Good basic side by side for farm?

[Jerry D]

Looking for a side by side that is basic and slow to navigate a 50 acre property.

Will be used by highschool and college aged employees. I am not looking for anything sport related.

I know there are some older 2wd polaris rangers.... also some of the original style gators but not sure which models or engines to avoid etc.

Kubota has the rtvs as well...

I think golf carts are a little too light.

Also considering a used truck.

Opinions

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[landowner]

The JD Gators have been good to us.

[Cement Bench]

be more specific as to the uses

kids are less likely to destroy an old pickup for example then hotrod on a side by side for amusement

[Glion]

Cub Cadet has a diesel that doesn't go to fast but is pretty good for fencing and calves etc

[Redhorse Ranch]

Highly recommend the Kubota RTV 500. A real workhorse, reliable and cheap. It is governed to about 18 mph top speed, so a helmet is not required. (It's classed as a tractor)

I bought mine new 3 years ago, put about 700 hrs on it so far with no problems. Regular maintenance that you can do yourself. Easy on fuel. Simple, basic machine.

[Savage Bacon]

A Kubota might be good to look at. More of a work side by side. Definitely not for flying around and hitting jumps.

[Boogerfart]

I'm a big fan of older JD Gators, I've seen them survive years of employee abuse.
I used to work for a outfit that bought a bunch of Kabota's for site work as they're cheaper than new trucks but although they where way more comfortable than the Gator they where less reliable and harder to do maintenance on.

[jungleboy]

kawasaki mule is pretty basic and very utility oriented

[bushnell]

One more for the Gator

[W921]

I'm not trying to mess with anyone but I just dont get why people ( practically everyone) are buying these side by sides.
They are crazy expensive! You could buy trucks or jeeps for way less money and you can drive them on the road.
A cj 7 will do more than a side by side.
In the winter a side by side will be cold. In the spring the bugs are eating you. If you park it somewhere you can't lock it.
Even if you dont want to work at an old truck or jeep what does a new jeep cost? Has to be under thirty thousand? Well thats what those side by sides sell for at the New Holland dealership in town.

[heybert]

Used an RTV 500 for about 5 years, and sold it when we sold out acreage. Great workhorse, I had a blade in front for snow in the winter and a modified harrow attachment for the back for harrowing the gravel driveway and harrowing the fields to break down horse manure. Never gave me any issues.

[Northwinds]

I have a Kubota 1100 rtv diesel and without a doubt it is the poorest gutless undependable piece of crap that I have ever had the displeasure of owning.It's cab is noisy,pump has gone out of it twice,muffler bracket broke twice,both door latches are broke,won't climb much more than a mole hill on it's best day and to add insult to injury a darn cow can out run it. It has no ground clearance and not enough power to put bigger tires on.The only positive point is the hydraulic lift for the box which works really well.Do NOT buy one of these.

[jungleboy]

Originally Posted by W921

I'm not trying to mess with anyone but I just dont get why people ( practically everyone) are buying these side by sides.
They are crazy expensive! You could buy trucks or jeeps for way less money and you can drive them on the road.
A cj 7 will do more than a side by side.
In the winter a side by side will be cold. In the spring the bugs are eating you. If you park it somewhere you can't lock it.
Even if you dont want to work at an old truck or jeep what does a new jeep cost? Has to be under thirty thousand? Well thats what those side by sides sell for at the New Holland dealership in town.

A jeep that will go where a light weight sxs will go you are likely looking at a Rubicon and they are in that high 40s range maybe more? they weigh twice as much and lets be honest even a new Chrysler Jeep should come with it's own roller cabinet full of tools if you are going to take it anywhere off the hard pack.

[W921]

Originally Posted by jungleboy

A jeep that will go where a light weight sxs will go you are likely looking at a Rubicon and they are in that high 40s range maybe more? they weigh twice as much and lets be honest even a new Chrysler Jeep should come with it's own roller cabinet full of tools if you are going to take it anywhere off the hard pack.

I guess its a better off road option if you don't want to build something yourself but a tube buggy could be built for a lot less money.
Even as yuppy jeep or newer tj you could buy I'm sure they have to be available for 5 or 6 thousand. Throw in lockers and a winch and your in business.

[jungleboy]

Originally Posted by W921

I guess its a better off road option if you don't want to build something yourself but a tube buggy could be built for a lot less money.
Even as yuppy jeep or newer tj you could buy I'm sure they have to be available for 5 or 6 thousand. Throw in lockers and a winch and your in business.

I looked into the Jeep option when I was buying my last sxs , you don’t get much Jeep for 5or 6 grand . Usually a pounded miled out rig that will nickel and dime you to death over time .
I bought my Honda P500 for about 11500 with a tire upgrade and it goes down lots of narrow trails that a full size ranger can’t fit let alone a Jeep.

ATVs can take a heck of a lot more abuse than a vehicle designed to primarily travel on hard pack roads.

[Ishpah]

For a moment there I thought you were talking about a shotgun.

[fordtruckin]

a couple friends of mine have Honda Pioneer's. I've ridden quite a bit with them and they are very handy and not crazy sporty. The worst feature is you sit above the exhaust so that every puddle you go through you rear end gets steam cleaned!

[wildwoods]

Originally Posted by jungleboy

kawasaki mule is pretty basic and very utility oriented

This gets my vote

[Red Bullets]

Maybe consider a small older regular farm tractor with a 3 pt. hitch and PTO. Like a 1950's ford 8N. A nice restored 8N tractor might cost you 5K with a rear snow blade and maybe a front bucket. More useful than a side by side. With the three point hitch and PTO at the back you can use many attachments like blades, mowers, buzz saws, rototillers and smaller dirt scratching equipment. A wagon on the back will haul a bunch of workers around the fields.

[Reeves1]

It's only 50 acres......and it's young strong backs going to use it......so my vote would be a wheel barrow

[Jerry D]

Wages here are 14-18 an hour. Factor a lot of walking in for break, lunch, afternoon break.

The box just needs to hold basic tools and a basic machine to speed them up.

I do agree, a truck or a jeep is possible. Can get some used v6 trucks for 15k with low 100s km that are 6-7yrs old.

Most basic decent side by sides are still wanting 8k.

I will check out some gators and the mule

[PartTimeHunter]

I have a Kubota RTV900. It's definitely not a sporter. Mine is diesel with the dump box. Great all round chore machine though a bit on the heavy side, which I guess is part of the reason it isn't very sporty. The tires I have on it aren't great for mud so can get stuck rather easy but the front mounted winch helps in that department. I'll put a 305G welder in the back and go to where I need to work that the trucks can't get in to. Works good for snow with the front mounted blade though the block heaters don't seem to last - that is my biggest complaint on the rig. The block heaters don't last very long, maybe one season. It's easy to change though

[Dean2]

If you want a work vehicle the is reliable it is very hard to Beat Honda. Resale on them is a whole bunch better than the others too. I am generally a Kubota fan but everyone I know that has their Diesel SxS and use them hard are VERY unhappy with them and wish they had bought something else. Never owned a Kubota SxS so going strictly off what they have told me.

[trevoroni]

What about one of those Japanese RHD mini trucks?
The campgrounds around here use them.
Not sure about reliability and parts availability but I think they can be had for under $10k and can even be registered for the road. Not sure I'd want to drive one on the highway but back roads would be alright.
I've seen them with dump boxes and snow plows before too.

[EZM]

Agreed .........Sounds like a Japanese mini truck 4x4 with a dump box may be a good option. Cheap and easy to get and from what I hear, pretty reliable and solid.

Half the price of a used SxS

https://www.japanesecartrade.com/sto...e&isSearched=1

Had a former co-worker buy a few for a small family operation and he loves them.

[Stinky Buffalo]

Another vote for the John Deere Gator.

[Big Grey Wolf]

I agree with Red, My 9N/8N Ford 3 point hitch tractor handiest piece of equipment on my small ranch, only 75 years old, but still runs like a clock. You cannot hook a plow, dirt bucket, blade, mower etc to SXS. However have used my SXS to harrow the pasture.

[W921]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

I agree with Red, My 9N/8N Ford 3 point hitch tractor handiest piece of equipment on my small ranch, only 75 years old, but still runs like a clock. You cannot hook a plow, dirt bucket, blade, mower etc to SXS. However have used my SXS to harrow the pasture.

Those old fords are such a wonderful tractor. All iron ,all overbuilt,cheap to buy,so simple. You can still get parts for them anywhere ,well mail order parts.
Ford/ New Holland came out with a new replacement for the old 8 n called the Boomer. All plastic and wires everywhere. I'm betting they won't be around in a hundred years but those old 8 and 9 probably still will.