Buying Advice Opinions on Gator model for 10 Acres

[miket0813]

I just purchased a home on a 10 acre parcel with 7+ woods on a steep ridge. The property is square at 660' x 660' and the elevation drops 100 feet from the front corner to the rear corner. That being said, I am considering purchasing a Gator but not quite sure which model would be best. I am 6'5" so leg room is important. I have a gas JD garden tractor and that is the only JD product I have owned. I have never owned a diesel anything so not sure if that would be the right choice either. I plan to use the gator for maintaining the property, moving wood, plowing snow in the winter, hauling dirt and rocks, and hopefully a deer or two this fall Also plan on grooming some trails for trail rides around the property. Could I get some thoughts/ideas on what you feel would be the best machine for what I described?

 

[ultrarunner]

Welcome!

Do you need a cab for winter? This could limit your field as those that plow say there is nothing like a cab when it is nasty out.

I've been going through the selection process for a long time and it looks like a Kubota Diesel so far.

I think the hydro will give the best margin of safety for steep terrain.

 

[vanguard]

Just food for thought, have you considered an EZ-GO? I have 14 acres and I use mine nearly every single day. It's hard to describe the benefit of just sitting in it and pressing the pedal. We have a home, guest house, and stable on the property and the fact that it's just "sit and go" without turning a key makes it somehow a more reasonable choice for getting from one to the other. It's great for tasks like getting the mail and visiting a neighbor. I also sometimes load it up so heavy that it does a wheelie if I hit the gas too hard. I couldn't ask for a better machine.

Having said that, I don't think it's up to plowing. I don't get enough snow to worry too much about that.

Terrain 25

 

[jeff9366]

As you have a gas L&G tractor, buy a gas Gator. It is a pain keeping two types of fuel in containers. Better one fuel, in one container, FRESH.

Second for HST transmission on steep slopes.

You will need an all-terrain trailer. Gator bed is for tools.

MUTS, which dumps fully, is the gold standard for quality. I have owned a single-axle 'original' MUTS for five years and it represents some of the best money I have ever spent.

You can order a partially dumping Polar trailer from Home Depot's web site. ~~~READ THE REVIEWS~~~



LINKS: MUTS - Multi-Use Trailer System for your ATV, Quad and 4 Wheeler
- Welcome

Polar Trailer 22 cu. ft. TA 15 Tandem Trailer-8386 - The Home Depot

 

[yankeerider]

Except for hunting, we do everything you describe on our 10 acre ( about 7 are woods) property with a gas Gator HPX. My wife preferred the HPX to the UTV because the rear bed height was a little lower and she felt that would make it easier to load. We only have a 40 foot grade change, but occurs in less than 100 feet horizontally. That means we have steep road that runs along that grade which I plow with the Gator. The Gator has been bulletproof for us.

I would suggest you find one to sit in to make sure it adjusts enough to fit your height and keep you comfortable.

 

[MF283]

Sitting in them & determining the trail widths with the different models would be my way of choosing, you'll look at a little more maintenance with the diesel engine over the gas.
I have a 550 which works great around my 35 acres, no speed demon, very narrow(will load in pickup) & the 4WD works when needed.
I don't think the 550 would be great for pushing snow, someone may have a better idea on that than me. I'm 6' & have plenty of leg room on it. I looked at a 825, there was a lot of room on it, bigger all around to, which i don't really need.
The Gator sure has taken a lot of minimal task away from the tractor & well worth the money.

Ronnie

 

[ArlyA]

What do you mean by "grooming some trails"?? Just mow?

Arly,, your neighbors to the north of MI,,, A

Also plan on grooming some trails for trail rides around the property. Could I get some thoughts/ideas on what you feel would be the best machine for what I described?

 

[Gary Fowler]

Any UTV is better than no UTV. Your uses determines the best one to buy. I love the hydraulic dump bed on my Kubota RTV 900. I can round the bed up with rocks and it dumps on an idle with no problem. The HST type transmission is great for hills so you never need the brakes to stop or keep from speeding up on the downhill grade. Uphill it pulls most any hill in M range and I can drag some large tree trunks when in L and 4 wheel drive. I also love the power steering. My brother in law has a Gator (2WD) and the bed is useful just for hauling tools. Any material put into it has to be hand loaded and unloaded because it is a manual dump. Some of the Gators have electric motor driven hydraulic dump but there have been lots of negative reviews on them because of lack of power and dump system burn out.

I fail to understand the comment about more maintenance with diesel than gasoline engines. I love my diesel engine RTV 900 and have had no maintenance issues other than oil change once a year and one change of fuel filter in over 450 hours and 6 years of ownership. I don't have to worry with stale fuel like gasoline engines, my diesel keeps for ever.

 

[coralhead]

Unless you are hung up on getting green, Kawasaki Mules are pretty stout machines that can be had in 4 seat that can convert to a 2 seat with a larger bed area. The prices will most likely be lower if you go with non green/orange machines.

 

[rgr33]

The Kubota RTV 900 is at it's best when put to work. The power steering and hydraulic dump bed are where it really shines. You will appreciate the power steering in the tight spots in the woods. It does fine as a runabout on the farm, and in fact that is what mine does the most. My two neighbors both have gas gators, and use them mostly as transportation, they don't use them like a mini dump truck like I do because theirs are manual dumps and can't tip a heavy load by hand.
Either way, I would suggest getting a diesel motor, as Gary stated, filters and fluids are the only thing I have done to mine since I bought it new in 2008.
I don't know how things are in Michegan, but used RTVs are very hard to find around here, so buying competition is fierce.

 

[yankeerider]

....My brother in law has a Gator (2WD) and the bed is useful just for hauling tools. Any material put into it has to be hand loaded and unloaded because it is a manual dump. Some of the Gators have electric motor driven hydraulic dump but there have been lots of negative reviews on them because of lack of power and dump system burn out.

I had not heard that about the power dump on the Gators. Ours has been power dump since new about 5 years ago, and has been dumped hundreds of times since the, including moving 16 yards of hardpack last summer. It will be doing that again in a few weeks. Not a single failure to dump, nor a single maintenance issue with it.

 

[miket0813]

What do you mean by "grooming some trails"?? Just mow?

Arly,, your neighbors to the north of MI,,, A

So I just mean that I will be grooming some trails on the property to ride on with the UTV...not to use the UTV for the actual grooming.

 

[miket0813]

That is an awesome trailer. I will definitely add it to the list.

 

[Xfaxman]

Here is another brand to check into: Side by Side Utility Vehicles - Intimidator 4x4 UTVs

This might be our next UTV, the Classic, with the 48 volt electric motor.

 

[coralhead]

I had not heard that about the power dump on the Gators. Ours has been power dump since new about 5 years ago, and has been dumped hundreds of times since the, including moving 16 yards of hardpack last summer. It will be doing that again in a few weeks. Not a single failure to dump, nor a single maintenance issue with it.

In regard to the dump actuator, I am in the process of repairing the third actuator on a gator. My dads was the first to separate at the gear box, last year it was my brothers I repaired, and now my brother-in-law contacted me last week about fixing his. The problem is that the screws that hold the aluminum gear housing together pull out of the aluminum gearbox housing thus dropping the internal parts on the ground. The fix is to get the gears that may have been lost and I tap out the housing to 1/4-20unc and use longer bolts. John Deere sells a repair kit that has the internals of the gearbox. Must be a high failure lift.

 

[ultrarunner]

Wonder what king of range is reasonable to expect with an electric?

Much of the tree farm is level... some is quite steep.

 

[Xfaxman]

Wonder what king of range is reasonable to expect with an electric?

Much of the tree farm is level... some is quite steep.

I think Polaris claims 50 miles in the Max range, but from reading the Ranger Forums nobody gets that.

In High range, speed is 25mph. In Low range it will climb a tree.

Ours has always had plenty of range for use on our 80 acres. :thumbsup:

 

[ultrarunner]

Thanks for the in the field report...

I do think electric could be just the ticket for farm, nursery setup...

Sometime their are elderly visitors and the paths are too narrow for a full size 4wd... it would be nice to be able to show them around and take them to the vista point...

Another benefit is the rest of get are walking exercise with no RTV

 

[yankeerider]

Coralhead:
I think we are discussing apples and oranges here. What model Gators are you talking about? Our HPX has two double-acting hydraulic cylinders for the dump-there's no aluminum housing or gears that I can see associated with the lift.

 

[Xfaxman]

The Ranger EV showed 125 hours in the picture above that was taken 6-8-2015. Took some pictures today showing 160 hours. We bought it 8-5-2013

Thought that I would prove my claim that it would climb a tree.