fixin' up the gator

ghitch75 · Feb 16, 2009

i put brake lights,backup lights,1" lift,brush guard and camo kit on the gator...goin' to order under body armor....already tore a CV boot....next will be a little bigger tires....should i go with 27's?

jcmseven · Feb 17, 2009

27" tires are nice; your Gator will have a tough time powering them if you have any real hills and want to go reasonably fast. I run different sized tires in the front and back and that did fine, and going diesel really helped. If you go oversized you might wish to consider a small lift kit; I went 1.5", which seems plenty. In short, going oversized looks good, but your machine will perform better with the gas engine if you leave the tires and wheels the stock size.

John M

ghitch75 · Feb 17, 2009

i put a 1" lift to the front raised it about 1 3/4"....so you think i should stay with 25's with some meaner tread?...i hope someday they come out with a higher HP chip for the gassers...

jcmseven · Feb 17, 2009

Everyone has a different opinion here, so I cannot speak for all, but I can say based on my experience. The larger, more aggressive tires on my XUV get more traction than do the stock tires, by a fair amount. I love them in mud and the winter snow. I like them less in the summer when I am doing a lot of riding on pavement and less work where traction is imperative. A larger circumference tire on your XUV will lug the engine when climbing steep hills or long grades. If you live where it is flat or where the grades are short, this fact might not matter much to you. It did to me. More aggressive tread will definitely help traction, but unless you are running in deep mud or snow or bad terrain often, I do not personally think it is worth changing from the factory tread. The traction might be better, but the ride most likely will not. Despite opinions to the contrary, the stock tires get pretty good traction and ride better than most aftermarket brands. If you find an aftermarket tread that rides and wears as well, it probably will not get enough better traction to merit a change. My dealer, who helped me customize my Gator, frequently puts aftermarket wheels on the machines when he builds them up. Unless someone wants aggressive and oversized, he replaces the wheels but mounts the stock tires as he says he has found no aftermarket tire that offers any better combination of ride and traction for most buyers.

John M

ghitch75 · Feb 17, 2009

i live in the hills of southern indiana and it's hilly!!!.....we had 12" of snow 2 week ago and it went like a tank!.......after the snow melted i had it back on the neighbors where it was logged in the summer and i was very happy with the way it went in mud it was like drivin' in grease...so i guess this tires aren't to bad....

jcmseven · Feb 17, 2009

If you want to see a picture of my Gator XUV gas, search Gator pictures and go to my post from 4/2007. My diesel one looks just like it but has 1/2 less lift. It would give you an idea what things would look like

John M

nmu98 · Feb 17, 2009

I had some 26" mudlites on my honda rubicon. They did rob some power, but were nice meaty tires. I have no clue on how powerful the gas engine is, but may 26 inch tiores might get you a little size, without crazy power loss?

Any aftermarket mud tire is going to be heavier than what you have, so ???? Maybe you would see a loss?

I know that I don't like to go places with my gator where it might get stuck... Mostly in deep snow... Its a bear to get back out after it burried to the frame!

ghitch75 · Feb 17, 2009

jcmseven said:
If you want to see a picture of my Gator XUV gas, search Gator pictures and go to my post from 4/2007. My diesel one looks just like it but has 1/2 less lift. It would give you an idea what things would look like

John M

i looked at your pic's...very nice!!!!

what brand and size tires are those?.....i like them!!!

btw what did the dealer do to get 40 mph over yours?....and where is this dealer?

crazymike · Feb 20, 2009

hey, where did you get the brake light switch?

Is it a John Deere part or did you improvise something?

Also, where does it go, inside the master cylinder or under the pedal?

I want to setup brake lights on my gator so I don't get smoked taking out the garbage at night. I was thinking of doing running lights, but if there is a brake switch I will do that.

Also, I recommend going with a set of fender guards on the front. They are pretty cheap and offer good protection. We put ours on after barn staff smashed the front fender on a door or gate or something.

TOMMYHPX4X4 · Feb 20, 2009

i got a used bumper if your interested in it? no dents or nuthin i don't think you could dent it anyway . it has lights too.

TOMMYHPX4X4 · Feb 20, 2009

i might let my fenders go too i been thinkin of makin me a flat bedd and if i do i won't need them so instead of ebay you could have first dibs they aluminum.

ghitch75 · Feb 21, 2009

TOMMY you have a pm....

TOMMYHPX4X4 · Feb 21, 2009

the green bumper is a bumper i made for another member on the forum the black bumper is the one i have for sale it's mounted to my hpx . the fenders are on my hpx you can see me standing on them in one picture they are tough and in one picture from the side you can see them . i trimmed them up a bim higher than the stock ones so it gives the rear end a lifted look to it. they are made out of 1/8th aluminum and mount up to the factory holes.

GatorNT · Feb 21, 2009

Hey! That's my bumper. LOL. Tough as can be! Super nice bumper with a perfect fit!

TOMMYHPX4X4 · Feb 21, 2009

sure is aint it?i forgot it was you who got it. how's it holding up did you manage to dent it yet?

GatorNT · Feb 22, 2009

No, you'll never dent it. The box will bend before that will! It works great. I still need to get your measurements for the guarding around my roof lights and my cv boots. Just haven't had the time to measure them for you.

TOMMYHPX4X4 · Feb 22, 2009

yea the front a-arms are the same but the rear are the ones i need. i might be able to get some measurements from john deere by the house they are pretty good at letting my look at the stuff being i spend alot of money there.

jcmseven · Feb 23, 2009

ghitch,

I have been OOT and just saw your post with a question. The tires are ITP Mudlites. They ride a bit rough on pavement, but get great traction in mud or snow. I Run the 28's front and back but with more narrow on the front to maintain appropriate steering geometry. As for the speed, I cannot answer what my dealer did but he worked with the machine for two weeks to hop it up. I believe it had a new filter, throttle actuator, etc. In addition, the much larger tires will increase top speed by 3-5 mph on flat ground alone, so the engine mods only added about 5 mph themselves. This does not apply to hills, where the gas engine really struggled to maintain speed. My diesel will only go about 35 mph, largely due to the larger tires, but it maintains speed quite a lot better turning those bigger tires. There are also other factors at play, such as the poly top you see in the picture. Believe it or not, they will really slow one of these machines down at higher speeds as they act a bit like a sail. The half windshield does the same, so keep that in mind also.

John M

rutwad · Feb 25, 2009

My friend got his gator 620i Memorial Day weekend 2008. It has given alot of trouble free performance, except for the Carlisle tires. He was getting stuck more with the gator than other previous UTV's. He also had several flats, but that can happen with any tire. About a month ago, he had a 2" lift put on the front and changed to 26" Gator tires. Not oem gator, the tires are actually named gator. HUGE difference. He can go places in 2wd now that he previously had trouble in 4wd. I rode it one weekend after a rain came through and I felt much more confindent with the gators.

As far as power robbing, I am sure it does. But the gas engine was never a great power performer. All things considered, he is MUCH happier with the more aggressive tires.

My opinion, if you have not been stuck with the stockers-keep them. They will ride better and rob less power. But upgrade the tires if you find yourself getting stuck. My friend is much happier not having to winch his out after a rain storm, so the sacrifice in power and ride were well worth it! Plus the new tires have more plys making them more resistant to punctures.

GOOD LUCK!

ghitch75 · Feb 26, 2009

rutwad said:
My friend got his gator 620i Memorial Day weekend 2008. It has given alot of trouble free performance, except for the Carlisle tires. He was getting stuck more with the gator than other previous UTV's. He also had several flats, but that can happen with any tire. About a month ago, he had a 2" lift put on the front and changed to 26" Gator tires. Not oem gator, the tires are actually named gator. HUGE difference. He can go places in 2wd now that he previously had trouble in 4wd. I rode it one weekend after a rain came through and I felt much more confindent with the gators.

As far as power robbing, I am sure it does. But the gas engine was never a great power performer. All things considered, he is MUCH happier with the more aggressive tires.

My opinion, if you have not been stuck with the stockers-keep them. They will ride better and rob less power. But upgrade the tires if you find yourself getting stuck. My friend is much happier not having to winch his out after a rain storm, so the sacrifice in power and ride were well worth it! Plus the new tires have more plys making them more resistant to punctures.

GOOD LUCK!

no i haven't hung it up yet....but i'm sure the day will come!!!...lol.....i'll Google the gator brand tires....

is this them?......http://www.motosportxperts.com/page/E4D/PROD/GBC-ATV-TIRES/GBC-GATOR-ATV-TIRES