Another side by side thread

[56FordGuy]

Hey all. I've recently started looking for a side by side to use around the farm.

I would guess my needs are pretty typical, I want to haul some square bales and fencing supplies, maybe the occasional load of firewood. My property is on a hill, so a 4x4 would be nice but may not be an option in my price range. I think a gas engine would probably have enough power, too.

I'm looking for a used model, and have found a few older (mid 90s) JD Gators in my price range. Are there any particular faults or known weak points in that generation Gator? Have there been any significant improvements in the newer ones? What would be considered high hours on one?

I'm trying to stay under the $3,000.00 mark. If there are any other options y'all would recommend in that price range, I'm open to them. Not married to the Gator by any means. They're the most popular used side by side that I can find in this area, though.

As much as I would like a side by side, there are far more used ATV options in my price range. Obviously, a Gator type would be easier to work off of, but where I'm looking at 10+ year old, 2wd UTVs I can find 5-6 year old, 4x4 ATVs for about the same price. Any opinions would be appreciated.

 

[MrChris]

In 2006 I bought a JD Buck ATV and a 6x4 Gator UTV. After 4 years I had 68 hrs on the Buck and 1200 hrs on the Gator. The UTV is just so much more comfortable to drive, holds a lot more safely in the bed as well as carries a passenger. The ATV had the advantage of going anywhere you wanted on the trails but obviously got used a lot less. The good news was I was able to sell the Buck for what I paid for it. Gotta love the JD brand for resale!