What to purchase

[MACDABS]

I sold my 4 wheeler and want to purchase a UTV for snow plowing, hauling wood, and something to have fun with. I have a 110 TLB for heavy duty work so the only implement I will need is the bed lift and a snow plow. I have been looking at the John Deere XUV diesel and gas version. I love diesels but the gas version is much more quieter. I also am considering the Polaris 700XP or HD version and love the room and bench seat plus storage space everywhere. What kind of deals should be expected? Is a diesel better for a UTV ? Is 30 MPH max speed disappointing? Has anyone owned both and has reasons why one is a better machine or value over the other? I will also be adding the roof, and windshield, no full cab. Thanks again for your input.

Macdabs

 

[2fast2]

I recently bought the Deere diesel XUV and it is a little louder than the normally muffled gas version but not so loud you can't talk over it when riding two up. The gas version with the high performance exhaust is loud IMO.
I've got 10 hours on it now, was filled to the brim when new (at 0.2 hours) and I just added around 4 gallons of diesel to bring it back to the top, so it is really a fuel miser and that is something to consider.
I talked to a guy from MI who was selling his 850D XUV on ebay a while back, he used his for snow plowing and said he typically used around a 1/2 gallon per hour and it had all the torque and power he needed to plow his lots and the neighbors. He was selling it because he ran into trouble with the law for driving it on the road to do all this, so he was going to get an old Jeep instead.
What to buy is a personal choice and you need to consider local dealership support, what you want to do with it, how much work versus how much play, etc. I feel good about my purchase, but there are plenty of choices and hopefully others will share their opinions as well.
Good luck.

 

[TWO GUNS]

There are many good utility vehicles out there on the market. Just depends on the application and how much you want to spend.
We've have had many different on the farms & plantations, four-wheelers included.
We work our machine, we don't play. We picked the Kubota RTV and very happy with it. It is strictly a work-machine...... period.....
A big plus we like about it is it's hydrostatic driven, no belts.....strong as a ox !!!!!!
It's seen it's share of swampy mud, and heavy loads of seed and feed. It's never let us down. Love the diesel engine. It's strong, and a very dependable unit.
Shop around, like I said, there is many to choose from ..... But what ever you purchase, be sure to get what YOU want !!!!
~~~~~~~~ two guns

 

[TOMMYHPX4X4]

people can say what they want but i seen a honda big red the other day with some 27"tires i think they was iether mudlitexl's or 589's but man it was nice. you would be surprised at what a nice set of tires will do to the apperance of a utv. and it don't have that small of a engine too.so you might wanna look into them and hey it's a honda they do run forever.

 

[MACDABS]

I was hauling dirt from one end of town to the other passed a Honda dealership 20 time that day , pulled in and glanced at the BiG RED. I can't get past the ugly looks of the machine. I call it a 50 footer...... looks good 50 feet away , or 3 bar stools down after 3 beers. I admit nothing is more dependable than a Honda .


Macdabs

 

[nmu98]

I have a Gator XUV in diesel with the top, 1/2 windshield, and rear screen. The one thing I will tell you is that the top and windshield hold the noise in and make it louder. I have added a water proof sound deadening material to under the box and under the seats. I am consdering adding a piece of metal behind the seats to deflect the noise back.

I think a 1/2 gallon per hour might be high if you just putzing around. I have 16 hours on mine and still have more than a 1/2 tank.

The Polaris with a top and windshield is still loud. The one I drove rattled alot.

I like the bench seat and storage of the polaris and I do not feel the need for more speed out of my gator.

Either unit will do well for you.

 

[TOMMYHPX4X4]

throw a lift kit and some nice tires on it and thats a sharp machine .

 

[MACDABS]

Still looking, I am starting to lean towards the Ranger over the Gator. I love my John Deere products I have purchased and love the diesel option for torque, but the Gator seems to lack storage space and I like the tilt wheel and layout of the Polaris better. The major drawback I have with the Gator Vs the Ranger is no bench seat. I will use this machine for hauling wood and property chores like plowing,but also would like to load my wife and daughter for trail cruising& family time . I am debating on the Browning Ranger XP edition , or the standard Ranger XP and add my own uprgrades.. Has anyone purchased the 2009 XP Browning Edition? If so, is it worth the added cost for the extra options over the standard XP?

Once, again thanks for everyones input...

Macdabs

 

[nmu98]

Still looking, I am starting to lean towards the Ranger over the Gator. I love my John Deere products I have purchased and love the diesel option for torque, but the Gator seems to lack storage space and I like the tilt wheel and layout of the Polaris better. The major drawback I have with the Gator Vs the Ranger is no bench seat. I will use this machine for hauling wood and property chores like plowing,but also would like to load my wife and daughter for trail cruising& family time . I am debating on the Browning Ranger XP edition , or the standard Ranger XP and add my own uprgrades.. Has anyone purchased the 2009 XP Browning Edition? If so, is it worth the added cost for the extra options over the standard XP?

Once, again thanks for everyones input...

Macdabs

You had the exact same thoughts I had when i was looking. Only reason i have an XUV is I found one real cheap used. You might find more info on the polaris at ATV sites.

 

[bmac]

Still looking, I am starting to lean towards the Ranger over the Gator. I love my John Deere products I have purchased and love the diesel option for torque, but the Gator seems to lack storage space and I like the tilt wheel and layout of the Polaris better. The major drawback I have with the Gator Vs the Ranger is no bench seat. I will use this machine for hauling wood and property chores like plowing,but also would like to load my wife and daughter for trail cruising& family time . I am debating on the Browning Ranger XP edition , or the standard Ranger XP and add my own uprgrades.. Has anyone purchased the 2009 XP Browning Edition? If so, is it worth the added cost for the extra options over the standard XP?

Once, again thanks for everyones input...

Macdabs

The Browning model certainly looks nicer than my plain green XP. And I was torn between the two. In the end, though, I couldn't justify the price difference (which I think was about $2k).

Good luck with your decision.