John Deere Gator 4x2

[JATO_RaT]

My wife wants a utility vehicle to carry around the various tools and plants at our place. Our neighbor has a Gator with 6 tires which is completely unnecessary for us but it got me thinking about the Gator. The 4x2 would be more then adequate. Anyone with a 4x2 Gator have some thoughts about this utility vehicle. A few things that have me a little curious are:
1. lack of rear suspension, is this an issue?
2. Reliability, smoothness of the drive train.
3. Can you get a top for it? The JD configurator doesn't show one.

Other then that it appears to be a great little vehicle. I was quoted about $6K for the 4x2 with HD tires.

Thanks in advance, Rat...

 

[rockyridgefarm]

I do know the Kawasaki Mule has a top...
Some other possibilities are the Koyker Raptor, Snapper, and others

Just ideas, not recommendations...

 

[JATO_RaT]

I'm familiar with many of the others. I use a Kawasaki Mule at my sisters. I find the 4WD it has a feature we rarely ever use as it just doesn't seem necessary. I also find it kinda clumsy in its drive mechanism. The one that I have found to be quite nice is one called a Pioneer 1200. It like the Gator 4X2 is 2WD and a little pricier then the Gator. Thanks, Rat...

 

[beenthere]

I have the 4x2 and and very pleased with it as a great machine to get around my 22 acres. I have not found a place it will not go in the woods (haven't tried to push any trees over with it and do not plan to). It is very smooth to ride in and I have never felt any roughness because it doesn't have rear suspension. The 8# of air in the tires give it a soft ride. It is also very stable and I let my grandchildren ride and drive it (with an adult as a copilot).
I have a cap on it, called a croc top. Looks like an alligator. Great for rain or sun but I wish I could learn to duck down a little more and quit hitting my head on the teeth!/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

 

[JATO_RaT]

Thanks Mr Beenthere, I was wondering how well the suspension was. It makes sense that a low psi tire will absorb much of the shock. I don't know about the Croc top, might be a bit much for the neighborhood. I was at our local zoo and they had an eGator. It's the battery run version. It was nice because there was virtually no sound other then the tires slight noise. It looked plenty powerful too. My concern would be about 5 years down the road with leaking batteries eating everything alive. Thanks.

 

[rlk]

Rat, here are a couple of other options:

I have an EZ-GO Workhorse. It is a 16 horse power engine, a dump bed, locking differential, knobby tires, top, headlights, bucket seats, electrical outlets. Very comfortable to drive and ride in. My wife really likes it, and has practically taken it over. It does not have 4 wheel drive, but I have not found any place on my farm that it will not go. I believe it is rated to haul about 500 pounds.

I also have a Club Car golf cart. It is electric. My battery life runs for roughly 6 years before having to replace. Very quiet, but little to no hauling capacity. My neighbor has one also, and just took his in to have a lift kit installed, knobby tires, a rear bed and new batteries. He figures all this will cost roughly $1200. Not bad at all.

When I bought my EZ Go, the dealer had a bunch of electric and gasoline golf carts he was adding lift kits, knobby tires, tops and rear beds to. Some also had dumping beds. I looked at one that was priced at $2700. If I had seen that one before I bought the Workhorse, I probably would have bought it.

Most of the EZ-Go used carts in this area are only 1 - 2 years old. The golf courses sell or trade them in on new ones every 1 - 2 years, so there are some really good buys out there.

No regrets at all with the Work Horse I have.

If I remember right, there are 2 models, a 350 and a 480.

The 350 has an 11 horsepower engine and a bench seat. The 480 has a 17 horse power engine and bucket seats. All other options are about the same. I think MSRP is $5500 for the 350 and $6000 for the 480.
You can get more info on the EZ Go at <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.workhorsest.com/vehicles/sport/main.htm/>EZ Go</A>. If that URL does not come through it is: http://www.workhorsest.com/vehicles/sport/main.htm.

Keep us updated on what you decide.

Bob

 

[jinman]

Rat, my vote is on the side of the EZ-Go Workhorse. My New Holland dealer is now selling them and they look very useful. I have an old Jacobsen T-2000 that I "stole" for $550 from a landscape company after they thought their workers had "trashed" it. It was made for Jacobsen by EZ-Go, but I believe they have been discontinued. It will carry an honest-to-god ton on fairly level ground and has a hydraulic dump bed. I'm sure the JD offering is good, but I think you should at least take Bob's advice and see if you can find a Workhorse to try before making up your mind. My old "beater" is shown in the attachment. I wouldn't trade it for nuthin'.

 

[jinman]

Oops! I hit the wrong button. Here's the attachment.
Also, here's a link to a local (Irving, TX) dealer who sells
all types of golf cars and utility vehicles. You can browse
his website and see lots of offerings by different companies.
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.amgolfcars.com/turf_trail/800LX.html>Utility Vehicles </A>

 

[JATO_RaT]

Thanks Jim, I checked them out from your post, Rat...

 

[JTD]

My neighbor has one without a top. Very useful. For general transportation I'd use it on most days around the farm in place of a truck. I think hauling capacity is not the issue so much since you'll beat any of them up if you try to use them instead of a pickup or trailer for large loads. They are lightly built and won't hold up to heavy hauling. It does get cool to ride on a windy/cold day. The drive belts are a little noisy on the Gator so you might want to try several out before selecting one.