Purchased a mini instead of a UTV

[Number15]

Agreed. Horses for courses

 

[jjeff]

UTV's and Japanese mini trucks are built for completely different uses. This UTV has a 1000cc 80 something HP engine in it. Seems Number15 got a mini truck that will fit his needs but those little trucks, are not for everyone. View attachment 703065

Sweet ride how do the tracks work in snow? Better than a snowmobile? If so I'll hide this thread from my wife.

 

[CADplans]

I have been looking at SXS's and mini trucks for a while, then, my daughter bought a new car because her 158K mile 2007 Colorado quit running,,
I told her I wanted it, she said come get it, no one would offer anything because there was some problem,,

YEP,, there was problems,, so far, I have replaced every emissions related sensor etc,, oxygen sensors, cam position sensors,, etc,, I think I am up to 7 so far, at about $35 each, so it is not much money, just time.

I have some emissions solenoid, left to install, two tires have screws in them,, so there is that.

I believe I have about 10 hours involved in detailing the interior,, it looks like new now.

Right now, it runs perfect,, I can only imagine how long it might last,, now that everything in it is new,,
Hmmmmmmmmmm,,

I think I am up to about $650 including cleaning supplies, I might even polish the plastic headlights,,,

The truck is the "LT" , so it has the fancy radio, nice bucket seats, cruise, and COOOOLD AC!!

If you find the right small truck, it might be a good way to go,,

 

[jjeff]

I have been looking at SXS's and mini trucks for a while, then, my daughter bought a new car because her 158K mile 2007 Colorado quit running,,
I told her I wanted it, she said come get it, no one would offer anything because there was some problem,,

YEP,, there was problems,, so far, I have replaced every emissions related sensor etc,, oxygen sensors, cam position sensors,, etc,, I think I am up to 7 so far, at about $35 each, so it is not much money, just time.

I have some emissions solenoid, left to install, two tires have screws in them,, so there is that.

I believe I have about 10 hours involved in detailing the interior,, it looks like new now.

Right now, it runs perfect,, I can only imagine how long it might last,, now that everything in it is new,,
Hmmmmmmmmmm,,

I think I am up to about $650 including cleaning supplies, I might even polish the plastic headlights,,,

The truck is the "LT" , so it has the fancy radio, nice bucket seats, cruise, and COOOOLD AC!!

If you find the right small truck, it might be a good way to go,,

4x4 Toyota trucks (pre 05 when they were still compacts) they are considered 1/2 tons and would be a great idea also. You might be able to get a cheap one with a rusty frame. As long as your handy and can weld, take the box off, reinforce it, and you'd have a great sxs/ mini truck you can take around town and thru some of the most gawd awful two tracks you can find. Ask me how I know and I'll gladly share.

 

[4570Man]

Yes I thought about it hard before I purchased and the positives outweigh the negative.
pos
cheaper than similar equipped utv (ac, ps, am/fm, dump,4x4)
can be tagged in TN
has airbags JIC
bed can carry and dump ~900lbs (I think this is right, might be more)
easy to work on
all sides of dump fold down

neg
RHD
parts are harder to get
might not handle very difficult terrain as well
I look ridiculous in it

The shooting range has one of those and I’ve seen them hauling 2200 pound pallets of clay targets on them.

 

[redman135]

In New Zealand the dairy farmers like these vehicles. They get fitted with ATV tyres and you will be surprised where they can go. Put the road tyres back on for the summer and they are road legal. With the cab you get factory ROPS (1 headache less) and a heater and on some models a/c. BUT the cabs are built for little japanese. Put on your bulky winter gear then try for size, ESPECIALY for foot room, brakes and accelerator. Some are adequate(foot room) and some are no sale.

 

[jjeff]

In New Zealand the dairy farmers like these vehicles. They get fitted with ATV tyres and you will be surprised where they can go. Put the road tyres back on for the summer and they are road legal. With the cab you get factory ROPS (1 headache less) and a heater and on some models a/c. BUT the cabs are built for little japanese. Put on your bulky winter gear then try for size, ESPECIALY for foot room, brakes and accelerator. Some are adequate(foot room) and some are no sale.

Lol drove a mini mini van in Japan once wearing work boots ended up pressing both the brake and accelerator at same time drove through a snow fence down an embankment and impaled the radiator with a piece of rerod. The harder I pressed the brake the more I was unknowingly pressing the accelerator. I should have posted this on stupid things. Thanks for bringing back long lost memories

 

[Omega Woods]

Wise choice. Wish I'd have gotten a mini-truck or an old Ranger when I bought my Kubota RTV1100. It's not a bad vehicle but it was a terrible investment. I should probably sell the Kubota, eat the loss and do that anyway.

 

[panamaguy]

In Panama the pickup and both passanger and cargo vans are sold under many names. i got the passenger van. Mine was sold under the Chevrolet name but are made by Daewoo. New in 2010 it was 10g and still driving it today, now has 260.000 km or about 150.000 miles. No real problems except I had to put a thicker rad for the A/C to be sure it stayed cool enough when I had my dog. Oh and a distributor went south. 800cc and 5 speed but nothing here gets the 4x4 option. Change the oil every 5000km and they run forever

 

[Number15]

Wise choice. Wish I'd have gotten a mini-truck or an old Ranger when I bought my Kubota RTV1100. It's not a bad vehicle but it was a terrible investment. I should probably sell the Kubota, eat the loss and do that anyway.

Thanks. There is a dealer in Smyrna that sells them BTW we looked quite a bit in Soddy for the new house. Could never find exactly what we wanted. Once my deal in Cleveland fell apart we ended up in Spring City.

 

[coobie]

Most don't have A/C and there suspenion is not good for off-road use. If you need to tow things then there HP is quite low.

OP lists the 54hp seems pretty decent to me.

 

[sunbeam67]

I own a 1999 suzuki carry the plus they will carry more weight than a UTV I've hauled 150 gal of water for live stock in mine. The down side because they can do that the springs are stiff. I see big MPG numbers but the two I have owned got 35-40. You need to remember that the speedometer is in Kilometers for those who drive 60 mph the speedometer will be reading 100. I changed to 165/80/13 tires the tallest that would fit and my truck in 5th gear at 55 mph the tach shows 5000 RPM. Kansas does not let me drive on state or federal highways only cross them. It is a great parts chaser. As for towing remember they only weigh about 1500 lbs. Note 1999 and later have larger cabs. I live close to Oklahoma they let you drive anywhere but the interstates in a 200 mile drive to Tulsa I would drive 55 with no issues about one hour longer that my F150 on 5 gallion of gas.

 

[arto98607]

It's no wonder they do not allow these on state or federal highways!

But they are great for private property no doubt.

 

[Midniteoyl]

They approved golf carts for use in our town and these are included

 

[Number15]

It's no wonder they do not allow these on state or federal highways!

But they are great for private property no doubt.

View attachment 703379

They are also ok for around town. 35-45 mph they are fine. You would have to be crazy to take one on the interstate or other high speed road. My town speed limit is mostly 35 or 40 so I feel ok driving it around.

 

[ArlyA]

As stated earlier, these are neat little trucks that were made for urban areas with narrow streets and small operators. UTV's are made for something else and I think we'll be sticking with our 6x6. Which has about 55hp.

 

[Midniteoyl]

As stated earlier, these are neat little trucks that were made for urban areas with narrow streets and small operators. UTV's are made for something else and we'll be sticking with our 6x6.

Wide streets and fat drivers?

 

[PuffyC]

I was looking to buy a UTV until I saw some of these mini trucks. The amount of customization is amazing and they're usually cheaper too.

 

[fried1765]

660 cc fi engine. 54hp 44ft/lb torque it's also 4x4. Good enough to cruise at 60mph without to many issues. It's slow to accelerate and for sure feels the hills but it does the job. Got it mainly for the property and runs to the transfer station. Insurance is 308 dollars a year.

Box is rated to lift 1500 lbs I think, good enough for what I need it for. The hydraulic cylinder is pretty stout compared to the other items on the truck. All 3 sides of the bed can also drop individually for oversize loads.

Has airbags, ps, ac and am/fm. Otherwise the interior is very basic.

I also got new tires so I can take it off road with a little more confidence. Yokohama Geolandar g003

View attachment 702928

compared to my f250 tires
View attachment 702929
View attachment 702930

Much of the world thrives with these little trucks!

 

[Complete Turf Care]

I had a Honda mini truck for deer hunting. I really enjoyed it, but ended up selling it and buying a Toyota pickup.

The mini truck was small enough for trails in the woods and you can carry a ton of stuff in the bed, including a beer cooler and a few deer. The Honda did not have a low range and therefore was a bit underpowered. I had some larger ATV tires on it, and several times got stuck in the mud because the truck could not turn the tires. Also, the Honda mini truck is pretty rare in the USA, so parts were hard to get. Most of them I had to order from Japan.

It could go most places that a 4 wheeler can go, but my Toyota pickup can not, especially in thick woods.

I now have a Kawasaki Mule that I use for deer hunting here in Louisiana. I miss the heated cab that I had on the Honda mini.

I haul my Toyota pickup to Texas when I hunt there. The ranch in Texas is more open and dryer than here in Louisiana, so it fits well there, and it has AC which can be nice for early season hunting in Texas.