Okay, so this post isn't exactly about an animal, but it is about something that helps us do our job of caring for the animals here. About a year ago we traded in our Honda ATV for this Kubota RTV 900 utility vehicle (our two ranch tractors are Kubotas, too). And what a difference it has made. With a bed that can carry a full-size pallet and a load that weighs up to half a ton -- 1,000 lbs (453 kg), the same as a Ford F-150! -- we no longer have to use the trucks for ranch chores like hauling water out to stock tanks on pasture. That's what I was doing on Saturday when I took these photos. The bed also tips like a dump truck.
It can tow, too, so instead of using the much bigger trucks or tractors to pull something like a sprayer, I can hook up to the super-efficient little RTV for towing.
It runs on diesel, which means we can fill it from the fuel tank we have here on the ranch. But filling it is not a frequent thing at all -- we run it for weeks between refueling. It has a small tractor engine and thus usage is measured in hours of operation rather than miles, but I last filled it at 155 hours and am now at 170 hours with a full half tank of diesel to go. So depending on the type of work we're doing, we can get about 30 hours of use on one 8-gallon (30 liters) tank. It also has 4-wheel drive and an engine-block heater, which means it's fully functional in our bitterly cold and snowy winters.
It can seat three people in the cab, has plenty of room for tools and other equipment, and allows us to take dogs with us when we head out to do projects like fix fence. Just last week I took blind Madison along for a ride. (A certain goat named Margaret has also been seen in the cab being chauffered around the ranch.)
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Don't forget, you can vote every day for us in The Animal Rescue Site/PetFinder's Shelter Challenge.
Enter
"Rolling Dog Ranch" and our state postal code, MT for Montana,
and it will bring up our listing so you can cast your vote. Invite your family and friends to vote, too!
Wow .. still No. 3, and that means a $3,000 grant if we can hold that spot! Please keep voting -- thank you!
Boys and their toys. It is a very functional toy too!! The best kind
Posted by: Evelyn | July 07, 2009 at 10:22 AM
Are you sure Margaret wasn't driving?
Hugs all around,
ginger, Tobias & Tlingit
Posted by: ginger | July 06, 2009 at 11:38 PM
I'll second the request for photos of Margaret. Sitting in the cab of the Orange Machine would be just perfect!
Posted by: Mary | July 06, 2009 at 06:52 PM
That is awesome & sounds so efficient. Anything to help make it a little easier for you all is a joy to read about! I love the idea of taking one of the animals along for a ride. Please, please try to get a picture of sweet Margaret hitching a ride! How is she doing?
Posted by: Colleen & Sweet Kitty Erin | July 06, 2009 at 04:46 PM
An ever so brief mention of Margaret but brief is better than nothing! Give that goat girl a hug from us out here!
Posted by: Miranda Brooks | July 06, 2009 at 02:28 PM
Oh Steve, I think you're in love! Alayne better watch out, or the RTV may be moving in.
Posted by: Kelly Luchtman | July 06, 2009 at 10:19 AM
oh please - a photo of Margaret riding in the cab!!! Hope you had a great 4th
Posted by: Kristi Gross | July 06, 2009 at 09:25 AM
OMG how is dear Margaret?? Photo's please
Posted by: gayle | July 06, 2009 at 06:47 AM
That sounds like it was designed just for you! We've got jacked up golf carts—and right now a Kawasaki Mule— for our large lot and have been known to pick up canine hitchhikers.
Hope you had a nice holiday, although you two never get a real break, do you? Bet you haven't been on any kind of vacation together for about 9 years now.
Posted by: Lynne Parker | July 06, 2009 at 05:42 AM