So how come nobody mentions the JD gators?

[dukenyc]

I am in the market for a utility vehicle, and I was looking at the JD gators over the weekend. The HPX model cost about the same as the Kubota rtv.

I was erading some older posts in this forum, and people seem to look at the mule, the rtv and the polaris, but not the gators.

Why? Are they really inferior? Which vehicle will be best for going up and down some steep hills and blasting through high grass along side overgrown pastures?

 

[bczoom]

What are you going to do with your UTV? That has a lot to do with which machine may be best for your needs.

Did you find the threads where the Gator was compared to the other machines? Do a search for "HPX" in the ATV section. You'll have to click "next" a couple times to start seeing all the comparisons as most were made last year.

I believe the concensus was that the HPX is a great machine, especially with the diesel and you can't go wrong with it.

Some of us went with (or prefered) the RTV because of a couple extras or benefits it offered. ROPS is standard (not sure on the HPX), power steering and the HST transmission.

Not sure about the Gator but the RTV is great on hills and won't free-wheel down hill like some UTV's. Even coming down hill, if you let off the pedal, it stops.

Brian

 

[cowboydoc]

The RTV is certainly a nice machine but I really love the Gators. The most important thing to me on our ranches is that it leaves the least compaction of anything out there by a long shot. Nobody else comes close here. The Gator is also very hard to roll. That is why it has no roll bar. It's center of gravity is excellent. All-around it's a nice machine. For us they do a very nice job. They are well built and we get thousands of hours out of them. They rarely break down. I could buy an HPX $3500 cheaper than I could an RTV. The RTV is no doubt the best one out there when you look at all of the features that they offer. Personally I don't need hydro, I don't need power steering, I don't need the hydraulics on one, etc. But they are nice and they are the gold standard for having it all. As far as reliability goes I'll put my Gator up against it anyday. Not saying they aren't reliable but I know the Gator is very reliable.

Personally I don't think you can go wrong with either one. Both very nice machines.

 

[beenthere]

I wouldn't be without my gator. It's great, and I wouldn't trade it for an ATV cause I don't like to climb aboard that way. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I don't figure I need to mention it when others are talking about what they like, so maybe that is why 'nobody' mentions the JD gators. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Seems in the past, there has been a fair amount of discussion of gators, but maybe not since this category of ATVs & Utility vehicles forum was introduced.

If I were you, I wouldn't avoid looking and test driving the gators. Mine isn't 4wd but I don't find a need for it on my gator. The 2wd and positraction does the job nicely, over hill and dale and through the woods and up and down steep hills.

 

[Archdean]

Drive them both, then tell us why you bought a Kubota RTV!!

 

[JESSE1]

I've got nearly 100 hours on my HPX 4x4 Diesel. So far it's been bulletproof. I highly recommend the diesel. I had a Gator 6x4 Diesel before the HPX and it was a good machine but the HPX is quite an improvement.

For the intended purpose of these machines, I don't think power steering or a hydrostatic trans is necessary. To my way of thinking, it just adds potential problems and weight. I have two tractors to handle the big jobs. The HPX does a fine job of pulling my welding trailer or tending to the cows.

 

[JDGREEN4ME]

We bought our HPX at the end of last year. For our needs it works great. Frankly if the local dealer (Kawasaki) wasn't such a jerk we would have bought a Mule. I understand that the Kubota is the "work horse" of the bunch but as someone else stated you need to evaluate YOUR needs. As it is the HPX is more UTV than we will ever need! We just wanted something to drive to the lake and back from our retirement home. If it wasn't for the steep hills we really liked the Yamaha Hauler Models but were concerned with HP, etc.

 

[flyingn]

The gator is a nice utv but drive one and the RTV back to back.. Then post back here again No comparison..
They are not in the same league..
Frank

 

[JDGREEN4ME]

I did drive both, in fact we drove the Yamaha Rhino & Hauler, Kawasaki Mules, Kubota, Raptor and three different John Deere models. Like I said before for what we needed a battery golf cart was even an option at one point. I am not debating how great the Kubota is (or bashing) just stating a fact that depending on use (or needs) there are other options.

 

[cowboydoc]

I drove both of them. The RTV left a much deeper footprint. It was much harder to get in and out of. I didn't like the ergonomics at all. It sat too tall for what I like. It was harder to see out of. Personally I like the HPX transmission over the hydro. I like the bed lift better on the HPX, faster and beefier to me. I liked the ride better in the HPX. To me the RTV was too stiiff, the seats sat you up too straight, and I couldn't stretch out like I can in the HPX. Is the RTV in a class above everything with regards to a hydro, power steering and hydraulics, yes it is. If you want and need that stuff the RTV is for you. But strip those three things off and you have pretty much the same machine. You also pay for it in a 2-4 thousand dollar price. They're both great machines. Just depends on which one fits your needs.