Just as virtually every machinery company has jumped on the UTV bandwagon, Kubota charges out ahead with an innovative new concept that carries more people OR more cargo, depending on your immediate needs. The all-new RTV1140CPX features a transformation system that quickly converts from one- to two-row seating, which allows the operator to choose between passenger capacity and best-in-class cargo volume – and there is no compromise in safety since the system is mounted on an OSHA-compliant roll-over protection structure (ROPS).

 “The RTV1140CPX provides exceptional comfort and safety accommodating four adults, as well as unmatched cargo configurations, capacity and convenience,” says Dan Muramoto, product manager for Kubota.  “The RTV1140CPX has exceptionally broad appeal, from ranchers and farmers to property owners, facility managers and outdoorsmen; this new utility vehicle is a unique solution for a wide variety of applications.”

The RTV1140CPX 4-wheel drive utility vehicle is powered by a fuel-miserly 24.8 horsepower, three-cylinder Kubota diesel engine and features 4-wheel wet disc brakes and hydraulic power steering. The transforming UTV also features Kubota’s new triple-range, hydrostatic VHT Plus transmission that delivers power and torque for any situation, easy speed and direction changes and smooth dynamic braking. Maximum cargo load is 1,102 lbs., with a towing capacity of 1,300 lbs. The new utility vehicle is offered in Kubota Orange and Realtree^® Hardwoods Camouflage models. Look for the RTV1140CPX at a Kubota dealer near you.

If you are looking for something special in an ATV or UTV this spring, you need look no further than your local Polaris dealer. The company released several limited edition Sportsman ATVs and Ranger UTV machines that will make your work seem more like play and your play more fun.

The Sportsman line of ATVs will now include three limited edition models, including one that is really tricked out for farm and ranch. The limited edition 2009 Sportsman 850 EPS LE comes with a Tequila Gold paintjob that’s sure please, but the package is much more than cosmetic. This new work machine comes with electronic power steering, an extreme front bumper PIAA lights, rear work lights, rear rack extender, winch, front storage box and much more. This 4-wheeler would make an excellent partner for riding fences, hunting, checking cattle and general utility work around your place. Hose it off at the end of the workday and you can head on into town … or at least to your local recreational trail and do some pleasure riding.  Other limited addition models are based on the Sportsman 800 Touring and Sportsman 500 H.O. chasses.

Among its Ranger and Ranger RZR UTV offerings, Polaris is adding seven limited edition models. I am most intrigued by the , which includes Stealth Black painted hood, dash and glove box, custom cut & sew Browning seats with buck trademark, factory-installed 4,000 lb. Warn winch, dual lock and ride rifle scabbards and 12-inch Crusher rims with PXT tires among many other hard-working features. This machine is set up for hard work, back-country exploration and agressive play.  

In the RZR lineup, the limited edition models that really grab my attention are the 2009 RANGER RZR and RANGER RZR 170-Passion Pink & Pink Power. I am not sure just who would want a pink-colored Ranger RZR, but it is a boldly colorful move by Polaris. Additional features on the RANGER RZR limited edition model include: Passion Pink painted hood, dash and box panels, custom cut & sew stitched pink and charcoal carbon deluxe seats, white painted front and rear suspension springs, 12-inch Black Crusher Rims with Maxxis tires and much more.

Designed to look just like the RANGER RZR, the RANGER RZR 170 comes with several standard safety features including safety whip flag, two helmets and side nets. The recommended minimum age to operate the RANGER RZR 170 is 12 years. Additional features on the RANGER RZR 170 limited edition model include: pink Power bodywork, limited-edition graphics, special Pink Power upholstery, and silver painted wheels.

Check out all of these Polaris limited edition vehicles here.

Bobcat recently announced its Great Bobcat Tractor Pull Contest with a grand prize that includes a nicely outfitted compact tractor with implement package. All you need to do is visit the contest’s website and describe how a Bobcat compact tractor would pull you to new levels of productivity at your place.

 According to the contest rules, beginning March 6 (last Friday) Bobcat will pull five winners weekly through August and feature their entries online. Entries will be judged on creativity, quality, completeness and originality. From these weekly winners, 10 monthly winners will be chosen and will pull in the limited edition copy of Bobcat: Fifty Years of Opportunity, written by Marty Padgett. This is a wonderful book ... yes, I read it cover to cover.

All weekly and monthly winners qualify for the grand prize, a new Bobcat CT230 compact tractor and implements package. The second-prize winner will be awarded a new Bobcat 2200 utility vehicle. Ten third-place winners will pull on a Bobcat jacket.

The first 500 entrants will receive a gift from Bobcat. The final day to submit an entry is August 31, 2009. This contest is limited to residents of the continental United States and Canada. For a complete list of rules and an entry form, visit www.bobcat.com/tractorpull.

Here's your chance to put your creative juices to work. Good luck.

Two of my favorite companies, Bobcat and Polaris recently announced a long-term strategic alliance that will include co-development of work vehicles, global distribution of highly differentiated work vehicles and technology sharing. The first products resulting from this alliance should launch by the second half of 2010. I can’t wait to see what they come up with.

“We are thrilled about the long-term implications of this alliance,” sas Richard Goldsbury, president, Bobcat Americas. “Bobcat’s and Polaris’ long traditions of innovation, product passion and similar cultures complement each other very well.”

Scott Wine, Polaris Industries CEO, says Polaris initially will produce and sell highly differentiated work vehicles to Bobcat for sale through the Bobcat dealer network. The breadth and depth of cooperative efforts will eventually include co-developed vehicles for both Polaris and Bobcat as well as other technology sharing efforts.

“We are combining the strengths of the number-one compact construction equipment manufacturer with those of the number-one off-road vehicle manufacturer to deliver innovative product solutions for our customers,” Goldsbury says. “This alliance will enable both companies to extend our customer bases and provide profitable growth.”

Stay tuned as this cooperative effort unfolds.

We’ve done virtually all the rough country mowing at the farm the past two seasons with DR’s 44-inch cut, 17-horsepower, electric start, tow-behind Field and Brush Mower. DR Power recommends pulling the mower with an ATV or garden tractor. We have used both of those motivators and a couple of different UTVs with good success. The danger with using the UTV is that the mower controls aren’t as close at hand as is optimal. The DR tow-behind Field and Brush Mower has performed exceptionally well, considering the abuse it’s experienced.

I will admit to being a mite skeptical to the concept of such a scaled-down mower for rough-country cutting. Until we got this mower, we handled all the rotary cutting with a Bush Hog Squeeler mounted on the 36-hp Kubota’s 3-point hitch. Some of our country is really rough … strewn with chunks of limestone no less … so operating the tractor in our roughest pastures isn’t very comfortable. With their long suspension travel and cushy seats, the ATVs and UTVs eat those bumps for breakfast and come back looking for more.

Behind the Polaris Ranger Sportsman 500 ATV, the DR tow-behind Field and Brush Mower was a dream to operate. I first used the mower to cut some hiking trails around the farm. I was able to make the paths at about 11 miles per hour. The ATV was surefooted and comfortable at that speed, and the Kohler twin-cylinder engine had no trouble spinning the Field and Brush Mower’s blade … except in the thickest and tallest grass in moist lows. In those areas, I had to slow the mowing to about 5 miles per hour. The Polaris/DR Field and Brush Mower combination was also invaluable for cutting the acres of fire break around the CRP, in preparation for the controlled burn we accomplished last spring.

Since I don’t have much luck controlling musk thistles with herbicides, and I don’t really like spraying the stuff, this year I went after the herbaceous pests with the tow-behind Field and Brush Mower. This time, I used the Cub Cadet Volunteer UTV to pull the mower. The mowing was pretty light-duty for the Cub Cadet, but it was surely comfortable mowing. I got so carried away with shredding thistles that I eventually mowed about 20 acres with that combination. Again, the Field and Brush Mower performed flawlessly. Somewhere along the line, the entire front projectile guard on the mower got torn off. It is made of a flexible rubber-like material, and I suspect that some thorny Osage Orange seedlings just grabbed hold of it as I was mowing them down. I think this piece should be replaced with something like chain mail … or it should be available as an option. I didn’t feel worried that the piece was missing when using the UTV, but with the ATV or garden tractor, it would have been potentially dangerous.

This fall, Kate and I cleaned up the fire breaks and paths and mowed a bunch of cedar saplings with the DR Field and Brush Mower behind the Polaris Ranger 700 EFI XP. The Polaris is a dream machine when it comes to mowing … and since it has a speedometer, I was able to document that mowing at 10 miles per hour was easy to do. The Field and Brush Mower is a monster when it comes to chewing up small trees and brush. The 17-horsepower version is rated to shred saplings up to 2 inches in diameter. I know ours has tasted a few trees that were larger. On our last outing, I noticed a couple of bolts that attach the motor housing to the deck had worked loose and fallen out. The machine’s manual indicates that you should check and tighten all nuts and bolts periodically. Considering that the mower has around 60 acres of bouncing around and almost 40 engine hours on it, I am not surprised that some things came loose. I have done no checking or maintenance on the machine other than changing the engine oil.

I continue to be impressed with the quality and utility of the DR tow-behind Field and Brush Mower. Truth be told, the Kubota-mounted rotary cutter never got used this year. I am not ready to sell the Bush Hog Squealer just yet, but it certainly isn’t going to get the hours going forward as it used to in the past.

We’ve been fortunate to have a 2009 Polaris Ranger XP at the farm for the past few months. The machine has come in handy pulling the DR Field and Brush Mower and Polar and Agri-Fab trailers on various pasture maintenance and wood harvesting adventures. As a motivator, the Polaris Ranger XP is powerful, comfortable and more than able. But it is so much more than that.

The Polaris Ranger XP has become my favorite tool for fencing. The ample cargo bed handles 6-foot T-posts and all manner of step-in poly posts with ease. There’s plenty of room for buckets of tools, spools of wire and post drivers, and the machine makes an excellent anchor platform for pulling wire tight. What strikes me most about the 2009 Polaris Ranger XP is that it starts right up, every time, and is ready to go more or less instantly. No more manual choking and coaxing a cool engine to life, only to move 100 yards down the line. I credit the machine’s fuel-injected 700 cc engine and electronic management system for that.

With its bench seat, the Polaris Ranger XP has plenty of room for a helper and a couple of dogs. We have successfully un-spooled miles of wire with me tending the jenny and Kate at the wheel. The Polaris Ranger is much easier to fence with than a pickup truck or tractor. It is more nimble than either, has sufficient cargo capacity and is easier to get into and out of. When I was a youngster, ease of ingress and egress wasn’t much on my mind, but today, several decades later, it is a serious concern. The Polaris also offers a comfortable ride, and plenty of get up and go when you need to run a couple of miles back to the barn for another box of staples.

I am sure we have only begun to tap into the utility and fun that the Polaris XP utility vehicle can provide. Stay tuned for updates.