We'll be getting a side by side ATV in the near future to help with building a house,clearing land ect..... I'm a big fan of diesel power plants in cars and trucks due to their low end torque. I was wondering if anybody had any experience with the diesel Mule? Is it strictly a work machine, or can a person go out and still have fun like their gas powered cousins? Since we'll be moving from AK., I won't have to worry about cold weather starting problems like I have with my diesel powered truck. Is the Mule the cats meow when it comes to a smooth ride,yet go rock climbing or the occasional mud hole? I've always owned Arctic Cat ATV's and snowmachines and they have all been trouble free, and with their new Prowler XT out on the market now, I thought about running right out and purchasing one. But.......I don't want to make a $10,000 mistake and find out their is a better product available. Any input I can get would be greatly appreciated.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] I see a lot of Mules running around on the trails here,yet I haven't talked to anybody.

 

Mules are the best utility machines out there. Thay have been around a long time and are very reliable. My cousin have one and love it. It can do some fun trails to. As long as you keep that think in low gear you could pull a house.

 

I'd like to hear from someone that has put some serious hours or so on one. What would need to be done to improve upon the product ?Is the suspension smooth as it can be, yet take the abuse it's suppose to. Or does it an upgrade to smooth the ride out and still be able to haul whats required of it! Becides I'll be adding a full cab with a heater to stay warm while plowing and removeable doors when warm. A Winch is a must, but how largw does one go, I've been told 2 different sizes by 2 different dealers

How large of a tire can you put on a stock Mule without losing noticeable power losses? Or does this diesel have enough torque curve to over come the change in tire sizes?Or does this diesel have enough torque curve to over come the change in tire sizes?
Is this a rig that you can still go out and pitch sideways on a trail or climb a dune? Or is it just a "workhourse"?

Thanks for any input offered!



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Well if you are lookin at something you can ride on a trail and have fun a mule is not what your looking for. It is more work-oriented, it can go on trails fine, but if you are in any off camber situations the rear suspension makes it a hassle to go anywhere. I would look at a rhino 660 or something along the line of that .

 

If you going to do alot of trail riding with it there are better options out the, but if you are going to use it for work and some trail riding then it is the machine for you. You can only put 24's one without a lift. My Dad has 25's on his gas one and it has no trouble turing them in low. If you go riding with a bunch of people and you have the diesal mule they may make you ride at the back so they don't have to smell the fumes of the diesal

 

Thanks for the input guys. I've still got a little time to decide which machine to buy. I suppose I'll need to talk to a few more locals and see what they have to say about their Mules when it comes to work and play. Thanks again!

 

The Kawasaki Mule is a good work horse, but make sure you also check out the Kubota side by side utility vehicle. A friend of mine has been using Mules for several years now, but is changing to Kubota. Apparently it has a very good transmission and PTO features. It's diesel engine is based on the Kubota tractor engines which have always been excellant.

 

I spent some hours on diesel & gas Mules.
Diesel - A lot of pulling power, just like expected from a diesel engine. But top end speed sucks and too loud. For my ATV taste, diesel ain't gonna be my toy. But it seemed real good for ranching and hauling stuff, if that's what you are up to. The f.i. 3-cyl engine is made by Daihatsu and they've been making diesel for years as well.
Gas - I liked the gas one better, especially the smaller 610 4x4. It even fits in the back of my truck. This one rides little more like an ATV than the diesel. The gas 610 would be my choice since it's littler and lighter. The 400 cc engine was peppier than I thought it would be, too. The bed tilts for dumping. The front end of body looks closer to ATV and sporty as well.

 

I just got back from a trip to New Orleans, La(ST. Bernard Parish) with the Colorado National Guard. We were issued a brand new diesel Mule and an almost new John Deere 6x6 M-Gator. The Mule was modified for military use to include having 26" Kevlar reinforced run-flat tires. Here's a link to a flyer to see what it looks like; http://www.essexmfg.com/Acrobat%20Files/LATTVflyer.pdf . We had one similar to the top left Mule on the flyer.
Anyway, the Mule was 10 times more fun than the Gator. It was quicker off the line and faster top speed. It was more comfortable than the Gator because the suspension was alot softer and had more travel. It also had the full cab and heater(not that we needed it, we took the doors off, turned on the roof fan in the cab, and lifted the windshield.) The lights were awesome at night. There were two nice, padded single rifle racks in the cab. The storage box that we had on the front was very handy for tools and cargo straps.
The advantages of the Gator were that it would take a pretty tight corner at full speed because it's center of gravity is lower and it's top speed was slower. The hydraulic dump bed got used quite a bit and was missed on the Mule. It also had a winch, but that's something that could be added to the Mule.
Both vehicles got around pretty well without sending power to the front wheels, so I can't say much about that.
I would have liked to have brought both of these vehicles back with us to use in the field all the time, but I especially miss the Mule.