New SXS

[deserteagle71]

Was a fun ride, but the dirt out there is real silty and the dust yesterday was unreal!! I felt like I had ten pounds of dirt in my lungs. Perfect for my asthma, LOL
Dirt is still coming out of my eyes.

Which is one of the reasons I bought a side by side with a full cab/rollup windows and a cabin air filter. As with any other vehicle, to keep dust out of the interior, turn on your cab air full blast to pressurize the interior (like Code54 said in his post).

I see some folks with open cabs riding in the dust wearing all kinds of breathing masks to keep that crap out of their lungs. And goggles to keep it out of their eyes. If you can stand to wear that stuff, good for you. Me, I'd rather just keep the dust off me and out of the cab. Breathing that stuff is not good for you!

 

[DK35vince]

We only do group rides in the rain, shortly after a rain or in the snow.
Otherwise my wife and I go by ourselves. Not into eating dust all day.

 

[5030]

The Kubota would have been a nice machine to use on yesterdays ride, but I need to find some friends that want to ride slow, LOL

One thing we don't do is trail ride the side by side. It's for farm work and usually has a large sprayer in the bed. Far as removing the speed limiter on the 850 gas engine, my tech at the dealer did it, not me. and I think it had something to do with the ECM as it is fuel injected and ECM controlled. I didn't ask so I don't really know what he did.

Ours had to go back for a recall concerning the steering mechanism which as addressed and..

I really dislike the overly sensitive throttle pedal so what I did, was I took a suitable length of rubber tarp strap and hooked it on the backside of the fuel pedal and hooked it in the shift detent cutout on the dash. The added resistance of the tarp strap makes the 850 much more manageable, especially when spraying my fields.

The throttle pedal stock is a pizzer to modulate. Fixed that on the cheap.

Overall, it's a nice side by side but I didn't buy it, my wife did and she paid for it as well. I was perfectly content with my Honda Foreman 400 quad actually and I still have it and use it. Just not as much now we have the 850 and I don't believe I've ever had it in FWA either and when spraying, I usually run it in low range.

 

[Torvy]

Best modification we made was disabling the backup beeper. It was really loud and we don't have employees or customers to worry about.

It's a work machine, but it will get up to 35 mph in high. EV makes it quiet and lower maintenance. Given our uses, we go a few weeks between charges. It regularly mounts a 35 gallon sprayer in the bed. We use it to water young plants out on the property. It has a mix-on-exit separate tank for herbicides, insecticides, or fertilizers. Has a boom and a wand.

3500lb winch (std) does a good job of skidding logs in places the tractor won't fit.

Also use it to pull our trailer on the property. Easier than using the truck.

 

[5030]

Ours has no idiot beeper, never did actually and I use the front receiver hitch with an extension to spot trailers with. Much easier than backing up. Think ours was governed at 45 when it came to the farm.

 

[5030]

I mounted a HF 3500 pound remote lanyard winch on ours instead of paying the Kubota uber bucks for one. I ran welding cable back to the battery and added a set of copper lugs to the cable. Running the cable was a PITA as I had to drop all the skid pans and then zip tie the cables up to existing components but I will say that Kubota allowed ample space to run the cable. Like I said, no way was I gonna buy a winch from Kubota and pay their exorbitant price and I got the HF winch on sale for about a buck and a half complete with lanyard remote. Have the 2500 pound pull one on my Foreman 400 as well but that has a wireless Key Fob remote.

 

[Paystar]

Which is one of the reasons I bought a side by side with a full cab/rollup windows and a cabin air filter. As with any other vehicle, to keep dust out of the interior, turn on your cab air full blast to pressurize the interior (like Code54 said in his post).

I see some folks with open cabs riding in the dust wearing all kinds of breathing masks to keep that crap out of their lungs. And goggles to keep it out of their eyes. If you can stand to wear that stuff, good for you. Me, I'd rather just keep the dust off me and out of the cab. Breathing that stuff is not good for you!

That's why when it's just the wife and I we take the RTV.
But when I go with friends we usually do 100 to 150 miles, so that would be a long day in the 25 MPH RTV.

Sure I could have bought a Polaris Ranger or something like that, that can go fast and has an air conditioned cab, but I'm not a fan of new Polaris quality or their $50,000 Canadian pricing.
I got the RTV and the CF for the price of one Polaris, LOL

 

[shooterdon]

Reading about the dust reminds me why we got rid of both the Ranger and RZR. We were able to get a used Jeep for the same $$$. A much better way to go for our needs at the time. But after a couple of years, we found that trail riding got a bit boring, so the Jeep went down the road too.

Just over three years ago, we got a Mule SX ($8200) as a work unit for the homestead and the thing is bullet proof. The downsides are noise and a top end of 25 mph when we go to visit friends or make the 2.5 mile run to the mailbox. (Yes, we live in the middle of nowhere!)

A visitor at a nearby camp had a Can-Am that he paid $40k for. Just stupid IMO. A decent used Jeep is $25k or less and you don't have to trailer the thing.

Been thinking about getting another Jeep. The SxS's are overpriced for what you get. Maybe my old age showing but eating dust in a $20k "toy" is not my idea of fun.

 

[deserteagle71]

A visitor at a nearby camp had a Can-Am that he paid $40k for. Just stupid IMO. A decent used Jeep is $25k or less and you don't have to trailer the thing.

Been thinking about getting another Jeep. The SxS's are overpriced for what you get. Maybe my old age showing but eating dust in a $20k "toy" is not my idea of fun.

You are absolutely right about being "overpriced". But so are most vehicles these days. I've been a Jeep owner for more years than I care to remember. A couple years ago I decided I wanted a new one so I "built" it on-line. List price was over $71,000!

I own both a side by side and a Jeep. It all depends on what kind of "trail" you'll be riding. If not too rough the Jeep will be OK. But a road like the one below will beat you to death in a Jeep with its solid axles. A side by side with its soft tires (10 psi is what mine are inflated to) and soft independent suspension on all 4 corners will just float over the rocks - much smoother and more comfortable.

 

[shooterdon]

You are absolutely right about being "overpriced". But so are most vehicles these days. I've been a Jeep owner for more years than I care to remember. A couple years ago I decided I wanted a new one so I "built" it on-line. List price was over $71,000!

I own both a side by side and a Jeep. It all depends on what kind of "trail" you'll be riding. If not too rough the Jeep will be OK. But a road like the one below will beat you to death in a Jeep with its solid axles. A side by side with its soft tires (10 psi is what mine are inflated to) and soft independent suspension on all 4 corners will just float over the rocks - much smoother and more comfortable.

View attachment 882460

Our riding is back roads, two tracks and logging trails. Very tame stuff compared to what some folks ride.

About the only trails we ever rode that were not Jeep friendly were a few of the Hatfield and McCoy trails. We towed the Polaris a long way to get to them. In hind sight, with the crappy gas mileage, we may have been smarter to rent a SxS and beat up the rental.

 

[Code54]

I live close to the Harfield and McCoy trailhead (about 30 miles to the one so I can ride the SxS there if I want) but never take my Jeep past the trailhead parking lot. Many of the trails here in WV are too tight for a Jeep and some state roads are too rough for a comfortable ride in the Wrangler. Now jump in the Defender and the roads are comfy and it will fit where I would tear up my Jeep. We also have ATVs for where the SxS won't fit. It is sort of an off-road riding culture where we live so all kinds of off-road machines are in the stable for the weekly rides and each sort of has its place.

 

[5030]

. Maybe my old age showing but eating dust in a $20k "toy" is not my idea of fun.

I don't do 20K toys ever. If it don't earn it's keep or make my farming easier, it don't get bought, ever.

 

[5030]

Have a friend who owns one of those go fast Polaris side by sides and I will say that once the initial take off is experienced, I was not impressed at all. I don't need go fast, I need utility. Fast only gets you in trouble faster IMO.

 

[deserteagle71]

I don't do 20K toys ever. If it don't earn it's keep or make my farming easier, it don't get bought, ever.

You sound like my Dad. No such thing as spending time or money on recreation.

 

[Paystar]

You sound like my Dad. No such thing as spending time or money on recreation.

LOL. Me, I don't drink, smoke, go out, or play sports. But I work hard and need some form of entertainment and this is it.
So I didn't mind spending some cash. Gotta have some kind of life to enjoy.
Otherwise what's the point of living.

 

[Paystar]

I had once thought about the Jeep thing too. But many of the trails I ride are narrow and the Jeep would have no mirrors or paint left on it. My mirrors get knocked in on the side by sides.
But a lot of my rides would be good for a Jeep.

 

[5030]

You sound like my Dad. No such thing as spending time or money on recreation.

We have enough 'recreation' as it is. Living out here in 'Flyover Country' has a lot of benefits and we own an RV as well. Being retired has it's benefits as in plenty of do nothing time to relax and watch the mixed up world go by. I've trilerd the side by side up to our northern Michigan property before and rode it up there. No one to stir up dust either and plenty of trails just made for riding on and most of it is private property anyway but we have the land holders permission to ride on their land. I'm all about leaving it like I found it so I have zero desire to rode on public trails anyway and I usually have tools in the back to clear away deadfall and keep the trails open and useable.

 

[Paystar]

I've riden all over Michigan too, but on the single track with dirt bike at all the ORV parks. Many of the AMA district 14 enduro races I competed in were held on those ORV trails.
Up here where I live we have no "organized" trails, only for snowmobiles. So you pretty much ride wherever you want. And I'm surrounded by hundreds of miles of old logging roads.

 

[Paystar]

Haven't been out riding much, but 700 miles and still no reason to hate CF Moto. Not one issue yet.
Love the LED headlights. No need to add any lights. And now my Polaris friends want to get turn signals for their machines after seeing how nice it is having them on mine.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Definitely interested in the CF Moto UTVs for the farm/apiary. Keep us updated!