Jeep Wrangler Instead of a Side by Side?

[OrangeAgain]

I would like a vehicle to use on our 2-3 miles of forest trails. Uses would include hauling firewood tools (chainsaw, gas, oil, ...), sugar bush tapping supplies, winching logs onto trail and giving farm visitors a tour of our forest. A side by side would work but I'm wondering if a used Jeep Wrangler would work.

I'd appreciate opinions especially from those who use / have used a Wrangler in this way.

 

[BoylermanCT]

I have thought of the same idea. With UTV prices rivaling used car prices, it makes a lot of sense. I had an old CJ back in the day, and it was a fantastic off road vehicle. A jeep would certainly tow more, haul more and carry more etc since it is a much heavier vehicle than a UTV. The only issue I see is if you get in a real jamb, and either get stuck or flipped, a UTV would be much easier to upright or pull out because it is lighter. My guess is UTV's were originally built to be a cheap version on the Jeep, but now they aren't cheap!

 

[RSKY]

I don't have either but have wondered the same thing. A Jeep could be driven on the road, A UTV can go more places off road. As with most things in life it is a trade off. Around here used Jeeps are high dollar items.

 

[MacLawn]

I use my JD 2210 pulling my homemade trailer for that purpose. It's 4WD, I already have it, works great!

 

[bcp]

Beater compact 4WD pickup.

Bruce

 

[EddieWalker]

I've owned 7 Jeeps in my life. I like Jeeps, but I've never had one that I wasn't wrenching on. When I bought my land, I had an old jeep that I wanted to use for running around, but I spent to much time working on it and not enjoying the land. My neighbor tried the same thing with a Jeep Wrangler. He had it for quite a few years, but when I saw him driving around a UTV, I asked him about the Jeep. He said he was tired of spending money on it all the time and having to take it to the shop several times a year to get it fixed. I'm pretty sure I'm doing owning Jeeps. We are going to buy a small SUV in the future, but it wont be a Jeep.

I bought a brand new Kawasaki Trans Mule for my place and it's proven to be reliable, comfortable, easy to operate and it can go just about anywhere. For off road use, it's much better then a Jeep. For ease of operation, it's right there with a golf cart. You can let just about any kid or senior citizen drive it and not worry about them. My 74 year old mom drives it every day to get the mail, or just cruise around the land doing her thing. My 79 year old dad uses it when he wants to go anywhere on the land, but mostly my mom drives it all the time. I might go weeks without using it, but when I want it for something, like carrying a cylinder from where the dozer broke down back to the house, it's always ready to go.

 

[RDrancher]

Beater compact 4WD pickup.

Bruce

I agree. Look for a 1979-1985 Toyota 4x4. Those were the years that they had a straight axle and leaf springs in the front. Very capable and cheap to work on.

 

[Jstpssng]

I saw a vehicle recently which looked like a UTV but had a safety inspection sticker and a "low speed vehicle" registration, which apparently allows it to be used on the highway but it isn't supposed go more than 25mph.
Unfortunately I haven't had any luck finding them on the web, all my searches turn up are electric golf carts.

 

[smstonypoint]

I don't think there is a "one size fits all" answer. I have a farm road that would make a beater PU or Wranger feasible, but most of my trails are through wooded areas that I can traverse with my RTV. I would have to fell a lot of trees to make those trails usable by a pickup or Wrangler.

Steve

 

[JESSE1]

I considered a Jeep instead of a UTV but the biggest drawback is the weight of the vehicle. I've used a Gator/RTVX-1100C for many years and I don't have to worry about making deep ruts in the pasture when it's wet. A Jeep probably weighs over twice what a large UTV weighs. You could buy a used Jeep cheaper but it would have to be 15-20 years old and may need a lot of work to make it reliable.