Easy Access UTV for 80 year old

[marrt]

I'd like to buy my father a UTV. He's 80 and lives with my Aunt, who's 70. The number one criteria is easy access. A lot of UTV's strap you in like a formula one car. Although they're both in good physical health, that won't work for them. Any recommendations?

P.S...a golf cart would work in theory. However, they'll be going through some wooded areas that get a little muddy. Plus, I'll use the UTV to help maintain their 24 acres. Something with a bed would be nice to haul trimmers, chain saws and the occasional load of firewood.

Tom

 

[4570Man]

My mule 600 is easy to get in. It is even easier to get in than a golf cart because the steering wheel doesn't lay so far back.

 

[TMR]

One of my purchase criteria when I bought my Polaris Ranger 800XP in 2010 was ease of entry. I primarily use it to work in the woods on trails, etc. and get in and out frequently.

The Polaris has VERY easy entry...I liken it to and old bread truck from years ago with flat floors and wide open entry point. I have no regrets.

Also note that the new Rangers have a "safety net" that you clip on behind you so you don't fall out IF I had a new model the first thing I would do is unclip the safety net and put in in storage. I trust I won't fall out...also there are seat belts for three passengers that will hols you in.

Hope this helps a bit...must go get in and out of one a few times...Tom R

 

[Xfaxman]

I am 75 and our Polaris Electric Ranger is easy to ingress and egress. (That is the first time I ever used those words)

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Kubota 500...

That's one of the things I really like about my 500, very easy to get in and out of. Also, it starts easy, is reliable and is decent on fuel...

SR

 

[PapaPerk]

Kubota 500... That's one of the things I really like about my 500, very easy to get in and out of. Also, it starts easy, is reliable and is decent on fuel... SR

I vote for the Kubota 500 as well for this application.

 

[herringchoker]

Kubota 500...

That's one of the things I really like about my 500, very easy to get in and out of. Also, it starts easy, is reliable and is decent on fuel...

SR

I also vote for the Kubota RTV500....one of the many things I like about mine is the ease of ingress and egress. (First time I've used those words, too. )

 

[Retired Iron Peddler]

I'm not quite 80, but workin' on it (I'm 75) and I also vote Kubota RTV. I've owned a RTV 900 for nearly 10 years. 100% trouble free and easy entry/egress. My wife and I use it daily around our place.

Bill

 

[DIXIEDOG]

Depending on how muddy a "little muddy" is I would also say a Kubota RTV 500 given their age. The RTV 500 is very low so it's easy to get in, the top speed isn't likely to disappoint because it's unlikely they'll ever break 20 mph and it does have excellent engine braking once they get used to the throttle so they don't let off quick and get lurched forward.

If by a little muddy you mean you wouldn't drive a small front wheel drive car through it for fear of getting stuck I would opt for a Polaris Ranger mid size or Gator 625 instead they are far more capable in the mud than the Kubota.

 

[EddieWalker]

Lots of great options out there to choose from. Best way to be sure is to bring both of them to some different dealers and have them get in and out of them. When I bought my Kawasaki TransMule, I wanted something user friendly, able to get anywhere on my land and capable of hauling four people, or a lot of material. Nothing else came close to what I bought.

My dad just turned 79 a few days ago and my mom is 75. I took this picture of her yesterday driving to the mailbox to get the mail after a wedding that we had here. The Mule has been going non stop for three days getting ready for the wedding and has proven to be one of the most used tools that I own. Power steering, fuel injection, electric dump bed, comfortable seats that in a pinch will fit three in front, three in back and I even have a bench that will slide into the bed for a few more people!!! In winter we unroll the plastic windshield to stop the cold air and rain from making it uncomfortable.






Eddie

 

[Sawyer Rob]

If by a little muddy you mean you wouldn't drive a small front wheel drive car through it for fear of getting stuck I would opt for a Polaris Ranger mid size or Gator 625 instead they are far more capable in the mud than the Kubota.

It takes one heck of a lot of mud to stop my Kubota 500, as I deal with mud on my place all year around, I do know what my 500 will and won't do. Yes, there are other ATV's that will go through more, but it takes some pretty deep mud to stop my 500, much more than any front wheel drive car would ever want to attempt...

SR

 

[DIXIEDOG]

It takes one heck of a lot of mud to stop my Kubota 500, as I deal with mud on my place all year around, I do know what my 500 will and won't do. Yes, there are other ATV's that will go through more, but it takes some pretty deep mud to stop my 500, much more than any front wheel drive car would ever want to attempt...

SR

It depends on the density of mud I guess.....my old RTV 500 did great the first year I had it....everywhere I went was dry as a bone and I didn't get stuck. The second year there was a bit of rain, not standing water...not soupy mud just a clayish mud and I spent all my time running winch trying to get the RTV 500 back to the trailer. At 80 yrs old I'm thinking getting off and winching to get out of a little mud isn't an option. With my Kubota any more than 4 or 5 inches of soft stuff and it was over.....I'd have 3 wheels spinning and no forward progress until I managed to hang up due to the lack of clearance. I got to the point with the RTV 500 that if it was muddy at all I didn't attempt it, I've heard some folks say they are good offroad and can handle mud but I've yet to see it myself.


I've since replaced the RTV 500 with a more offroad friendly Gator 825i, it works much better for my uses but I do miss the filling of my fuel tank once every several months with the Kubota.

 

[RollingsFarms]

Most of the utility utv's are easy to get into and you don't have to have a high step in or anything. Just leave them stock and don't put a lift and tires on them and it should be fine. My Ranger is very easy for my mother to get into and she's 71.

 

[marrt]

Thanks for all the comments guys. There's a Kubota dealer 7 miles from my house. They're a good dealer but very expensive (lucky to get 5% off retail). Still...he's convenient and that's a big factor. He was closed today so I went by and sat on the 500 and 900. Ether would do fine I think. The 500 is REALLY small. As everyone know, there's positives and negatives with the small size. I'm 6'1" and wouldn't have a place for my left foot on long rides. However, I won't be taking long rides on a 24 acre property and I doubt it would bother my dad. I'll go by tomorrow and get some prices. There's a Kawasaki dealer about 25 miles away. Maybe I'll look at the Mule too. Leaning toward the Kubota 500 for now because I suspect the Mule is 50% more expensive and I have a tractor for the "serious work" stuff. Thanks again for all the comments.

 

[scaredychicken]

JD Gator or Kubota would be my choices, but all of the main companies have good machines - stay away from cheap generic knockoffs.

 

[RollingsFarms]

The biggest thing I looked for was ease of entering and exiting the vehicle and how easy it was to put in gear. Since my mother would sometimes drive it those were two very important things for me. I just taught her to use low range because it limits the vehicle to 25mph which is more than plenty fast for her. It's also very easy to steer even without power steering. Her only complaints so far are engine noise (she's used to her gas golf cart) and how the clutch engages.

 

[4570Man]

My 2wd mule does terrible in mud. It is still better than a car because it is lighter and has more aggressive tread on the tires. My army mule does awesome in mud. It is almost unstoppable, but difficult to get on. It also has a rated payload of 1 ton.

 

[crazyal]

I like my Honda Big Red, easy to get in and out, easy to shift/ lock the diffs, and it has doors that are easy to open so most times I don't bother with a seat belt (since I'm going at low speeds) to keep me from falling out. It's kind of between a sport and a full utility UTV. Diesel is nice but you pay for it and unless you work the engine it'll be wasted, you're probably only going to get your money back if/ when you sell it.

 

[marrt]

Thanks for all the comments guys. I demoed the 1120 on my property. That thing is a tank and awesome in many respects. However, it's too large for my existing trails and too hard to shift for my existing father. Consequently, I went with the 500. While I think the 1120 is a much better value (diesel, MUCH more powerful, better suspension, better ride, better ground clearance, dump bed, etc...), the 500 is better suited to my specific needs. I really needed something small and simple and the 500 fit the need. Pics to follow.