UTVs?

[gspren]

  I have been thinking about getting a UTV or side by side for general use on the farm, I curently use a Yamaha Kodiak 400 ATV and a small trailer. Because of a lot of short moves I think I'd be better with a gas engine instead of diesel. Anybody have experience with the Kubota 400 or Kawasaki 610xc? Uses would be cutting firewood, taking the dog for a run through the woods, fence repairs, and just taking the wife for a property tour.

[beenthere]

For seat comfort, good ride, dependability, dump box, and good brand, I have had a 4x2 Gator for about 14 years I believe. It is like the rabbit...just keeps going, and going and going. Never imagined I'd get the long term use out of this when I bought it. Use it in the woods alot, on trails and steep inclines. The tires have never even developed a slow leak. Compared to others I've used and ridden in, the bucket seat comfort is probably what I like the best.

[shinnlinger]

Every time I think of a UTV I think a rusted out/beat up  4x4 mini truck, a golf cart or a kei truck would make  more sense for alot less $

[Ianab]

In terms being able to move stuff around the Mule / Gator wins out every time. You have the load carrying capacity of the tray, AND you can tow a trailer as well.

Carrying Passenger? Much better.

Safety is way ahead with seat belts and roll bar. Can be a big issues if younger family are using it.

Off road performance is at least as good as a quad bike in terms where you can go.

The quad can be more "fun" to hoon around on, but for actual farm work, the Mule wins out every time.

Ian

[wildbill]

Bobcat used to make a 2300 utv.  ive been using one at work everyday for 5 years.  its a 3 cyl diesel with hydraulic dump bed and front attachments.  it can pull anything a 1ton dully can pull and is extremely difficult to get stuck. 

bobcat doesnt make the 2300's any longer but i believe clubcar makes the same exact model just a different color.   they are pricey though.  mine was $13,000 new 5 years ago.

the only problems ive had with it have been a broken front cv axle and the centrifugal clutch locked in while i had a load on the forks while in reverse (that was fun).

ive used it to pull a 6000lbs fork lift out of mud, tow many diesel pumps from 4" thru 12", generators from 25,000W to 200,000W.

the front hydraulics are limited to 500lbs.  but if i have to pick up anything heavier i have other toys at the plant (and am also a crane operator).

most important is there is a cup holder for both the driver and passenger and the space between the hyd controls and the seat belt latches fits my thermos perfectly.

 

5000gal tank 1/4" steel.  weighed just under 6000lbs.  i wasnt sure if the trailer was going to make it



i think i was taking a pic of the vise setup i made.  if not its still a good lookin cart



we were running a bypass pipeline from one train to another.  used the bobcat to place all the pipes that were ground levelish.  it can pick up 2 sticks of 20' c900 (schd 80 pvc pipe).  im driving, Tom as usual was supervising

we also have kawa 600's.  they are fine for people transport and maybe 100lbs in the bed.  other than that they are just fast.  no real usability to them as far as im concerned.  the bobcat 2200 is like mine but is a 2 cyl gas engine.  the 2100's are single cylinder and are on par with the kawa 600's.  the bobcat 3200's are junk.  you put a couple thousand lbs trailer on the back and the front tires lift off the ground. 

btw all these are used at a wastewater treatment plant (where i work)

[gspren]

For seat comfort, good ride, dependability, dump box, and good brand, I have had a 4x2 Gator for about 14 years I believe. It is like the rabbit...just keeps going, and going and going. Never imagined I'd get the long term use out of this when I bought it. Use it in the woods alot, on trails and steep inclines. The tires have never even developed a slow leak. Compared to others I've used and ridden in, the bucket seat comfort is probably what I like the best.

I looked and and test drove a Gator, I believe it was a 550, and didn't like the plastic bed. I am only considering the smaller models that will fit in a truck bed so they will also fit my ATV trails. If I need to move something heavy I'll get a tractor out.

[shinnlinger]

If you just want something small, I would think a Cushman golf cart would be right up your alley.

[gspren]

If you just want something small, I would think a Cushman golf cart would be right up your alley.

I'd get that hung up in short order, I sometimes need to put my ATV in 4WD!

[shinnlinger]

Lift kit and a locker with a winch on front.  With the $ you save you can buy a new chainsaw.....

[shinnlinger]

For the record, I have a jeep wrangler I traded a frozen turkey for that fits my UTV needs.....

[Holmes]

I was just looking into utv's . Polaris? ranger has a suspension for a better ride but the more I thought about it I want a heated cab.   Now I am looking at old pickup trucks and as I looked at them I came across old  Dodge power wagon  pick ups. They seem to fascinate me. ;D

[Slabs]

Y'all convinced me.  My old lawnmower ain't hackin it as a trailer pulling tractor.

[Chuck White]

The John Deere Gator's are nice, but when you get 14" of snow, it gets into the clutches and then the belt slips and you're done.

Yesterday we had to switch from the Gator to the tractor.

[wildbill]

unless the design changed the thing i dont like about the gators is the side bar next to the seat.  makes it uncomfortable to get in and out of

[Chuck White]

unless the design changed the thing i dont like about the gators is the side bar next to the seat.  makes it uncomfortable to get in and out of

Hadn't noticed, I'll have to check it out when I go over to my brothers place again.

[beenthere]

unless the design changed the thing i dont like about the gators is the side bar next to the seat.  makes it uncomfortable to get in and out of

Hadn't noticed, I'll have to check it out when I go over to my brothers place again.

I'm with Chuck. All the years I've had mine, haven't noticed a "side bar". Apparently has never been "in the way".

[wildbill]

unless the design changed the thing i dont like about the gators is the side bar next to the seat.  makes it uncomfortable to get in and out of

Hadn't noticed, I'll have to check it out when I go over to my brothers place again.

I'm with Chuck. All the years I've had mine, haven't noticed a "side bar". Apparently has never been "in the way".

the one we used to have at the plant had a roof and me being 6'6" made it annoying to get it and out of.  from what i remember it wasnt much of a bar.  i think it was about 3/4" pipe bent to sit on the open side of the cart to keep your rear end from falling out when taking turns too fast.  the guy that used the cart daily is probably just shy of 6' and never seemed to be bother by it

[beenthere]

 :D :D :D
So, it is not the Gators problem then.   ;)

[Corley5]

  My parents have a six wheel Gator.  It's been dependable.  I don't know of any repairs that it's needed.  It's a rough riding thing and if the snow is more than 10" or so deep it's helpless.  I'd look at the Polaris line.  They were offering one with a diesel engine.

[scsmith42]

I have a 6 wheel Polaris Ranger ('06 model) here on the farm.  It is the most used piece of equipment that I have.  Top speed of 46 mph and a really great ride off-road.  The speed is nice when I need to get from one end of the farm to the other, or when I am driving 1/4 mile down the highway to get to my remote pasture.

It's rated for pulling and hauling a lot of weight too, and has a Reese insert trailer hitch on the back.

If you're looking for something to work, a golf cart just doesn't cut it off-road, plus they are slow and not designed to haul a lot of weight. 

The 6 x 6 is nice for hauling heavy trailers; otherwise a 4 x 4 would be fine for my needs.

[pappy19]

I have a Kubota 900 UTV with the Curtis cab. It has a 3 cylinder diesel and we have used the heck out of it since 2007. Hauls and runs like a champ. It's top speed is 26 mph which is plenty fast for me. Plows snow, hauls firewood and all the grandkids when I install the rear seat in the bed. I swear it gets 60 mpg or better as the 7 gallon tank will last 2-3 weeks of steady use.

Pap

[gspren]

  Yesterday I bought the Kubota 400. I won't get it till next week because they need to get and install a roof and windshield. I'm ready to get it dirty!

[petefrom bearswamp]

I agree with Pap.
My KUBOTA RTV 900 is a real work horse.
I put Side racks on it and transported (by actual weight) 1425  pounds of firewood from my woodshed to my outdoor boiler this past week.
The fuel economy is fantastic.
Pete

[Chuck White]

Well, I looked the Gator over and sure enough there is a pipe that sits about 2-3 inches higher than the seat.
It's on the outboard side of each seat, a safety item to keep your butt from sliding off of the seat on a sharp corner.
Must be something one just has to get used to, or to continue to complain about!  ;)

unless the design changed the thing i dont like about the gators is the side bar next to the seat.  makes it uncomfortable to get in and out of

Hadn't noticed, I'll have to check it out when I go over to my brothers place again.

I'm with Chuck. All the years I've had mine, haven't noticed a "side bar". Apparently has never been "in the way".

the one we used to have at the plant had a roof and me being 6'6" made it annoying to get it and out of.  from what i remember it wasnt much of a bar.  i think it was about 3/4" pipe bent to sit on the open side of the cart to keep your rear end from falling out when taking turns too fast.  the guy that used the cart daily is probably just shy of 6' and never seemed to be bother by it

[shinnlinger]

There are golf carts and then there are golf carts....