Side by Side or 4x4

   / Side by Side or 4x4 #141  
Get the truck and also a cheaper golf cart with a bed and knobby tires. A raised golf cart will go 90% of the places you want to go, is cheaper to maintain, and quicker. (not faster, but quicker. sit down and go, not sit down and find neutral, get it started, find forward then start to rev it up. Meanwhile the golf cart is 100 yards across the field). The truck and golf cart makes a lot more sense financially.
Also you can get a weather proof cover with zipper doors cheap for all winter use. Add a sprayer and you have a real farm workhorse with not much investment.
 
   / Side by Side or 4x4 #142  
#1 for me is accessibility. Getting in and out of my side by sides is a winning feature. The other is visibility and the ability to get into so many places a pickup will not go. I put front hitches on all of them and I can place trailers into tight areas that would not be possible with a pickup. The real question with me is what would go first, my utility tractor or the side by side??
 
   / Side by Side or 4x4 #143  
There is absolutely no way a two wheel drive golf cart would go in many of the places that my SxS does.
Also there is no way you will get a pickup or jeep in many places it goes. And you can't go as fast in a rough pasture with that truck and control it.
As far as the mini truck it can't go were the SxS does and it will not fit a large framed man in a mini truck.
So I'll keep my SxS and my truck and my tractors they all have their places and uses.
 
   / Side by Side or 4x4 #144  
700 Grizzly 4x4 has full lock , Any stronger and you will blow the 200$ belt, My brother bought the 660 model(700 is just a bigbore), Auto atvs when the one way bearing lets go behind the clutch it's kinda pricey, plus check oil often because the base does not hold much oil
 
   / Side by Side or 4x4 #145  
Get the truck and also a cheaper golf cart with a bed and knobby tires. A raised golf cart will go 90% of the places you want to go, is cheaper to maintain, and quicker. (not faster, but quicker. sit down and go, not sit down and find neutral, get it started, find forward then start to rev it up. Meanwhile the golf cart is 100 yards across the field). The truck and golf cart makes a lot more sense financially.
Have you ever drove a side by side?
You never have to put it in neutral to start it, I just leave it in high gear, just press the brake and turn the key. And where I live I can drive the side by side 5 miles into town if I want to.
 
   / Side by Side or 4x4 #146  
Well, you know I was thinking, maybe we should save use some $$ and get us electric golf cart. Why not? :rolleyes:
6x6276.jpg
😁 😂 o_O😂😁:rolleyes:
 
   / Side by Side or 4x4 #147  
Well we are on a good sized ranch in the west edge of the Texas Hill country. Over the years we have added a number of vehicles for various 'jobs' on the ranch. First, even though we may be traveling miles on the ranch it is not necessary, IMO, to be able to be able to have a vehicle to drive at 50-60 mph. The ranch roads won't allow it (too rough). We started out years ago with a couple of used ATV's and a 1991 Jeep. Also a new Bobcat s650. Since then we've replaced one of the old Polaris ATV's with a couple of newer ones in 2014 and 2017. We added a Kubota RTX 1140 in 2018 in diesel (top speed 25 mph). And over the years a couple of John Deere tractors.

What gets used the most? It depends on the season in some cases. But the Kubota tends to be the go to in lots of cases. Its smooth ride and ease of getting in and out makes it a pleasure. The ATV's are used for things like spraying cactus or mesquite. The Bobcat is used for moving hap bales; clearing brush (large tree shear and a grapple). The bigger John Deere used for moving dirt, blading roads, etc.; the older 1980 JD is something that I need to sell as it doesn't see much use these days. The jeep is a backup now when we have large groups out here. The jeep is pretty bullet proof but the harshness of the ride swings the vote by friends and family to use the Kubota more often. The Kubota is also useful to carry out tools to work on fencing, deer blinds, windmills, troughs, etc. The fact that it is diesel means we can fuel it from our farm tanks of diesel we keep for the Bobcat and tractors as well.

So if it were me and I just was going to get a vehicle for our situation I would stick with a Kubota or Mule side by side. And if you have another need for diesel I would look to have common fuel if possible. But as has been said prices of all of these things have gone nuts. We paid $13,500 in 2018 for a new RTX 1140, I would hate to think what that would go for today. Finally a beater pickup could be an answer for some since you could use it to run to town, etc. But the ride is so much harder on roads out here it would not be near as comfortable as the SxS or ATV's. And there are plenty of places we go into the brush that a pickup could not make it. The bottom line is that the choice will be what your terrain is; the type of weather you normally see and what you intend to use it for. Good luck.
 
   / Side by Side or 4x4 #148  
The jeep is pretty bullet proof but the harshness of the ride swings the vote by friends and family to use the Kubota more often.

^This.

Been a Jeep owner for many, many years. Still have a 2006 Wrangler. Don't use it that much any more. If I put 100 miles on the Jeep on rough trails I feel like I've been beat with a stick. Those same 100 miles in my Can-am Defender are a piece of cake, it rides so much better.
 
   / Side by Side or 4x4 #149  
Get the truck and also a cheaper golf cart with a bed and knobby tires. A raised golf cart will go 90% of the places you want to go, is cheaper to maintain, and quicker. (not faster, but quicker. sit down and go, not sit down and find neutral, get it started, find forward then start to rev it up. Meanwhile the golf cart is 100 yards across the field). The truck and golf cart makes a lot more sense financially.

Tried the golf cart route
Twice actually
If I could find one in 4x4 for a decent price that’s what I would have again
But even with knobby tires, it can’t make it through our property most of the year.
They get stuck way too easy
 
   / Side by Side or 4x4 #150  
I like butter. I also like peanut butter. I also like bacon.

In some recipes, I can use butter or bacon fat. In others, I can use butter or peanut butter. In some cases, only one of these options is acceptable.

My point here is that it is just silly to expect one vehicle to do everything better (and/or at a better price point) than all other options. We all have to use what we can afford and that works best on our properties.

I guess I don't understand why some jeep owners insist on jumping into every question about a UTV and tell the OP that a jeep is better. Maybe we focus on the actual question and start (or add to) other threads about the usefulness of jeeps on rural properties.
 
 
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