Side by Side or 4x4

[mo1]

My wife and I have been looking at getting a side by side for running up and down the mountains in southeast KY. It seems the cheap ones start at about 8000 and they go up from there. The JD Gators can easily be 25000. Even used the resale seems fairly high for what it is.
My daughter was looking at a 2013 RAM 4x4 shortbed - 185000 miles. It was $6500. I took it for a test drive and it seemed fine - it needs a new heater core which I'm factoring in.

I can't really see why the side by sides are so high when a truck like this probably can about everything for just driving around the homestead - and maybe once in a while driving into town.

Why would someone get a gator/side by side if you can get a beater 4x4 truck for less money? What am I missing here?
What are you thoughts on this?

I have been saying this ever since side-by-sides started to become popular about 20 years ago. I've operated a couple of different ones. There's nothing that you can do with them that you can't do with a beater Jeep, beater pickup, or tractor. If you are worried about rutting up an area, put wide mud tires on a beater Jeep and it won't make larger ruts than a side-by-side that weighs less but has significantly narrower tires. That beater Jeep also is going to be able to go anywhere a side-by-side can as a standard Jeep is not that much larger than a one-row side-by-side and smaller than the two-row ones that are more common now. A beater pickup can haul a whole lot more than a side-by-side can, and a utility tractor can go through places a side-by-side can't, plus its bucket can carry far more than the little bed in a side-by-side. All of them can pull a whole lot more than a side-by-side can, particularly the tractor.

The people I know of that have side-by-sides use them as toys, they run around with them like you would a four-wheeler or dirtbike. They got a side-by-side instead of a four-wheeler or dirtbike as they could "justify" the side-by-side for "doing work" but it was too much of a stretch to try to "justify" a four-wheeler or dirtbike. That's pretty much how I see a side-by-side, a less-maneuverable, less-fun four-wheeler that has a tiny little bed on the back that makes a Honda Ridgeline or Subaru Brat look like a real work vehicle by comparison.

 

[YanmarFever]

Mo you need to get out more often and visit a Yamaha or Cam am dealer.

 

[Torvy]

Mo you need to get out more often and visit a Yamaha or Cam am dealer.

I really like the dump bed on my jeep...and the ride is awesome.

 

[crashz]

I bought a SxS for my father last year and was a bit worried that he wouldn't use it for the reason people have already mentioned. He loves it and it doesn't rut up the fields like the trucks do. The light weight is the #1 benefit in my eyes.

 

[ArlyA]

I have been saying this ever since side-by-sides started to become popular about 20 years ago. I've operated a couple of different ones. There's nothing that you can do with them that you can't do with a beater Jeep, beater pickup, or tractor. If you are worried about rutting up an area, put wide mud tires on a beater Jeep and it won't make larger ruts than a side-by-side that weighs less but has significantly narrower tires. That beater Jeep also is going to be able to go anywhere a side-by-side can as a standard Jeep is not that much larger than a one-row side-by-side and smaller than the two-row ones that are more common now. A beater pickup can haul a whole lot more than a side-by-side can, and a utility tractor can go through places a side-by-side can't, plus its bucket can carry far more than the little bed in a side-by-side. All of them can pull a whole lot more than a side-by-side can, particularly the tractor.

The people I know of that have side-by-sides use them as toys, they run around with them like you would a four-wheeler or dirtbike. They got a side-by-side instead of a four-wheeler or dirtbike as they could "justify" the side-by-side for "doing work" but it was too much of a stretch to try to "justify" a four-wheeler or dirtbike. That's pretty much how I see a side-by-side, a less-maneuverable, less-fun four-wheeler that has a tiny little bed on the back that makes a Honda Ridgeline or Subaru Brat look like a real work vehicle by comparison.

Some of us have only ever used atv's and utv's for work. The one here has a dump bed. Don't own a dirt bike so i can't comment on those..

 

[YanmarFever]

This will run circles around 99% of all jeeps

 

[LouNY]

I have been saying this ever since side-by-sides started to become popular about 20 years ago. I've operated a couple of different ones. There's nothing that you can do with them that you can't do with a beater Jeep, beater pickup, or tractor. If you are worried about rutting up an area, put wide mud tires on a beater Jeep and it won't make larger ruts than a side-by-side that weighs less but has significantly narrower tires. That beater Jeep also is going to be able to go anywhere a side-by-side can as a standard Jeep is not that much larger than a one-row side-by-side and smaller than the two-row ones that are more common now. A beater pickup can haul a whole lot more than a side-by-side can, and a utility tractor can go through places a side-by-side can't, plus its bucket can carry far more than the little bed in a side-by-side. All of them can pull a whole lot more than a side-by-side can, particularly the tractor.

The people I know of that have side-by-sides use them as toys, they run around with them like you would a four-wheeler or dirtbike. They got a side-by-side instead of a four-wheeler or dirtbike as they could "justify" the side-by-side for "doing work" but it was too much of a stretch to try to "justify" a four-wheeler or dirtbike. That's pretty much how I see a side-by-side, a less-maneuverable, less-fun four-wheeler that has a tiny little bed on the back that makes a Honda Ridgeline or Subaru Brat look like a real work vehicle by comparison.

I'm going to disagree with you on almost all counts;
My side by side is one of the wider ones, it is wider then a Jeep, I have seen spots in the woods I couldn't get into because of the width.
How ever I have walked into many places that you would not get a jeep into without lots of wheel spin digging and chewing if it made it.
As I said I can seat 3 adults comfortably and they don't have to be young and agile to slid in and sit on the bench seat.
I've been up many a skidder roadway that I wouldn't want to take my tractors up.
A beater pickup or jeep in rough ground rides much much rougher then my long travel side by side.
It is easy to slid into my side by side that has never been said about an MB or CJ

 

[Rustyiron]

I have a mini truck and a sxs.

The sxs beats the mini truck off road 1000 times over.

Mini truck beats the sxs on road 1000 times over.

I just use the tractor on my property and real truck on the road


Both sxs and mini truck are for sale

Our local VFD got one of the mini trucks, it was a big failure in off road ability not to mention no one could fit inside of it.

 

[DK35vince]

I have been saying this ever since side-by-sides started to become popular about 20 years ago. I've operated a couple of different ones. There's nothing that you can do with them that you can't do with a beater Jeep, beater pickup, or tractor. If you are worried about rutting up an area, put wide mud tires on a beater Jeep and it won't make larger ruts than a side-by-side that weighs less but has significantly narrower tires. That beater Jeep also is going to be able to go anywhere a side-by-side can as a standard Jeep is not that much larger than a one-row side-by-side and smaller than the two-row ones that are more common now. A beater pickup can haul a whole lot more than a side-by-side can, and a utility tractor can go through places a side-by-side can't, plus its bucket can carry far more than the little bed in a side-by-side. All of them can pull a whole lot more than a side-by-side can, particularly the tractor.

The people I know of that have side-by-sides use them as toys, they run around with them like you would a four-wheeler or dirtbike. They got a side-by-side instead of a four-wheeler or dirtbike as they could "justify" the side-by-side for "doing work" but it was too much of a stretch to try to "justify" a four-wheeler or dirtbike. That's pretty much how I see a side-by-side, a less-maneuverable, less-fun four-wheeler that has a tiny little bed on the back that makes a Honda Ridgeline or Subaru Brat look like a real work vehicle by comparison.

I've owned pickup trucks and tractors for decades.
Could my pickup trucks tow more and haul more than my side by side= yes.
Could any my 4x4 trucks go where my sxs will go= no way in hell.
Can my tractor go where my side by side goes = no way in hell.

 

[AndyMA]

I've owned pickup trucks and tractors for decades.
Could my pickup trucks tow more and haul more than my side by side= yes.
Could any of trucks go where my sxs will go= no way in hell.
Can my tractor go where my sxs by side goes = no way in hell.

I agree with that. My Honda Pioneer goes many places where my Kubota MX5200 or Ford F150 couldn't The Honda also goes 65 mph

Andy