Barebones Mule or your Suggestions

[weldingisfun]

Eddie, saw this on CL GOLF CART, but like the others I think you would be much happier with a Mule 4X4. :2cents:

 

[RavensRoost]

Eddie, we sure love our 3010 (4x4) Gas Mule.

I vote for 4x4 in case.....you need to be sure you can escape snakes!

 

[milkman]

Eddie, we sure love our 3010 (4x4) Gas Mule.

I vote for 4x4 in case.....you need to be sure you can escape snakes!

That should convince Eddie that he NEEDS 4X4.:laughing:

 

[grnspot110]

I bought my 550 Mule 11-12 years ago, 4x4 wasn't available in the smaller size then. I've only been stuck with it 3-4 times that the diff. lock wouldn't get me out. However, now I would go with the 4x4 (if the price difference wasn't too big).

I've over loaded it many times, but still prefer the smaller size of th 500/600 series! Don't think any of the "golf carts" will handle the weight. I bought it to use, not to play with! All depends on your needs.

At the time I bought it, the Mules & Gators were the only UTVs available around here & I liked the features better on the Mule. ~~ grnspot110

 

[beppington]

Eddie, I have a Mule 610 (4x4) that I bought new in '07. It's awesome! I built seats for the bed that I can pop out. It sips gas. Goes about anywhere. I've got ~200 hours on mine. Also made the plywood roof painted black. Put in a stereo with a sub-woofer in the front under-hood trunk Added a dome light. Swapped out the little motorcycle battery for a full-sized car battery (for the stereo). Works great!

 

[beppington]

I'd pay the extra $800 and get the 610. I have one that my MIL uses to putter around in, but will also haul around a lot of stuff in its decent sized bed. The 4x4 has high-low range, not sure if the 600 does(?) If not, another good reason to get 4x4. Yeah, its no speed demon, but it runs well and has been trouble free since new, two years ago

My '07 610 has High and Low; My buddy's '07 Mule 600 does not. I can put it in Low & it's really got some good torque.

 

[EddieWalker]

I called my sales guy at Kawasaki and asked how much the 610 Mule was, which is the model with 4wheel drive. It's $600 more, or $7,000. That's still in the ballpark, and I'm really starting to think a good value. Especially with the hi and low range transmission that comes with it that the 2wheel drive, 600 model, does not have.

Of course, now I'll have to add the two hitch to it, but I'm sure that's also money well spent.

Thanks.

Eddie

 

[timswi]

Go with the 4x4 Eddie...Trust me, when you need it you'll be glad you spent the extra money...The H/L ranges are another thing that you'll be surprised how much you use.

 

[beppington]

Of course, now I'll have to add the two hitch to it, but I'm sure that's also money well spent.

Eddie, you can get a hitch for it from various eBay sellers MUCH cheaper, about 1/2 the cost if I remember correctly. The one in my pic came from eBay. Works great; I can pull my utility trailer all over the place.

 

[nickel plate]

Not sure when the UTV model year changes out but you may want to use that as leverage as I got a good deal from a multi location tractor dealer in 2009 on a 2008 3010 Kawasaki Trans Mule diesel with 12 hours on it, they used it as the shop's advertising promotional vehicle at several rodeos in are area. The sticker was around $12,00.00 and I bought it for $8500.00 tax (9%) inc.
Eddie, I went into the UTV market just like you did. Just need 2-WD, something used but in good shape, couple of thousand dollars budget..... After a year of searching CL and ebay and discovering nothing that wasn't beat, scammed or thousands of miles away, I shifted to new or near new UTVs as this would be my first and last one, it's only job would be to work around the property and an occasional trip into the BLM lands near us. Couldn't be more satisfied.
Dove season opens out here next week and me and the Mule are heading out to a grade school chum's (we are well into our 60s) ranch get-together up in northern California for a week of deer and dove. They all have quads but I have the winch for those canyon shots.

 

[EddieWalker]

For $8,500 I'd buy the trans mule diesel too!!!!!!!! WOW, what a deal. Heck, I'd be happy with just the dieself for that price.

Anybody got a good guess when the new model years come out and the dealers want to start getting rid of inventory?

Eddie

 

[texasjohn]

I don't want to take this thread in the wrong direction, but am curious why nobody has mentioned a Polaris Ranger. I'm beginning to get an itch for a 4x4 work vehicle for the place and have been looking at the rangers on CL, ETC...

I would think that the Mule and Ranger are in the same class, am I missing something? People who have a Ranger seem to love it, best I can tell.

 

[beppington]

I don't want to take this thread in the wrong direction, but am curious why nobody has mentioned a Polaris Ranger. I'm beginning to get an itch for a 4x4 work vehicle for the place and have been looking at the rangers on CL, ETC...

I would think that the Mule and Ranger are in the same class, am I missing something? People who have a Ranger seem to love it, best I can tell.

The Ranger is wider/ bigger & costs a lot more. The Mule is in the $7K range, & I seem to recall that the Ranger is more like $11k-$12K. Something like like that anyway. If you need more size/ power/ speed/ weight, the Ranger would be better, but it'll probably cost quite a bit more, too.

Now, Polaris does make a smaller, even faster RZR model (~60 mph), but it's more of a speedy little dune buggy, made for haulin' butt & jumpin', & also something like $12K-$13K new.

 

[grnspot110]

Of course, now I'll have to add the two hitch to it, but I'm sure that's also money well spent.

Thanks.

Eddie

I use an 1-1/4" receiver tube on my 550, handles anything the Mule will & I can change drawbars to suit the job! ~~ grnspot110

 

[KentT]

Anybody got a good guess when the new model years come out and the dealers want to start getting rid of inventory?

Eddie

I think all the major manufacturers have recently announced their 2011s. Can-Am, Kawasaki, Polaris, Arctic Cat, John Deere, and Yamaha have for sure. Not sure about Kubota...

You can sometimes find savings if dealers want to get them off their floorplan, but not all dealers are willing to do that...

I bought a new 2008 Rhino 450 Special Edition for $7000 last March, $2199 below MSRP of $9199. Basically, I got it at dealer cost because he wanted to move it...

 

[KentT]

The Ranger is wider/ bigger & costs a lot more. The Mule is in the $7K range, & I seem to recall that the Ranger is more like $11k-$12K. Something like like that anyway. If you need more size/ power/ speed/ weight, the Ranger would be better, but it'll probably cost quite a bit more, too.

Now, Polaris does make a smaller, even faster RZR model (~60 mph), but it's more of a speedy little dune buggy, made for haulin' butt & jumpin', & also something like $12K-$13K new.

Polaris also sells a midsize Ranger. For 2010 it was 400cc carb-model at $8000, but for 2011 it is 500cc fuel-injected at $9000, but it also includes other options as now standard.

 

[texasjohn]

Thanks, understand now... I had not done detailed feature/cost comparisons.

 

[toy]

I have the 610 mule 4X4 and have been real pleased with it. I bought a used one because I didn't know whether I would really like one or not and I didn't want to put a lot in one just to have a yard ornament. We have a lot of gas roads in my area plus a lot of other dirt roads to ride on and since I hadn't been on some of the roads when I went down them or up them as the case may be I really didn't know what I was getting into, and it turned out several times that the differential lock and four wheel drive came in real handy.

One road that we went on was really steep but the 610 mule went without any problems but I had to use the 4 wheel drive. When we made it to the top of the mountain it leveled out some and we rode the ridge line for a long way and it was beautiful scenery and in some places you could see for miles or at least it seemed you could. We usually take lunch with us and have a picnic in the mountains, real peaceful and nice way to spend an evening.

 

[EddieWalker]

If nothing changes, I'm planning on buying the Mule 610 4x4 this week. I even made the mistake of asking my Mom what she thought about it and if she'd be happy driving it around. She was like a little girl at the idea. Crazy, she's going to be 70 in two months, and she acted like she was 7 years old on Christmas Eve!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE IT.

Eddie

 

[Bird]

If nothing changes, I'm planning on buying the Mule 610 4x4 this week. I even made the mistake of asking my Mom what she thought about it and if she'd be happy driving it around. She was like a little girl at the idea. Crazy, she's going to be 70 in two months, and she acted like she was 7 years old on Christmas Eve!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE IT.

Eddie

I can understand that, Eddie. When my brother bought his Mule, he had just bought 10 completely undeveloped acres, so he brought the Mule to my place and left it for a long time until he got his house built. So I not only had it to work a bit, but to play with, and go fishing with all my fishing gear in the back.:laughing: They're lots of fun.