2009 Polaris XP

TOMMYHPX4X4 · Nov 12, 2008

i very seldom use full throttle on either one of my utv's so top speed i could really care less. sometimes it would be nice but 99.9%of the time it's not a big factor . now power is a different story to me nuthing can replace the power and hauling capacity of my hpx.

jcmseven said:
Polaris makes a nice UTV. I would say my father's does ride a bit smoother than my XUV. As to traction I cannot speak to whether the XUV falters here with stock tires, but I can say with aftermarket tires my diesel XUV has yet to be stopped by any terrain I have felt comfortable traversing. My perception is that my Gator pulls better than my dad's Polaris, but I agree top end speed, etc. are not its strong suit. I, like others, frequently run in the 5-20 mph range which makes the XUV fine for my usage.

John M

nmu98 · Nov 13, 2008

TOMMYHPX4X4 said:
i very seldom use full throttle on either one of my utv's so top speed i could really care less. sometimes it would be nice but 99.9%of the time it's not a big factor . now power is a different story to me nuthing can replace the power and hauling capacity of my hpx.

AMEN, and the Diesel in the XUV pulls very well. I can hold top speed, 30mph on the road with a trailer behind me. We had to do this last weekend and the truck confirmed it all as it was following with a full trailer also.

As far as going through mud. Yes the diesels have unsealed clutch enclosures, but wet grass or alfalfa does not stop them. I drive mine through soaked switch grass and tall alfalfa daily. That is pure BS.

Mud... in full locked 4x4, I have been in 2 foot mud hold and never had an issue. I cross ditches and the only difference that could be between this and other machines is the tires. most have close to the same ground clearance. I would be more gutsy with the machines with sealed clutches, but mine works more than plays. about 99% work / 1% play.

jcmseven · Nov 13, 2008

The tire statement is really true. I upgraded my tires on my XUV to 27" ITP Mudlites. Although I do not always like how the run/ride the traction they offer is impressive. JD, for one, does not put aggressive tires on its machines stock--none of the manufacturers do--but the aggressive tread pattern I now have really puts the torque of the diesel to good use. My dad's Polaris has the stock tires, which are not as aggressive as my current treads, but are more aggressive than any JD stock tire. He likely will not upgrade as he does very little harsh trail riding with his machine.

John M

barneyrb · Nov 13, 2008

Polaris update, got a fold down windshield from evil bay, installed a 4500# winch with the synthetic rope, had a top built at a local sheet metal shop and then coated in bedliner. So far everything is doing well, was going to install 27" Mudlites but my dealer will not warr any ranger with big tires so this season I'm going to stick with stock units. The top I had built (I think) is the way to go. It was built out of 14ga and is a lot less $$$$ (and better built) than buying the factory or aftermarket top. I will post some pictures this weekend to prove what I've done

nmu98 · Nov 14, 2008

I think its crazy how some dealer install larger tires and out units on thier show room floor to make sales... But the guy who wants to do it after the sale gets the no warranty statement. There are very few rangers in my town that are not decked out with aluminum wheels and larger tires.... But other people get black balled since it was not purchased that way....

TOMMYHPX4X4 · Nov 14, 2008

my dealer for john deere and for my rhino told me they would cover my warranty with tires up to 27" anything over 27"or a lift kit will void my warranty. sounds to me like polaris has a bogus warranty.lol i have 25"mudlite xl's on my rhino and i have 27"589's on my hpx. and i tell you this my hpx will drag my 700fi rhino all over tha yard and back . polaris is nice but they do have alot of problems with their utv's they just don't hold up my buddies one goes through the same holes as my rhino does the only diference is he looses parts off his everytime. his side compartment doors done fell off the front hood done flew up when he was riding and darn near slapped him in the face.seems like for all that money they would make them better.

jcmseven · Nov 14, 2008

I agree. Interestingly, my dealer was the first JD dealer, perhaps in the nation, to begin installing aftermarket wheels, exhaust, etc. on Gators. I had the first HPX of which we are aware this was actually done by a dealer (I am sure there are others--we just did not know of them). My dealer is a pretty large regional dealer and the sales execs from corporate do show up there rather frequently. They took pictures of my then HPX and told the dealer they were releasing a new Gator (the XUV). They wanted to gauge thoughts regarding wheel upgrades, etc. Interestingly at the JD show and subsequently for sale now are Gators with these parts, albeit less aggressive than my previous or current machine. I feel we may have played a small part in this trend at least for JD. That said, I did not want my current diesel XUV to have any aftermarket parts that were not placed or fitted by the dealer due to warranty concerns. So far, I have had no problems but my dealer says nothing done there would affect my warranty--a fact that makes me happy.

John m

TOMMYHPX4X4 · Nov 14, 2008

john deere can take the abuse and keep runnin . why do you think they have that slogao"nuthin runs like a deere" i have had my 27"on for the whole life of my hpx whitch is about 5 years now and i have put it in a big bind alot of times i never had a shaft break nor a cv joint i even have my original front end meaning tierods bushings and they are still going . now try that with anyother utv and 5 years of 589's pulling 6000lbs loads in the mud i bet you would have some shaft replacements being done. now my bushings do need to be changed i think. i might just take them out and inspect them but i did have a stick pop the rubber bushing on one tierod so it needs to be changed but that isn't from wear and tear thats a stick popping it the tierod itself is still good. john deere can take a beating for sure if my hpx ever dies i will replace it with another one.

rutwad · Nov 24, 2008

barneyrb said:
Polaris update, got a fold down windshield from evil bay, installed a 4500# winch with the synthetic rope, had a top built at a local sheet metal shop and then coated in bedliner. So far everything is doing well, was going to install 27" Mudlites but my dealer will not warr any ranger with big tires so this season I'm going to stick with stock units. The top I had built (I think) is the way to go. It was built out of 14ga and is a lot less $$$$ (and better built) than buying the factory or aftermarket top. I will post some pictures this weekend to prove what I've done

Polaris cannot disregard your warranty just because you have put larger tires on your Ranger. If something fails or breaks than can be caused by the larger tires, then Polaris does not have to warranty it. The larger tires would have to contribute to the problem, otherwise the repairs are covered under warranty.

Say you put the larger tires on and break an axle or CV joint, then Polaris will likely not cover the repairs due to the reason that the larger tires could have caused the problem.

But if the Ranger gets an electical short, then Polaris will have to warranty it since the larger tires would have nothing to do with this problem.