Yeah, thanks, I'm aware. I use DVOM, then load tester, then hydrometer (in that order) to pretty closely watch all of them. If any of the old ones show signs of problems, they'll quickly get axed as well.
Textron Recoil Electric UTV
- Thread starter YardBikeBob
- Start date
OP
YardBikeBob
Silver Member
Took a tour on the Recoil today. The TrailTech speedometer is mounted and counters reset. Started off on 'speed' mode and then just didn't pay attention. Dirt roads, U.S.Forest access roads. Some highway. We were not going fast, just puttering around. When the Recoil gauge showed half, set the switch from fast to eco mode.
Went 21.5 miles and the Recoil 'fuel' gauge was saying we were a dead duck the last 6 miles. The gauge was showing flat empty and a yellow warning light was lit. Oddly, the TrailTech wasn't nearly so gloomy.
As the TrailTech measures voltage for only 3 of 6 batteries whatever it says you double it. It says we still had 70.4 volts in the batteries. I'm not sure what to think of that. Before charging I tested 1 cell with a hydrometer.
It was right on the Good/Fair line. 4 hours of charging and everything was reporting full but another hydrometer reading and the needle barely budged.
The last picture is the report off the status screens of the TrailTech.
I don't know why the Recoil's gauge is so gloomy. But it was a great day to spend 2 1/2 hours exploring the local terrain.
Bob
Went 21.5 miles and the Recoil 'fuel' gauge was saying we were a dead duck the last 6 miles. The gauge was showing flat empty and a yellow warning light was lit. Oddly, the TrailTech wasn't nearly so gloomy.
As the TrailTech measures voltage for only 3 of 6 batteries whatever it says you double it. It says we still had 70.4 volts in the batteries. I'm not sure what to think of that. Before charging I tested 1 cell with a hydrometer.
It was right on the Good/Fair line. 4 hours of charging and everything was reporting full but another hydrometer reading and the needle barely budged.
The last picture is the report off the status screens of the TrailTech.
I don't know why the Recoil's gauge is so gloomy. But it was a great day to spend 2 1/2 hours exploring the local terrain.
Bob
There's a bunch of discussions over on the Polaris EV forum about the inaccurate reporting of its SOC (state of charge) meter, including techniques for how to re-calibrate it. Sounds like it's a common problem!
Polaris Ranger EV - RangerForums.net - Polaris Ranger Forum
Polaris Ranger EV - RangerForums.net - Polaris Ranger Forum
OP
YardBikeBob
Silver Member
Here is an update on my Textron Recoil. 8 months of ownership and now have 350+ miles and 50+ hours on it with little to complain about. It has never been back to the dealer nor has there been any reliability issues.
In review, it is a 6-battery, 72 volt, twin AC-motored, AWD electric side-by-side. Mine is the one with the dump bed; current models are all four seat with 2 rearward facing flip seats. I'm glad I don't have that one but I do wish I had the independent rear suspension as the solid rear axle does ride pretty harsh.
It is an upgrade from a conventional Club Car Precedent golf cart we had for years. As for ergonomics, the golf cart was actually better. For comfortable seats, good leg room, decent weather protection from the top, and low CG stability, the golf cart guys got that right years ago. This isn't a specific criticism of the Recoil; I've noticed just about all SxS could learn lessons from golf carts on how to get old 'stout' people around in comfort. But the driveline on golf carts are primitive whereas the Recoil is a huge step-up in off-road mobility and going from, maybe, 3.8hp to 38hp adds a lot of capability.
As for engine performance, the Recoil is near state-of-the-art with its AC motors, 72 volt electrics, and intelligent controllers. It is still lead-acid battery technology both in performance & price and I really can't complain from a value standpoint as it does its job. It has two speed settings. The low setting is gentle take off and maxes out at 15mph and works fine around the farm we almost always leave it there as it maximizes battery charge. Within 15 miles or so the charge meter is below half and we plug it in overnight. That is every 3 or 4 days of use.
We live along a dirt road in the Missouri Ozarks. There are plenty of areas to explore out in the country. When we take the 2-mile trek out to the highway feed store, I'll use the high setting and it will motor right along at 25mph which is as fast as the suspension wants over the gravel, dirt, and often rutted country road.
As part of the electronics package, it relies heavily on regen braking. So much so that you seldom have to use the brakes at all as letting off the foot feed will bring the SxS to a stop quickly. Also, when traversing a steep downhill, the regen action will let you crawl down the grade at a snail's pace without applying the foot brake. I watch the volt readings on the TrailTech and, yes, you can see the voltage rise (sometimes a lot) on downhills. This all seems like a great advantage except for one: I was once off to the feed store, in high, and was carrying too much speed into a gravel corner. Letting off the foot feed kicked in the regen (and resultant braking) and the Sxs continued to plow forward with understeer overwhelming the tires. Hadn't thought of that! If you want to coast, you better do it at part throttle.
The regen is also a good thing as the manual brakes are high effort with a wooden feel. You wouldn't want to rely on them a lot.
The Recoil has motors on each axle with open differentials. Thus it is always in 'turf' mode but that really hasn't proven much of an issue. If you're wanting to do serious 4WD off-roading you shouldn't buy a Recoil. However, we have some steep enough trails in the forest and the Recoil has no problem crawling up them. One front tire may spin but, with most of the battery weight on the rear axle, the rear end maintains traction to clear the summit. All of this is done at a walking pace. One look at the suspension components and you know this isn't a high-speed off-road machine. I'm sure some owners might talk about how fast it will cover terrain but we have other machines for that sort of stuff.
The rear cargo box is rated at 600lbs and that seems sufficient. It'll fit five 80# bags of cement to haul back from the store (which greatly improves the ride!) or haul a 55 gallon water barrel out to the garden patch. The complaint is lift over height but life is a compromise. As the floorboard step-over is 18" I do wish the thing was designed lower to the ground. Tailgate height is 40" with box sidewalls another 8".
It offers a receiver hitch with a 1,000lb rating but that comes with a huge caveat: A tongue rating of only 100 pounds and, yes, I bent the hitch right away. The receiver is a bolt on contraption stamped and formed such that it really does bend easily (to protect the frame?). I bought a new one and reinforced it with more steel but now I'm a little shy to tow much back there.
The wife is quick to offer comparisons with the golf cart: rough ride, high step over, too high to load cargo, not as comfortable to sit it, poor rain protection, and can't haul 5-gallon buckets of garden supplies near as well as a golf cart. On the other hand, the Recoil is much more capable around the rough property and capable of taking long treks off the property, too. For her, the golf cart was transportation from the barn to the garden patch and that was all she needed. I take the Recoil everywhere around our 120 acres of Ozark hills and only use the ATVs for the roughest creek bottoms and narrowest trails.
Do I wish it had a gas motor and more like a 'real' SxS? No! Electrics are great for farm chores and general transportation. No engine to warm up. No starting procedure. No transmissions, radiators, oil changes, clogged filters, CVT belts etc. that need servicing. No gas going bad. No 'getting up to speed' to clear obstacles as it has max torque the moment it begins rolling. Max range of about 20 miles isn't a hardship for us and simply plugging it in overnight makes it good to go for another few days.
My son runs a Textron dealership, Parker Powersports in Parker, Colorado. His most consistent demographic is, surprisingly, me! Older folks who acquired country acreage and need something to help work the land. They all go for Stampedes or other utility SxS and don't give the Recoil a glance. Seems pretty odd to me. Maybe they think they also want something for 50 mile treks but I have ATVs and dirt bikes (or daily drivers) for that. I also have a tractor for the real chores. For everything else (ie, the vast majority of the time) the Recoil does everything we need without the overhead of a gas drivetrain.
Finally, there is one disadvantage to electric power I have observed time and time again. I've watched deer watch me as I chuff along on the tractor or zip around on the ATV. They hear me coming, of course, from first start up and are used to that sort of noise in the country. The Recoil, though is stealthy quiet. It really startles the deer for it to suddenly sneak up on them and they bolt!
This note got a little long but I've been meaning to catch up for awhile. Enjoy the day!
YMMV ~Bob
In review, it is a 6-battery, 72 volt, twin AC-motored, AWD electric side-by-side. Mine is the one with the dump bed; current models are all four seat with 2 rearward facing flip seats. I'm glad I don't have that one but I do wish I had the independent rear suspension as the solid rear axle does ride pretty harsh.
It is an upgrade from a conventional Club Car Precedent golf cart we had for years. As for ergonomics, the golf cart was actually better. For comfortable seats, good leg room, decent weather protection from the top, and low CG stability, the golf cart guys got that right years ago. This isn't a specific criticism of the Recoil; I've noticed just about all SxS could learn lessons from golf carts on how to get old 'stout' people around in comfort. But the driveline on golf carts are primitive whereas the Recoil is a huge step-up in off-road mobility and going from, maybe, 3.8hp to 38hp adds a lot of capability.
As for engine performance, the Recoil is near state-of-the-art with its AC motors, 72 volt electrics, and intelligent controllers. It is still lead-acid battery technology both in performance & price and I really can't complain from a value standpoint as it does its job. It has two speed settings. The low setting is gentle take off and maxes out at 15mph and works fine around the farm we almost always leave it there as it maximizes battery charge. Within 15 miles or so the charge meter is below half and we plug it in overnight. That is every 3 or 4 days of use.
We live along a dirt road in the Missouri Ozarks. There are plenty of areas to explore out in the country. When we take the 2-mile trek out to the highway feed store, I'll use the high setting and it will motor right along at 25mph which is as fast as the suspension wants over the gravel, dirt, and often rutted country road.
As part of the electronics package, it relies heavily on regen braking. So much so that you seldom have to use the brakes at all as letting off the foot feed will bring the SxS to a stop quickly. Also, when traversing a steep downhill, the regen action will let you crawl down the grade at a snail's pace without applying the foot brake. I watch the volt readings on the TrailTech and, yes, you can see the voltage rise (sometimes a lot) on downhills. This all seems like a great advantage except for one: I was once off to the feed store, in high, and was carrying too much speed into a gravel corner. Letting off the foot feed kicked in the regen (and resultant braking) and the Sxs continued to plow forward with understeer overwhelming the tires. Hadn't thought of that! If you want to coast, you better do it at part throttle.
The regen is also a good thing as the manual brakes are high effort with a wooden feel. You wouldn't want to rely on them a lot.
The Recoil has motors on each axle with open differentials. Thus it is always in 'turf' mode but that really hasn't proven much of an issue. If you're wanting to do serious 4WD off-roading you shouldn't buy a Recoil. However, we have some steep enough trails in the forest and the Recoil has no problem crawling up them. One front tire may spin but, with most of the battery weight on the rear axle, the rear end maintains traction to clear the summit. All of this is done at a walking pace. One look at the suspension components and you know this isn't a high-speed off-road machine. I'm sure some owners might talk about how fast it will cover terrain but we have other machines for that sort of stuff.
The rear cargo box is rated at 600lbs and that seems sufficient. It'll fit five 80# bags of cement to haul back from the store (which greatly improves the ride!) or haul a 55 gallon water barrel out to the garden patch. The complaint is lift over height but life is a compromise. As the floorboard step-over is 18" I do wish the thing was designed lower to the ground. Tailgate height is 40" with box sidewalls another 8".
It offers a receiver hitch with a 1,000lb rating but that comes with a huge caveat: A tongue rating of only 100 pounds and, yes, I bent the hitch right away. The receiver is a bolt on contraption stamped and formed such that it really does bend easily (to protect the frame?). I bought a new one and reinforced it with more steel but now I'm a little shy to tow much back there.
The wife is quick to offer comparisons with the golf cart: rough ride, high step over, too high to load cargo, not as comfortable to sit it, poor rain protection, and can't haul 5-gallon buckets of garden supplies near as well as a golf cart. On the other hand, the Recoil is much more capable around the rough property and capable of taking long treks off the property, too. For her, the golf cart was transportation from the barn to the garden patch and that was all she needed. I take the Recoil everywhere around our 120 acres of Ozark hills and only use the ATVs for the roughest creek bottoms and narrowest trails.
Do I wish it had a gas motor and more like a 'real' SxS? No! Electrics are great for farm chores and general transportation. No engine to warm up. No starting procedure. No transmissions, radiators, oil changes, clogged filters, CVT belts etc. that need servicing. No gas going bad. No 'getting up to speed' to clear obstacles as it has max torque the moment it begins rolling. Max range of about 20 miles isn't a hardship for us and simply plugging it in overnight makes it good to go for another few days.
My son runs a Textron dealership, Parker Powersports in Parker, Colorado. His most consistent demographic is, surprisingly, me! Older folks who acquired country acreage and need something to help work the land. They all go for Stampedes or other utility SxS and don't give the Recoil a glance. Seems pretty odd to me. Maybe they think they also want something for 50 mile treks but I have ATVs and dirt bikes (or daily drivers) for that. I also have a tractor for the real chores. For everything else (ie, the vast majority of the time) the Recoil does everything we need without the overhead of a gas drivetrain.
Finally, there is one disadvantage to electric power I have observed time and time again. I've watched deer watch me as I chuff along on the tractor or zip around on the ATV. They hear me coming, of course, from first start up and are used to that sort of noise in the country. The Recoil, though is stealthy quiet. It really startles the deer for it to suddenly sneak up on them and they bolt!
This note got a little long but I've been meaning to catch up for awhile. Enjoy the day!
YMMV ~Bob
WaltWestbrook
New member
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2022
- Messages
- 1
- Tractor
- Textron Recoil Side by Side Crew
Purchased a Recoil Crew at auction 8 months ago. Batteries were shot. I replaced them with a LiFePo4 setup and this machine is unmatched! We get very long rides, even in Speed mode, out of each charge.
I would appreciate knowing more about your accessories. A front basket would be helpful.
Also, do you know if anyone makes hard doors for this beast?
I would appreciate knowing more about your accessories. A front basket would be helpful.
Also, do you know if anyone makes hard doors for this beast?