bridge4
Gold Member
arched a-arms and a little bigger tire can do wonders for clearance on the Ranger. I could easily clear 5 gallon buckets.
Polaris Ranger Crew Reliability Question - What UTV to Buy????
- Thread starter SJay
- Start date
MinnesotaEric
Super Member
My RZR seems to be holding together. I've had two belts shell on me in 2000 miles, the last one belt was from last weekend chasing national rally cars through the Paul Bunyan Forest to the next spectator spot. The RZRs do have long-travel suspensions which may help to hold them together and even my woods machine is over 12" on each corner. Utility wise, in low gear I'm able to move around boats--some heavier than 4,000 pounds (with the tongue wheel still on the ground). I'm also using the RZR to hoof around my 6x12 aluminum trailer which hauls all kinds of stuff but itself weighs less than 400 pounds.
The nice thing about the RZR over a UTV is that the ride in comparison is like a pillow and the seats and sitting position is all-day comfortable. The downside, I pretty much use my carrying capacity to carry a cooler. I can jam a saw and saw gas and saw oil in there too but it is a hassle. Another nice thing is being able to whip from one end of the property to the other to get tools and what not. I also really enjoy trail riding (which is what the goofy thing was made to do) in the Paul Bunyan and Chipawa Forests. Moreover, since my county's industry is largely tourism, it is lawful to bang around in the ditches from place to place, town to town and so we don't need to ride on the road a whole lot until we're in town. Anyway, I've been thoroughly pleased with my RZR for use as a stand-in UTV and its natural ability for sport riding. In fact, I just picked up another set of wheels so I can have dedicated summer tires and dedicated studded winter tires so as to have less fuss getting ready for winter and spring because I'm convinced the machine's durability at this point.
The nice thing about the RZR over a UTV is that the ride in comparison is like a pillow and the seats and sitting position is all-day comfortable. The downside, I pretty much use my carrying capacity to carry a cooler. I can jam a saw and saw gas and saw oil in there too but it is a hassle. Another nice thing is being able to whip from one end of the property to the other to get tools and what not. I also really enjoy trail riding (which is what the goofy thing was made to do) in the Paul Bunyan and Chipawa Forests. Moreover, since my county's industry is largely tourism, it is lawful to bang around in the ditches from place to place, town to town and so we don't need to ride on the road a whole lot until we're in town. Anyway, I've been thoroughly pleased with my RZR for use as a stand-in UTV and its natural ability for sport riding. In fact, I just picked up another set of wheels so I can have dedicated summer tires and dedicated studded winter tires so as to have less fuss getting ready for winter and spring because I'm convinced the machine's durability at this point.
gsganzer
Elite Member
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- L3800 w/FEL and BH77, BX 2200 w/FEL and MMM
I've always had great luck with Yamaha products. I'd be looking at Rhino. Their prices seem pretty decent too.
deserteagle71
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- northern Nevada
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It would have to be used. I believe the last Rhino was built in 2013. Now it's either a Viking or a Wolverine.
MinnesotaEric
Super Member
I'm keen on the Viking and had planned to purchase one as soon as Yamaha stuffed a twin engine in. In 2018 when the new Twin arrivewd in the Wolverine, I was eager to try it, but sadly, as many things are for me, I couldn't handle the seating position with my bad back. Dumb luck that I bought an RZR 10000S at auction with the intent to buy-fix-sell and I found out that I could sit in it and enjoy the machine.
buckeyefarmer
Epic Contributor
Have a 900XP. No battery issues with mine. I only use it once a week, it starts right up.
MotorSeven
Elite Member
One neighbor has a Ranger, the other a Rino...both older models and both have had axle trouble which required new rear axles. The Ranger is getting it's second set now. Neither of these machines are driven hard, so I am not sure what causes the axle splines to turn into shredded cheese. Could it be from driving on pavement?
I'm also a Yamaha fan and am still using my 2003 400 Kodiak...it's been thru and looks like ****, the cam chain is making some noise(needs a manual cam chain tensioner installed) but it has been a solid dependable machine from day one. We just bought a new Kawasaki Mule Pro EPS yesterday. I chose the Kawa first for fuel injection, then low noise level, a smooth ride and a large cargo bed. It also has a factory 3 year warranty.
I'm also a Yamaha fan and am still using my 2003 400 Kodiak...it's been thru and looks like ****, the cam chain is making some noise(needs a manual cam chain tensioner installed) but it has been a solid dependable machine from day one. We just bought a new Kawasaki Mule Pro EPS yesterday. I chose the Kawa first for fuel injection, then low noise level, a smooth ride and a large cargo bed. It also has a factory 3 year warranty.
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Tennsawdust
Gold Member
I loved the seating position of the Viking and think the Ranch edition is beautiful. Two things took it out of contention though: first it does not have a "turf mode". The rear differential is permanently locked. Not only does that tear up the grass, but it means that if you drive it on pavement you will either chew up tires or break things. I wanted something I could tag and use for local errands and riding the back roads. The Viking wouldn't be a good choice for that. The second thing is that they still haven't put their new 850 in the Viking. The 700 is OK-ish power wise, but when it comes time to finance the machine there is a problem. Most banks will finance UTVs and motorcycles 800 cc and above the same as a car. With my credit union that means rates as low as 2.9% and terms as long as 84 months. With the under 800 cc manchines they will only finance them for 48 months max and the interest rate is roughly triple.
In the end I bought a Can Am Defender HD8, which I am very happy with. I could have gotten a Ranger 900 for about the same price, but I know too many that have had axle, steering and belt problems with the Rangers and that scared me off them.
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weathda
Silver Member
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- Nov 12, 2010
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- Alabama
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- Farmtrac 665DTC, Kubota L2550, John Deere 310SE, Dresser 175C
I've got a 2015 900XP with about 1000 miles on it. Still has the original battery. I've had no reliability issues except the ignition switch had to be replaced.
PROs: turf mode, power, comfort of ride
CONs: OEM clutches/belt drive-train - shifting is mushy and power to wheel engagement is jerky on take-off
PROs: turf mode, power, comfort of ride
CONs: OEM clutches/belt drive-train - shifting is mushy and power to wheel engagement is jerky on take-off
Corkpuller
Silver Member
D
Those machines caught my eye. Mind saying what a new one could be bought for?
Can you dump the bed from either side of it?
One thing I don’t like about the Mules is to dump the bed, you have to unlatch one side then walk around and unlatch the other side.
Those machines caught my eye. Mind saying what a new one could be bought for?
Can you dump the bed from either side of it?
One thing I don’t like about the Mules is to dump the bed, you have to unlatch one side then walk around and unlatch the other side.