length too much, how to adjust the assist motor servo spring (the secret 2nd pump) and have it give all power available and also how to adjust all linkage. Again, for the terrain I'm talking about, with aggressive tires, the RTV just flat didn't have enough power for what I was trying to do.
 
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"Dargo, If you're implying that I just need to learn to drive an RTV, I'll politely tell you that you have no idea what you're talking about. "

No I am not implying anything of the sort but I am saying that not all owners of the RTV feel it important to " spin the rear tires taking off on pavement as a matter of fact. " most of us bought the Kuboto RTV because it is a high quality dependable work machine and with a bit of understanding of how the machine was designed to function it performs well beyond expectations. To disparage the product because it did not perform as you wanted without adding a turbo and many more dollars to modify the machine to perform beyond for which it was designed says you either didn't do your homework or you should of bought something else in the first place! To repeat my above statement, Is it a jack rabbit race machine? NO, it's a work machine and work it does!!
 
seen alot of po-po's broken down but hardly ever see a rtv brokedown on the trails. dargo can give good advice on the rtv he's had one sinse they came out if you want something that will work and do some simple trail riding go with a rtv or hpx/xuv they will serve the purpose really well. as for the turbo well it's all up to you but if i had the rtv and the money i think i would add it .why not?? with that hand throttle thing they sell for the rtv's and the way a tirbo only makes power after a certain rpm range is hit i think it would be a great power achiever.like my dodge truck with the cummins in it it has a good takeoff power but it really doesn't open your eyes until that turbo kicks in and then you notice that umph!! you can't beat the rtv trans for a hard workin machine it's really a bullet proof setup if you keep and maintain it like it should .
 
Archdean said:
To disparage the product because it did not perform as you wanted without adding a turbo and many more dollars to modify the machine to perform beyond for which it was designed says you either didn't do your homework or you should of bought something else in the first place! To repeat my above statement, Is it a jack rabbit race machine? NO, it's a work machine and work it does!!
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How many side by side units have you owned in the last 15 years? Again, I really don't intend to be rude, but to tell me that I failed to do my homework, it comes across as arrogant; especially when you clearly do not know me. Besides, let's do YOUR math. Buy an RTV for work then buy another side by side to have a bit of fun on the trails. Net price between 20k and 30k depending on what you get. You then have two units to care for and store. My deal; I have everything I want in one machine that I seriously doubt I'll wear out in my ownership. Added cost over the cost of one machine, about $1500 bucks. I did do my homework. I think you missed on yours. :tiphat:

Peanut knows that I'll call it like I see it. If I made a mistake by buying something, I'll call it that way. If I really like what I bought, I'll call it that way as well. I've taken so many people out on either my RTV or theirs, their choice, and proven that they will not climb some steep hills that a Rhino or Polaris easily climb as they come from the factory. On my property, that doesn't cut the mustard. I want factory A/C and no bugs. I need a durable unit that can handle heavy loads. I must have a unit that can get in and out of the remote areas of my property. Now I have all the above in one machine. I fail to see your problem. I can't keep up with a Rhino on the trail, but I can pretty well get to most places eventually now while I'm carrying my load riding in A/C comfort with no bugs. Get to know me a bit before you judge me or try to slam me. At first Peanut and I butted heads a bit but after I listened to his situation and ideas and he listened to mine, I have nothing but :respect: for him.

No biggie. I'm thrilled with my ride now. If Kubota never intended for it to have a turbo, why are there plugged off oil outlets in the block for sending oil to and receiving oil from a turbo?? If you don't think the RTV transmission can't take the bit more power I'm putting out, you haven't looked into them very well. I'm not close to pushing them to their limit. There are modifications you can make to over-speed certain hydro components to get more top end speed from an RTV, but I have no interest in more speed. The suspension isn't there for more speed and you then do run the risk of tearing up the transmission. Cool? :cool:
 
I have only owned my RTV since 2004 and like most other people am extreamely pleased with every aspect of the machine as it fills my needs as it was intended to do!

You are obviously not the normal owner and if you reread my post I'm sure that point was abuntly clear. I have no interest in sparing any further about the subject and the machine is what it is and if you made it better for your needs congratulations.

PS I used to work for a large Kubota dealer and at one time was very involved in promoting the product for the dealer needless to say some people insisted on having it do something that it was not designed to do and a very few found forums to denigrate the product with an endless stream of complaints yada yada yada. I have since moved on and my advice to all that ask me is you like it buy it if you don't do all the rest of us a favor and buy something else!
 
Archdean said:
... if you don't do all the rest of us a favor and buy something else!
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Wow, you must absolutely despise Kubota! Without feedback from owners the RTV would be MIA with stuck gear shift levers and defective front drive shafts. Without feedback from owners a product is destined for failure and will be doomed. You'll find on any forum that arrogant and disrespectful responses will almost always be met with the same. Good day. :wave:
 
I again will tell everyone that my 900 will climb any mountain that I WANT to climb here in Idaho and believe me, some of them make me pucker up. Also, as I have said before, a pipeline contractor used 2 900's for over a year up some very steep mountains and they never complained. The only thing they added was the snorkel air cleaner and the operators used the hand throttle to keep the rpm's up. Oh yeah, there was some modifications on the mufflers I understand.

If you are looking to run at 50 mph on trails then please stay away from Garden Valley, Idaho, we don't want you here.

Pap
 
Dargo,
I would be interested in knowing "how to adjust the assist motor servo spring (the secret 2nd pump)" as you mentioned in one of the replies above.

I have a RTV1100 2009 with 26x12x12 ag tires from the BX series and no other alterations other than a winch install and curtis plow install. Has 40+hrs.

Testing going up a short but steep hill, I stop half way and then try to proceed, always in low gear. Did this many times and have backed off the servo screw until about 20mm of free thread from the lock nut out are now showing.

I test in 2wd, but it usually starts spinning and being so steep I can't continue testing. In 4wd it will go no matter how wet or slippery. In 4wd/diff lock it also goes with not slipping at all. Plow is not on while testing.

Was going to try testing by hooking to a tree and seeing how many tires it will spin.

It has improved quite a lot, but I don't know if I should continue or stop. What signs should one look for as indicators of reaching the limits.

Brian
 
I don't have my cheat sheets here in front of me, so I'll have to wait until I have them until I give any advice. The torque the 1100 has allowed me to climb steeper hills than the RTV900 ever would when it was just plain stock. Still, I had some steep hills it would climb no matter what you did; similar to what I experienced with the RTV900. I just never added the turbo to the 900. As you may have noticed, those who claim their RTV will climb "any" hill don't know what a real hill is! With good tires at least the RTV1100 would slowly spin them in low range, but waaaay too slow to be able to make it up the hill. As they say, all is well in kiddy land now. :cool:

I'll find my notes and post some ideas, but I'm not sure how accurate they will be on a non-turbo 1100 vs. one with a turbo.
 
it seems that if the rtv could flow more fluid faster it would have more power and a speed increase. with havin to back off the pedal to get more power it sounds like the hydraulic pump is to small and is cavatating at high speeds now if i'm right i think you can buy a high volume hydraulic pump and mount it externally to the rtv engine . i'm sure you might have to fab up some parts or brackets but i think it would do wonders on the power of the rtv to have a pump that flow twice as much oil as the stock one.
 
Funny you should happen to mention this line:

" it sounds like the hydraulic pump is to small and is cavatating at high speeds "

I was told by a friend that some have tried removing the suction filter all together and replacing it with part # 66591-36224. I'm talking about the filter at the rear that faces out back and protected by the filter/muffler bumper shield just above the trailer hitch.

Now what is supposed to happen is the flow rate is better and your machine will gain some power.

This filter bolt is probably the same one used on the ZT mowers. If you look at that engine it does not have a suction filter like the RTV's but rather this strainer.

Another point. Just saw a 2010 RTV1100 at our local dealer and it has a BLUE filter for the suction filter.

Could it be this new filter flows more fluid thus the reason for the change.

I have the bolt/screen part mentioned above and am waiting to get 50 hrs on my RTV1100 2009 before trying the change.

But I may try the new BLUE filter first.

Interesting stuff eh!
 

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we might be on to something here. i bet a bigger pump would make that rtv fly. keep us posted on that new filter. by the way has anyone ever tried to maybe run thier rtv without a filter for a minute or two just to see if it would speed up or give better performance?
 
Well I finally tried the no external filter by using the filter screen bolt. It was time for an oil change (50hr) so perfect time.

No difference that I can tell.

My suggestion, waste of time and money.

I'll switch back to the filter setup at 100 hrs.

Pic shows the external filter setup bolt. Screen bolt is in prev. thread.

Next step, install my turbo.
 

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And just for reference this is what it looks like together with filter and bolt.

Reason Kubota went this route: people were being lazy and not cleaning the screen-bolt setup, so they replaced it with this as the suction filtering mechanism so it would be changed more often and not forgotten about.

This problem occurred on older machines, not necessarily rtv's and us RTV owners are not that lazy.

Cool eh!
 

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Hill Climbing with RTV900

Interesting thread. Only a few things to add that might be helpful/interesting.

Before buying my 2008 RTV900 I had a 2007 Arctic Cat Prowler. There is no question but that the Prowler was the 'fun' machine of the two. It was lighter, had more ground clearance, and would go near 60mph stock. And I did have some fun. I went through mud and across some streams that I would not attempt with the RTV. Not that the RTV would not make it--it might. But getting the 'bota unstuck would be a much more challenging enterprise in the contexts where I was playing ('playing' being the operative word here).

However, when it came to work, the Prowler was not up the task. My main frustration was with the CV belt transmission. Trying to plow my 2kms of driveway did a job on the belts and I was always worried about what I was going to break, even being careful. Long story cut short, I cut my losses, selling the Prowler and buying the RTV. I have not looked back.

With respect to hill climbing, all I can say is that last autumn when moose hunting I climbed grades with the RTV that I could (literally) barely walk up, following some old cat trails from mining exploration. My friend with his Kawasaki Mule could not make it up the same hills. He needed to depend on speed and high rpms which left him spinning tires and etc. The RTV in low just torqued her way up--tires slipping a bit every now and again, but even able to start again from a dead stop mid-grade. Moreover, the hydrostatic drive was a god-send both ascending and descending, not needing to depend upon heavy braking.

It was not muddy, so traction was as good as it could be. I could imagine hill climbing in mud in which the Mule, with a running start (or the Prowler or a Ranger or a Rhino) would leave my RTV spinning tires uselessly.

I have no idea what difference turbo-charging would make, but cannot imagine speed alone turning an RTV from a slow and steady work horse to the kind of fun machine being thought about. Even if my RTV could hit 60mph in 6 seconds, I still would not be taking it in the mud and water that I unhesitatingly would take the Prowler. My 2 cents...
 
Onfoot,

Your right about the belts, traction, and shear stoutness of the RTV line. It's a utv built by tractor guys and I think that explains why it will be so durable for many many years.

I will install the turbo for the increase in HP not MPH. Transmission limits the MPH and that would be too expensive to change. 50 hp will not make an RTV go any faster, just get to that MAX speed quicker. Mine tops out at 26-29mph. And that is plenty fast for a suspension system with 2 or 3" of travel. RTV's are work horses not recreational machines. That statement will start a whole new conversation but it is closer to the truth than most other comparisons in the side by side market.

Anyway, my reason for the turbo is mainly that while plowing in 4wd, which is really only 2, one front and one back, getting stuck and not being able to spin the tires even after hrs of adjusting cables, neutral and the servo, is just too frustrating. And I've been stuck more than once in this situation and due to it's size and weight have had to get another vehicle to give the slight pull required to get moving and out it comes. The only way I could get a wheel to spin was in 2wd and then it does nothing because it's not enough to get you out.

And we all know that the 11's are underpowered for something that weighs 2,500lbs+ what ever added equipment you have installed. So a mild turbo at say 30hp would be just fine and hopefully this winter season will be more fun than frustration.
 
Look forward to hearing how it works out for you, SpudHauler. I haven't experienced any of the difficulties you describe, but appreciate where you are coming from. Good luck!
 
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