# Japanese Mini Truck or  Side by Side UTV?



## sleepr71

Ok farmers/landowners/construction people I will be replacing my 4-wheeler this year with one of the above for general around the farm use/some hunting/planting food plots. Whatever I get will be 4x4 & have a winch..but the rest I'm undecided on. For some reason those Jap. mini trucks have been growing on me,I mean..can't you get them with dump beds,a full cab & A/C. What about prices,durability,versatility,and parts availability? I tend to buy things & hold on to them..so I guess I don't mind spending more $$$ up front for a better piece of equipment.Sleepr71


----------



## Browning01

I have owned a mini tuck and have many friends with rangers, gators mules etc.  The many truck is nice because like you said, mine had a/c, heat, some have radios and mine also had an electric bed that scissor lifted straight up to!  It is nice in the winter especially and in bad weather to close the doors and be in a cab, parts are pretty easily available and they are pretty rugged as well as having multiple gears.  But in my opinion the ranger is much better off road in muddy conditions.  If I were to buy one again I think I would get something like a ranger instead of a mini truck.  It all depends on exactly how you want to use it.  Just my 2cents.


----------



## sleepr71

Thanks for the reply Browning. Just curious if your mini was 4x4 & what kind of $$ did you have in it/sell it for? Just starting to do research on this stuff.BTW,I'm  not planning on any hard core 4-wheeling/mud-bogging,but will get a 4x4 & probably add better tires & a small lift to the mini-truck..if I decide on a mini.Sleepr71


----------



## John Cooper

I used to import the Mini trucks..... I like them alot and if you look and are picky you can get a real good one. The last one we sold was 4X4 with front and rear selectable lockers would pull like a mule ...... If i get another one it will be from Maynard(sp) Equipment in Gurley AL. Gordon has been importing from Japan for along time and is a good guy.


----------



## sleepr71

Alright..not a lot of feedback on this one. Anybody know of any mini truck dealers in GA? Middle GA would be even better,just to go check 'em out.Sleepr71


----------



## bandit819

I bought my Mini truck 4 years ago delivered to my home, bed sprayed, lifted, big tires/rims, left side steer, upgraded front and back bumpers for about $7,000. Parts are easy enough to come by but are really expensive, almost 2x more than atv parts. I would not pull anything with it, its not designed to pull. They are great in the woods and I use about 15 gallons of fuel per season. So far I have had to replace the clutch (hence the don't pull stuff), rebuild a brake caliper and rebuild the motor. Parts alone on the rebuild( rings, bearings, seals, gaskets, etc) was $800. If all your doing is driving in the woods its the best thing since sliced bread. You will tear it up if you pull or haul too much weight. Mine is a 1996 Suzuki Carry it says it has 7000 miles on it. My best guess is it has well over 100,000. It also runs much better on ethenol free fuel.


----------



## coltday

I've been around both, in my opinion, I'd stick with a Ranger/Rhino. They are a little bit more versatile I believe. We use to ride on Sundays and a friend had a mini with a small lift and four-wheeler tires. He got stuck alot, and we were not just bogging. It tended to bottom out pretty easy. HOWEVER, I love the idea of heat/ac and the big back bed. I really just figured out this would be a tuff decision for me as well! Generally, mini trucks can be found at equipment auctions pretty cheap.


----------



## Old Winchesters

UTV hands down


----------



## 2011GADawg

I think for the money they both cost, a jeep or small 4x4 truck is just as good of an option, same versatility for the most part, and you can work it harder, and its more comfortable


----------



## sleepr71

2011GADawg said:


> I think for the money they both cost, a jeep or small 4x4 truck is just as good of an option, same versatility for the most part, and you can work it harder, and its more comfortable



Thanks for the opinions/feedback. I already have an older Toyota 4x4 to hunt out of,but don't care to beat it up and want something small,more fuel efficient,and preferably with a dump bed(even if I have to fab it). Lots of times,it's too wet to take the tractor or backhoe into some areas,or they're overkill for whatever I'm doing. I am tired of 4-wheelers..they have no room to haul tools/fence supplies..and no heat/ac. Realistically..I can(and probably will) live without A/C,but an enclosed cab,heat,and dump bed would be nice this time of year. I usually don't pull much..just a 5x10 trailer to go around cleaning limbs up,and as said before..I'm not buying it to play/go mud-bogging in.FYI,I've ridden in a few Rangers with enclosed soft doors,windshields,etc & they had heaters...supposedly. I was not impressed & to me...the Rangers,Rhino's,etc are awfully noisy to be "hunting vehicles"..which is why I'm considering a "mini-truck". Just trying to weigh out the pro's/cons of each!Sleepr71


----------



## coltday

I definitely agree with the noise, they are loud. Okay, you won me over. Mini Truck!


----------



## SouthPaw Draw

My buddy has a mini. We took it down to my club last weekend. Drawbacks were minimum ground clearance, we bottomed out several times. also only 2 people could realistically fit in his cab. Advantages were if was definitely quieter than rhino, mule or ranger. Also the heated cab was great in the morning when it was in the 20's. 
All in all I think I would recommend going with a rhino, mule or ranger personally. Like was mentioned in earlier post limited towing capabilities with a mini.


----------



## T.P.

This is the best ride I have ever owned. I have /had golf carts, small trucks and atv's and this one beats them hands down. At our hunting club it is 4 miles from camp to where I hunt and when it rains(which is typical during deer season) it makes the ride pleasurable through the nasty slick red mud typical of middle Ga. Mine is 4x4 with locking diff and it never slows down through the slickest mud we have.

It is not an atv. It will not go bouncing off through the pines to get a deer, but there is always someone  with an atv around camp for this. Quiet? Heck yeah it's quiet! I've driven right up on people and deer that never knew I was coming.

Mine has heat, air and CD player for those long rides in and out. Everyone at camp either has an atv or some type of utv and everyone of them talk about how they would much rather ride in one of these little trucks, espacially when it's raining and 29 degrees out and I come easing by with the heat blasting and the wipers wiping.

Mine is I think a '93 model? I will say there is a lack of leg room for a tall person. I'm 5'10" and it's good for me, although I wouldn't want to be any taller. I was told the '95 and later models have more leg room in the cab area.

I have had this one for around 4 years and never had a single issue with it and have put around 5 or 6 thousand miles on it.

I bought mine from Adam and he was super-nice to deal with. I told him what I wanted and I picked it up a few weeks later in Alabama.http://bulldogoffroad.com/index.htm


----------



## rjcruiser

T.P. said:


> This is the best ride I have ever owned. I have /had golf carts, small trucks and atv's and this one beats them hands down. At our hunting club it is 4 miles from camp to where I hunt and when it rains(which is typical during deer season) it makes the ride pleasurable through the nasty slick red mud typical of middle Ga. Mine is 4x4 with locking diff and it never slows down through the slickest mud we have.
> 
> It is not an atv. It will not go bouncing off through the pines to get a deer, but there is always someone  with an atv around camp for this. Quiet? Heck yeah it's quiet! I've driven right up on people and deer that never knew I was coming.
> 
> Mine has heat, air and CD player for those long rides in and out. Everyone at camp either has an atv or some type of utv and everyone of them talk about how they would much rather ride in one of these little trucks, espacially when it's raining and 29 degrees out and I come easing by with the heat blasting and the wipers wiping.
> 
> Mine is I think a '93 model? I will say there is a lack of leg room for a tall person. I'm 5'10" and it's good for me, although I wouldn't want to be any taller. I was told the '95 and later models have more leg room in the cab area.
> 
> I have had this one for around 4 years and never had a single issue with it and have put around 5 or 6 thousand miles on it.
> 
> I bought mine from Adam and he was super-nice to deal with. I told him what I wanted and I picked it up a few weeks later in Alabama.http://bulldogoffroad.com/index.htm
> 
> View attachment 646430



That is awesome.

5-6k miles?  Do you have a farm tag on it?


----------



## T.P.

All off road miles.


----------



## sleepr71

Nice mini-truck T.P.! Heck..that gov't housing in Carnesville looks pretty nice too On the mini-truck..how would you say the ride compares to  a typical utv/atv (riding it sanely on dirt roads/off road),and how does it handle with a say..4-500 lb load on it? Thanks,Sleepr71.


----------



## T.P.

sleepr71 said:


> Nice mini-truck T.P.! Heck..that gov't housing in Carnesville looks pretty nice too On the mini-truck..how would you say the ride compares to  a typical utv/atv (riding it sanely on dirt roads/off road),and how does it handle with a say..4-500 lb load on it? Thanks,Sleepr71.



Mine is definately a rougher ride than an atv, I haven't messed with the shocks/suspension that it came with, but my average speed is about 5 mph so it doesn't effect me none. Slow and easy on a dirt rd and you'll never spill your drink. And it has cupholders too!

As far as load capacity, I know for a fact she'll haul 750lbs of corn quite easy(I do a lot of planting..)


----------



## Redneck Maguiver

interesting.  Been kinda debateing this myself.


----------



## sleepr71

Redneck Maguiver said:


> interesting.  Been kinda debateing this myself.



Me too! If I can find one set up like I want(A/C,dump bed,locking rear diff) at a really good price..I may pull the trigger & if not happy,re-sell it. I figure that I could play with the suspension(springs/tire pressure) to get it dialed in for the ride/handling that I need.Sleepr71


----------



## Redneck Maguiver

sleepr71 said:


> Me too! If I can find one set up like I want(A/C,dump bed,locking rear diff) at a really good price..I may pull the trigger & if not happy,re-sell it. I figure that I could play with the suspension(springs/tire pressure) to get it dialed in for the ride/handling that I need.Sleepr71



Yeah, and remove the throttle block, and a few phone calls to the right folks, I think I have found where to purchase new higher gears for the front and rear to help with pulling power and bottom end torque.


----------



## sleepr71

Redneck Maguiver said:


> Yeah, and remove the throttle block, and a few phone calls to the right folks, I think I have found where to purchase new higher gears for the front and rear to help with pulling power and bottom end torque.



Hmm..this is the first I've heard of aftrmkt gears! Better (lower)gears for more pulling power/off-road ability would be good(providing they're not super hard to set up),and would give back the power lost by bigger tires. I'm just doing research as of now..NO commitments so if you guys learn of any mods/local vendors that sell parts for these,please update this thread! Thanks,Sleepr71.


----------



## kpeels

*mini truck*

did u ever get one im considering one was wondering where u got it and if its doing the job thanks


----------



## lonewolf247

I owned one for 5 years, and sold it recently. It was basically flawless. The only issue I ever had with it was I busted one cv joint boot, which I repaired for less than $75. 

It's not a 4wheeler, and I wouldn't put it through hard core mud day in and day out, although, it's very capable in mud and moderate water.

Also, if you ride in a lot of rough terrain I'd prolly not opt for it.

However, it's an awesome working vehicle, can carry heavy loads, and tow well. It's dependable, comfortable, good for fairly smooth terrain, can handle mud and some water. The heater, a/c, and Windshield, are unbeatable in bad weather !!


----------



## Gaducker

polaris ranger crew cab diesel.


----------

