Need utility Side by Side

[tradosaurus]

We have a Pioneer 500. I needed the smaller Pioneer to cross several 48" bridges on our place, whereas the larger models were well over the 4' size. We opted for canopy, windshield and winch. Cost at the time of purchase was $12K OTD.
We also have an EZGo electric golf cart, bought used for $2K. The cart is used 95% of the time due to the convenience of just jumping in and go, easy to drive and quiet.
Both are easy to maintain and reliable. The SxS is used most often to winch the mower out of a bog hole, or towing a trailer load of cut logs; anything where plenty of grunt is needed. My only complaint with the Honda was the tires it came with. They sell with 24" tires which doesn't match the speedometer. They need 27" tires. I replaced the factory supplied tires shortly after purhase with some genuine mud grip tires of the correct size.
Having both the Honda and the EZGo is an ideal arrangement for our mixed uses.

Given the Honda 500 tops out at 40 mph and you probably aren't going that fast anyway I would say that the tires are irrelevant. I changed the tires on my Pioneer 700 to less aggressive tire. I rarely exceed 20 mph.

 

[jjeff]

Disagree, tires made my pioneer 500 more functional and reliable. Have not had a flat since I got tires 7 yrs ago with heavier ply rating on them, only went with 2" larger than stock but haven't had to replace cv boots anymore on it either.

 

[LindenBruce]

I only read part of this thread so maybe someone else has mentioned it already, but if you'll be using your SxS on turf make sure you get one that doesn't have a permanently locked rear diff. Our Yamaha Wolverine does and it tears up grass when turning.

Yeah, no plans to be running on turf. Don't have much of that anyway LOL. B.

 

[gsganzer]

I'm definitely enjoying the Yamaha Viking SxS. I'm amazed at how smooth the ride is over rough ground. When the wife and I looked at them, she was leaning towards the Ranch Edition, because I think she liked the color and dress. I talked her out of it and said we could make better use of the savings by buying our own aftermarket parts. I'm glad I did that. I'm adding a Ranch Armor front and rear bumper and some fender flares (the ranch had fender flares).

Adding the front bumper was a no-brainer for me, because it has a 2" receiver hitch. This lets me periodically mount my road feeder for broadcasting corn on the ranch roads for hunting feral hogs. When the feeders not installed, I plan to build a receiver hitch cooler holder for a bucket cooler (like a round water cooler) that I have. It's an awesome rotomolded cooler that I bought at Canadian Tire when I was doing some work in Alberta the other year. I guess they quit making them, because I no longer see those coolers listed on Kailani's website. To be honest, I could probably sell 100's of those coolers to Texans for dove hunting if they would make a swivel seat top for them.

The rear bumper has backup lights and also a foot step to facilitate climbing up and over the tailgate. So, it should work out well too.

The Viking has a grab rail in the cab for the 2-passengers. I removed the rail, but fabricated a double rifle holder for the middle receiver and I made an 8" oh-crap handle for the other receiver.

Once I get this all to my liking, I'll take some photo's.

 

[ning]

I don't need a SxS/UTV here but I've got to say, there's a nasty road we go up, up in the mountains to some lakes to enjoy the day or go camping, and I take my F350 because it's nice having high clearance to not worry about smashing something delicate underneath... the fastest I go is in some places 15-20, but much of the 4 mile road I'm going maybe 5mph and often slower, because that F350 doesn't do bumps fast unless you want to either hit your head or dislocate your hips from the seat belt holding you down.

In some of these slow spots I've had UTVs just come ripping by at 20-30mph just gliding right over the worst of the bumps and the people in them are obviously not being bounced around much - super impressive.

I'll definitely get one at the next, bigger, property!

 

[ericm979]

We resisted getting one for 20 years. When we finally did we realized they're far more useful than we expected. As long as I have rural property I'll likely have one.

I wish there were reasonably priced electric UTVs and ATVs. On a property like ours the trips are short. The gas engine rarely warms up all the way and likely doesn't get hot enough to evaporate all the water in the oil. I change the oil annually even if it's only been a few hundred miles. An electric model would be better for the short trips and would be quieter too. I don't want to spend $30k on one that has a 100 mile range when a quarter of that range would be plenty.

 

[shooterdon]

A few weeks ago traded a Kawasaki Mule SX for a CF Moto 1000. So far, pleased with it. Used as a dual purpose machine. Work horse on 20 acres, trail riding and visiting neighbors.

The Mule was bullet proof but loud, slow and did not ride well. 35 mph on the Moto is effortless. Only complaint on the Moto is that it is jerky from a standstill. Dealer says that will improve as we put more miles on it. If not, there is an aftermarket kit that helps smooth things out.

Saved quite a bit over the Polaris and Kawasaki units we looked at.

 

[EddieWalker]

I spent the weekend working on fencing. Sunday I set 8 wood posts in concrete. I bought a pallet of concrete and parked my trailer by the fence and then used the Mule to load up 8 sacks of concrete, along with my water jugs, level, shovel and clamshell digger, to go to each post. 4 sacks per post, so I could do two posts with 8 sacks of concrete.

It's not fast, but for working on the fence, I can't imagine anything better than a UTV. I was going back and forth from fence posts to the trailer, over rough terrain, but just driving a few MPH.

 

[deserteagle71]

I'm definitely enjoying the Yamaha Viking SxS. I'm amazed at how smooth the ride is over rough ground.

Yup! Been a Jeep Wrangler owner for many, many years. Currently have a 2006 Rubicon. It will go just about anywhere that anything with wheels can go...but if the terrain is rough you'll be going really slow and still getting knocked around in the cab. Traveling the same route in my Can-am is easy and takes less than half the time. It just floats over the rocks and holes. I own a pretty good sized patch of burned-over desert here in Nevada - but it is so rough that I can't travel much over 2 mph on it with my tractors. About 50 acres close to my buildings I mow every year to keep down the fire danger - the rest is too rough to take a tractor and mower without damage and getting hung up. The Can-am Defender has no problem with any of it, so anymore any work that needs done out there, that's what I use.

 

[deserteagle71]

We resisted getting one for 20 years. When we finally did we realized they're far more useful than we expected. As long as I have rural property I'll likely have one.

I wish there were reasonably priced electric UTVs and ATVs. On a property like ours the trips are short. The gas engine rarely warms up all the way and likely doesn't get hot enough to evaporate all the water in the oil. I change the oil annually even if it's only been a few hundred miles. An electric model would be better for the short trips and would be quieter too. I don't want to spend $30k on one that has a 100 mile range when a quarter of that range would be plenty.

If they ever make one with a 200 mile range that's reasonably priced I'll be seriously interested. For the reasons you stated, and especially the quiet. Would be great to explore out in the mountains and not disturb the wildlife.