850d vs 855d vs 825i

[andyb]

hi, i was wondering if there is any noticable differance in power/performance of an 850 and 855d? i am looking for more power as i use my gator in really wet muddy conditions.. maybe i would be better going for an 825i? i know it have 50hp and the diesel gator have about 24/25hp.. all comment welcome..

[DIXIEDOG]

If you are going for power the 825i is the best choice by far. If you go through deep water I'd look at different brands. (more than 16" of water)

[andyb]

hi, thanks for replying. no i wont be travelling through water, just mud and dirt. which utv is supposed to be the market leader? do they all have cvt belt transmissions? i have spent alot of money on my 850d, it seems very soft.

[DIXIEDOG]

hi, thanks for replying. no i wont be travelling through water, just mud and dirt. which utv is supposed to be the market leader? do they all have cvt belt transmissions? i have spent alot of money on my 850d, it seems very soft.

Not sure on which the market leader is. I've used my 825i in the mud a good deal trail riding and the cvt system has worked great for me. I don't find my 825i running out of power, it will happily keep digging until you let off...tire loading is not an issue like it was on the Kubota I got rid of. Typically the only way you will get stuck is if you hang the frame up on something solid...lots of rocks/stumps that you can't see in mud that can snag your under carriage and stop all forward progress. With the Bighorn package it takes an amazing amount to get my Gator stuck, the only time I get nervous on the trail is when I see water up around the floor board...then I back out or go around.


I have friends with Polaris RZR's and for a full time play machine they are tough to beat, if I didn't have a Boss V plow on my Gator I would be tempted to get a RZR instead....they are much lighter and have even more power...I also like that they are about 6" narrower than my 825i which would be great on some trails

[Skillet23]

The only name brand SxS I know of that have independent suspension without CVT are Honda. Honda has a driveshaft for the rear and front drivetrain as far as I have been able to understand.

The Big Red is suppose to have the same capabilities of the Gator and Polaris Ranger, but is UGLEEE. Their new pioneer isn't a bad looking machine, but has a lower pay load capacity than the 825i, 850 and 855D of John Deere and the Polaris Ranger 900.

Personally, I have the 825i. I have been extremely happy with it. I use it 99% of the time on our deer lease here in the Texas Hill Country. My father has the Polaris Ranger 700XP and my brother has a Yamaha Rhino. The 825i will tote anything that the Polaris Ranger will and ride as comfortably as the Yamaha Rhino. I don't do any "muddin" in it, but it can always get muddy in TX during hunting season and I have never had a problem with the Gator handling the Hill Country mud, but the Hill Country mud sure ain't the same as muddin in East Texas where I live and have put many a four wheeler and Toyota truck through their paces in every mudhole I could find before the waste of $ bought me more sense.

David in TX

[andyb]

wow. thats great information. i think i need to get a demo on an 825i... ideally i would love if my 850 could perform a bit like the 825 as it is diesel and easily run.. maybe a turbo kit might be something to look at

[WOEII]

Diesel fuel last longer and smells better!

[Dane]

What are you trying or wish to accomplish? I'm not sure what you mean that your machine is "soft". Do you need more pulling power? Do you want a faster top end? Do you want faster acceleration?

[andyb]

hi.. no i am not interested in more top speed or faster acceleration.. i used my gator to apply slug pellets on wet muddy wheat fields.. i would like my gator to be able to travel at 20/25kms at all times, but when the going get muddy or if the is a hill in the field i am working in the gator could drop its foward speed to as low as 12kms depending on conditions of coarse