Thinking about Brister Chuck Wagon

[Matt_Meiser]

Wife and I have been discussing getting a 4-wheel toy of some sort to use around our 10 flat acres. We already have a JD 4110 with a FEL, mower, rotary cutter box blade, and back blade for most work. I'm leary of 4 wheelers for safety reasons as we have a 4yo. Also, only one of us can ride on the 4 wheeler safely at a time. We also discussed a golf cart, which several of our neighbors have, but I don't think it will do well off the grass and gravel. So I've been looking at UTV's. For storage reasons, I want one of the smaller models. We looked at the Mule 610, a Gator CX, and last night a Chuck Wagon. The Chuck Wagon has a lot of appeal to me, since it is about $500 cheaper than the Gator and $2300 cheaper than the Mule. Even a 2WD Mule is still about $1500 more by the time we add a spray in bed liner and hitch. The Chuck Wagon is priced at $4950 at a dealer owned by a family friend including a top and Line-X bedliner. I like the Honda engine and Dana transaxle since they both appear to be off the shelf items and both companies are clients of my employer. The rest of it seems to be so basic that long term I could fabricate or buy any part off the shelf, save for the plastic body parts. Our primary uses would be for hauling for yard projects including towing our 5x8 trailer around the yard and play.

For those that own them, how do you like them long term. I read a few old threads where people were happy. Is that still the case?

 

[HomeBrew2]

I'm anxious to hear replies to this thread also. I don't know anything about ATV's/UTV's except that I don't like the prices. The Chuckwagon looks good and the price isn't horrible. Also, up until 2 weeks ago, I didn't know anything about golf cars either. The my neighbor gave me his. '88 EZGO in disrepair. Now I know enough about golf cars to be dangerous. A day of engine work (9hp 2 stroke), a used $30 top, 2 new tires, homemade flatbed, offroad lights, I've got a very capable little machine. VERY surprisingly, I have found it to do extremely well off road. I have rolling land with a cut bank in front of my house and a small dry creek. It pulls 1.5:1 slopes easily ... with a 15 gal spray rig in back.
The Chuckwagon seems to have all the hot golf car add-ons, lift kit, big tires, cargo bed, etc. But that diff lock is a huge plus!
Good luck with what ever you wind up with!

 

[Deaf]

We just purchased a 06 Honda Forman 500 4x4 but was looking hard at Yamaha Rhino but at $9000 we quickly decided not to go that way. Started looking at the Mule 610 4x4 but with no engine braking it was a no go. We really wanted the Mule for safety sake but I could not picture my wife and son free wheeling down some of our hills with a dusting of snow. I have to say the fit, finish, ride and handling of the Mule was top notch. I have read tons of web reviews and owners reports and have yet to find anything negative about them with the exception of the weak brakes. Mules have been around for ages and they are said to be bullet proof.

We looked at a Bristors 4x4 chuck wagon at the local TSC and the price was only $500 cheaper but it did have some options on it. There is no comparison in build quality when compared to a mule. I think the Britors has its place but you can’t compare the two they are on two different levels like comparing a Neon to a Camry.

 

[rox]

Matt,

Did you look at the Land Pride Trecker UTV?

They had one called Narrow Track, meaning it has a narrow footprint. Don't know if they still make it or not.

I don't have any experience on them, but I read a nice review on www.ATVIllustrated.com


http://www.landpride.com/lit/lit_vehicles/ATVIll_Trek10.pdf

 

[bluechip]

The 4400 is available in ST and narrow NT versions. the 4410 is only in ST this year. One of the big improvements for 06 is the sealed drive unit allowing deeper water crossings.

 

[Matt_Meiser]

I looked at the Land Pride's on the web, but the closest dealer is over an hour drive, so I'm really not even considering them. There are 2 Kawasaki dealers within 15 minutes of home and one 10 minutes from work.

How much of list should I be able to get a Kawaski for? I asked the dealer for a price and he quoted list. Didn't seem very interested in selling it either.

 

[Deaf]

I was seeing the mule 610 4x4 in the low $6000 range. The way I shop for ATV’s is to look around on the net in your area and request quotes via email. Then start store shopping. Start with local dealers then work your way out. I had one guy say “you’re going to drive two hours (1 hour each way) to save 500 bucks?” my response was “that’s $250 and hour do you make that much?”.

Shopping for UTV’s and ATV’s can be testing but the more information you have the better off you are. I am blessed with a dealer here in NE Ohio who encourages me to shop around then he does his best to meet my low price.

Good luck.

 

[Matt_Meiser]

Well, I ended up getting a Mule for $7400 out the door. The base vehicle was about $5883 + transportation, setup, tax, hitch, title, etc. They started out at $6699 for the vehicle + stuff and I talked him down to $6300+, left, called him back after a while and told him my wife said I could pay no more than $7400 out the door.

 

[Deaf]

Matt,

I think you will be very pleased! One other thing I neglected to mention was all the aftermarket stuff that’s available for Mules Vs the Bristor’s. Please let me know what you think of it long term. Also let me know what you think of the brakes. I have heard some folks taking a Master Cyl. From a large Mule to increase the 610 braking capacities.

ENJOY!

 

[Matt_Meiser]

Our mule was delivered late last night. We already put 1.7 hours on it this morning. It is quite a bit of fun to drive and I think we made a good choice.