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Central Kansas | As with all things mechanical, there is an evolution of sorts in use and refinement. This discussion reminds me of the old CJ jeeps of many years back, or the Dodge powerwagon. These vehicles were the only thing 4x4, were slow, clumsy, and pretty basic but they did a job nothing else would do. To bring that allegory forward...the Kawa Mule was the first side by side mass produced. I think maybe the first ones were 1010's or something like that....2 cyl gas kawa engines. They were tough old brutes and were used for industrial applications (golf courses, municipalities, landscape business, etc.). Many are still in operation. The newer Mule in that format has refinements, but still uses much of the original design....like a CJ.
Then came the gators and more recently the UTVs meant to play with....high speeds, independent suspension, power steering, cabs, A/C, heaters, 4 person capacity, everyone with a helmet, camo clothes, guns strapped to it, splashing through water and jumping rocks etc. So....it just depends on what you want one of these vehicles to do for you. If you mostly want something to zip around the farm, looking at irrigation stuff, running fences, checking cattle and crops...and wanna go fast...then the fast ones are the way to go (in this comparison the Ranger would be the one). They are a fun deal for most people as opposed to a daily work vehicle I think. Kids and quads are different than a old man and a quad.
Seismograph crews from Louisiana and OK have been in this part of the country for a couple of years. I noted they carried some type of heavy equipment (wire spools, etc.) in the back of Kawa Mules and they had a number of them. When on my place, I visited with one of the crew. They had tried Polaris Rangers and the weight of the load, uneven terrain had an ill effect on the independent suspension with some breakage and down time and they replaced belts constantly. For THEIR application, the Mule was a tougher old dog that did not require as much maintenance and repair. Local construction company built an ethanol plant (cement work) near by. They rented UTVs to the engineering firm and when they asked the dealer (Dan's cycle in Hesston, Ks) what to buy to rent, this dealer (who sells Yamaha, Honda, Kawa and Polaris) told him the way those guys would beat them up....buy Kawas, they had little repair problems with them in their shop. They bought two 610's(?) and two trans 3010's. Everything breakable like fenders, etc.....was broken by these guys...they were left out in the rain, snow, etc. After the job (16 months) they had them serviced out with no drivetrain or engine problems. This is only to reflect some personal experience and observations with the Mule. Kawa has answered the 'sporty' dudes with the Teryx or whatever it is called...but once again...it is just a little racer to play with.
Like all this equipment, one piece cannot do everything well. I think UTVs are in a similar category...so if you can clearly define your use, you could make a better job of selection. For myself, we have an old 1999 2510 Kawa Mule that I spray with (50 gal tank, boomless), spot trailers, drag logs, haul firewood, fill deer feeders, etc. It has had NO repair...and only 1 battery in this time. >1500 hrs. For me, it is just the ticket....but my use might be different than yours. If you are going to get the mail with your ball cap on backwards, then get something that will go 50 mph! har har har. | |
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Polaris Ranger vs. Kawaski Mule
