RTV900 steep hill advice

Hi everyone,

I took delivery of a new RTV900 a couple of weeks ago (what a great machine!) but have yet to try it on my steepest trail- an old logging trail.  The hill is walkable but a little intimidating on a new machine without much seat time.  The normal advice with tractors is to reverse up anything like this my guess is a50% gradient maybe getting close to 75% in parts (26 degrees to 37 degrees).  Does the same idea hold for the RTV900?  The manual suggests it BUT if you get stuck you now have the added problem of getting out of reverse and into Low.  I do not want to go down that hill in neutral.  Too many trees.  I think if I just put into Low, 4WD and locked the diff it would just motor up without a problem...

Anyone got an opinion or photos of your RTV taking a steep hill?

By the way I have a used Bearcat chipper (73420) on the way that I plan to tow in the woods behind the RTV.  Should be a good setup.

Thanks,

Mark

First, please wear you seat belts while doing the hill thing !!!

  I've climbed steep hills in Mississippi, and I always just put mine in low, and if it's really steep, I will lock in the differential lock, and go just as straight up (& down ) as I can. I've never backed up a hill with the Kubota RTV, never had to !!!!

 And on the way down, keep it in low, and the engine brake will be kicking in and will hold you back as good as one would want to be held ~~~~ It's easy.

 What tires are you going to run on your machine while doing the steep hill thing ?  May I suggest you getting some ITP aggressive tires if you think it's going to be a slick one.

 Have you taken a look at the accessorie list that some members has posted, if not, take a quick look !!!!!

http://compacttractorreview.com/cs/forums/t/2900.aspx

  ~~~~~~ Two Guns ~~~~~~

Thanks for the tips.  I always wear the seatbelt and make passengers use it too- because we don't know when something we don't expect is going to happen.

I got the Worksite tires and so far they seem OK- good traction and no damage to the lawn.  I don't have mud to deal with.  The Essex Surefoots look like they would be great once we get snow.

I got the metal roof and hand throttle and will add a Warn XT40 winch mounted on the outside (as suggested for access).  I didn't bother with the high mount air filter because I have next to no dust and the dealer had not seen any need for it except for at some of the horse farms.  Based on advice here I got my dealer to throw in the 50 hour service (onsite) in return for paying by check (instead of credit card)- a major savings in my area (I was quoted $500 to 550 by a competing dealer same distance away).  I figure I will watch and learn and so I can do it myself later.

  Yes, you can do your service work and save big $$$$$ ~~~~~ And for the best interest of you and your machine,.... use the OEM Kubota filters and go back in your transmission with the Kubota Super UDT fluids !!!! Yes, it is a big plus. Don't cost that much more to go first class, and that oil and filters was designed JUST for the Kubota RTV !!!!

    Another suggestion, contact member Tommy, he makes the best boot savers for the RTV's.... period !!!   You don't want to tear up a CV boot on your machine.....

    If I had one of his boot savers on my Honda Rubicon yesterday, I would have not ripped off one on that machine. But that's another story in another time and place !     GET Some protection for the CV Boots ~~~~ 

    What about your spark arrestor, have you removed it or checked it out yet ?

               ~~~~~~ Two Guns ~~~~~~

WELLCOME TINKER TAYLOR, ANOTHER  FEW THINGS YOU WOULD BENEFIT FROM ARE THE SHOP MANUAL AND PARTS MANUAL. YOU WOULD HAVE PICTURES[ B AND W] AND GOOD DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS DETAILING EVERYTHING TO DO FROM CHANGING FLUIDS TO  MORE INVOLVED STUFF. THEY WILL PAY FOR THEMSELVES QUICKLY. I ORDERED MY SET FROM OUR SITE FOLKS [MESSICKS EQUIPMENT CO. ] THEY HAVE FAIR PRICES ON SHIPPING TOO. I WISH I HAD GOTTEN THE SET SOONER.  BORDERCOLLIE  

 Tinker - watch out for leaves on the ground this time of year when you're coming back down.  They can get bull dozed up under the tires if you have the brakes locked up.  It's like hydroplaning downhill - little to no steering or stopping.  Been there...

Mark,

Congrats on your new RTV!!!

My 2 cents.

I wouldn't back up the hill.  I'd put it in L and go forward.  Actually, I wouldn't put it in 4WD or turn on the differential lock unless/until it's needed.  Also, are you aware of the aux pump in the tranny?

Here's my thoughts/reasoning for this approach.

First, reverse is geared close to M range.  On that kind of hill, you're going to want to be in L.

The aux pump I referred to is a secondary pump in the tranny.  When your engine starts to bog down, let off the gas pedal to about 1/2 way.  What this does is kick on the secondary/aux pump which gives more power to the tranny but cuts down on the speed.  When you back off the pedal, you'll hear the engine RPM's go back up and feel the power but you'll be going a bit slower.

As for 4WD and diff lock, by turning those on, you're asking the engine to power a lot more.  If your conditions are similar to mine (I live in W. PA), I have a lot of hills but since they're not slick, I can climb without the 4WD and diff lock which allows the engine to give its all to the single powered wheel.  Here's a little test for you.  Put a 4x4 behind your back tires (or back up to something of similar size).  Put it in 4WD and try to back up (climb) over the 4x4.  It most likely won't do it.  Now, take it out of 4WD and do the same.  It'll climb right over the 4x4.  Tinker with diff lock with the same test.  Basically, the less the engine and tranny have to turn, the stronger it'll be.

OK, now that you've climbed the hill, it's time to get turned around to come back down.

If you're still on a grade and need to switch gears (i.e. Low to Reverse), the tranny is going to be under pressure and may be difficult to shift.  If it doesn't want to shift, try some of these options.  Since you have the new RTV, there's a hydraulic dump knob on your dash.  If your RTV doesn't want to shift, use that lever to relieve the pressure on the tranny.  For those of us with older machines that don't have that hyd dump release, the best technique is to apply the emergency brake, wait a couple seconds then shift.  By using the emergency brake, the tranny pressure has been replaced with the mechanical braking and the pressure goes away.  If all else fails, apply the emer brake then shut the RTV off and it should shift.  I avoid that as much as possible because if it doesn't come out of gear, you're screwed since you can't start the RTV in gear.

You're now heading down the hill.  Again, don't back down but drive down in L range. Turn on 4WD (and maybe diff lock) while coming down.  The engine braking will really hold the machine back but by having it in 4WD, the braking is applied to 3 tires.  If in 2WD and no diff lock, the braking is only applied to 1 rear tire.  If that one gets on something loose, the tire will still be braked by the engine but may be sliding down the hill.

Thanks bczoom.  Though this group I became aware early about the aux pump in the tranny.  Interesting that it has a harder time moving over obstacles like a 4x4 in 4WD with diff lock than in in 2WD.  I will have to try this out.

As regards climbing, there are three separate issues: power, traction and stability.  Based on what I had read and a test drive on a good hill (but not as steep as mine) near the dealer I have no doubt about power or traction.  I just got worried about the limit to stability after reading enough about tractor accidents and the RTV Owner manual referring to the possibility of "upset" climbing steep terrain  (upset must refer to the owner after the "event").  Seems like the Kubota lawyers are cautious types and we will run out of traction or power before stability (as long as pointed straight up or down and we don't drive in a rut on one side and over a rise on the other).

Being forced to stop and switch gears on a steep slope is a problem best avoided-  I have already seen how hard it can be to shift if the tranny is loaded up on a slope.  I have not found the hydraulic pressure release to be much use- thanks for the point about being screwed if I turn it off in gear.  Waiting (in idle) and trying again seemed to work- what choice was there anyway?

Due to the RTV's low center-of-gravity, I find it to be much more stable than my tractor on the hills.  Now, when I'm carrying a full box of firewood and get on a side slope, there is a pucker factor but I've never had it actually tip.

Where in NY are you?  I lived in W. NY for 20 years or so.

I regulaly go up and down some steep hills. I always lock in 4 wd on the way down and use diff-lock on the way up as the last 80 ft is very steep and covered with loose rock. the fellas doing the gas line along side of my powerline found out quick this spring. first guy left and never came back after going for a short ride at the top of hill. my only problem is keeping the front wheels down on the ground to help dig. I have thought about a front rack to keep some weight on the front.I love the ability to crawl down using engine braking only. If I use the brakes I end up sliding so I just use engine braking.

bc, I am just outside the South East corner of Catskill State Park and sadly, truth be told, in NYC most of the week, most weeks.

Got to say that one day I am going to build a copy of your dump bed- it's the best one I have seen for hauling rough stuff like stones to build some walls.  For now the plastic OEM is OK for moving firewood and lighter stuff.

Tinker Taylor:

Got to say that one day I am going to build a copy of your dump bed- it's the best one I have seen for hauling rough stuff like stones to build some walls.  For now the plastic OEM is OK for moving firewood and lighter stuff.

Mine isn't the prettiest thing in the world (as it's not as nice as the metal box) but it does work well.  I don't even flinch throwing things in there.  It's taken a lot of abuse.  There's been several times I threw things in there or did other things that I don't believe an OEM bed (with or without a plastic liner or coating) would have liked.

The hill ended up being no problem at all.  It feels much steeper than it looks in the photo, but the trees give some idea.  Hills are very hard to read in photos- someone on the site said that they never look as steep as they look in person and they are right.  4WD and diff lock was needed on the way up to stop wheel spin.  It had no problem moving off from a dead stop at any point on the slope- just pulled slowly and steadily.  Gear shifting is getting easier for me- waiting a few moments helps.  Getting it out of diff lock (I locked the diff lock lever with the pull handle) was a headache as I did not read what it says in the manual till later.  RTM  -  Read The Manual.