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Playing with a John Deere Gator 825i XUV in the Dunes
By Jon Crowley, UTVGuide.net
Fast forward a few months, and I was down at my local dealer picking up a brand new 2011 John Deere Gator XUV 825i 4x4. This was on a Monday, and I just happened to be heading to Sand Mountain in Nevada that weekend. Hmmm.
So with all that in mind, I decided to bring it along to the dunes and maybe go for a desert trail ride or at least use it to run around from camp to camp. Saturday morning came and I twisted my friend's arm to follow me in another UTV with an in-car video camera while I drove the Gator XUV 825i. Now I have been going to Sand Mountain for years, and have brought several different UTVs to the mountain. Only a few can make it to the top in stock form, and I knew right off that the Gator would not be one of them. But I was really curious to see how it would do with trails through the dunes, side hills and some climbing. We took off from camp, and it felt pretty good. I could feel the 1,600 lbs under me and the steering felt a lot like I was driving a bus, but the power was decent and it felt stable and predictable. We rounded the corner to the back side and I saw the trail up to Super Bowl in the distance. I figured we would do some small hills and trails and work our way over that way. The trail up to Super Bowl is pretty steep. Not as steep as the face, but there are still plenty of UTVs that either can't make it or struggle pretty hard doing so. I hadn't aired down the tires for more flotation, but what the heck, let's give it a try.
From Super Bowl, I headed back down and was convinced I had a good shot at making it all the way around the mountain. The toughest spot lay ahead by "The Wall". Climbing out of the valley is a spot we've always called Toyota Gulch. Supposedly, Toyota's could make it in, but not out. We blasted through the whoops in the valley then started to lose speed as we neared the top. The tires kept clawing at the sand, and I was still making forward progress. I did not set any land speed records, but I did make it out. From there, it was a hop, skip and a jump and we were back at camp. I have to say I was completely impressed with what I was able to do with the new Gator XUV 825i. Don't get me wrong, if I was looking for a dune UTV, a Polaris RZR S or Can-Am Commander would be higher up on my list. But that isn't what the Gator is built for. It is built to do work, lot's of it. Heck, the bed capacity on the Gator alone is more than a RZR S and Commander, combined! But if I was looking for a vehicle that can haul rock, dirt, hay, tools and equipment all week long, then head for the trails on the weekend, the new Gator XUV 825i is very capable. The Gator has a long heritage in the utility market as a workhorse. With the new 2011 XUV features, you can go have fun after after your work is done. Videos:
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