Thoughts on Massimo / Tractor Supply UTV's

N2DFire · May 16, 2017

Ok - to preface we (mostly Dad) will not be using this to farm / work (much). It will be more of a runabout vehicle & honestly were it not for the steep grades and a creek or two a golf cart would probably work.

Hauling - light duty stuff between the shop & the scrap pile, fuel cans back & forth, or minor hand tools from site to site - not moving rock, mulch, dirt, etc - we have tractors and trailers for that.
Towing - occasionally moving a 2 wheel tow dolly or a 5x9 utility trailer out of the way to mow.
Other than that it will just be to get from point A to point B - mostly to follow me around / check up (spy lol) on me while I'm out on the tractor.

Right now we have a 600cc Grizzly 4-wheeler but Dad has neuropathy in his legs and it's getting a little harder for him to step up & over into the saddle (esp with the junk - er - tools he keeps in milk crates on the back).

Lately he's been considering the idea of a UTV / Side by Side and has his eye (and budget) on these Tractor Supply (Massimo) units. Also I have found a couple independent Massimo dealers popping up around here selling the other non-TS units.

I'm in the process of doing all the usual internet forum research and wanted to see who all has them (or had them). What your thoughts & experiences were and generally get a feeling of the overall quality / durability of these.

I know price is generally uniform but can vary by region so here's a used one VERY near us
UTV Massimo 4x4 MSU-5 1 miles

And some offerings from a new independent dealer I just found
Massimo Discounts!

Thanks in advance for your input.

Teachu2 · May 16, 2017

I really considered the TSC unit, until I read the posts in http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/atvs-utility-vehicles/276234-home-depot-bulldog-700-4x4.html , http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...46568-chinese-atvs.html?highlight=Rhino+clone , and others. For less than the price of a TSC 4x2 model, I picked up a used Rhino 660 with under 200 hrs on it. I intend to keep it a long time, so parts availability, dealer support, and the available knowledge base on the internet were all factors.

Several years ago (2013 IIRC) the wife and I went to Alaska. We took a Rhino tour ourside Denali, and the employees were commenting on the durability and reliability of the Rhino compared to others. See the Buyer's Remorse thread for more input. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...morse-insights.html?highlight=buyer's+remorse

JRobyn · May 16, 2017

F-I-L has a TSC "Trail Wagon", which I believe is made by Massimo. He uses it (tries to) exactly like your Dad intends. For about a year, everything was good, except that it was loud, always smelled like gas (ran real rich), and occasionally blew fuses for no discernible reason. I checked the choke and it was fully opening. All 4 tires leaked. It took almost a year of constantly filling them before we finally convinced him to buy and install tubes. After the 1st year, it blew fuses almost every time he tried to use it. The roll cage started squeaking and no amount of WD40 or FluidFilm would cure it. It wouldn't run unless the choke was most of the way on. Third year it mostly didn't run at all. I think his son finally rebuilt (maybe just cleaned) the carb. It always required a jump to start. BTW, the battery is extremely difficult to get to. We just discovered that the battery was only putting out about 20-30 amps under load. With a new battery at least now it starts. Other than those things, it's great! Service is pretty much unobtainium. IIRC, the owner has to haul it to the nearest factory-authorized service center, which is at least 2 states over. YMMV. For a combination of reasonable price and reliability, I don't think I have heard of anything better than a basic Kawasaki Mule in its many variants.

nybirdman · May 16, 2017

Stay far away from those Massimo units;nothing but headaches.I have a friend that worked at a dealer that sold Yamaha and Massimo;his words:they are junk.
And who is going to work on it if you purchase from TSC.

buckeyefarmer · May 16, 2017

I priced Polaris 500 and mules for not much more. I was leary, glad I went with Polaris.

dalola · Jun 13, 2017

JRobyn said:
F-I-L has a TSC "Trail Wagon", which I believe is made by Massimo. He uses it (tries to) exactly like your Dad intends. For about a year, everything was good, except that it was loud, always smelled like gas (ran real rich), and occasionally blew fuses for no discernible reason. I checked the choke and it was fully opening. All 4 tires leaked. It took almost a year of constantly filling them before we finally convinced him to buy and install tubes. After the 1st year, it blew fuses almost every time he tried to use it. The roll cage started squeaking and no amount of WD40 or FluidFilm would cure it. It wouldn't run unless the choke was most of the way on. Third year it mostly didn't run at all. I think his son finally rebuilt (maybe just cleaned) the carb. It always required a jump to start. BTW, the battery is extremely difficult to get to. We just discovered that the battery was only putting out about 20-30 amps under load. With a new battery at least now it starts. Other than those things, it's great! Service is pretty much unobtainium. IIRC, the owner has to haul it to the nearest factory-authorized service center, which is at least 2 states over. YMMV. For a combination of reasonable price and reliability, I don't think I have heard of anything better than a basic Kawasaki Mule in its many variants.

The TSC Trail Wagon was made by American Sport Works in Louisiana. It was an exclusive name for TSC to sell. I have a 2WD 390cc model I use as a yard work machine, and it's been bullet-proof, and build like a tank. Very simple machine, but uses good parts; Honda GX engine, Dana rear axle, and all steel tilt bed (I think the new ones are plastic now). For the price (I think it was around $4K back in 2009?) it's a super value. Certainly not a sport SBS, but as a work horse, it's great. Hope this helps!

JRobyn · Jun 14, 2017

dalola said:
The TSC Trail Wagon was made by American Sport Works in Louisiana. It was an exclusive name for TSC to sell. I have a 2WD 390cc model I use as a yard work machine, and it's been bullet-proof, and build like a tank. Very simple machine, but uses good parts; Honda GX engine, Dana rear axle, and all steel tilt bed (I think the new ones are plastic now). For the price (I think it was around $4K back in 2009?) it's a super value. Certainly not a sport SBS, but as a work horse, it's great. Hope this helps!

Very glad to hear that others have had better results! FIL does tend to somehow always wind up with cranky equipment.

Goose69 · Jun 15, 2017

JRobyn said:
Very glad to hear that others have had better results! FIL does tend to somehow always wind up with cranky equipment.

Does the Mother-in-Law qualify as cranky equipment.? LOL. JK

JRobyn · Jun 15, 2017

Yep! ;-)

N2DFire · Jun 19, 2017

Just wanted to swing back in and say thanks for the input thus far.

He's still on the fence about switching so I just keep cruising Craigslist. The right thing will come along at the right time.