My wife wants me to buy a Gator-type thing...

I love my Kawasaki 4 seat mule. Back seat folds down giving you a rather large cargo area that also dumps. I've had it for 3 years now and it's been problem free.

They also make a diesel model

After seeing a handful of people die from them, I would recommend buying a used vehicle and not tag it if it's going to stay on the farm. That's just my 2 cents. Plus it will have more power and probably easier to work on. Something like an old Jeep or pickup?

Two of my friends have them and are quite pleased with them.

Kubota makes diesels. My daughter works at a Polaris/CanAm dealership and is fond of Polaris.
I like the Polaris General, it's a crossover but I don't know if they have 4 seaters yet.
All the newer side by sides have cages and seatbelts and I'd use em. I know of plenty who have taken the dirt nap who were thrown from jeeps or trucks running off road. The side by sides offer a better ride, sink in the mud less, do less damage to NF and BLM roads compared to chained up trucks.

I'd recommend the Kubota brand. And, unless they have really improved in the past 15 years, would not recommend a JD Gator version.

First you need to determine whether you want a go fast, run around on logging roads or keep up with your buddies on 4 wheelers kind of set up, or if you want a machine that can tug around hay wagons, and do more utilitarian type jobs.

For the utility type machine I really like the Kubota line up. My dad has an RTV900 (4 seater version is the 1100). Its diesel powered with a hydrostatic transmission with 3 ranges. It's very powerful for its size, good on fuel, and it handles a load well. I routinely use it to pull a 40 bushel ground driven manure spreader and it doesn't even think about getting hot. It can easily haul a loaded hay wagon, and with the low range of the transmission the power is very smooth and controllable. It doesn't have to jerk around, winding the motor up and waiting for belts to tighten. Leg room is a little lacking but I am 6'3" tall and fit in it well enough. The dump bed is big enough to haul a couple deer back in, and there are tons of accessories and implements for it. The bed have a nice liner in them and are pretty easy to tilt up and hose out, should you happen to get a deer too. The top speed is only about 25 mph though.

If you want something that is more just transportation from point and to point b, then a gator, or a polaris ranger may be more up your alley. I have driven both and they run much faster (50-60mph), and appear to have a little better ground clearance. Their downfall for utility type work is the belt driven transmissions. They just aren't made to creep around slowly. Instead of inching back to drop the pin in the hitch for a haywagon it will kind of lunge backwards in little spurts. They are fun to run around in and do fine hauling stuff in the bed, but I like the kubota a lot better if I want to tow implements or move heavy trailers etc.

wrs840 said:

Mods, if there's a better place for this, please move it.

Having never owned one, I'm fairly clueless, but I figured I could possibly get some guidance here.

2016 has been a good year on the farm, and I need to spend some money before the tax-man takes half of it. Mrs. wrs840 says she'd like the hacienda to add a 4wd, four-seat, Gator-type-thing with an easy ability to snap-down rain-protection when needed.

I really can't pass this invitation up, and I figured some more educated people here may be able to offer some guidance. What do those of you in-the-know suggest ? Diesel probably preferred.

Thank you in advance.

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I worked at a dealership and have also worked quite a few over terrain. You want a side by side (sxs) the gator is towards the bottom jd just rebrands someone else's work and quality can be lacking. Top of the list are Can-Am and Honda. Honda can be literally driven into pieces before quitting but they aren't as smooth. Can't kill em even if you run em out of oil (not that you should) but you drive Max 15 -30mph. Can-Am has the power, some comfort durability, and fully customizable for skid plates, lights, bumpers, the works....if you're willing to pay. Third would be Polaris, number one wreck around here is a Polaris going 65 through a prairie dog town cuz they couldn't feel the bumps, they really ARE that smooth. Downside is, lower torque per class and if you miss an oil change you might as well buy a new one.

Those little things have become what the WW-2 surplus Jeeps used to be. Think about it, about the same size and capability. I can't justify one for where and how I hunt. But if I could I'd have one. I don't know enough to recommend a particular version though.

I had a 4010 Kawasaki Mule 4 seat diesel. Worst thing I ever owned. Low ground clearance poor tires made it helpless in snow. It was pathetically under powered. Everything on it was fragile. The cost of repairs was over 4K with 400 hours on the machine.
Now I have a John Deere Gator 825i. It is the third gator I've owned. Traded the first one when they offered power steering and the second when it was three years old. It is a solid machine, very heavy duty. I haul a lot of fire wood, drag logs etc. In two wheel drive it gets around better than a mule in 4wd.
I have some friends that own Polaris UTV's. They are nice for trail riding but are not built for work.

drunkenpoacher said:

I had a 4010 Kawasaki Mule 4 seat diesel. Worst thing I ever owned. Low ground clearance poor tires made it helpless in snow. It was pathetically under powered. Everything on it was fragile. The cost of repairs was over 4K with 400 hours on the machine.
Now I have a John Deere Gator 825i. It is the third gator I've owned. Traded the first one when they offered power steering and the second when it was three years old. It is a solid machine, very heavy duty. I haul a lot of fire wood, drag logs etc. In two wheel drive it gets around better than a mule in 4wd.
I have some friends that own Polaris UTV's. They are nice for trail riding but are not built for work.

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Most places can put trax on for you vroom vroom. Agreed on Polaris analysis.

I had a '98 Mule for about 10 years. Dead simple, would haul a lot of weight, cold blooded to start and not very fast. It was a good workhorse of a machine. I now have a Polaris. Electronic ignition, nice ride and handling, faster than I'll drive it, lots of plastic and LOUD. Both are good machines for different reasons.

wrs840 said:

Thanks for your concern. I've got two 4wd pickups and one jeep that stay on the farm full-time already, along with all the bigger stuff. My wife thinks "we" want what would amount to a 4wd hill-capable golf-cart that can be buttoned-up more-or-less in bad weather. I've seen kids make a huge mess of Gators / Mules, but we're both pushing 60, off-road safety-savvy, and pretty good at staying out of trouble.

Our Mario Andretti days are definitely over.

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lol fair enough! I was just looking at it from the standpoint of being a medic is all. I also personally believe that they are just a big waste of money, however I totally understand the need to spend to save in your case!

wrs840 said:

If this thing is a huge mistake, please chime in.

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No, not a mistake. Hard to go wrong with any of them.

I chose the Kawasaki because it was the only 4 seat UTV that's short enough to fit the 12' garage in my toy hauler


I did modify it some by adding a 4" lift and mud tires


We use the hell out of it. In 3+ years it's not had a single issue (knock wood)

burrhead said:

I now have a Polaris. Electronic ignition, nice ride and handling, faster than I'll drive it, lots of plastic and LOUD.

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I was a member of a hunt club on a 6000 acre lease. Only ATVs were allowed on the roads. One member bought a Polaris Ranger instead of a golf cart like some of the others. It scared all the deer from the area he hunted due to the loud noise. He had a Honda quad the next year.

The Rangers are louder than the Kawasakis

My main purpose for owning one is my daughter is an equestrian competitor (eventing). We go all over the place for her shows. The toy hauler gives the family a place to stay and the mule gives us a means of getting around and hauling tack. Being quiet around all these horses was a prerequisite

We had the Mules where I worked at. They were very reliable but the mufflers burned out about every 18mo. I have a Ranger 800 (SxS) for 4 yrs now. So far its been reliable. What was mentioned about backing these up are true. Going forward you have the option of a low gear if needed. Now the hitch on mine is setback under the bed since its a tilt bed. Which also makes it a little more difficult depending on the trailer tung length.

We hunt and farm 200 plus acres here in SE Illinois.
My son loves his honda pioneer. A two seater with two stowaway seats in the back. It is a dandy. If I were getting a sxs this would be the one.
I, on the other hand, love my jeep. My wife and I go jeeping. We use it on the farm. It runs into town. It is our spare vehicle when we need one. Highway legal. The heater and hardtop is really nice in the winter.
Best wishes for your decision.
You can't go wrong with a Honda or jeep.

Oh
And don't overlook the good ol golf cart. We have one of those too. Great for around the farm.
Dang nice on the sporting clays course too.
Quiet. Cool. Simple. Plug it in...drive for a week.

Everyone where I live owns small acreage of one amount or another and Mules are common out here. Personally, I have an ATV. I can't see spending what they want for a UTV and just don't need one. The ATV is a little 250 Arctic Cat I bought used and I can run it up in the back of my pickup, no trailer necessary. I was in a duck hunting club last season and one of the guys in my group had a 4 seat UTV, a Polaris. It was great, but he did have problems at times getting in and out of parking areas at the various leases with that trailer. I just put the ramps down and drive the Arctic Cat off and off I go. It has a low range on the transmission and I use it as a little garden tractor here, clearing food plots, even disking my corn patch. I mean, you can do that with a UTV, too, but I like the size and portability of my ATV. Now, if you want to haul people, the UTV is the only answer. As for the dump bed, I have a 10 Cu Ft dump trailer for that. I also have a "Johnny Bucket" (small front loader) on my Cub Cadet for gardening chores, eliminates the manual shovel which is a good thing for an old man. It all depends on what you need it for, but for me, the ATV is the way to go and I picked it up for a lousy $1500. Couldn't find a broke down UTV for that.

Before I got the Arctic Cat, I relied on dirt bikes, well, dual sport bikes. I've been riding/racing motorcycles for all of my adult life and part of my youth, thus the "MC" in my handle. I have to admit, though, the ATV is more useful off road and for hunting. I used a 200cc dual sport all last season. You can't get the thing stuck. If you do, you can lift the rear wheel out of the muck and walk it out, done that before. The little 250 Arctic Cat is also light enough to lift by hand. I've thought of getting a winch for it, probably will if I get into another waterfowl club, but don't think it need one at the moment. They're cheap, though, around a hundred bucks with a mount.

Before I bought my Johnny Bucket for my Cub Cadet, I looked at this Polaris Brutus. I really needed to build a driveway. The Johnny bucket did a fine job in about half a day for a lot less investment. You can get a hydraulic front loader for this thing. You can get a road maintainer for it which would be handy out here since I live on a private maintained road. I could help out the neighbors. AND, this thing has a PTO and mower deck option.

But, the thing is WAY out of my price range and if you want a tractor, a subcompact tractor isn't any more expensive. It has a Yanmar diesel, though, and is basically a UTV tractor. LOL The Polaris dealer in El Campo is a member of our church. He was going to sell me one, sans equipment, for 15K, which is about 5K below MSRP. Uh, ouch, I passed. But, you know, if I was Donald Trump I'd have a fleet of 'em. LOL!

OH, and you can get an enclosed cabin for the Brutus and an air conditioner/heater for it for about 5K more. The thought of mowing the yard in an air conditioned mower in August appeals to me, but the price tag doesn't. LOL!

http://www.polaris.com/en-us/commercial/brutus?&tid=kjqwL3Yc_dc&cid=7715zc42365&pcrid=146387746290&WT.term=polaris utv&WT.campaign=Brand&WT.content=kjqwL3Yc&WT.source=google&WT.medium=cpc&WT.mc_id=90E01A7C-6C3F-E411-8214-0050569A00BC&WT.mc_ev=google_paid_search&WT.srch=1&gclid=COf9xcur4tACFQ9EfgodUpgPBw

We have a couple of the Kawasaki mules the oldest having 4600+ hours on it, have windshields that attach with hose clamps for cold weather use, they can pull a 1 ton dually with a 20ft gooseneck trailer but don't go very fast if that's what your looking for.

No heater or windshield wipers though. We use them all the time anyway, my Father on the other hand has an old Geo Trakker that he likes better. A used small auto will cost less than most any worthwhile UTV new.