john deere gator

[Blazin]

Well Mr Muff you must have different farmers in your area when you say "getting the morning work (down?) done". Unless there is a government program that pays you money to get up early to work it just aint happening in my neck of the woods. As for the gators they drive they are not about to haul anything in them as it may scratch the paint you know.

Sounds like you live in a metro area.... you need to have gov't assistance to get out of bed and do something

 

[dustytools]

I know its not a JD but we bought a 2012 Polaris Ranger 400 4x4 back in April and let me tell you that thing is the ####. I will keep my old Bayou as a backup and for clearing the driveway but let me tell you this, if you own any acreage there just isnt any comparison between the side by side and an ATV. Wish I bought one years ago.

 

[stihl_in_texas]

Good tools aren't cheap. If you want a cheap SxS, go buy one of those Chinese POS,s. The 850i is a sport machine that is designed to compete with the Polaris Razor. The 825i is a heavy well built utility vehicle that is still fun to drive.

The 850i is also designed to compete with the Can-Am machines. I use the 825i on a regular basis at work. Yeah, it's a fine machine. The only cons I have are the lack of shock damping in the rear, and the Ranger Crew Cab is faster on the top end. I'm sure with a little tuning, and more coin, both issues can be resolved.
They are expensive well made machines, but worth every dime. My point is, you can buy lot's of good tools/equipment/whatever for what it takes to get an 850i. And, since the OP is the one who will be paying for it, I was just trying to help him spend more money. Forgive me if I got out of line.

Steve

 

[deerehunter]

x2 on the ranger 400 suggestion. On the flipside though I have a buddy with a new 825I gator and that thing is a lot of fun too. He works it hard and hasnt had any trouble other than some sort of oil leak.

 

[Jules083]

I have used a few Gators on a racecourse (horses) and they are pretty handy for putting tools in the back. They can tow as well, we hooked a 12 foot trailer up to them and put maybe 1 1/2 tonne of soil on it, and they would pull it. What I dont like is the lack of gears, and they are quite soft, the ones we hired in always had something wrong with them or they broke down.

I would reccomend you get a Honda ATV instead, with a decent size trailer that the bike fits into. Then you can haul wood in the trailer, or if you want to use the bike away from your place you can use the same trailer to haul it.

The ATV will be faster - 55mph against 20mph for the Gator, last longer, haul more, get stuck less and be a lot more fun and use. We have a 420cc electric shift model (2012 model) and its awesome. Ours is 4wd, its a must have option.

....did I mention it was cheaper as well, even including a brand new trailer???

You're talking about the old gators I'm assuming? Because my 825i will do 45mph and goes off-road as good as, if not better than, my 700cc 4x4 suzuki ATV.


OP- buy it and don't look back. Short of having a chainsaw it is the best firewood tool I own. I can back right up to whatever I'm cutting, throw the rounds in the bed, and drive right to the wood pile. It will go places with a full load that I can't get the truck to empty. It fits down trails and can be turned around in the woods, unlike a tractor and a trailer. I don't even use the tractor for wood any more, the gator is faster and easier. The tractor can haul more at a time, but the gator gets closer to the log, travels much faster, and I can dump the load when I get to the wood pile rather than spending 15 minutes unloading. Doesn't sound like much but it is a huge help. When my girlfriend helps me she does all of the hauling, I just keep cutting and splitting. Makes it very nice.

With a full load in the bed I can haul through every woods trail I own, including some steep hills. There are a few that I wouldn't take a tractor down empty, much less with a trailer, and I have hauled many loads out with the gator. Going out to cut wood has gone from a 30 minute project of hooking up the trailer, pulling the splitter to the wood pile, and getting read down to a 10 minute job. Hook the splitter up, throw the tools in the bed. Drive to where ever you're going and start working.

In the woods I can either back the gator right to the log or drag the log to the trail for cutting. The limit for me is maybe a 12" log, somewhere around 10 to 15' long. It will drag more, but there's no sense beating on it to save 5 minutes.

I have a double entry door in the basement, so when I haul to the house I back the gator inside, dump the load, and drive back out to the woodpile. By the time I get back the girlfriend normally has that load stacked and is ready for the next one. I keep 3 loads in the house, it takes about 30 minutes and lasts for a week. Easily cut the time for that in half, if not better.

One thing, save some money on the dump bed. It's very easy to dump by hand loaded. My girlfriend can do it when it's stacked in there right. The pivot point is close to the center, so the logs on the back of the bed help the ones on the front.

 

[lon]

You will be happy with a side by side. I have a Yamaha 700 Rhino that I use all the time around the place. Rhino has been an excellent buy.

 

[ievko82]

I know it's not a jd but I have a Polaris ranger 800xp and if the jd is anything like the Polaris it is well worth the money....I load my saws gas oil maul and whatever else I need in the bed and I pull a 4x8 trailer behind it to load with wood. The ranger is a work horse It always has had enough power to pull the trailer even compleatly loaded down. I cut all my wood on old logging trails and I live in wv so it's a lot of hills. My ranger has a top speed of 52mph and that's with 27in tires so you can use it for fun too.

 

[Jules083]

Just wanted to add this to give you an idea. I brought 3 loads in yesterday, just thrown on. If I'd stacked in the bed I could have gotten more, plus I could have piled higher.

Plus a few days worth sitting on the floor since the rack got full. Rack holds about 1/3 of a cord.

All typos and misspellings blamed on my phone.

 

[uglydukwling]

At the farm show last year, I was looking at Gators and similar machines. They sure looked like fun, but on a uilitarian basis, I couldn't justify one. I realized I already had most of the capabilities. Someone else in my situation might want to consider an alternative.

I recently bought a 4-wd utility (about 50 hp) tractor with loader. It was the first one I've owned with the skid-steer system of quick-change buckets, so I went crazy and bought more attachments for it. The most useful was a set of pallet forks. I soon realized that with a pallet on the forks, I had an almost Gator sized platform. A few minutes work and some scrap lumber and it had sides. In seconds, I can change from platform to platform with sides to bare forks. It will not only dump like the optional Gator bed but lift to dump into a truck. For things that are too heavy to hand lift into a Gator, it will drop to pick them up at ground level. And as for towing capacity, there's no comparison.

Not having a Gator, I can't compare them directly, but I've driven this one through some mud holes that I'm sure would have swallowed a Gator.

Of course there are a few disadvantages. It's not as fast on the road as a Gator (but I have a truck for that)
I can't (or at least shouldn't) carry a passenger.
It's bigger than a Gator, so I'll probably find a few spots where it won't fit.
It has a higher centre of gravity. At least it looks like it has. So I'll have to stay off really scary side-hills. Fortunately, I don't have many of those, and most or them are ditch banks where I wouldn't venture with a Gator, either.

Of course, the tractor is more expensive, but not as much as you might expect.
A new Kioti tractor cost me $23 000. Maybe I would have been better off with a 5-year-old Case or John Deere for the same price, but so far everything is working on the Kioti.
If the $15000 someone mentioned for a Gator is correct, that means an extra $8000 bought a tractor and loader combination with capabilities I couldn't dream about with a Gator.
Of course, I was coming from the other direction. I needed the tractor, whether I got a Gator or not, so all the cargo platform cost me was the extra $500 for the forks. Pallets are free.
To take the Gator on the road, I'd have to buy license plates and insurance for it. The tractor doesn't need plates and it's covered under my farm policy.

 

[STIHLCRAZYBOY]

I have a kubota rtv900 and the thing is a beast. It gets used all summer for farm work and will haul alot of wood. The kubota engine is a great reliable engine.

 

[srb08]

At the farm show last year, I was looking at Gators and similar machines. They sure looked like fun, but on a uilitarian basis, I couldn't justify one. I realized I already had most of the capabilities. Someone else in my situation might want to consider an alternative.

I recently bought a 4-wd utility (about 50 hp) tractor with loader. It was the first one I've owned with the skid-steer system of quick-change buckets, so I went crazy and bought more attachments for it. The most useful was a set of pallet forks. I soon realized that with a pallet on the forks, I had an almost Gator sized platform. A few minutes work and some scrap lumber and it had sides. In seconds, I can change from platform to platform with sides to bare forks. It will not only dump like the optional Gator bed but lift to dump into a truck. For things that are too heavy to hand lift into a Gator, it will drop to pick them up at ground level. And as for towing capacity, there's no comparison.

Not having a Gator, I can't compare them directly, but I've driven this one through some mud holes that I'm sure would have swallowed a Gator.

Of course there are a few disadvantages. It's not as fast on the road as a Gator (but I have a truck for that)
I can't (or at least shouldn't) carry a passenger.
It's bigger than a Gator, so I'll probably find a few spots where it won't fit.
It has a higher centre of gravity. At least it looks like it has. So I'll have to stay off really scary side-hills. Fortunately, I don't have many of those, and most or them are ditch banks where I wouldn't venture with a Gator, either.

Of course, the tractor is more expensive, but not as much as you might expect.
A new Kioti tractor cost me $23 000. Maybe I would have been better off with a 5-year-old Case or John Deere for the same price, but so far everything is working on the Kioti.
If the $15000 someone mentioned for a Gator is correct, that means an extra $8000 bought a tractor and loader combination with capabilities I couldn't dream about with a Gator.
Of course, I was coming from the other direction. I needed the tractor, whether I got a Gator or not, so all the cargo platform cost me was the extra $500 for the forks. Pallets are free.
To take the Gator on the road, I'd have to buy license plates and insurance for it. The tractor doesn't need plates and it's covered under my farm policy.

I understand your position completely. I have a 45 hp 4wd tractor with a FEL as well. Like you said, it will do most of the things the Gator can and is superior in the lifting department. The place the Gator shines is in getting back into the woods with saws, fuel and accessories. The gator is much faster, more comfortable and more manuverable. It keeps the hours off of the tractor as well. The gator has a fun factor as well. Loading up your best gal and heading out for a picnic lunch, is lots more fun in the Gator.

 

[Rio_Grande]

I know you guys are talking about the newer stuff, but I just bought an old 6x4 today, came with a Curtis cab and a few issues but I have one for parts too! Hope this thing was worth the money.

 

[Hedgerow]

I got the old 5 wheel gator with 2 seats...
It's sssslllloooowwwww... Painfully slow...
But with racks, it'll haul 1/3 of a cord stacked. And pull a splitter or trailer... You couldn't overload this thing if ya tried...
I use it when it's too wet for the truck or tractor. It don't leave ruts...
That's a plus...

 

[seanvan]

I work at a john deere dealer so I know what they cost. The new ones are coming out in march . I would also like to take it trail riding up in northern wisconsin. Thanks

Do you know if the new 550 is going to come with some more HP in 2013? We liked the 2012 550 with the smaller size, but not the huge drop off in power/speed.

 

[ramrat]

I do not know much info on any of the 2013 yet. I should know more in the next couple months. I am just wanting for the new 825i to come out next month.

 

[redprospector]

I can't compare, because I've never had anything other than a Ranger.
I will say this, once I bought my 06 Ranger 500 I have no idea how I got along without it before.
It's no speed demon, but nether am I. It'll run about 45 in high range, and about 20 in low which suit's me just fine.
It'll climb a tree, if you can clear the front bumper, and I've had a pretty good load of wood on a 4' x 6' trailer with 2 1/2' sides, and a load in the bed of the Ranger. I like the side by side because I can take the State Forestry guy's all over my jobs and cut the walking down by 1/2 or more.
Yep, a side by side is a good investment.

Andy