Why buy one?

[Tennsawdust]

Many have evolved into nothing but overpriced Motorsport vehicles, not Utility vehicles. Never spent a penny on a Rec item and probably never will. Not good value! The more they become popular and a fad (must have because the neighbors all have one) item, the worse the value will become.

There is definitely a wide range available and a big split between the sports vehicles and the utility vehicles. My Defender is basically a 5/8 scale pickup truck, whereas the Mavericks and RZRs are pure sports vehicles. I suppose it would be nice to have the money to drop $30K on some crazy sport SXS, but I probably wouldn't even do it if I had the money. Fortunately there are more sane alternatives and if you shop around you can find some of the more basic UTVs for as little as $8K (Ranger 570s and the like), so there is still some sanity available in the market. A full cab Northstar model isn't required to ride around spraying fence rows.

 

[Industrial Toys]

There really should be seperate catagories.

I never owned or wanted one of those 4x4s with the handlebars and bycycle seat that you sit on top of, yet it seems EVERYONE just had to have one. Kind of like a jet ski I guess, if you like or have water. Lemmings! Monkey see, monkey do.

 

[DMax82]

I posted pix of my Samurai dumptruck years ago when I built it. I have used it many times to haul dirt/mud, nearly a ton at a time. My property always has mudslide issues and creek flooding in the winter. The Sami is tough to turn around, however. The 4x4 drive works great, and the whole machine has less than $1000 in it.

I am all for the right tool for the right job. My jobs are often different than those other folks have. One friend just loves his electric golf cart to get around his 5 acres, on or off pavement. I like to get around in a 4x4 ATV with tools, but it sucks on pavement. I have both pavement and dirt on my 19 acres. My 2WD ATV (with differential) was great on pavement, but it could not get up some of my trails, and it tears up the ground when it loses traction. I just sold it, and bought a newish ATV to arrive this weekend. It has nearly all the new features, and I am looking forward to it also replacing my 4x4 Honda.

That is awesome! Thanks for sharing.

I definitely see the appeal of all the SxS machines - both those designed for work or for play. It would just be incredibly difficult for me to justify owning one. There are so many other things I need to get first.

 

[Oldoak]

Why buy one? Because I wanted one and could well afford one. No justification needed. I take it places I wouldn't take my pickup and use it when my tractor isn't needed. :confused3:

 

[crazyal]

I've had almost everything you can think of. I had a Samurai that I welded the rear diff and added an LA lock rite to the front, a Toyota pickup that had been lightly rolled, as well as my tractor and Tundra now. My Honda SxS can just go more places on my property. I had an old Honda 3 wheel ATC that I had been using and when I went to upgrade to an ATV I found the Honda for $7200. It was a dealer demo for the same price as a new ATV. With the bed on the back it hauls and tows almost everything I need on my property. The Samurai was fun but turning it around in tight places was a pain. The trucks are just too big. The Honda is great as I can lock/ unlock both the front and rear diffs. After having the SxS I wouldn't go with anything else.

I use it mostly for hauling firewood. The tractor works but it's twice as long. I'll often skid logs with the tractor but I don't like to grind the dirt and mud into them so it's only for short distances. On my hilly rocky ground a log arch wouldn't work well. But with the SxS and a trailer I can move up to a half cord of wood without a problem. I could pull a trailer with the tractor but it's not as nimble and I usually have an attachment on the rear for weight (which make it even longer). On the smooth sections of trail I can easily hold 25 mph, a lot faster than the tractor could do. Yes, I could get by without the SxS but when something fits your needs, well lets just say too many times I have said "why did I wait that long". Now I wouldn't spend $30k on one for what I use mine for.

 

[oosik]

My Polaris is a 2002. So its been with me going on 18 years. It will go in the snow up to about 8". Beyond that - it's a battle - it's just not heavy enough to break thru and maintain traction. So any winter projects are with the tractor.

 

[EddieWalker]

I never wanted one and thought that people who had them where just wasteful with their money. Then my brother moved here and I had the use of his old beat up golf cart. When he bought his land and moved away, I really missed that thing and decided to buy my own golf cart. The more I looked, the more I learned, the more open I became to spending more money. Eventually I bought a brand new Kawasaki Trans Mule for $8,000. I put 2 grand down and financed it for 6 or 7 years. I forget. Payments where about $80 a month and I paid it off in two years by paying extra every month.

It is the only thing that gets used every single day. Tractors might sit for a week or two at a time, I might not go anywhere with my truck, but the Mule gets the mail, hauls branches and burnable garbage to the burn pile, takes us for rides around our land, pulls the sprayer for fence lines and the food plot, hauls us and our friends and our stuff down to the pond to go fishing, or just have lunch in the gazebo. If there is a project that needs to be done, it's the Mule that is used because of how easy it is to get anywhere you want to go and it can haul just about anything that we need. When it's super muddy out, or even when it snows, the Mule is the vehicle that gets you there.

It's one of those things that ounce you have it, you wonder how you got by without it.

 

[dfkrug]

It's one of those things that once you have it, you wonder how you got by without it.

Yeah, kinda like a tractor. And, for me, a mini-X.

We have a new neighbor and he just bought a brand new Mule. Gas-powered, with 4 seats and
small dump bed. CVT. He has little use for it on his 2-3 acre property (rented!), so he rides up and down
the county road, now and then with his family. Illegal, of course, but he has yet to be caught by
the CHP or sheriff, AFAIK.

He was over here recently, and he insisted I try it out on one of my tractor-trails. I needed every
bit of its 4x4, but it made it, tho I brushed a lot of branches, and turning it around took about
6 or 7 reverse cycles.

 

[4570Man]

Yeah, kinda like a tractor. And, for me, a mini-X.

We have a new neighbor and he just bought a brand new Mule. Gas-powered, with 4 seats and
small dump bed. CVT. He has little use for it on his 2-3 acre property (rented!), so he rides up and down
the county road, now and then with his family. Illegal, of course, but he has yet to be caught by
the CHP or sheriff, AFAIK.

He was over here recently, and he insisted I try it out on one of my tractor-trails. I needed every
bit of its 4x4, but it made it, tho I brushed a lot of branches, and turning it around took about
6 or 7 reverse cycles.

I’m not a fan at all of the 2 row seating ones. They handle about like a truck.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I'm waiting for them to Bluetooth connectivity, multiple USB ports, rear entertainment systems, heated seats front and rear and of course AC for the Grand Kids Ashma!

I have used my E-Gator at least ten times today, going back and forth to the house from the shop to get supplies for a project and twice to get the mail, yesterdays and todays. The one cat accompanied me, on many of those trips. Loves going for a ride.