OT-Utility Vehicle

Why Worry

Member
Howdy,

Been thinking about buying a Utility Vehicle but since I never had one, I don't know anything about them. I'm curious to hear what you good folks would suggest.

Many thanks,
 
My Aunt loves her small JD Gator. She tried to talk Mom into one. Mom said they are way too expensive and too small to haul much.
Mom got a 4x4 Dodge Dakota pickup pretty cheap and uses that.
 
I have had a mule 2500 for about 10 years, its from mid 90s vintage. Handy as can be, and a decade ago there wasnt much on the market used for under 2 grand, so i was happy to find this one with a worn motor that burned some oil, and front spindles and bearings that were bad, for 1600 bucks. i I I machined up my own front spindles and remachined the hubs, would have been over a grand in parts so that had kept the sale price down, eventualy i repowered it with an air cooled 13hp briggs vangaurd motor and couldnt be happier. Now all that being said at this time there are alot more used ones out there and more variety too, the early mules were a heavy duty golf cart, rode like a home depot lumber wagon, but sure beats walking everywhere!
 
I purchases a new Kawasaki 4010 mule at the end of 2012. It only has 240 hrs on it. I liked all the things that came on mule, power steering, brakes on all 4, 4 wheel drive, hi/low tranny.

Would I buy it again, knowing it cost me $175 just to change the oil in engine, and both axles? Knowing dealer wanted $200 to check the valves, which was recommended after the first 50 hrs. Dealer didn't do. I did it myself in 30 minutes.

The thing has been great on gas. About a gallon every 2 hrs.

Now would I buy it again of buy the cheaper 610 mule? I may go with the 610 single cylinder, carburetor instead of the 2 cylinder water cooled fuel injected. Why? Because the 4010 is above the pay grade of the people at the dealer. They just want to hang parts and charge $90/hr. The EFI is bare bones, no O2 sensor. Many are having the same issues I'm having with throttle body systems, not just limited to Kawasaki.

I love my mule, but hate the EFI is acting up, doesn't want to idle right. I even bought a shop manual from Kawasaki and have been doing a lot of reading.

Parts are out of this world. Usually dealer wants to install new fuel pump, over $900+ labor. TPS is over $150.

So if you get one, stay away from the one I got with all the bells and whistles. Find a dealer who has people in shop that have experience, not kids.
 
I have a Kubota RTV 900. It's been trouble free and done everything I've ever asked of it. Neighbor has a JD Gator and likes his. Like everything there are things I like about his better and there are things I like about mine better. The JD seems to ride nicer and is faster. I couldn't care less about speed because I don't run full speed through the field or pasture. Mine seems to carry a load better than the JD. There are a few other differences of course but both of us use them everyday and neither of us has had any problems yet. They are expensive but if you have one you'll wonder how you ever got along without one.
 
I was going to look at buying one. Then I decided to get a gas powered golf cart just to see if something like that would be handy. Found out the golf cart will do what I need. Would be nice to have a UTE but the golf cart was 1K as opposed to 4K or better. So I still have the golf car and use it often.

Rick
 
look up what used Jeeps are going for. I laugh at the hunters that come up here with expensive toys behind tow rigs. You can do it all in a jeep
 
As the saying goes they are handy as a shirt pocket. We opted for a battery powered golf cart with utility bed. Love it. Friends have JD's, Polaris, and Kubota brands. The JD is more refined than the others.
 
I just did a belt change on a 610. Not that hard once you find someone that is willing. To talk to you.Bad part is you have to pull the drive clutch off to change the belt.Not that hard and sure ain't worth what a shop wants to charge.
 
At the plant where I work we have close to 200 golf carts and utv's from old EZGO electrics to Club Car gas, Kawasaki mules and 22 of the new Club Car 4 x2 utv's that we bought this year. Of the 22 Club Cars we just bought at least half of them the rearend has broke the gears in the differential and are being repaired under warranty. The Kawasaki 610 mules have held up OK but are expensive to buy parts for. When they go in the scrap dumpster that will be the end of them. The toughest have been the gas Club Car golf carts that we buy reconditioned with lift kits and big tires installed. Most are less than two years old and the one I have has been running for over 4 years with very little repairs. Personally I have a EZGO STX 350 and a Club Car 36 volt electric and both have been pretty much trouble free. I need to post some pictures of how bad we abuse some of them old carts at work. You would not believe how much stuff the mechanics and electricians will pile on one!
 
We have an 850 JD gator and absolutely love it. Would never be without one again. Great for fencing checking cattle and thing like that sometimes load some tools up if I have to go work on the excavator or tractor or something I can get out to with the service truck. The dogs love it too. Best thing I ever did was got a receiver hitch on the front. Jobs I used to absolutely hate like weaving the v rake and Tedder through the center post in the building we park them in and backing the header cart in the building are now a breeze and take 1/4 the time. So much easier when you can face it and don't have to break your neck looking over your shoulders. In my opinion it is the most valuable machine on the farm. It's the only one that gets used every single day
 
I was looking at Kawasaki Mules and Polaris (had very good luck with a Polaris ATV), but a friend said take a look at an older golf cart. I located a 1992 Ezgo gas and had the dealer put a bed on it and I put a set of off road tires with lift. It will not go where a 4x4 will, but it is amazing how well it does go, especially with a little weight in the bed. There is a ton of aftermarket parts for them, from lift kits, wheels, tires, you name it. I spent about 1/4 the dollars on it that I would on the UTV, and so far, the cart has been trouble free. I do wish I had spent a little more on a better lift kit and a little larger tires, but it does well. It has a 2 cylinder Subaru Robin engine that does burn a little oil, but oil is cheap and I bet it has not used a quart total in nearly 2 years (I probably should change the oil now that I think of it). Best thing, I am betting I could clean it up and get my money back should I so choose.
 
I'll figure out the throttle body issue. Just wish I had someone who I could talk too that knew anything. Very few are tech are factory trained. Just parts hangers and parts are very expensive.
 
Give this place a call. Helped me over the phone. Very nice service service manager.

Vitters Tractors
Corsicana Texas
903-874-3601
 
(quoted from post at 20:45:17 09/04/15) Howdy,

Been thinking about buying a Utility Vehicle but since I never had one, I don't know anything about them. I'm curious to hear what you good folks would suggest.

Many thanks,

Honda Pioneer 500. Fits in a pickup box. Same as Honda Foreman motor, similar 5 speed gear trans. shifted with paddle shifters (don't need to let up on gas to shift). Not much more expensive than a regular atv. ATV rack instead of a box, easy to make a box or strap stuff down.
 
have a 1996 Club Car Carryall here
2647 hrs last time I looked
Kawaski motor single cly gas with an electric dump bed 2wd
I've filled it more times than I can count with gravel dirt sand till it fall off the sides and the springs are flat down to the frame stops and hauled it all over the place
it's never failed to do any thing we asked it to do
have even moved a 30 ft RV out to the back lot for a hunt camp
it gets run almost everyday yr round
not very fast but don't think I could ever replace it for anything else
 
This question gets asked on here often but no one ever says what they need it for. You want something to putter across the yard with or something to chase cows, haul 1200 lbs, pull machinery, travel 60 mph ten miles between fields, ford creeks and streams, climb hills or sand dunes, or just something to annoy everyone with at the next tractor show in a sea of pedestrians. It kind of makes a difference since there are more brands, options and accessories available for any situation than there are Harleys at the Sturgis motorcycle rally.
 
Go to Buggies Gone Wild golf cart talk forums. It is like this forum only for golf carts. I have been given tons of help with my old Yamaha G1. Chris
 
We bought a Yamaha G1 back when Grandpa stopped being able to climb onto the JD MI. He liked the low entry level. Made my own lift kit to add lawn tractor tires and a flatbed box for the back, it's beyond handy in the grape vineyard. Pulls a small trailer to replace posts and fix wires. Even set up a 30 gallon spot sprayer with electric pump. Only limitation is the 2WD, it will get stuck if you push it. The motor does not like running in the dust- sucks up fine dirt into the cylinders.
 
Why Worry,
Bottom line is what are your needs?
I had a go-cart for grand kids, live axle, 2 wheel drive. I learned I needed a 4x4 with differential lockout. Go-cart got stuck in 2 inches of snow. So that eliminated golf carts.
I didn't go with a kubota, I can't stand the smell of diesel. If not aware of a gas kubota.
Sister has a very old gator, it was only 2 wheel drive, only rear brakes, small carrying capacity, just a 2 seater. A bench seat works better when you want to take kids for a ride. For less than a grand more, I bought a new end of year model Kawasaki vs a 6 year old 2 wheel drive gator. Gators are painted green because green is the color of money.
Look at your needs, how much do you want to spend, and most important, find a dealer with a good service department. Then have a lot of money to spend on maintenance if you can't do them yourself.
 
Yamaha may have invented them but there's a reason Polaris outsells any other 2 brands.
Go price one.
Then go price an old Toyota pick up,a full rebuild on the 22re,new clutch, mild lift, big tires, and installation.
And remember, the Toyota has heat and maybe AC, too.
 

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