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Special Report

Brawny Job Site Hauler

Test Drive Helps Introduce Cushman's New 4-Passenger Utility Vehicle

By Mike Martin 

The one thing I noticed before the utility vehicle in front of me disappeared over the edge of a berm was that I never saw any brake lights. Odd, I thought, considering the South Carolina terrain was more than a bit bumpy and, at least in this part of the field, somewhat steep. Without even the slightest tap on the brake pedal, the least I would have expected was a “yee hah” from the driver as she took the vehicle over the edge and headed downhill.

Cushman 4-pass utv
With a 22 HP diesel, user-selectable 4WD, room for four, ability to haul 1325 lbs and tow 1300 more, the 1600XD4 can be the workhorse your contractor customers look to rent when they're on large or rough terrain job sites. 

We – a few editors from media properties that serve the rental industry – were attending a Cushman press event. The company was introducing its newest entry into the market’s competitive and expanding line-up of workaholic utility vehicles - a beefy four-passenger, diesel-powered, 4WD machine. As it turns out, the other driver was being urged by passenger Darryl Heffline, VP of Commercial Business for Cushman, to push the vehicle - hard. She complied.

Looking At Rental Market Needs
The 1600XD4 was available the end of June, a few weeks after we had a chance to see what they could do. While the XD4 clearly shares some DNA with the company’s two-passenger XD, it isn’t simply an extended version of the earlier model. More than 200 contractors and rental center operators were interviewed as the company pushed ideas and concepts through its R & D process, explained Brent Hagedorn, who directs government and national account sales. Heffline said the final version of the people-and-tool hauler that we hopped into and pushed hard was about 18 months in the making.

As part of that process, we learned on a plant tour, the company’s engineers and designers look at their list of customer objectives, tear down and analyze competitive machines, work to build the right vehicle for the job, then put it out into the world for testing. Ready to go into production, it’s added to the line-up at the company’s campus in Augusta, Georgia. In walking through the plant, they explained their focus on lean manufacturing techniques. Each “cell” benchmarks against itself as part of the company’s constant improvement goal, an engineer explained, as they continue to drive for high FTQ (First-Time Quality) numbers. Banners and boards throughout the 625,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing and office space show goals, safety-related numbers, productivity and quality metrics. Employees consistently see how well their group is doing.

After walking through the buildings and seeing the process from start to finish, we exited and headed to a small test track. Each of the editors, along with product and marketing staff, took turns riding and driving around the track to see what the equipment could do. Having a chance to handle the vehicles over three increasingly-steep hill climbs and bounce over the test-track equivalent of a 15-yard combination strip of speed bumps and potholes gave us a feel for how the two- and four-passenger vehicles handled. (We also had the opportunity to drive a 72-volt AC vehicle that climbed the steepest incline like a goat. It’s targeted for resorts and other areas where quiet, no-emission power is needed.)

It’s fine to read all the specs (you can find them on the company’s website), but, as you know, it’s good to put a workhorse through its paces on the type of terrain in which it might be used. First, on a gravel and sand track with plenty curves and turns to see how it handles. Then cross-country, on uneven terrain with no tracks or trails, leading to those potential yee hah moments.

Off-Road Drive Lets UTV Show Its Muscle
As on the test track, both the two-passenger and four-passenger vehicles were there for our off-road use. The XD4 (four-passenger) is about 32-inches longer in wheel base and overall length than the two-passenger, making the smaller version feel a bit more nimble in turns. Curb weight between the two, though, is similar and each has the same power plant. When you slide in, you’re sitting up straight on the bench seat, with good visibility in front and to the sides, pretty important on a job site - or zipping through the woods on a sandy track. I am not a svelte person (perhaps the “beefy” should refer more to me than the XD) but was very comfortable in the cab. The two bench seats can handle four above-average size people comfortably and, based on the variety of drivers I watched in the vehicles, you can be very svelte and not have a long inseam, yet slide behind the wheel and have immediate control. 

I needed a few seconds to get comfortable with the rack-and-pinion steering once we headed off the road and onto the trail, then found it very easy to guide the four-passenger unit through the wooded course. It handled the curves, turns and slight hills easily with the three-cylinder diesel and CVT working in harmony. It was steady and stable – back-off the accelerator, get through the turn, give it more juice, ease through the curve, and pedal down again. No quick leaps or sudden drop-off in speed. It’s a very controlled and controllable vehicle. From a rental standpoint, where a range of drivers would be using a vehicle such as this on different terrain and under varying conditions, it’s an easy-to-use piece of equipment.

On rough terrain, with both Cushman staff and guests working the vehicles cross-country, it didn’t appear as though you could get in too much trouble. Weaving through the fields, we ended up following the contour around a steeper section of the hillside. Though driver and passengers were all leaning to the right, the UTV used its wide stance and low center of gravity to travel as easily as if it were flat ground. Using 2WD and high gear it had the power and traction to move four of us up and down hill with ease.

At the bottom of a draw in loose sand, small brush and heavy tufts of grass, we turned back uphill, then stopped. In 2WD as we started from a stand-still, it slipped a bit. A quick, easy move into 4WD, slide the lever into Low, and it walked out without a bit of hesitation. Move it back into high, ease down on the accelerator and we were up the hill in no time. Engine, drive train and axle ratios fitting the demand we put on the machine.

The tufts of grass, small logs, brush and general nature of the terrain made a fairly bumpy test drive. While the drivers and passengers had some side-to-side, front-to-back and up-and-down swings, nothing was bone jarring. Obviously, if we were gunning it at a higher speed, it might have stressed a few human muscles and joints. At one point, my driving did test the front struts and I noticed a little air between a passenger and the bench seat. The machine never groaned. I can’t say the same about the passenger.

The weight, traction, stability, easy-to-reach low/high gear and 2/4WD levers, the steel ROPS, lights, snug three-point seat belts, excellent visibility, and 25 mph top speed all point to a safe machine capable of handling a variety of tasks, drivers and terrain. That fits a rental center’s needs.

Options Add To Its Capabilities
In terms of durability, also high on the rental center list, the powder-coated (done in their plant to maintain quality standards), welded steel frame, the company’s track record of good performance using the diesel engine selected for the XD, and the vehicle’s overall design and construction should lend itself to a long work life. The four-passenger handles 1,325-lbs. of vehicle load and 660-lbs. in the bed, and tows 1,300 lbs. Optional bed extension, dump kit, rear hitch receiver and hydraulic power add to its capability. It is a product to consider as you work with contractors who have demanding job sites and the need (who doesn’t?) to get people and products where they need to be, regardless of terrain, to maintain productivity.

With Kawasaki, Kubota, Polaris, Deere and others in the multi-functional UTV business, Cushman is in good company. Its 1600XD4 has the right genetics and design to carry people, haul gear and tow more than a half-ton of stuff around a job site. Safety, durability and end-user flexibility were all part of the company’s R & D process. It resulted in a tough machine that can handle rough and rugged terrain.

Yee hahs remain optional.

Originally published in the July/August 2014 issue of Pro Contractor Rentals. Copyright 2014 Direct Business Media.

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