The Right UTV

[El Wood]

I'm in the market for a new UTV and thought I would gather some opinions.

I'll be moving out to 20 acres in a few months. I need a machine for several different tasks... Some of these tasks include basic transportation around the property, hauling tools around, hauling some firewood, towing a small trailer around and travel to the neighbor's houses in the near area.

Right now I own a Can Am ATV. I've considered selling it because I don't use it very much. Occasionally, I'll haul it to a trail head with some friends and we'll ride. I do love riding it but it would be nice to have some trade in cash.

I've been looking hard at the John Deere 825i. I don't plan on trail riding with it and it doesn't need to be very fast. 30 mph would be fine. The JD 825i is around $12500. I don't really want to spend much more then that. I should also mention that I saw a Massimo ATV at Tractor Supply today. It looked pretty nice and was priced at only $8000. I don't know much about that brand though.

Some others I've considered are Polaris Ranger and Kawasaki Mule.

What kind of UTV do you guys have? Advice?

 

[nybirdman]

Massimo=Chinese built I believe.My brother-in-law has the 825 JD,it s alright I guess,hard on gas and has a small tank.We have a Kawasaki Teryx and a Yamaha Rhino(450).Unfortunately they don't build the 450 any-more.Mine has 3500 trouble free miles,all I have done is replace the tires.

 

[El Wood]

Massimo=Chinese built I believe.My brother-in-law has the 825 JD,it s alright I guess,hard on gas and has a small tank.We have a Kawasaki Teryx and a Yamaha Rhino(450).Unfortunately they don't build the 450 any-more.Mine has 3500 trouble free miles,all I have done is replace the tires.

I've heard good things about the Rhino's. Would you buy another one today?

 

[EddieWalker]

My requirements where very similar when I was looking and it came down to Kawasaki and Kubota for me. After some going back and forth, I liked the Kawasaki better. It's been a couple of years now and I like it more now then when I bought it!!!!

Eddie

 

[PapaPerk]

First off I would avoid the Tractor Supply unit. $8,000 is too much. Plus it's made in China. Booo


Check out the Polaris Ranger Midsize 400. It's priced around $8,000. I got mine for about 1,000 less last year. Great unit!!! Plenty of power and has a turf mode that unlocks the rear diff so the tires don't rip you yard up. Also makes driving on pavement much better.

Also the Ranger mid size comes in 570 and 800 cc if you need more power. But my 400 will do over 45 mph.... That's plenty fast for me.

Also check out the Kubota 500 RTV. They are nicely built. Their suspension is stiff compared to the Polaris. But are very high quality and run like a sewing machine.

Another option is the new Honda Pioneer that's coming out. Looks like a nice ride.

I love my Ranger and would certainly buy again!

 

[C4Ranch]

X2 for the Ranger.

Just posted this earlier today:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...ation-side-sides-differences.html#post3458902

 

[efam3300]

I have a 2011 Ranger 500 with a full cab. It is fuel injected and starts in all weather. It is a very smooth ride and with the cab and doors its an all weather utv. I bought it with a snow plow and power angle, this machine will push a lot of snow in cozy comfort. The only Con I have is leg room for a tall person.

 

[RoyJackson]

I looked at a used Polaris Ranger at a local dealer (I was there buying a used Bush Bull cutter). Nice machine, but they wanted too much money for it. I made an offer, but their counter offer was too high.
The only thing I've heard bad about Polaris is the price of parts. If you check out any ATV/UTV forums (and I suggest you do...as well as the ATV/UTV forum on TBN), you find out any potential or real problems.

Since I am a Deere guy, I looked on Used Farm & Agricultural Equipment - John Deere MachineFinder for Gators around this area. I did miss a cabbed 6x4 locally...that was a shame too. Nice UTV for a good price.

As far as the 825i, good reviews and as others wrote, pretty thirsty (carry an extra 5 gallons with you when you're out and about). My neighbor has a fully optioned out 825i...factory cab, heater, field lamps, tail lights, etc.). He's quite happy with it and it is fast! His came to around $18K-$19K.

I ended up going with an 855D Gator...mostly because I wanted a diesel. So far, a good and very handy machine and I do recommend it. Mine is a single bench seat and you can get two adults and a child on the seat. There's also an optional bench seat for the bed...or, if you have a family, there are 4 seaters available, but I think you'd be pushing the 855D's 25 HP engine if fully loaded...my opinion with nothing to back that up, BTW.
Unlike the 825i, the 855D is very frugal with fuel. It's pretty quick for me. Definitely something to look at.
With the roof, mine came to about $15K. More then I wanted to pay for a UTV, but it'll be the last one Ill own (unless I live a lot longer then I expect)

Depending on your intended use, you might want the power dump. That's one thing I wish I'd gotten...that and the windshield. Mine did come with the roof (as shown in the pictures). Most options are dealer installed, or if you're handy, you can install them yourself.

 

[aczlan]

We have the RTV500 and love it. Its slow compared to the other machines, but its workhorse and we like the lower ride height (especially my inlaws who have had hip/knee/spine operations).
We looked at the Gator 625i, bit it sits as high as a fullsize 4x4 pickup. I recently rode in a Gator HPX (dealer loaner for a friend who's 855D is in the shop waiting for a redesigned wiring harness) and it looks interesting, faster than a RTV 500, but similar ride height.

Aaron Z

 

[westcliffe01]

I bought the Kubota RTV 500. I was really trying to keep the budget down on mine and I got mine with 90+ hours for $6500.

It does have its faults. Given how long Kubota has been building the 900's and bigger UTV's, many aspects of the 500 were very poorly thought out. For instance take a look at the mess under the huge hood. There is no storage space there whatsoever, nor is anything sealed up at all. The hood also interferes with fitting a "real" windshield. The engine is positioned in a terrible place behind the seat and under the bed. One has to constantly keep it clean from combustible matter.

Having said all of that, I chose the 500 because of my anticipation of needing it for steep terrain in the rockies and I recently got to spend 2 weeks out there where I was searching for a building site and it was perfect for the job. It is the only smaller UTV with a hydrostatic transmission and that is really a plus in the steep terrain. In low range 4x4 it kept going even at 10000 ft and some pretty crazy hills. Downhill one has great engine braking, one hardly ever needs the brakes. The governor / hydro linkage is not properly adjusted on most units from the factory and is one of the reasons for poor performance. I was not looking for something fast, but wanted slow and steady.

I have the plastic roof on mine and will probably go with the glass windshield (it has a vinyl lower section so the hood can be opened to check the brake fluid). One can no longer get doors for it, but I will likely make my own to keep snow out of it when hunting in winter. One can get vinyl "windshields" that attach with velcro to close off the rear opening and keep the wind off you.

Being gas and fuel injected, it starts like a dream in the cold and at any altitude. It also uses very little fuel. I seldom used more than 1.5 gal/day and was typically out on the ranch for several hours at a time, most of that in low range.

For flat land and very little hard work, I'm sure the belt driven ones will be fine, but I have confirmed that I made the right decision for the kind of land I am planning to use mine in. I would not want a belt driven machine there at all.