jcmseven said:
One other question I have: do those who have used or had both the Rhino and the Ranger know which one pulls better?
You may have read that one of my friends has a Ranger and he rides it at my property with me. I have driven his unit several times. It looks spartan to me for some reason, but I do like it's soft ride - unless it has a load in the back. Since I have some really extreme hills (where the Gators and RTV's simply run out of power trying to climb - 3 different RTV's, 2 6X4 Gators which came the closest, and 3 HPX's) and I've seen that the Ranger seems to climb slightly less than the Rhino. I think the Ranger has some sort of automatic 4X4? Anyway, he starts spinning too soon and there are a couple of hills I can climb he can't. The big difference, which you alluded to, is the Ultramatic system of the Yamaha. I didn't know that the Ranger just free wheels down hills if you are not standing on the brake or, counter intuitively, on the throttle. I recall that the Gators also had this problem.
As you may have guessed, since I've owned everything but the Ranger, I completely discount what the two HPX nuts here say. I'll let you make your own judgment there, and you need not comment. I just consider the source. I'm glad they like their HPX, but I don't tie my entire reputation to any particular unit of any type. By the way, I've also seen on a Google search that there is thousands of pages that "prove" that Elvis lives and that no planes actually hit the twin towers. On the HPX, you've had one as well, and you know that they are a good capable utility and work unit, but will
not keep up on the trails with the units like the Rhino and Ranger. There are dozens of Rhino units around here and I really don't see anyone having trouble except when trying to jump the unit, or run the trails at 50 mph and hitting ruts and logs. If I took my RTV at those speeds or any of the Gators I’ve owned at those speeds over extreme terrain or tried to get 4’ of air with them, I’d expect the same. Honestly, on the Ranger, my friend's Ranger mostly has had electrical bugs. I like the EFI quite a bit more than a carb as well. Hopefully Yamaha puts the EFI from their Griz on the Rhino and JD puts EFI on the gas HPX and ends it’s cold start issues related to carbs. I guess that’s why only the first JD I had was gas and the last two diesel.
Although my friend and I have joked about tying the Ranger and Rhino up tail to tail and having a tug of war, common sense prevailed and we never have. Contrary to what the two fellas who are determined to get you to buy another HPX believe, I honestly think that the Rhino will pull every bit as hard as the Ranger even though it is physically smaller. I would say the only issue I'd possibly be concerned with would be going down a hill and trying to stop a heavy load behind you. However, unless you want to go up to the one ton weight of an RTV, you'll get that. Even then, a big enough trailer will push anything around. I’d say your decision would be whether you want the higher performance and maneuverability of the Rhino or the technical advances, but higher potential for problems, with the Ranger. I see the EFI and larger bed as the positives for the Ranger. The Rhino is more powerful, has a true 4X4 system and is more agile. As I said, I’m going to buy another UTV or two as well. I even drove the new Artic Cat Prowler last week. Although I liked it's looks, I was unimpressed overall. I think I’ll wait and see if Yamaha comes out with EFI this winter or in the spring and I’m fairly certain that I’ll buy a new RTV1100 this spring with the factory cab. I’ll have the new addition on my barn by then or add yet another barn. You know, a guy can’t have too many toys!
