John
Deere Gator XUV 825i Links
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John
Deere Gator 825i XUV 4x4 |
Union Bridge, MD - John Deere
has the long-standing reputation of providing
quality, durable products that are built to last
and get the job done. With UTV’s becoming
a staple in farming and construction environments,
John Deere has fulfilled a growing need for a
work based machine that provides power, stability
and reliability that can also be utilized for
recreational uses such as hunting and fishing
in the way of the John Deere Gator RUV model line-up.
Several months ago, John Deere was gracious
enough to give us a John Deere XUV 825i 4x4
RUV for a long term drive review. While most
of the test drives on UTV vehicles that we do
are for sport models and are high performance
based, we felt that this would not be the best
way to test out the 825i, as it is a purpose
built machine and we wanted to see if it would
hold up to what the everyday consumer of these
types of Side-by-Sides would put it though.
After a little thought, we found the perfect
place to test the capabilities of the John Deere
825i.
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Peace
& Plenty Dairy Farm in Union Bridge,
Maryland was the test location for our
John Deere 825i XUV 4x4 RUV |
We contacted our friend Davis Schwartzback
at the Peace and Plenty Dairy Farm in central
Maryland, and as a loyal John Deere user, he
was more than happy to help us put the John
Deere Gator to the test at his family’s
farm. The Peace and Plenty Dairy Farm is a family
run establishment that has been in business
for 43 years. The dairy is well known on the
east coast and has won many awards over the
years including a “Master Farmer”
award, numerous quality awards, and they are
one of only eleven dairies in the state of Maryland
to earn the coveted “Dairy of Distinction”
award. Peace and Plenty is a 1,100 acre facility
with over 300 head of cattle, which to us, seemed
like it would be an ideal location, offering
the most practical application environment for
the workhorse John Deere machine to prove itself.
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The
Swartzbeck family used the John Deere
Gator 825i XUV for numerous tasks on the
farm from hauling hay bales or carrying
livestock around to different areas of
the farm to name a few of the many uses
the Swartzbeck family found for the Gator
825i |
The Schwartzback family has logged about 80
hours of hard work around the farm so far on
the Gator, and we can honestly say that the
John Deere 825i has held up to whatever chores
were thrown its way; everything from herding
cattle to towing, to hauling hay bales and even
transporting a few livestock. “We definitely
put it to work! So far we have put in about
80 hours on the farm and did a little fun stuff
with it as well,” said Davis Schwartzback.
First off, we have to say that ATVRiders.com
always recommends the use of helmets during
any type of riding; however, we also realize
that under certain circumstances, such as working
on a farm or construction site, many users of
UTV’s do not wear them. With that in mind,
we believe that the John Deere Gator 825i is
one of the most stable UTV vehicles on the market.
John Deere has taken this and many other factors
into consideration with the Gator and they have
made sure that their vehicles are safe and secure.
The Gator is without a doubt one of the most
stable UTV’s on the market, with a very
low center of gravity that keeps the wheels
firmly planted on the ground, even in stock
form. For our unit we upgraded to the Fox Racing
Shox and were very pleased with how well they
performed. They added a bit of plushness to
the ride and made the handling even better,
which is bonus for rougher ground, or if one
were to use the John Deere Gator for hunting
or fishing in rugged areas.
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The
compression adjustable FOX Racing shox
provide for a major improvement in ride
comfort over the standard suspension on
the Gator 825i, which has 8" of wheel
travel in the rear & 9" up front |
The
upgraded Maxxis Big Horn 2.0 tires mounted
on stylish Aluminum Wheels performed flawlessly
in our test without any flats & they
provided great handling & traction
under all conditions |
The Maxxis Bighorn tires provided plenty of
grip and added to the stability of the machine.
“It drove really well. Even with cornering
at higher speed it still felt really stable
and I felt totally in control at all times.
The upgraded shocks were a bonus. They made
it feel really smooth and nice, even when we
were out in the field herding the cows,”
said Schwartzback.
