Ideas for a new UTV

[jrwalkerpa1]

I am in the market for a new or few year's old side by side UTV and am seeking some advice as to which model's to explore in more depth.
I have looked at literature and read some reviews but some of the things I am interested in are not in those sources so.......

My needs are:
* Side by side with bench seat (mobility issues for one of my passengers)
* Gas engine but also want it to be as quiet as possible since one of the uses will be for helping disabled hunters
* Water cooled (for quiet) and EFI for cold weather use.
* 4WD with a low range and diff lock
* Good brakes
* Decent ground clearance to go over rocks, stumps, etc
* Ability to climb steep hills slowly (lots of low-end torque)
* Engine braking of some kind to come down those same steep hills
* Would prefer a gear/drive, HST or something along those lines rather than belt drive but am open on that one.
* Rear dump bed that can handle up to 400 pounds
* Speed is not important at all...5-10MPH is plenty for my purposes...am much more interested in ability to climb and haul.

Thanks!

[GrandLakeGAR]

I'm in the about the same boat. I need a workhorse, not a trail or dune runner. Right now the Kioti Mechron 2200 has my interest.$9995 is this months special price. A big, heavy unit with a 3 cyl. Diesel for about what the others want for a 2 cyl gas model. They are pretty new and I can't find any owners feedback but it has a lot of standard features and looks stout. Any info from some one with experience on this model? Thanks

[aczlan]

A Kubota RTV500 should fit the bill. A RTV400 might as well, not sure how it does in the engine braking department, but both have 4 wheel disc brakes, so stopping shouldn't be a problem.
Specs: http://www.kubota.com/product/RTV500...0_500_spec.pdf
One note (at least around here), diesel engines don't spook the deer like gas engines do as they are used to tractors working the fields.


Aaron Z

[Biggreenavalanche]

I highly recommend a Polaris Ranger, it meets all the criteria you've established, I own an 800 EPS and love it...I promise you I've put it through the wringer ! For a fact I can tell you I toted 19, 50 lb, sacks of corn through a cutover that a goat would have had trouble in...it is a workhorse for sure...

I'd also say, don't take my word for it, and recommend you drive all the different brands you can get your hands on, talk to all the dealers and get a feel for how they're gonna treat you after the purchase, and do what you're doing now, ask around and talk to different owners...

BTW, the Ranger comes in a variety of engine sizes, and seating configurations and there are a ton of after market "goodies" available to customize to taste...

I've heard good things about the new Gator as well, however, I've not had a chance to play with one yet...

Whatever you get, enjoy and be safe...

Rich

[PapaPerk]

Kubota 500 for everything except ground clearance.

Polaris Ranger Midsize 500 or 800 for everything except quiet and engine braking. I believe full size ranger has engine braking though.

Go to the dealers and sit on the machines... drive them around. That makes the decision much easier!

[jcmseven]

Ranger, no doubt for your needs. Can you get by with a mid-size or do you need full size or even crew? In my view the Ranger EFI 500 is the best deal going for what you get.

John

[GrandLakeGAR]

I looked at and drove a bunch of the popular models. Kubota RTV500 is too small, light and under powered for my needs. The big Yamahas and their Chinese clones seemed OK and I really like the Ranger diesel but the Kioti is heavier, larger engine, equal payload and a few thousand dollars less, at least this month. Two big Kioti dealers in the area, Polaris just a small shop. Wish the Mechron had been around long enough to have a history of reliability and some owner reviews

[PapaPerk]

Remember the Yamaha does have an open diff. This automatically eliminates it from my list.

[PapaPerk]

Ranger, no doubt for your needs. Can you get by with a mid-size or do you need full size or even crew? In my view the Ranger EFI 500 is the best deal going for what you get.

John

[patcopaul]

Re: Kioti Mechron 2200...
Plenty of discussiion in Tractorbynet about the Kioti and the gerneral requirements questioned in this thread. There is one forum for UTV's and one each about owning or buying a KiotI. Do a search of those forums and all your questions will be answered.