John deere 6x4 gator

[Sean McGillicuddy]

Do any of you have a 6x4 gator?
I am looking @ a 2004 with 1800 hrs with a snow plow, headed cab ,sander stup for around $6000
I'm in mass.. so I will see some ..My driveway is over 400ft along with a parking area..
What do you think?
I was also looking @ a JD D140 with a snow blower , chains ,weights, mowing deck and bagger $2000
Hmm which to choose I have 4 acres . with more woods than grass

 

[Sean McGillicuddy]

Now i have a 240 with a snow thrower, bagger etc...$1800 ..
Would this handle a snow plow (gravel drive)

 

[blades]

Skip the gator and go with a sub compact tractor with a bucket. you find it much more useful than that gator, a little more costly on average depending on what you look for. JD - L series are just mowers/blowers( L stands for lawn, and transmissions are not all that great- particularly for hilly terrain) D series is a bit better. Still kind of paying for the name though. Jd 655/755/855 or newer versions would be a good look, Kubota bx series another, 4wd drive while sometimes useful adds a lot of cost and 95% of the time is not needed. a PTO out back is very handy.

 

[festerw]

I've used a JD 6X4 Gator for the last 7 years at work. They are surprisingly capable however if they get stuck they don't get unstuck easily. With no drive to the front wheels they will hang up if the snow comes over top of the plow.

Parts can be crazy expensive through JD. The drive chains need frequent adjustment and require pulling forward rear wheel hubs to replace and the chains aren't cheap.

The heater takes forever to warm up, the Curtis cab rusts if you look at it wrong, the cooling system is a pain to get the air out of, and the oil is not the easiest to change.

 

[Sean McGillicuddy]

I 'm going to pass on the Gator ..just too big for what I want to do ..