UTV Comparison

[falfrenzy]

Honda is a great choice as well and agree with ALLDodge

I LOVE my Honda Pioneer 700. Actual geared transmission, factory locked rear axle, I rarely put in 4WD. With the front diff lock, I was able to back up a steep hill easily.
Can put 1000 lbs in the bed, and tow 1500 lbs with a 2" receiver. I opted for the Electric Power Steering(EPS) , and I am glad I did. Pushes snow with a 72" snow plow with ease.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I saw an auction the other day where they were auctioning off around 6 rusty Yamaha rhinos. They were 4-5 years old, and used on the beach below Corpus Christi to search for sea turtles coming up on the beach. Almost all of them had over 10,000 hours!!! ONE OF THEM HAD 13,450 HOURS!!!

That there is a testament.


I took out the new Deere 835M gas, again a few times. It really has good acceleration. The ride quality keeps astounding me. Since it belongs to my FIL, I don't want to get it all dirty so I stay in the grass and gravel roads. He upgraded the headlights to the LED option, and on high beam, they are really bright.

 

[AllDodge]

Would need to go back thru this thread to find out which Gator my buddy has now, but just last week he said his new one just broke an axle. They wasn't doing anything but just going across the field to the deer stand and it started steering hard. Go figure, his previous one had nothing but issues so he got the tried and true old style, now this one has issues

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I forget the model number but buddy bought the new model JD and had nothing but trouble with it. Had the clutch replaced 3 times before 50 hours. After many discussions JD agreed to exchange it with the older model and he has had no problems.

Since your looking for the faster models, I would also look at the Honda, no belts

Oh, just talked to my buddy about the JD he had and which one you don't want. He had the 590S4 and it had all the problems, suggest staying clear. He now has the 835M and likes it a lot other then being really large, takes ever bit of a 20 foot trailer to haul

Would need to go back thru this thread to find out which Gator my buddy has now, but just last week he said his new one just broke an axle. They wasn't doing anything but just going across the field to the deer stand and it started steering hard. Go figure, his previous one had nothing but issues so he got the tried and true old style, now this one has issues

I would be very interested to know more details about this. That is the same model my FIL has.

 

[AllDodge]

It was the front axle on the 835 and was not doing anything hard. JD dealer said this was rare for it to happen and maybe it was just a bad part.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

It was the front axle on the 835 and was not doing anything hard. JD dealer said this was rare for it to happen and maybe it was just a bad part.

Did he take a picture of the wheel/axle part?

 

[ArlyA]

I think every break on pretty much all machines, can be summed up with the statement "I was just riding along, when this goat came out from nowhere and broke my _______"

It was the front axle on the 835 and was not doing anything hard. JD dealer said this was rare for it to happen and maybe it was just a bad part.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I think every break on pretty much all machines, can be summer up with the statement "I was just riding along when this goat came out from nowhere and broke my _______"

When I worked on ATV's for a living, the number 1 cause for bent or broke tie rods, axles, swingarms, bent wheels, was bouncing off of trees or big fence posts going through a narrow gate. Also, the 2nd number one reason for broken parts was "I let my kids drive it"...

Not sure what broke AllDodge's friends machine. It could have simply been a bad part from bad material. When an axle breaks, it breaks in 2 kinds of ways. A torsional break, which is too much horsepower which often gives a "spiral" break. A dumped clutch, rapid R to F to R, or the front differential locked and the tires not giving up traction, will/can cause a shaft to just shear almost cleanly like you sawed it in two.

I hope Deere takes care of him and makes sure he's happy. My FIL bought the insurance you get when you finance it through Deere credit, and he bought the extended warranty to cover most everything for 4 years/ up to maybe 800 hours IIRC?

I still would like to see a picture of the part if possible.

 

[Code54]

or the front differential locked and the tires not giving up traction, will/can cause a shaft to just shear almost cleanly like you sawed it in two.

Busted two in my Rhino back in the day rock crawling. Looked like a nice smooth shear as you said. Was covered under warranty so I never worried about it a whole lot. GRat machine and was a lot of fun!

 

[AllDodge]

Did he take a picture of the wheel/axle part?

No, its not fixed yet. JD came out to get it and his son had it out deer hunting (works fine in 2 wheel drive). JD said they would come back to get it but he told them he will run it into them, just hasn't done it yet