Purchased a mini instead of a UTV

[arto98607]

Yep!
Very handy

Would you mind posting photos of the setup?

 

[deezler]

Pertinent article I saw today:

More States Are Banning Legally Imported Cars And Nobody Will Say Why

States along the eastern seaboard are introducing owners of Japanese Domestic Market cars to a nightmare. Without warning, Maine and Rhode Island began revoking the registrations of vehicles that were legally imported and registered. Two more states, New York and Pennsylvania, are now joining in...

jalopnik.com

 

[ultrarunner]

There had long been a move to get all older vehicles off the road and car clubs are always on the watch...

Existing legislation for 35 years or older was a standard just about everyone could work with and understand.

California changed it to 1975 and older. Soon the reach back will continue back to include 50 year old.

 

[plastikosmd]

Sure!

Stratton lift. Many other designs used an “in bed” lift mechanism

I prefer this style.

I also have a small flail mower and cordwood saw that I use the rear pto for

this winter I hope to add the front pto

 

[newbury]

Have you tried plowing with a moldboard plow?

Regarding the arguments about horsepower - my 63VW only had 34HP and I think my friends VW vus of the same vintage only had about 50HP.

 

[ultrarunner]

Very cool...

Only seen a Jeep with post hole digger and it was in use all the time as the owner in the fence business.

 

[plastikosmd]

^ it may have been this jeep
Prior owner bought it from a fence company that kept it as post hole digger

I have not needed to plow (moldboard) with it, there are pics on the net of some plowing

As noted in this mini truck discussion, there is no “one” ideal sxs for everyone.

I prefer this for my wet trails, on/off road use, shuffling tools, plowing and 3 point attachment (frankly forks are used the most)

gravel, rock, wood etc I prefer my dump trailer or the track dump as beds can take a beating



ymmv

 

[arto98607]

Thank you for the photos - nice equipment!

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

Minis might work on some properties, but like many recommendations, your situation may dictate otherwise. No way a mini could do what a UTV can do on my land. The mini is more expensive than the equivalent UTV. You cannot compare to the most expensive UTV to justify the expense. I can get a UTV that will do what I need for about 10k. By the time I upgraded the mini to handle my minimum needs, it would be twice that at least.

Not sure how you can get to $20K on a mini truck. I’m into mine about 10k, which includes three sets of wheels and tires (ATV for offroad, and two sets od Mud and Snow tires, one with studs), the steel for my bumpers, the four tongue jacks to act as outriggers so I can level it up when I use the scissors lift as a man basket (also handy for getting all four wheels in the air to rotate/change out tires as the seasons/mission changes), some steel to build a second set of bed sides, and tailgate which are 42-inch high as OSHA compliant guard rails. a new carburetor, new radio and speakers, the winch, and the wiring and plow lights.

The minitrucks can get expensive fast if you need to pay someone else to work on them. Or if you don’t know enough about what things you can substitute common parts for instead of buying factory parts fro Japan. Fr example my front struts are bad. Almost $500 for new ones from Japan. solved that by installing a set of shocks for a Chevy half ton, like I was setting up a dual shock system, but now the inexpensive shocks do all the dampening, and the struts are just acting as guide rods ofr the suspension.

One of the things I like about mine is that it has a carburetor, and distributor, which means that I can trouble shoot problems and make repairs myself. My newer vehicles with fuel injection, distributorless ignition, and computerized engine management all jammed into an engine bay too small to get your hands into, are impossible for me to work on.

I’m planning another $500 or so on a new exhaust system. And, might spend another $750 to install a small Roots style supercharger. Halfway thinking about installing a Roots blower on the tiny tractor. Need to take a better look at what it would take to upgrade the fuel injection system to handle that.

There is another $3000, in the BlackLine electro-hydraulic snow plow, but I would have spent that regardless of whether I went with the mini or a UTV.

 

[ConawayFarms]

I get why a mini truck could be a solid choice over a UTV, especially with prices being so high lately. A few of my buddies went the UTV route, but registration can be so hard, depending on the state. Some places make it tough to get them street legal, which is frustrating if you need to drive on public roads even for short trips.

If you’re ever reconsidering a UTV and want to make it street legal without jumping through a ton of hoops, this registration company makes the process way easier, especially in Montana. It’s a good way to skip the usual red tape.