Jimny farm runabout, dont want to make wheel ruts.

I use my jimny in agricultural works, like you had descripded.
I had only 215/75*15 BFG mud terrains and trailmaster 2" lift kit; thats all you need when you drive on fields, and small field roads. It will go enywhere you need to go. Of course its not a quad or UTV, but it comes right after those.

Thanks for the replies, the situation of you following the Gator Rob5230 is fairly close to the use I'm thinking of so that's a help (if not the answer I really wanted ). I've been looking into tyre sizes & it does seem a taller tyre is inevitable to get a decent width, which is good as taller works in favour of staying on top as much as width but I'm concerned it'll raise the gearing too much. In the short term at least I think low box will be good enough to prove if it's worth taking further.
There's a Hilux I know running on floatation wheels doing pretty much the same job & the biggest problem he sees is it sliding in muddy gateways. Also there was a Series3 Landy on similar wheels that saw plenty use until the chassis gave up & I've just found out he still has the wheels & tyres stored so I'm going for a look at them.
I was maybe a little over the top with the weight it'll be asked to carry & tow, most of the time it'd be 100-150kg & 200-300kg in the trailer when it's on.
I suppose it boils down to getting the ground pressure down to similar levels to the Gator & looking for a tyre with a rounded shoulder to help avoid cutting in.
One plus is that it'll not be following anyone else, that last vehicle to travel it's route will be itself the day before.
As for having a look at some of yours that'd be great, where abouts are you fellas? I'm in north Cumbria ( just about the wettest part of the UK!) the which is usually far from everyone else, or at least all the decent stuff on eBay! :laugh:

if a hilux and a series landrover have done the job a jimny will be fine as it weighs a fair bit less. lowbox will help with the loads and if you fit manual hubs you dont have to have it in 4wd to use low box.
dont go any bigger than 215 tyres and you will be good with the standard gearing. i run insa turbo sahara tyres and they are ideal over the sort of terrain you describe. ( though i would have gone bfg km2 if funds had permitted ). put a post in the chat section to see users near you. i'm devon. also the wettest part of the uk

I'd go for a standard jimny with a good set of standard size mud tyres and a rocklobster transfer box and the remove the rear seats to reduce the weight.
Also change the vacuum hubs for manual ones for 4wd reliability

The rocklobster would allow you to crawl along at low speed and keep traction rather than spinning wheels and the lighter you can get it the better for floating on top of the mud

a standard rocklobster reduces the low box from 2:1 to 4.1:1 you can also get 5:1 and 6.5:1

Your criteria are very similar to mine- I had the choice of a quad, UTV or Jimny for farm and forestry work including work in boggy peat areas. I went for the Jimny and it's now my daily driver too! The only modification I've done to mine is 215/75 BFG Mud Terrain tyres. They fit straight on without a suspension lift and whilst not as light-footed as a quad it's a lot, lot better than our Landrover 110 on 235 mud terrains. A Jimny is half a ton lighter than a Defender or Hilux!

If road use is minimal and you're on an agricultural license, Vaderstad drill tyres will fit straight on so you can get tractor-tread pattern tyres very cheaply! They will give you tons of grip but are only 185 wide.


Wide, knobbly tyres in small diameters are hard to find but the Vitara 'Wideboy' had 255/60 R15 tyres which would fit with some arch trimming and reduce ground pressure. However you will only get them with road-biased tread patterns and they are pricey.

If the vacuum 4wd system works, stick with it. It saves having to get out to engage the hubs on rainy days. It's also fairly simple to fix if it breaks.

But all in all, I have found the Jimny to be the perfect compromise for me and I'm fairly sure you will to!

If it helps at all I live and work on a farm and I find the Jimny to be a UTV just fully inclosed, more powerful, heaters and all those luxuries. You woludn't leave any worse ruts then a quad unless you are driving somewhere you shouldn't be, I am pretty sure you will find the Jimny (even without big mods) perfect for what you want to do. But the best way would be to borrow a Jimny and try it out.