Which UTV for Me?

[jcmseven]

Also, I understand the well-stated points from some fellow posters who have had a good experience with the RTV. I like them too, but really would like something a little faster that has a bit more aggressive four wheel drive system. I would say that if I went with more of a utility UTV I would probably go back with JD as my good friend is a dealer and I would like to support his business. I have seen the Kubota though and really think it is well-made and quite a machine. Just knowing what I need to do with whichever machine I get I do not think the Kubota would offer what I need.

John M

 

[scesnick]

Rumor has it that Kawasaki is bringing out a 700 UTV to compete with the Rhino. Might want to wait and see what that is all about. If it has a V-twin I might just be trading in the ol' Rhino for one.

 

[Tractors4u]

Rumor has it that Kawasaki is bringing out a 700 UTV to compete with the Rhino. Might want to wait and see what that is all about. If it has a V-twin I might just be trading in the ol' Rhino for one.

I would say that it is about time for Kawasaki to come out ith something new. Yes they did introduce their 4 seater, but the overall design of the Mule is the same. I wonder how long it will take Honda to introduce their UTV?

 

[bluechip]

Don't overlook the Landpride Treker. Great ride on fully independent suspension, Honda vtwin, Limited slip rear and auto locking front differentials (overunning clutches on front trires, both pull but one can freewheel in a turn, pretty cool). Excellent reliability, excellent factory support.

 

[TOMMYHPX4X4]

now there is talk about a 900cc utv coming out i think it's from honda don't quot me on it. havin't seen any pics yet so it's juts rumors.you just might wann wait til 07. 07 might be a great year for utv's

 

[KennedyDiesel]

I just bought a Ranger XP 700EFI and love it. Pretty tough machine.

Yamaha has weak (atv) drivelines from what I hear...

 

[Dargo]

Yamaha has weak (atv) drivelines from what I hear...

Two years with a 2" lift kit and 27" tires with zero breakdowns of any kind on my '04 Rhino. It's never been back to the dealership for any reason since I bought it. I've only changed the oil and filters. I have a history of being able to break most anything as well. I think someone has been pulling your leg trying to sell you on something else. But, there again, no salesman from any dealership would ever lie, would they...?

 

[Tractors4u]

I just bought a Ranger XP 700EFI and love it. Pretty tough machine.

Yamaha has weak (atv) drivelines from what I hear...

I'm going to have to play devil's advocate here. Frequenters to this forum know that I have a Polaris XP so this is not some anti Polaris person saying this. The Ranger's are not immune to axle breakage themselves. I have read many times of people breaking the front axles of Rangers. What seems to be a common thread is they have put larger tires on them and I remember one guy saying that he was in mud with all 4 wheels spinning and he was working the steering wheel hard trying to get through some muddy ruts. That is why you hear so much about the Gorilla Axles. I plan on adding some 27s to my Ranger when I am home for Christmas. I might as well add the axles as well. I think a lot of the driveline and axle problems can be attributed to some extreme driving as well. The Rhino is small and peppy and tend to make people want to do more with them than they were designed for. I tend to baby my Ranger, thats not to say I don't have fun with it, I just take care of it.

 

[Dargo]

Frequenters to this forum know that I have a Polaris XP...

Yeah, and I want your EFI. I've actually decided to sell my Rhino since I won't really use it any this winter and look for something with fuel injection this next spring. I wonder what all will have fuel injection then besides diesels and the Polaris?

 

[jcmseven]

I am still looking!!!! I am currently ever so slightly leaning toward the Polaris mainly because I CANNOT find a Yamaha locally. I really do not want to make any decision until I have had a chance to check out a Yamaha a bit more than I have been able to. One more question I have: with either of these machines, do I really HAVE to add monster tires to get good performance?? I had a set of ITP's on LG wheels on my Gator, and they did great in mud and snow, but they did ride notably rougher on pavement than did the stock ones. I did not use the stockers enough to know how they would do in bad conditions though. Would the stock tires on these machines be good enough for general use in most weather or do I need to also consider a more aggressive tire? The local Polaris dealer said when asked about the warranty and repairs, "I would love to sell you the extended warranty if you buy a machine from me, but you won't need it. I never have problems from these machines. I will take care of things if you have a problem, because I want your business." With some of what I have read about reliability variability, this seems to be contradictory to my expectations.

John M

 

[TOMMYHPX4X4]

you might wanna check into them gorilla axles i seen on quite a few web sites that they ain't all they are (cracked) up to be.now something you might wanna consider if you do have near your house is a machine shop. have you some hardened stainless steel shafts made verses buying some already made or contact a machine shop over the internet and see how much they charge to make you a set if you ever compared the size of the front shafts of a hpx to the shafts of all the other utv's a stock hpx shaft is 1'' and all other utv's are like 1/2'' and 5/8'' now i never seen a rtv's front shaft so i can't coment on them. now what you could do is what i was thinkin of doin to my hpx shaft to make it longer .i am thinkin of adding 2'' to it and then sliding a piece of sspipe over the shaft (the whole lenght)and cutting slices in the pipe so i can slug weld it to the shaft to make the shaft even stronger. you could do the same thing at your house for alot less than buying a new set of front shafts. and if you mess them up oh well so be it you were gonna buy new one anyway right? i pretty much know what i'm doin when it comes to welding and fitting .thats what i used to do for a living.

 

[jcmseven]

OK, I feel like I am beating a dead horse--and maybe I am--but I finally got to drive a Rhino for more than just a few minutes. I really liked it, but man, it is small in size!!! It seems to me to be put together a little better than the Polaris I drove, but the difference seems small. I liked the new LED gauges a lot. It is hard, though, for me to believe this machine could pull more and do more than my Gator would. The Yamaha for sure was fast and would seem to be a great off-roader. I don't know how it would fare with some of the quite heavy loads I haul. I have tentatively decided to wait until after the November 4, 2006 Sarasota John Deere product demo, so I can see about the new Gator before committing. I am still 99% sure I will go with either a Rhino or a Ranger though.

John M

 

[Dargo]

I don't know how it would fare with some of the quite heavy loads I haul.

The only limiting factor will be how much you can put in the bed. As you noted, it is physically smaller. However, in real world use and in the video you can get from Yamaha, it will handle the same amount of weight. If you only load the Yamaha to it's "rated" capacity, you can still fly down the trails and steer easily. If you load the Polaris to it's rated capacity, it's rear is waaay down and it won't steer. I rode with my buddy, at his insistance, after putting a load of dirt in his Ranger. For one reason, he wanted me to see that it wouldn't turn and, the other reason, he wanted my weight in the front to help it turn.

Although I really like the idea of the Ranger, I doubt I'll buy one just yet. (I just sold my Rhino - I'd had it two years) Right now I'm leaning more towards buying a new camo Rhino (my first one was just green) or waiting until next spring to buy a new RTV with the factory cab. For a quick trail side by side, Yamaha has a considerable advantage in having the quickest and most durable unit out right now.

P.S. I'd love to see what JD is going to have to offer with their new Gator. Like you, the only reason I ever got rid of any of the Gators I had in the past was just because it no longer fit the need I had; not because of any issues or problems. I'm thinking it will be just an upgrade from their existing line with whatever improvements that may need to be made, not a completely different beast. My JD dealer told me to expect something that is geared more towards competing head to head with the Kubota RTV.

 

[TOMMYHPX4X4]

(Yamaha has a considerable advantage in having the quickest and most durable unit out right now.)i really disagree if you pop into your search engine on any computer rhino problems you will fine pages upon pages.the rhino's rear ends are cracking up fromd riding them and hauling loads there are threads 4 and 5 pages long an these very subjects there is no way you can say the rhino is the most durable unit out there !!! they are making brackets to try and keep the rear ends together.lol the rhino's can noway haul as much as the rtv or the hpx.that's crazy go to Side by Side Leadership: Shop On-Line for Books and Training Materials

RUV - Recreational Utility Vehicles - UtilityOffRoad.com or this place look up the problems on diferent ubtv's and tell me the rhinos is the most durable utv out there .please sorry but i had to but in.

 

[darkday]

Side by Side Leadership: Shop On-Line for Books and Training Materials

Umm I think this is what you meant isn't it ? www.Ridesidebyside.com Sponsored by www.hunterworks.com - Powered by vBulletin

I'm glad you butted in I was going to earlier then decided not to. lol

 

[TOMMYHPX4X4]

yea thanks darkday. lol.no wait lmao.

 

[Dargo]

Well fellas, nothing personal, but I'll go by what I've owned and used and not what some unknown person has typed on the internet. I've owned JD, Kubota and Yamaha. I stand 100% by what I've said. You go buy all three, run them for a couple of years and then come back and give me your impressions. Until then, I only take what you say with a tiny grain of salt. Nothing personal, some people believe everything they read on the internet; I don't.

 

[darkday]

So tell me what problems as far as durability did you have with your JD equipment ?

 

[Dargo]

P.S. I'd love to see what JD is going to have to offer with their new Gator. Like you, the only reason I ever got rid of any of the Gators I had in the past was just because it no longer fit the need I had; not because of any issues or problems.

Do we have a problem understanding the written word? I had previously assumed the extremely poor grammar and spelling was slang. Now I have to wonder...

 

[darkday]

Sorry forgot about that part. I don't go back and read every post a second time before I make a post. :roll:

Tommy was talking about how it isn't reliable and the HPX and kubota don't have those problems then you say to buy all three and run them for a few years. Without going back to read everything you had said it would be reasonable to infer that you were coming from a reliablility stand point.