Work UTV ... narrow down some choices please

[Copperhead]

No, sulfur is not the main component to lubricity. The chemical process to remove sulfur to meet EPA regulations of 15 ppm also removed lubricity. Lubricity is added back in at the refinery to the mandated level, which is a little low for me. And biodiesel has virtually no sulfur content, but is loaded with lubricity. So much so, that just a 2% blend of bio adds more lubricity to diesel than any off the shelf additive being made, including doing the 2 stroke oil stuff. I refuse these old school ATF, 2 Stroke, and whatever brews that some like to play with for my diesels. Some of my diesel motors are $30K to replace. An occasional dose of a biocide like FPPF Killem, an anti-gel when it is prudent to do so, and that is it. All of the diesel I get is bio blend of between 5 and 15 percent. You can't dump enough of that pig snot junk off the shelf in to the diesel and reach the level of lubricity of the diesel I am using.

 

[Bill Stecik]

Alberta summer diesel contains 5% bio by law .

 

[ultrarunner]

Have no idea how much Bio Diesel is in the mix at local stations in Northern CA... my guess is none as the pumps would have to say if there is any...

 

[Copperhead]

Actually, EPA allows pumps with 5% or lower to NOT display the bio sticker. Given the situation that Californians have been handed by Sacramento, my guess is your diesel has at least 2% if not a little more. I fuel over a dozen different states in my running around, and every bit of diesel I get has some bio in it. And that is without going out of my way to look for it.

Oops. Not EPA regulations on pump labeling.. it is Federal Trade Commission. But here is an article that breaks down the requirement. From the article.....

B1-B5: Does not require a pump label. ASTM announced in 2008 that biodiesel blends up to B5 perform and are handled the same as straight diesel fuel. Many retailers offer blends up to B5 in varying amounts and do not need to label. - See more at: Truckstop Biodiesel Pump Labeling Requirements Unraveled - NATSO Blog - NATSO

 

[Oldpath05]

Is this still a UTV thread or a rabbit trail that goes round and round.
Ok then when I bought my new Kubota L3400 in(07) they said I had to use an additive in diesel fool to uphold the warrantee, for several years that's what I did, then a store up the road started selling off-road diesel (much cheaper) I went back to the Kubota dealer ask the desk jockey if I still need to add Power Service additive he said I should, so I still doo and my battery drill still works.

 

[ultrarunner]

Lots of information to consider...

A diesel UTV may be the ultimate... having only used older and single cylinder Gator models that are now 4wd or 4 wheel braking I imagine a gas 4wd with 4 wheel brakes would do everything around a 65 acre spread...

Speed would have to be at the bottom of my list because my terrain doesn't support it and speed is often much harder on equipment...

A little off topic...

All of my 35 to 30 year old vehicles have original suspensions and drivetrains... my neighbor has owned 2 identical and had nothing but problems with front suspension and brakes...

After studying the problem it comes down to the way he drives... he rides the brakes for more than a mile on a steep downhill and gets just about airborne when he goes over the city speedbumps...

I select a lower gear with no need of braking and almost come to a stop going over the speed bumps...

So to my thinking flying down the trails at high speeds would be hard on the machine.

 

[TableRocked]

Kubota's new RTX-1140X looks very interesting..... have you checked that out?

 

[Copperhead]

I considered a diesel Gator, but settled on the gasser 825i. Thru chatting with a lot of the agriculture users and the JD dealer, seems a lot of those folks buy gassers over diesel by a factor of 10 to 1, and the dealer even has some of those diesel buyers trading back for a gasser. From some of the things i have seen done for work with the gasser version, I figured spending more for a diesel was not worth it. Even looked at Kubota and Bobcat during this foray. My final determination was not only on gas or diesel, but also the plethora of available stuff that can be used with the 825i to accomplish about any task I needed to do. Including the availability of 3 pt Cat 1 hitches that not only had 800 lb lifting, but also 800 lb of down force, unlike any CUT. And if I want to, it can be mounted either fore or aft on the 825i. Not sure I will go that route in the future, but the option to do so is nice.

 

[ovrszd]

The Gators have definitely taken a step forward. Not sure who makes them though???

 

[Copperhead]

I know the gasser motor is Chery International, a Chinese auto maker. Not really concerned with that, as it has a good track record thus far. The diesel is Yanmar, which is Deere's primary supplier of smaller diesels. As for the rest of the Gator 825i, I have no clue about where and who is building it.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I looked at a deere UTV and the diesel was made in china, I forget what model gator it was though...

SR

 

[Copperhead]

Could be. I know it is a Yanmar diesel, and that has Jap origins. Whether it is now being made in China by the Japs, I have no clue. The Gasser engine in the 825i is definitely Chinese in origin and build. None of this bothers me, as both engines have a very respectable track record of reliability.

 

[TSO]

On my Deere 620i Gator, the product tag for the machine says "Made in USA" and on the Kawasaki gas engine, it says "Made in Japan."

 

[TSO]

Phone duplicate...

 

[ovrszd]

In today's world "Made in USA" only means "assembled in USA".

 

[TSO]

In today's world "Made in USA" only means "assembled in USA".

Which could be true.

 

[Copperhead]

I would say that is very true. A lot of GM, Ford, and Chrysler transmissions have Chinese made components. I haul a lot of Chinese made gears, CV axles, etc to U.S. component suppliers that are moving it to the various transmission plants. I used to haul a LOT of wiring harnesses for GM from the Mexican border that were made in Mexico by American Yazaki, a Jap outfit. I have hauled lot of bumpers from Canada to U.S. Ford plants. And the list goes on and on. And the tractor and UTV sector is no different. Kawasaki assembles a grip of ATV's and Mules in Lincoln, NE from components that are sourced both in and out of the U.S. I have lost track of the number of loads of Kaw ATV's and Mules I have hauled out of the Lincoln assembly plant. A major Kawasaki engine plant is in Maryville, MO. Same thing. Assembled in Maryville from a variety of outsourced products from U.S. and foreign suppliers. Most of those are going to Lincoln to put in the ATV's and Mules. But until the plant near me closed, the flywheels for these motors were made in Kellogg, IA at Midwest Manufacturing.

 

[Copperhead]

Back to the OP, I just picked up a John Deere 825i. it was a demo model that the dealer let me use over the weekend to see if I liked it. Well, I did. It is going back tomorrow to get a few things put on that I want.

We negotiated for $18K for it. Has 40 hrs time on it. It has full front, rear, and fender protection. Power lift box. Extra CV protection fore and aft. The larger spoked rims with the Maxxis Bighorn 2.0 tires. Included in the $18K price, I am getting a Deere windshield, full soft cab (third party), installed cab heater, and snowplow. And the factory warranty doesn't start till I get the 825i back, and the dealer threw in a extended warranty to sweeten the deal, along with a full service before they bring it back. All in all, I thought it was a pretty good deal. Should be a long term real workhorse.

 

[Code54]

Congrats! Nice machine and that heater will sure be handy this winter!

 

[Copperhead]

I wouldn't have even considered the 825i if I had not been chatting with the dealer about something else and the topic came up. They had a batch of 825i's that had been demo's at the Iowa State Fair, and had been summer loaners to some school districts. The one I got had been on loan to the high school in a town south of me. If one is looking at a good working UTV, irregardless of brand, see if a dealer has a low hour demo unit you can get your hands on. Especially at the end of the year. They want to get rid of them and will likely cut a good deal. Probably will even let you try it out for a few days to see if you like it, like my dealer did.

I just had to get the heater to appease the wife, but I will enjoy it also.