Want Your Input on New ATV Side By Side or Utility Work Vehicles

[Slippy]

Looks like my old Kawasaki 650 Prairie is looking at retirement. She has been a helluva good companion over the years but getting to the point that she is a bit unreliable and my patience and mechanical skills are not there to keep her operating at the level that I need her to.

Slippy Lodge is approx 30 acres situated 1 mile down a dirt road from a small county road. The land is made up of 2 large ridgelines so it is pretty hilly. I have multiple cleared areas of roads, trails and a couple of acres cleared around the House, Barn and Shooting Range.

I use the 4 wheeler for a number of things, primarily for moving materials around the place, taking the garbage to the road (1 mile), perimeter checks on gates and fences and general riding around and enjoying our land. I need 4 wheel drive capability, 2 wheel drive is not an option.

Mrs S doesn't always enjoy riding the old Kawasaki with me and has mentioned that we need a Side by Side. I would like the extra hauling capacity that a Side by Side with a pickup style bed would give me and a cup holder would be nice for carrying along a large stadium sized plastic cup of Heaven's Nectar AKA Bourbon Whisky!

My budget is $12k and I have no problem buying new.

I'm partial so far to the John Deere Gator TH 6X4 Gas model at approx $10k
https://www.deere.com/en/gator-utility-vehicles/traditional-gators/th-6x4-gas-utility-vehicle/

Any other suggestions? Thanks

[hawgrider]

Looks like my old Kawasaki 650 Prairie is looking at retirement. She has been a helluva good companion over the years but getting to the point that she is a bit unreliable and my patience and mechanical skills are not there to keep her operating at the level that I need her to.

Slippy Lodge is approx 30 acres situated 1 mile down a dirt road from a small county road. The land is made up of 2 large ridgelines so it is pretty hilly. I have multiple cleared areas of roads, trails and a couple of acres cleared around the House, Barn and Shooting Range.

I use the 4 wheeler for a number of things, primarily for moving materials around the place, taking the garbage to the road (1 mile), perimeter checks on gates and fences and general riding around and enjoying our land. I need 4 wheel drive capability, 2 wheel drive is not an option.

Mrs S doesn't always enjoy riding the old Kawasaki with me and has mentioned that we need a Side by Side. I would like the extra hauling capacity that a Side by Side with a pickup style bed would give me and a cup holder would be nice for carrying along a large stadium sized plastic cup of Heaven's Nectar AKA Bourbon Whisky!

My budget is $12k and I have no problem buying new.

I'm partial so far to the John Deere Gator TH 6X4 Gas model at approx $10k
https://www.deere.com/en/gator-utility-vehicles/traditional-gators/th-6x4-gas-utility-vehicle/

Any other suggestions? Thanks

We have older Gators here at work and the are soooooo loud I cant stand them. The track record for repairs hasn't been that good over the last 7 years or so either.

Hopefully Deere has done something about the excessive vibration and the deafening loudness of the newer gators. Test ride one first Slippy!

[Inor]

Take a look at a Polaris Ranger.

https://ranger.polaris.com/en-us/

I think that is what we are going with. Everybody I have talked to that has one says they are absolutely bulletproof. (Been researching that one for a while because we need one too - the same uses as you describe.)

[Broncosfan]

We were looking at Gators a couple of years ago. New wasn't in the budget. I found several that we liked and the price was decent for a used Gator. Then someone posted a Cub Cadet that had low hours and everything we needed at the time and $2000 cheaper. Its perfect for us. Would like a windshield as this cold Ohio air is a killer in the winter at any speed.. I like our Cub Cadet but stay will a big name you can find a lot more aftermarket parts and accessories for it. We get so much more done around here with it. Good luck with your purchase!

[Gunners Mate]

Had a 1997 Kawasaki Mule KAF 550 ran great 4000 hrs stolen bought an Artic Cat EFI SXS to replace it Artic Cat is faster the throttle is extremely sensitive it has a lot of torque steer when you let of the gas at high speed seats are way more comfortable than the mule ground clearance is better than the mule, have owned it long enough for a comparison on reliability overall the Artic Cat has more performance manners and the mule has more grunt manners like comparing a race horse to a mule

[Innkeeper]

We had a John Deere gator in the M.E. it ran great no issues we beat it up but we had mechanics and parts to maintain it so not sure on wear and tear. I liked the looks of that Ranger one of the other units had one I wanted to take it out for a test drive but my boss would never let me near it alone for some strange reason.
I agree with everyone else check them out and make sure you test drive research is always helpful. I look forward to your findings.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[shootbrownelk]

I have a 2008 Yamaha Rhino 700 Limited Edition. I bought it used (gently) it only had 900 miles on it. I added a winch & a plow and a 3" lift and bigger taller aggressive tires. I love it. I never had to do a thing to it mechanically, it's been trouble free. It has a bed. It came with a tubular bumper/grill guard, I added a front receiver hitch to push my boat & utility trailer around. So much easier than having to back up.

[Sparkyprep]

Take a look at a Polaris Ranger.

https://ranger.polaris.com/en-us/

I think that is what we are going with. Everybody I have talked to that has one says they are absolutely bulletproof. (Been researching that one for a while because we need one too - the same uses as you describe.)

The Ranger is an awesome vehicle. My company buys them for us to work out of around the power plant, and they last for years and years with constant ABUSE. We overload them, drive the hell out of them, and beat em up all day, every day, and they hold up. It is one of the main reasons I chose my RZR. Still a Polaris, just faster and meaner than the Ranger. Can-Am makes awesome machines, but they are over-priced. Honda is renown for their bullet-proof-ness, plus, they are the only machine that DOESN'T use a CVT belt transmission, which is a notorious weak-link in all these machines. Honda uses basically a shrunk-down version of the automatic transmission that it uses in their cars, with real gears shifted automatically. I owned a Honda Foreman 450 four-wheeler years ago, and I have no complaints. The only reason I sold it was I was broke at the time, and needed the money for bills. So, look into the Polaris Ranger, or the Honda Pioneer. Both ultra-durable machines that will last a long time. Anything else you want to know, Slip? (I have done a LOT of extensive research on ATVs and Side-By-Sides, and I run with a lot of knowledgeable people).

[Sparkyprep]

BTW, I drove all the way to GA to buy mine. It was a 7 hour trip, one-way. I saved $7000 off the cheapest price I could find in FL. Ended up buying it in Albany, GA.

[MountainGirl]

Bumped for PO