<p>Earlier this year, <a title=”Kubota” href=”http://www.kubota.com/” target=”_blank”>Kubota</a> released the RTV500 utility vehicle as the company’s first gasoline-engine powered UTV. Kubota is known in North America for its fine line of diesel power plants, but the company has built similarly rugged liquid-cooled gasoline engines for many years.</p>
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<p>The RTV500 is designed around a compact chassis that makes the nimble new machine able to fit into a full-sized pickup truck’s 8-foot long bed. It weighs in at nearly 1,300 pounds and can tow 1,100 pounds safely and with ease, thanks to its new variable speed hydrostatic transmission (VHT). This new UTV offers no big surprises when it comes to the innovation and quality we have come to expect from Kubota, but the engine opens up a whole new world of possibilities.</p>
<p>The Kubota RTV500 is powered with the company’s GZ460FE3UV two-cylinder liquid-cooled, electronically fuel-injected engine, which makes cold weather starting a no-brainer, creates enhanced power and eliminates the need for a carburetor … and all the associated maintenance issues. The VHT drive eliminates any need to adjust belts and offers engine braking sufficient to make any descent smooth and safe.</p>
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<a href=”http://www.grit.com/biographies/oscar-h-will” target=_self>Hank Will</a>
<em> raises hair sheep, heritage cattle and many varieties of open-pollinated corn with his wife, Karen, on their rural Osage County, Kansas farm. His home life is a perfect complement to his professional life as editor in chief at GRIT and Capper’s Farmer magazines. Connect with him on </em>
<a title=Google+ href=”https://plus.google.com/u/0/117459637128204205101/posts” target=_blank rel=author>Google+</a>.</p>