Thoughts on UTVs

[Ky hills]

Have recently been starting to look at UTVs. Always thought they were ridiculous to try to justify on the farm, but we have came to the conclusion that it would save wear and tear on our trucks, and may be able to go when and where a truck can't. What brands and sizes would y'all recommend? How do they handle hills especially if it's wet and muddy?

 

[Brute 23]

Best thing since sliced bred. I'd sell the cows before I sell the utv.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

You’ve met the man who runs our farm, he tells me constantly that the Polaris Ranger we bought is the best piece of equipment we own. He uses it all the time.

 

[Brute 23]

There are several good options. It kind of depends on what you want to do with it. They all have their specialty.

 

[Atimm693]

Gators and Mules are the only ones that I would buy. They've been in it the longest and make a machine that is truly built to work.

Our Ranger is a pathetic pile of junk, same with the other Polaris stuff. Although I hear the diesel ones are more dependable.

I always prefer an ATV, but a UTV has its place. You can duck under tree limbs on an ATV, UTVs pull them back so they can whip you in the face. UTVs are dusty and hot from the engine under your ass, although that's nice in the winter.

 

[Silver]

My first priority in a UTV is a bench seat. If it doesn't have one I wouldn't touch it. My next one might be a Honda, neighbours have one and it's been holding up well. Not a fan of my old Polaris 700XP, but the new 1000's look pretty stout.

 

[sstterry]

I have had a diesel Ranger for 8 years and I use it more than the tractor or truck. I have heard good things about the new Kubotas (not the old ones). Personally, I did not like the Gator or the Mule, because they have not kept up with the times.

 

[Philip-TX]

CamAm HD8
(former 13 yr Polaris owner)

 

[5S Cattle]

Went from a Kubota rtv to a mule pro. The mule pro is great. The Kubota was load as hel but it would haul more. Mule pro doesn’t have great suspension

 

[TexasBred]

Bought a Mule in 2003 and it's been great. Our place is level with no real challenges for the 4 WD but glad it's there just in case. Handy as a pocket on a shirt.

 

[shaz]

It's like have an impact wrench - you'll wonder how you got by without it and you will use it more.

I have a Mule 2014 Mule 4010.

 

[jschoolcraft86]

I love my Kubota RTV x900. I haven't used others very much so I have a pretty limited frame of reference, but the kubota runs great and has handled some pretty tough use.

 

[Brute 23]

So here is my spill on UTVS. There is a range from work horses on the left to more off road/ sporty utvs on the right.

On the left you have your old Mule 3010s and 4010s, some of the Gators, and some of the Kubotas. These units are for work. They tend to have heavier suspension, be designed for fairly flat, hard packed areas. You give up speed and some off road capabilities.

Sliding to the right a hair most of the brands I named off like JD, Kubota, Kawasaki all have an IRS, CVT machines. They give you a smoother ride, little faster speed, and are still very work oriented. My personal favorite the Mule Pro falls in this category. These machines are still very off road capable and will do more than most farmer/ rancher people are willing to do.

Sliding to the right a little more you have machines that are aimed more towards speed, off road performance. Its not that you can't work out of them but their focus is shifting and it drives up the price and adds some bells and whistle that IMO are necessary for a work unit. I would categorize the Polaris Ranger, the Can Am, Honda Pioneer and Yamaha has a few in this category also.

Far right are you is your sport machines like the RZRs, etc.

If your in an are with a lot of snow, steep hills, where those off road capabilities are a priority the third category is probably the way to go. If you want to work it hard and are really going for reliability and such the second category may be a little better.

I am not a Polaris fan. From owning and operating Rangers for a good while my experience has been they have more part failures than other brands. They make a great product but you will be working on it more often then other brands. Im a big fan of the comparable Can Am unit and the Honda Pioneer. They are both great quality machines. I know quite a few die are Polaris families going to Can Ams and Hondas.

I personally run the Mule Pros for several reasons. They have a great balance of reliability and performance. They can still be had at a reasonable price. The bed conversion deal is invaluable to me. To be able to hold 4 people and then work by myself and have the bed space is great. That leads to my next point of its turning radius and the agility of it. I can still go in barns, thru cattle pens, around the brush and trees... with 4 people. Most all the other 4 person units are very large and you give up a lot of that.

 

[Hardin Farms]

We have a 2015 Ranger 900xp and like it. I have forever been a Honda man since owning my first 300 in the mid 90's, but bought a bargain in the Polaris. It is used as a workhorse. We use all over our 150 acres for checking cows and fences daily and regularly use it to haul wood, pull a trailer with brush on it, and for spraying herbicide.

Through the year i have owned it I will say that like all Polaris products I have been around, it requires a pretty strict maintenance schedule. Keep up with the service work and you wont have much trouble with them. It does seem to rattle here & squeak there more than I am used too on my old Honda stuff. I would look for one that has greasable suspension parts. Our 900xp does and has outlast some of the older Polaris UTV's that I've been around without it.

My father has a UTV900 kubota that's probably as "strong" as you'll find, but like everything Kubota or JD related, it's expensive to work on. He likes it because he can get tractor parts and utv parts at the same dealership (old school). Its been a good unit for him as well. It'll only run around 30 mph, but will pull anything you can hook to it.

 

[Stickney94]

Our UTV has been one of the best "expense" purchases for our little farm operation. I'd highly suggest doing a lot of "getting into, getting out of" tests with different models. I'm built like a FB offensive lineman and a critical factor for me was that I literally couldn't get into or out of some models without bruising a knee or a shoulder or both.

As was stated above - I'd sell the cattle before the UTV, haha.

 

[HDRider]

I like my Mule, both of them.

 

[JHALL]

Like everyone else has said, couldn’t be without it. We have an 825i Gator. Has plenty of power and have yet to get it stuck. Very reliable. Does 45 mph for the short road runs.

We had a 625 Gator before that had a slightly bigger bed but not near the suspension or quickness as this one does. As others have said, there’s several brands to consider. There’s cheaper units but for what we do with them, go with a name brand, whether it be John Deere, Polaris, Honda, etc. We’ve put no money into ours besides routine maintenance.

 

[BobbyLummus1]

Ive had them all . My current favorite is the current model Kubota diesel RTVS ., Only one Ill buy with over 1500 hrs .. Gas rangers 570, 900 and 1000 xp cant be beat, the ones that bash polaris probably bought someone elses toy .They get used recreationally like submarines in my area . mule pros i do like but have yet to test one with real hours . , anything chinese or sold at big box stores are junk .

 

[Atimm693]

Ive had them all . My current favorite is the current model Kubota diesel RTVS ., Only one Ill buy with over 1500 hrs .. Gas rangers 570, 900 and 1000 xp cant be beat, the ones that bash polaris probably bought someone elses toy .They get used recreationally like submarines in my area . mule pros i do like but have yet to test one with real hours . , anything chinese or sold at big box stores are junk .

06 Ranger 700XP. With 1500 hours, it has had a full engine rebuild, ECM replaced once, a couple parking brake cables, sway bar replaced, front end rebuilt once, manifold bolts replaced 3 times, engine wiring harness replaced. The glove box has never shut right. The plastic tailgate is a joke. Every suspension bushing on it is loose. They put the radiator up front with no sort of screen so it plugs up with all kinds of **** if you run across a field.

JME with them. It's the only machine on the farm that has left me walking, twice.

I have never liked the way it drives, if you touch the gas pedal, it wants to take off.

Meanwhile the old 6x4 gator is over 3000 hours and has been largely untouched, aside from a few chain adjustments and drive belts.

 

[DLD]

As others have said, it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, but our 620 Gator has never let us down. Maintenance is minimal, and in the 4 years we’ve had it, it’s never needed anything else. I’d buy another one in a heartbeat.
That said, I’d probably step up to the 825 next time. I’ve driven a couple, and the difference in both power and suspension is noticeable.