# Mule BOV



## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

Kawasaki Mule

Steel roof. Doesn't need to removed for trailering AND provides a out of site, dry storage area for the AR. (I know it isn't the best picture). Rack is forward of the Driver's/passenger head area. Lots of room. One quick release strap and the Driver is ready to fend off the hordes.










CB SSB radio with front speaker. Volume has to be turned almost to maximum for the Driver to hear it. Not good when in stealth-is-life mode.










My solution was to run an audio cord from the CB's external speaker jack, under the floor, behind the seat to the roof. A Wye adapter allows the Driver and Passenger to connect their headsets. CB's external speaker is automatically disabled. Now we can carry a quiet conversation, monitor the CB while in a stealth-is-life mode.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

TheLazyL said:


> A Wye adapter allows the Driver and Passenger to connect their headsets. CB's external speaker is automatically disabled. Now we can carry a quiet conversation, monitor the CB while in a stealth-is-life mode.


Get yourself a Sigtronics SPA-400 - I love these. Get good-quality aviation style headsets and you can transmit and receive AND talk to your partner.


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## helicopter5472 (Feb 25, 2013)

They have so many of them out there. I started to look into them. I looked at a John Deere, Kubota, and now a CanAm. I like the setup on the gas ones better than the diesel. The diesel is more setup for work/towing/hauling. I would rather have a diesel one setup like a gas one but haven't come across one yet. A really nice one set up with cab, winch, lights, skid plates, ect. ect. can cost upwards of 22K. Looks like a car payment for one!!!


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

LincTex said:


> Get yourself a Sigtronics SPA-400 - I love these. Get good-quality aviation style headsets and you can transmit and receive AND talk to your partner.


1. More cabling for the addition of 2 mikes.
2. More cabling for PTT.
3. More things to go wrong (KISS).
4. Lose the ability of the sound amplification. 
5. Lose the ability of hearing "outside" noises with aviation headsets.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

helicopter5472 said:


> A really nice one set up with cab, winch, lights, skid plates, ect. ect. can cost upwards of 22K. Looks like a car payment for one!!!


True.... A little Toyota, Nissan or Isuzu (Chevy Luv) would do fine for 95% of what a "UTV" (Mule) can do and at a lot less than $22K


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

LincTex said:


> True.... A little Toyota, Nissan or Isuzu (Chevy Luv) would do fine for 95% of what a "UTV" (Mule) can do and at a lot less than $22K


My Mule new cost a whole let less then your $22K. And trust me, the Mule can go places a small truck couldn't.

Did you click on the links provided in the OP?


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

I do agree that these UTV's are getting expensive. There's a ton of models and it's not hard to spend $10-20K on one.

That said, they do have their place. I do agree with TheLazyL that they will go places and do things a small truck won't do. If your terrain is open fields and rolling hills, a small truck would work just fine. 

Once you get into tight places and steep terrain, that's where the UTV's start to shine. They also have things like hydraulic dump beds which are handy and not normally available on a small truck.

Some of the heavier models (the work ones, not the go-fast machines) are built more like a tractor than a ATV or small truck. They'll work and run for thousands of hours without issues. They also sip fuel. For an example, a Kubota RTV 900 (3-cyl diesel) normally gives over 2 hours of run time on a gallon of fuel.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

yep Suzuki shot for the wrong market with their original Samari


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

The local Kawasaki dealer in Ronan brought a Mule out to the potato farm in Montana (where I worked) as a demo. My boss and I put it through its paces... WELL.

We also did all the same exact tasks with my '81 Chevy Luv 4WD, to have an honest comparison. Back then I think the Mule was about $9,000 or so (but its been almost 20 years).

The (Isuzu) Luv won hands down in every category. There were no places the Mule could go where the Luv couldn't. Ground clearance was similar, but the payload ability and lower center of gravity on the LUV killed the Mule.

Factoring in the price, there became zero reasons to consider the Mule, and it went back to the dealer.

I know you love your Mule, and good for you. I just think you have "Buyer's Pride" and believe it is a far more capable vehicle, But I can't ever justify having one.

Oh... and a Luv will haul 3/4 cord of firewood. Did it many times. You can't do that with a mule unless you want to break it.

I am not trying to start any fights, but I personally could never justify the cost of those things, especially when I know parts supply is sketchy and ALWAYS far more expensive than normal truck parts. Same with tires... UTV tires are fragile and wicked expensive. That in itself is a vulnerability I would never want to have.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

flotation the mule would win


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## helicopter5472 (Feb 25, 2013)

LincTex said:


> The local Kawasaki dealer in Ronan brought a Mule out to the potato farm in Montana (where I worked) as a demo. My boss and I put it through its paces... WELL.
> 
> We also did all the same exact tasks with my '81 Chevy Luv 4WD, to have an honest comparison. Back then I think the Mule was about $9,000 or so (but its been almost 20 years).
> 
> ...


The biggest problem is you can't get a new Chevy Luv since they quit selling them in the beginning of the eighties, You would be lucky to find one here in Maine except in a pile of rust flakes. They had rust issues in the upper part of the fenders. I worked for Chevrolet in 78/9 and had both a 2 wheel and 4X4 but the drive trains were great. ATV's are everywhere and all the bike makers have em. Think I will wait and get one of last years models on discount.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

helicopter5472 said:


> The biggest problem is you can't get a new Chevy Luv since they quit selling them in the beginning of the eighties, .


The time is ripe for true compact pickups to make a comeback.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

LincTex said:


> The local Kawasaki dealer in Ronan brought a Mule out to the potato farm in Montana... (but its been almost 20 years). ....


Pride in purchase? Perhaps. It's used for other things around the ranch, not in storage as a dedicated BOV.

I'm basing my opinion on a today's performance not on a 20 year past demo.

No fight. Fellows just expressing their thoughts.


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

Was the Chevy Luv a re-badged Isuzu truck? I remember the latter being really tough, especially if it had the diesel.

LincTex's compare of a truck vs. UTV is the expected result in open areas. Carrying potatoes, a pickup's bed capacity has the advantage. As for carrying firewood, UTV's have come a long way. I regularly carry 1000# of firewood in mine, down hills so steep that any vehicle not in 4WD to provide traction just slides down the hill. It's also in the woods with hairpin turns that a truck can't make so a UTV works for me.

There's a lot of Japanese mini-trucks coming to the States to compete against the UTV market. I've thought about getting one (or more) but when looking, the parts supply line was really thin. You would have to get parts from Japan. I was going to get more than one using one of them as a parts vehicle.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

ZoomZoom said:


> There's a lot of Japanese mini-trucks coming to the States to compete against the UTV market.


In Japan they have made it very difficult to keep a vehicle on the road more than a few years (to "support" their industry) so there are a lot of these types of trucks being shipped here (Canada) that are barely used. They get amazing mileage and are pretty dependable, plus the price is very reasonable. I know people who bought identical machines so they have parts.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

I have a Yamaha Rhino that is similar to the Mule. While it is a fairly tough machine and as the ability to go almost anywhere I personally feel it would be a poor BOV. I have about 3500 miles on my Rhino and in the same time period have put 15,000 miles on my on/off road motorcycle which is used for similar 'missions'.
My Rhino is LOUD. I installed an extra muffler shortly after I purchased the machine but it lowered the noise level maybe a tiny bit. I added insulation to the engine cowling and that helped a tiny bit. It is still LOUD. It has very poor mileage at about 17 to 20 MPG (my cycle gets 80+). The side-by-side UTV's are VERY expensive for what you get. I am happy enough with mine but I do know its limitations.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

hiwall said:


> My Rhino is LOUD. I installed an extra muffler shortly after I purchased the machine but it lowered the noise level maybe a tiny bit. I added insulation to the engine cowling and that helped a tiny bit. It is still LOUD.


Try making an intake muffler. You can make one from an old 20lb freon-22 tank (FOR FREE!)

How does the belt look after 3500 miles?


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

I changed the belt about a hundred miles ago for no particular reason. Kept the old belt for a spare as it was still working fine.
Yamaha redesigned the newer Rhinos to include a intake muffler but I checked and it only made a little bit of difference in the noise level.


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