# Mini truck VS UTV



## endmill (May 5, 2014)

Looking at buying something for the farm. Anybody have a mini-truck?


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## firebrick43 (May 5, 2014)

I drove them in Okinawa for a year while in the corps. Think Mitsubishi if I recall correctly. They won't have the ride and off road traction that a utv will have due to the suspension. However the bed is more usable and the cabs while noisy are pretty tight. Driving a gator with a roof and windshield down a dusty road was a terrible choking experience for me. 

The mini truck and van I drove had 5 speeds on the tree. Weird at first but no issues learning(took 5 min). Sort of wished the had American trucks with 5 on the tree. 

I alternative I might suggest. Why not a little Suzuki/GEO tracker, jeep wrangler, short bed ranger, or something similar. Several farmers around here sold their gators and went this route as the is better protection on the road, can go to town if you need parts, size is only marginally bigger, haul more weight although it's about the same cargo area(with the tracker), and a decent used one is a lot cheaper than a utv. Seems only the citidiots are running utv's any more around here.


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## zogger (May 5, 2014)

firebrick43 said:


> I drove them in Okinawa for a year while in the corps. Think Mitsubishi if I recall correctly. They won't have the ride and off road traction that a utv will have due to the suspension. However the bed is more usable and the cabs while noisy are pretty tight. Driving a gator with a roof and windshield down a dusty road was a terrible choking experience for me.
> 
> The mini truck and van I drove had 5 speeds on the tree. Weird at first but no issues learning(took 5 min). Sort of wished the had American trucks with 5 on the tree.
> 
> I alternative I might suggest. Why not a little Suzuki/GEO tracker, jeep wrangler, short bed ranger, or something similar. Several farmers around here sold their gators and went this route as the is better protection on the road, can go to town if you need parts, size is only marginally bigger, haul more weight although it's about the same cargo area(with the tracker), and a decent used one is a lot cheaper than a utv. Seems only the citidiots are running utv's any more around here.



I agree. Boss got me a top of the line kawasaki mule and it works great just...it ain't practical for what they cost. I barely use the thing, it sits here. I think I only have five hours on it since last year. I cannot figure out what they are really for except for joy riding off road, and even then they won't go where a real truck or tractor can go. For one fifth of what one costs you can get a good used smallish 4wd truck/suv. Jeep CJ or cherokee or samurai, etc. You'll have more ground clearance, parts are all over, it will tote more, tow more, full cab with windshield wipers, AC, heat, etc, and street legal if ya need it or want it. This one here is the 4 seater, fold the seats up to "full" bed, throw a few saws and some gear in there and..that's it, slap full. 

He didn't ask me, just surprised me with it...if he woulda said, "here's 13 grand, what can we spend that on to make your work over here better", man o man I woulda had a different list.


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## endmill (May 5, 2014)

I have had a S-10 but is on it's last leg had to weld the A-arm up frame is rusting away. Just kinda eye shopping. the mini-truck look neat for the money compared to a full blown UTV.


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## gary s (May 5, 2014)

I have had a Jeep CJ, an old small Bronco and now a Kubota 400 UTV and on my farm the Kubota is more useful. A lot depends on your terrain and what you do, the UTV will go over much softer ground and tighter trails than the others recommended and if you use a trailer with ATV style tires you can haul a bunch of firewood in the trailer with your saws and such in the UTV. Just another opinion.


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## zogger (May 5, 2014)

gary s said:


> I have had a Jeep CJ, an old small Bronco and now a Kubota 400 UTV and on my farm the Kubota is more useful. A lot depends on your terrain and what you do, the UTV will go over much softer ground and tighter trails than the others recommended and if you use a trailer with ATV style tires you can haul a bunch of firewood in the trailer with your saws and such in the UTV. Just another opinion.



Ya, you really need a trailer or log arch, something like that. the mule here I built a wooden bed liner to expand the size with the tailgate down. I am also going to completely remove the folded up rear seat and make a storage/tool box in that space. Then hopefully a coupla saws and gear in there and tote the wood back in the bed. I don't really have a suitable off road quality heavy duty trailer for it, although a couple of light duty road trailers that would work ok sticking to the dirt roads here.

Just for grins I looked on craigslist the week we got this thing, for the same 13 grand I could have gotten a good shape, nothing needed ready to rock deuce and a half, plus a tracked skidsteer. used of course, but just sayin'.

To me, small like that..if a truck or 4wd suv thing is outta the question, .I would rather just a small 4wd tractor, something that could also have attachments. If you have to use a trailer anyway, gimme the bigger wheels and stouter everything the tractor has.


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## endmill (May 5, 2014)

Got a good 4 wheel drive tractor but it is big and heavy so I like something that a little easier on the land to get some of the wood cutting done.


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## dieselfitter (May 5, 2014)

The grey one was free. The black one was $1500


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## gary s (May 5, 2014)

endmill said:


> Got a good 4 wheel drive tractor but it is big and heavy so I like something that a little easier on the land to get some of the wood cutting done.


 I also have a 55HP 4X4 JD2355 with FEL but much of my woods just aren't open enough to maneuver it. My Kubota 400 RTV is there smallest, lightest UTV and I have a small ATV trailer from Country Manufacturing to haul wood. I need less than a 5ft trail and it wasn't as expensive as the "fast" UTVs but it works for me.


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## ponyexpress976 (May 5, 2014)

My gator 6x4 won't set any speed records but it will go where a lot of others will get stuck. I added extensions to the sides of the bed just so I could haul more material. I use it regularly on mulch jobs. Beats pushing a wheel barrow and it doesn't tear up a lawn even when fully loaded. Picked it up used for $3200 and so far it's been worth every dime.


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## Sawyer Rob (May 5, 2014)

gary s said:


> My Kubota 400 RTV is there smallest, lightest UTV and I have a small ATV trailer from Country Manufacturing to haul wood. I need less than a 5ft trail and it wasn't as expensive as the "fast" UTVs but it works for me.



I have a Kubota RTV500, and it's been GREAT! It just saves me so much time and makes my day so much easier! Now I'd hate to be without it, but I guess it really all depends on exactly what you need something like that for?

IF I could only have one of anything, it would be my MFWD tractor!

SR


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## lefturnfreek (May 6, 2014)

We use full size 4x4 trucks and lock the rear diff, limited slip the front, mild lift and chains all the way around till the ground is dry. We have quads but use them for fun, you can never have too much of a truck around my farm.


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## steved (May 6, 2014)

Even those mini-trucks in a 4wd version are pretty helpless offroad...they are too "stiff", lacking any flex; they are pretty heavy for what they are; and they use small tires that would be difficult to get a decent tire for. 

I had a Gator 6x4 that worked well, I've used almost all of the UTVs at one point or another. For offroad hauling, its hard to beat a UTV. 

Another thing to consider is how easy the deal is to transport to the next site...


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## endmill (May 6, 2014)

Thanks guys for the good info. Would like to here from somebody who owns a MINI


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## GeeVee (May 6, 2014)

....psst. ASV RC-30.


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## cantoo (May 6, 2014)

I think you have your answer, no one has a mini. There are a couple of them around here but the price to buy them is too high for anything other than a novelty.


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## endmill (May 6, 2014)

GEEVEE ASV RC-30 looks like fun but don't think the grandkids could ride.


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## steved (May 7, 2014)

While I didn't own one, I have been around them extensively on the sites I worked before...they are useless off road, period. They are meant for an industrial setting where they travel existing site roads. Again, they are useless off road.


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## Streblerm (May 7, 2014)

My dad has had a 4wd "cushman" mini truck for about 7 years. It is a mitsubishi but not a gray market version. It was imported by cushman for off road use in the US. It has a 1000# payload. It has a flat bed with fold down bedsides and tailgate. It has bald 12" street tires on it and we have never gotten it stuck. As a matter of fact it is the tow vehicle of choice for things that get stuck in the yard as it is fairly low impact compared to a tractor or larger 4wd vehicle.

We have never done any real off roading with it but I don't see how it could be any worse than any small 4wd truck or tracker/samurai. It mostly just stays in the yard hauling mulch, dirt, and firewood. I think that with some ATV tires it would pretty much be unstoppable. 

It is a 4cylinder with a three speed (5spd with 4/5 gate blocked) manual transmission and manual transfer case. It is nice to have creature comforts like heat, sealed cab, windshield wipers, and a real charging system. On the flip side the cab is pretty small and parts, while not impossible, are difficult to get. There is some solenoid malfunctioning on his carburetor and it basically runs like it is partially choked all the time. It loads up if you idle it too long. I know we were looking at replacing the carburetor with a non computer controlled one. I guess ignition problems are common with them but there are several write ups online about using the old GM 4 pin ignition modules.

Personally, I think it is a lot more vehicle than you get with a UTV for 25-30% of the price.


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## firebrick43 (May 8, 2014)

Okinawa is a tropical climate(down pour every morning during half the year) and very rugged/mountainous terrain. While I never picked a line totally off road because it's a jungle and it takes a machete but took several single tracks in steep terrain (think fire roads in the west) and they never had a problem. Yea I wouldn't attempt Moab, the rubicon, nor the badlands rock crawling but I have been in some pretty remote forest in the west (hiked kings canyon Yosemite, and glacier parks and the bob marshal wilderness) and even have paddled half the boundary waters and I can't why with careful fore thought why the mini trucks couldn't go many places. 

It's a farm as well. Hell, I check fields and fences on my Harley sportster most of the time and it does ok if I keep the speed low. From my experience you will be fine in a 4x4 mini truck on 99% of the farms in the USA.

I have seen many times while in the usmc, someone having the best 4x4, 6x6, even 8x8 or tracked equipment stuck because they didn't think where they were going because they depended on the vehicle to get them through it where a thinking man in a 2 wheel drive makes it through with a little forethought or just going around.


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## lefturnfreek (May 8, 2014)

Yes, thinking first goes a long way most times


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## fordf150 (May 8, 2014)

Couple years ago we had a guy importing and selling those mini trucks. He was installing some sort of lift kit and adding atv tires with aluminum rims to them. never had a chance to run one but they looked to have plenty of ground clearance and traction with the atv tires installed. I think he was selling them for around 5k. that's 1/3 the cost of a utv or 1/4 the cost of a utv that has the same sealed cab with heat, wipers, radio


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## Sawyer Rob (May 8, 2014)

fordf150 said:


> Couple years ago we had a guy importing and selling those mini trucks. He was installing some sort of lift kit and adding atv tires with aluminum rims to them. never had a chance to run one but they looked to have plenty of ground clearance and traction with the atv tires installed. I think he was selling them for around 5k. that's 1/3 the cost of a utv or 1/4 the cost of a utv that has the same sealed cab with heat, wipers, radio



You are comparing NEW UTV prices to used mini truck prices... I bought my lightly used Kubota 500 for 6K, and I mean LIGHTLY used. Not even a scratch under it, let alone on the top side. It's really GREAT how easy it is to get into and out of, that's important to me, as I get in and out a lot... Top speed is only 25 though...

The mini truck I sat in, I couldn't even get my feet between the pedals to drive it! As tight as that cab was, I could see right away, it wasn't for me!

SR


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## fordf150 (May 8, 2014)

Sawyer Rob said:


> You are comparing NEW UTV prices to used mini truck prices... I bought my lightly used Kubota 500 for 6K, and I mean LIGHTLY used. Not even a scratch under it, let alone on the top side. It's really GREAT how easy it is to get into and out of, that's important to me, as I get in and out a lot... Top speed is only 25 though...
> 
> The mini truck I sat in, I couldn't even get my feet between the pedals to drive it! As tight as that cab was, I could see right away, it wasn't for me!
> 
> SR




very true. in my area used utv prices aren't very far from new prices. $10k for a 4 yr old ranger is a common thing to see as are $13k rangers that are 1 yr old.
http://tuscarawas.craigslist.org/mcd/4386968843.html 2010 ranger for $10999
there is also a 04 ranger 500 for $5000


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## gary s (May 8, 2014)

The Kubota 400 and 500 and also the Kawasaki Mules are utility UTVs governed to 25 MPH and are much lower priced than the fast UTVs some of you are throwing prices off of. If you want to work in the woods without damaging your trails look at one of those.


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## GeeVee (May 8, 2014)

endmill said:


> GEEVEE ASV RC-30 looks like fun but don't think the grandkids could ride.




i thought you said you wanted to get some woodcutting done? Depending on the kid- they can drive it. Pilot controls, seat belt and lap bar. My children moved dirt and grappled logs. I'm seeing guys talking 700-800 cc ATVS, Gators and UTVS being new at 15k and used at 10 K.

Flush out your headgear?

What a waste of ten g's. There aint NOTHING a UTV is going to do, that an ASV RC-30 cant'

Don't want to hear about I can drive fast, or to town, get a car or truck, you want to work? Get something than has value, durability and can not just provide ROI, but still be producing for you, long after the UTV is gone to the junkyard. 

I like toys, but I dont send a boy to do a man's job. 

I guess the tortoise rabbit fable doesn't mean anything to some people. 

It isn't easy sometimes, cause the Hammock is so thick with trees, and sometimes the mud barely covers the gnarly roots runining on top of each other. but I can grapple a fresh 24" Oak 12' long, and move it through a half mile of it. Anyone got a UTV that will do that? (If I have to, i cut it in half, and grab both pieces and makes the snaking easier). BTW, how again is the speed going to help you in the woods?

UTVS have their place, moving the beer cooler and the women folk from one end to the other, but not going to work in the woods I work in.


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## gary s (May 9, 2014)

GeeVee, it all depends on your terrain and intended use. Your ASV would be neat but on MY farm it would get little use while my UTV that was under 10K new gets used nearly every day. I only cut firewood for my self and pulling a small ATV tired trailer I can haul lots of wood from my woods several hundred yards and through the lawn without making a mark. The UTV is also great to load up fence repair tools and a chainsaw to ride the fences after a storm. I use the UTV to go the several hundred yards to the mailbox and can even just take a ride to give the dog exercise when I'm tired.


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## GeeVee (May 9, 2014)

No doubt Gary, UTV's and the like have a place. And I fully agree, individual circumstances/needs should guide a purchase. The RC-30 has lower ground pressure than any though. I too drive across manicured lawns with no tracks without trying. But it isn't a great conveyance. A trailer can be useful behind it.

I just cringe when I see folks spend the same money, and get less tool, but, its their money?


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## endmill (May 9, 2014)

Thanks guys I'm learning


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## johnnylabguy (May 9, 2014)

I too think the Utvs are very handy but way overpriced. I'm a proud member of the cheapie club and have been using an old John Deere AMT gator for years except it takes a football field to turn. I just picked this up as its possible replacement:


It's a clean early nineties heald hauler that will turn a circle around a 55 gallon Drum and do 25 mph to get me to the woods 5 miles away quicker than the slower gator. Cost me under a grand. The only small trucks I found for close to that price are ready for the junkyard.


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## benp (May 9, 2014)

dieselfitter said:


> The grey one was free. The black one was $1500
> 
> View attachment 348834



And a canoe rack!!!!!! Awesome!!!!


Side by side vs mini truck.....give me a mini truck any day. Same cramped cab but enclosed with heat and a bed that is useful. 

I think some of those even have diff locks. 

ASV and Cat. Best undercarriage and best pilot controls. 

An RC30 would be fun for small stuff around the house where the bigger machine would be too much. 

I got into a Bobcat 763 this past winter and it took a while to remember how to operate the thing. Ok, which way is up bucket? lol


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## Guswhit (May 9, 2014)

Can you say UNIMOG???? Love mine!


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## fordf150 (May 9, 2014)

Everything has its place and I'm sure in some circumstances the asv is king in others a utv or mini truck. I personally have been around and used the slow utv's and fast ones. The "fast" ones are better in every way except price for me. Asv/Skid steer is a great all around tool to have but the big downfall is slow travel speed if you have to skid or haul any distance.


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## zogger (May 9, 2014)

Guswhit said:


> Can you say UNIMOG???? Love mine!



Pics!


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## Guswhit (May 10, 2014)

Yes, I have modified it a little bit, but it turns around on a dime, has capability of all wheel drive, over 18 inches of ground clearance and over 40 inches of water fording. I have chains that I can put on in the winter in the snow also.


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## endmill (May 10, 2014)

Guswhit said:


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What make is it?


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## Guswhit (May 10, 2014)

It is a 1984-model U900 or commonly referred to as a 406. Hydraulics front and back for several different kinds of attachments and 540/1000 pto front and back.


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## Sawyer Rob (May 10, 2014)

Unimogs are Mercedes and they have been making them forever... Gas, diesel and in about every body style you can thing of...

Not terrible fast and very expensive new. parts will kill you, but they are proven to be a good truck. They get all of their power through "gearing", there's LOT'S of youtubes of them......

SR


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## benp (May 10, 2014)

Guswhit said:


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You win.

That is AWESOME!!!!!


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## Guswhit (May 10, 2014)

Sawyer Rob said:


> Unimogs are Mercedes and they have been making them forever... Gas, diesel and in about every body style you can thing of...
> 
> Not terrible fast and very expensive new. parts will kill you, but they are proven to be a good truck. They get all of their power through "gearing", there's LOT'S of youtubes of them......
> 
> SR


Lots of gears on this one! 18 forward gears. Was a real PITA when I first got it. Still only use a few of them. Top speed about 46 mph. Hooked up to 2 chevy duramax diesels and pulled them backwards down a gravel road once. It is very deceiving just looking at it.


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## firebrick43 (May 10, 2014)

We had them in the corps. Same model but the had a folding backhoe on the bed and a front end loader on the front. The ultimate entrenching tool!!! 

Never got to drive those but have gotten to drive a friends Swiss military surplus 404 (smaller gas powered one). They were designed originally as a truck/tractor for German farmers. Compared to the Minnie moline UDX and the dodge power wagon the unimpg did much better trying to be a universal farm vehicle. Case dealers sold them in the mid 80's some with front,mid,and side hydraulic outlets, front and rear pto's and even dump beds that dump to the side or back. There not something you want to drive 2000 miles to Moab in though, trust me! Great when you get there though.


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## dieselfitter (May 10, 2014)

Guswhit said:


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## zogger (May 10, 2014)

Jeep had a cabover, I've seen one..have to look up the model now cuz I don't remember....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep_Forward_Control


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