Gator 850D trouble starting

Hello all,

I'm new to the forum and just became a first time owner of a 2008 Gator 850D. It has the deluxe cab, power lift, deluxe brush guard, front fender bars, side mirrors, "quiet kit", and cab heater. It has 1668 hours on the meter.

It also has a couple items that I have not seen anywhere on the internet:

a) a large nicely made enclosed metal box in the dump bed that has no manufacturer markings on it. This completely fills the entire dump box. I plan on removing this.

b) an over-the-cab rack for carrying flat items like lumber. I will keep this installed.

It appears overall to be in nice condition but does needs some work. Namely, it randomly starts. Previous owner states it is likely the starter. The way it sounds backs this up. The starter turns over the engine but then quickly sounds as if it disengages. Sometimes it doesn't even engage. The battery is fine and using a jump box or jumper cables doesn't help. When it does start it runs fine.

I'm very handy with automotive repair and plan on digging into this when the weather gets a little warmer (I'm in Michigan). To plan for this project I wanted to get some info regarding:

1. Thoughts on what I should check and/or perform preventive maintenance on.
2. Good online vendors.
3. Other Gator resources.

I already ordered some new keys since my only key broke off in the ignition yesterday :(. I was able to easily get the piece out so no overall issue. I think the old key had some wear and just was ready to break. I didn't place any force when turning it so I don't foresee any issues related to this. I also ordered some cab door lock keys too (not cheap!).

I'm sure I'll have more in the future. Sorry for the long first post!

Thanks,

Paul.