I’m in the market for a utility vehicle with a power dump option.
Does anyone have any recommendations or advice on products to avoid?
Thanks for any suggestions.
Also, does anyone have experience with an electric utility vehicle?
We have a JD Gator with the electric dump.
Wonderful machine, practically all have one of those for a million uses.
Many people upgrade to a new one and there are plenty of used ones for sale, that are still in very good shape, just older.
Here, JD rules because the dealers are better and here to stay, others have come and gone over the years.
Sooner or later you may need it worked on and is best if you have someone close that knows how to and a brand that parts are still made for and easy to get.
Every single JD I have ever had contact with has been a piece of doodoo. My farm owner just bought a brand new one, the engine has already burned up after less than a month’s use. The beds rust, the latches break, the starters are weak.
Best barn vehicle with a dump bed I ever had was an EZ-GO golf cart. It outlasted and outperformed the 3 JD Gators that my then FO went through during the same time period :lol:
Kubota, diesel, 4x4 - love, love, love. It has never given me one minute of trouble and it was purchased used about 2 years ago. Just annual routine maintenance, goes through mud and snow and has a million and one different uses around the farm.
I ended up with a 2007 Bobcat 2300 (they have a newer model). It is much heavier duty than a typical gator. It also has a front end attachment, ours came with a loader, which we probably didn’t really need since we have a tractor with a loader. I love it; but I haven’t had it that long so I can’t comment on its durability. But it does seem like it is made of much sturdier stuff than our neighbor’s gator.
Thanks for the advice. I will check into all recommendations. Looks like the EZ GO is electric as well. Must consider this…
Q1: Will you use it like a tractor?
Q2: How heavy of a load will you need to dump the bed?
Q3: How much will you use it?
Q4: Will you be driving over rough terrain or snow?
Those answers should guide you in your selection and which powerplant makes sense. You might want an electric golf cart or a diesel 4x4 UTV. They are very different vehicles.
[QUOTE=DHCarrotfeeder;7772726]
Q1: Will you use it like a tractor?
Q2: How heavy of a load will you need to dump the bed?
Q3: How much will you use it?
Q4: Will you be driving over rough terrain or snow?
Those answers should guide you in your selection and which powerplant makes sense. You might want an electric golf cart or a diesel 4x4 UTV. They are very different vehicles.[/QUOTE]
A1) Nope – got one of those.
A2) 200 pounds?
A3) Daily
A4) Yes and yes
Looks like I need a diesel.
[QUOTE=mroades;7771722]
Every single JD I have ever had contact with has been a piece of doodoo. My farm owner just bought a brand new one, the engine has already burned up after less than a month’s use. The beds rust, the latches break, the starters are weak.
Best barn vehicle with a dump bed I ever had was an EZ-GO golf cart. It outlasted and outperformed the 3 JD Gators that my then FO went through during the same time period :lol:[/QUOTE]
First, you can find lemons in any of them.
Second, if that happened, it should be under guarantee.
Third, there are many running around here and no one had the problems you seem to have where you are.
All have electric dumps and are 4x4 and most are used to cover our larger distances and round up cattle.
The OP may not need that handy a machine.
The diesel Kubota is a good machine, but very slow compared with other UTVs.
I use a 4x4 Polaris Ranger with a hydraulic dump bed. I haven’t had any trouble dumping it when fully loaded with soiled bedding. I’ve also been quite impressed with the Polaris: ours really takes a beating around the farm and gets less maintenance than it probably should, but it keeps on going.
If you can find a simplicity turf cruiser I can highly recommend them. They are not made anymore but parts are easily found. Ours has an electric dump bed, 1000lb payload, 1000lb towing capacity, on board generator, easy charge hookup, etc. Love love love it. It has a snapper engine so is super easy to be repaired. I’m sure it’s not as fast as a gaiter and the other utv’s but it’s a great economical option. You can use the generator as cruise control, very nice when doing monotonous spraying, etc. to maintain a certain speed. I love that the dump bed is plastic so we don’t have to worry about the manure rusting it.
A few years back I was at a dinner and met a guy who was the maintenance manager of a Knoxville area equipment rental company. Two things they rented were the JD Gator and Kawasaki Mule. Based upon maintenance time and mechanical problems he gave the nod to the Mule. It was much more reliable and needed much less routine maintenance. It was also a bit cheaper. Don’t know this is still true.
G.
More choices to consider. Went to see the JD and Kubota today. Interesting about the Mule vs. Gator.
[QUOTE=MuddyHalter;7773173]
I use a 4x4 Polaris Ranger with a hydraulic dump bed. I haven’t had any trouble dumping it when fully loaded with soiled bedding. I’ve also been quite impressed with the Polaris: ours really takes a beating around the farm and gets less maintenance than it probably should, but it keeps on going.[/QUOTE]
I worked for a polaris dealer for a year and a half. The rangers are pretty nice machines. With reasonable use and maintenance they seemed to hold up pretty well. A friend of mine has a Kawasaki Mule that she’s pretty happy with, though she only uses it for moderate yard work about twice a week.
[QUOTE=twelvegates;7772836]
A1) Nope – got one of those.
A2) 200 pounds?
A3) Daily
A4) Yes and yes
Looks like I need a diesel.[/QUOTE]
I would have suggested with a 4x4 gas engine model since you won’t need massive power or torque. Unless you rack up a bunch of operating hours or do really heavy work, the diesel will never pay off. Given that I have to keep both gas and diesel around for the mower and tractor, I have no bias in choosing between them.
Of course if cost is not a major factor then go diesel and enjoy the superior powerplant.
My b/o is on the 2nd gator in about 12 years, both purchased used. One from the original owner, the 2nd was a trade-in from the local JD dealer. Both have put up with a lot of abuse and have been reliable. The only change she made (which was actually done but the father of a lesson kid) was to add a fence to the dump bed so it holds way more. It’s constructed out of 2x8 rough sawn oak (a bit of overkill), and it really increases the utility of the vehicle for mucking stalls.
[QUOTE=DHCarrotfeeder;7773998]
I would have suggested with a 4x4 gas engine model since you won’t need massive power or torque. Unless you rack up a bunch of operating hours or do really heavy work, the diesel will never pay off. Given that I have to keep both gas and diesel around for the mower and tractor, I have no bias in choosing between them.
Of course if cost is not a major factor then go diesel and enjoy the superior powerplant.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for this perspective. I wasn’t thinking diesel vs gas, but I am now!
We have had the Kubota UTV 900 Diesel for about 2 years now and the thing is an absolute tank. I truly cannot recommend anything more than this piece of equipment, it is the workhorse of the farm. Hydraulic dump bed is fantastic and snow and bad terrain is no problem. If is not a zippy little machine like the gator to be sure, but feels more like a little tractor, but when it comes to something I rely on this much- I want to know I have the draft horse version!
The only issue we sometimes have with it is when the grass gets really long you have to make sure to blow them out or the filter will get clogged up and cause it to work harder.
We love ours. They aren’t cheap, but well worth every penny. Also, how close are the options for servicing your machine? We considered the Polaris but quickly nixed it because the nearest place to service it was 2 hours away. Good luck!
Thanks BCGirl – yep, I’m definitely considering the servicing availability. I’ve got a JD tractor, so am thinking about something zippier, but the jury is still out.
We have the 4x4 Kubota diesel utv. It really gets used more than anything else on the farm. I pull the drag harrow with it, we muck stalls into it, we carry hay in it, I use it to pick rocks, pick paddocks, carry wood. It can drive through 1’ deep mud and through streams and on steep inclines. The only problem is that shavings get under the dump into the engine and can catch on fire if you don’t blow them out occasionally (don’t ask how I discovered this…).
The dump feature makes wheelbarrows completely obsolete. Can’t imagine going back now that we have it.
