Anyone have a Kubota Sidekick? Finally Got One

[farmfromkansas]

I finally got the doors for my Ranger 570, they hinge on the rear.  They have a little rubber strip for a stop, but if the wind is blowing you really have to hang onto the door.  Would have preferred front hinges I think.  The good thing is the frame is made so the door fits into it, kind of like on your pickup truck.  

[21incher]

The doors for this are really nice and hinge from the back with roll up windows. They cost $3400.00 for the set and have a steel tubular frame. None of them are perfect though.

[SwampDonkey]

I think being rear hinged on a utility vehicle is a better idea than front hinged. I think there has been lots of research behind it.

I do a lot of in and out, so the least I have to fiddle getting in and out the better, so I'm not putting doors on mine. A good windshield with mirror and a steel roof is all. I might get an under the seat box for tools though.

[gspren]

On my Kubota I have the hard top and a windshield, no doors or rear window, that's been working well for years and I don't plan to change although I'm not as far north as some of you.

[21incher]

I made a couple videos about it. Love the machine. 

The oem tires sucked in mud and I knew they would need replacing because they weren't the ones I ordered. These are the Carlisle HD ACT radials I switched to

It's one tough little machine.

[aigheadish]

Looks pretty sweet 21incher! Seems like they thought of a bunch of nice touches on there. I really like the under-seat toolbox! 

[Mooseherder]

I saw one on a trailer yesterday. It had a V-Plow on it.  What a nice Machine. 

[snowstorm]

The doors for this are really nice and hinge from the back with roll up windows. They cost $3400.00 for the set and have a steel tubular frame. None of them are perfect though.

Some Polaris dealers will discount the doors quite a bit. I get 20% off on most stuff. But I did buy a new general and ranger from him. The doors for my general were 1900 2 years ago

[Old Greenhorn]

Been following along here and am glad to see you've hooked up with a nice machine. That one has some spunk to it. I know a few guys that keep them for just plowing their homesites before they jump in the big truck to go off and move snow all day.
 On the subject of cabs, doors, windshields, etc. I have a Kawasaki mule. It's an old one I bought in pieces and rebuilt it. It got me started and has done a lot more work than one would ever expect, skidding logs, etc. It came with a steel Curtis Cab, DOT windshield, windshield defroster fan, and heater kit from them. I use it for plowing both my driveways and helping out the 'less than self-sufficient' neighbors. I love how I can just lift the doors off the hinges in the spring and leave them off all summer, then replace them when the weather closes in. The cab does add weight for sure, but it makes it into a vehicle rather than a buggy, for me anyway. Of course I bolted and big LED light on the front of the roof and two work lights off the back and added a switch panel and 'other stuff' (radio, antenna, etc.). I also use it for music festivals where i serve as an EMT.
 I just checked to make sure they are still in business and see that they have expanded their product offerings quite a bit and their website has gone through a huge upgrade. I also see they make a cab for your machine. https://curtisindustries.net/product/kubota-rtv-sidekick-xg850-steel-cab/ 
 So it's just another thought. I can tell you when I am plowing my way through a major storm and that heater finally kicks in and I have to take my coat off, it makes me smile every time.

[JD Guy]

This thread surfaced at a good time as I am in the hunt for a side by side but most likely preowned and hopefully "lightly used" 😁. The used market must be pretty good right now though because those that I find interesting are sold within a couple of days and appear to be at almost the price they were new 2-3 years ago. I have been narrowing it down to Polaris Ranger, Kawasaki Mule and Club Car CarryAll. Any advice would be welcome and appreciated. We are in Upstate of SC. Thanks!

[Old Greenhorn]

What kind of terrain do you have? Flat or steep?

[farmfromkansas]

My Ranger has been running fine, starts in cold weather, and so far has not lost any coolant or oil,  But it is not a Honda.  The thing is light weight, the receiver hitch is so tight have to struggle to get the boom for my sprayer in it, Reverse is a pain, thing has a gearshift like a pickup, but backwards, and reverse is hard to get into right.  My hired man would put it in reverse, rev it up and you could hear the gears just slightly hitting. The big thing for polaris is to sell you over priced oil and filters.  In the book they give you part numbers instead of specs for oil and filters. Bed is a pain to dump, and only can operate from the drivers side.  My old Kawasaki Teryx bed worked much better. No hooks in the bed to strap your sprayer down.

[21incher]

OGH those Curtis cabs are nice and do last for years.  Getting anything  for these units now is very hard. Big commercial users like the military ( that's why there is a green one available) ,  malls, and colleges are first  in line. I doubt this will handle the lake snow we get so my butt will most likely keep using the 3point blower for most snow removal. Hopefully  in a year or 2 prices and availability  will get back to normal on the cab parts.

This thread surfaced at a good time as I am in the hunt for a side by side but most likely preowned and hopefully "lightly used" 😁. The used market must be pretty good right now though because those that I find interesting are sold within a couple of days and appear to be at almost the price they were new 2-3 years ago. I have been narrowing it down to Polaris Ranger, Kawasaki Mule and Club Car CarryAll. Any advice would be welcome and appreciated. We are in Upstate of SC. Thanks!

I found this sidekick model was the lowest priced heaviest duty UTV I could find. It cost less then a used machine and came with  a 2 year 1000 hour warranty coverage.  1000 pound bed capacity and 2000 pound tow rating. My dealer did not add freight or prep which was $2000.00 extra on the Polaris model with  the current  surcharge on freight at the local dealer. Plus there was a big rebate and dealer discount on this machine. It is heavy and over built so not the best for trails and governor limited to 42 MPH for safety but so far works good for my needs. This wouldn't  be my first  choice for trail riding in wide open spaces. The big thing is to decide exactly what you need the machine  for then set a budget. One thing I found out after buying  it, is in NY you can't register UTVs that weigh over 1000 pounds to be able to get a plate and use state trails like my grandson and I had planned. 

[Mooseherder]

That's too bad with the trail news. We see them on Maine trails.  They need to revisit this overreach.  Probably targeted at some wilder machines out there.  You can come here to ride anytime my friend.

[SwampDonkey]

Yeah, that doesn't seem fair at all on the weight and plates. Some people can dream up the weirdest crap in an office.

No restrictions on weight here either. Course I just use my own land anyway.

[Old Greenhorn]

21 Not sure if you gave them a call or not, but I just threw it in there. As for plowing, I put a KFI plow on mine and am amazed at what that little thing pushes and is not nearly as powerful as yours. What it can't move is the berms pushed up by road plows. I forgot you have the big snowblower. But don't underestimate those UTV's for doing a quick and neat job on most snow.

 As for the registration/insurance issue. Yes, NYS has these machines in a black hole. This is a result of lobbying by the ATV clubs around the state that don't want these machines on state trails. I don't know why. They have had bills pending to fix this, but they just die on the vine. I went round and round with this a few years back. I needed to get insurance on it to do those music festivals. Well the insurance company wants it to be registered and there is no way to do that. I finally found a company that would insure it with just the year, model, and VIN number. Started out at $50/yr, but kept going up. During COVID i dropped it since there no no fests. Now I need to get it again and begin my search anew.
 Legally, UTV's don't exist in NYS. If you register it in another state and try to take it on a state trail here, that is also illegal.

[snowstorm]

in maine the new rule passed last year. 65" wide up to 2000lbs. the county is the best place in the state to ride. next is downeast. the trouble there is the 60" gates that afm has put up. afm is not well liked down there. some of the other land management co. put money into trails

[21incher]

I had no idea that you couldn't register them in NY until I had the certificate of origin and went to the State DMV website to get the forms. Only option was put it on my homeowners and keep it on my property.  Hopefully  I can help fight this in the future.  Made a big mistake retiring in NY.
This thing pulls good but I just found out it's not a skidder and no match for a  big ash tree laying  over in the woods 🙄. 

[JD Guy]

What kind of terrain do you have? Flat or steep?

Sorry for the late response, just saw your post OGH😁
We have mildly rolling, but what anyone in the mountains would call flat!

[JD Guy]

21 incher:We will use this much as most of y'all do, to get firewood from places the tractors and pickup can't go, fence maintenance, pond maintenance and general duties on our 75 acres. The one thing I do not need to deal with is snow removal😀. Very few know how to drive in the stuff anyway so as a defensive measure it's best to wait a day or so and the snow is gone!