Bronze Supporter
- Messages
- 16,222
- Reactions
- 34,374
Been drooling over the Steyr Puch Haflingers and the Mechanical Mules for the ideas that they bring...Such as a 1,000lb payload, compact size, great off road capability, via portal axles and just plain being unusual.... but the cheapest Mechanical Mule I can find for sale is $11,800 for the 2-wheel steering (front), and single seat... about the same range for some Haflingers (fully restored) and some Pinzgauers (bigger, probably more useful?),,,
Got me thinking. How come there ain't an American modernized UTV version of either of these? Portals, ATV axles/drivetrain, cabover with roll cage, heck, give the roll cage a van like box shape with some triangulated bracing for safety..... I'd wager that they could be a good seller for the UTV market in being able to carry 1/2 ton of equipment and gear..... as opposed to the standard 2 door UTVs with 500lb capacity? I know the Japanese KEI 4x4 mini-trucks are pretty popular as "garden"/farm trucks in US (I see them for sale routinely under $10 grand)
Got me thinking. How come there ain't an American modernized UTV version of either of these? Portals, ATV axles/drivetrain, cabover with roll cage, heck, give the roll cage a van like box shape with some triangulated bracing for safety..... I'd wager that they could be a good seller for the UTV market in being able to carry 1/2 ton of equipment and gear..... as opposed to the standard 2 door UTVs with 500lb capacity? I know the Japanese KEI 4x4 mini-trucks are pretty popular as "garden"/farm trucks in US (I see them for sale routinely under $10 grand)
I mean, thats the biggest reason for the cabover design of both the Haflinger and the Mechanical Mule; and a huge reason the Japanese mini trucks are pretty popular with farmers and ranchers here...
