RTV's UTV's side by sides

[NEPA Guy]

I was in the market for a side by side.

I'll be using mine primarily for hauling firewood through the woods. I looked around at numerous trailers. It was tough choice deciding on what to pick but I ended up going for a polar hd 1500. It was a poly version, not unlike the mini 10 cubic foot JD trailer I have. I figured lightweight, easy to maneuver...It was a mistake. Most stores don't have display models and it wasnt till I put it together that I realized it was much too wide. The information on the website didn't have the correct specs and it was just over 60" wide. Too wide for my storage shed. So back it went. I ended up set tingling for a JD 1,650 lb. 18 cu. ft. Tow-Behind Steel Utility Cart.

I looked at several different manufacturers. Kubota, John Deere, Honda. Kawsaki, Can Am, Polaris.

In my situation I need clearance, maneuverability, and a high tow rating. Finding a good dealership was the first priority. If I couldn't find a good shop to work with I would be reliving some unpleasant experiences I had.

Most manufacturer sites have their own comparisons. Skewed to their own benefit of course, so I went through them all. Heres kubota's just for fun.

http://kubota.com/assets/product/comps/RTV1100/RTV900_1100comps.pdf

In the end I went for a polaris ranger xp 900 3 seater gas version (4x4). (cost $11, 000)The polaris can tow 2,000 pounds, weighted only 1400 lbs so I wouldnt come crashing down on stones, had the highest clearance available, and I like the fact it had a CVT vs the HST. When I spoke with one of the mechanics he said something that made sense. The CVT was cheaper and sometimes easier to fix and you could change the belts yourself.

So far I pulled my Scag out of two mud holes when I was cutting, used the flatbed to haul eight 5 gallon buckets buckets of water, multiple times for some distant fruit trees I planted, used it to stow my chainsaw, gas and oils for cutting trees in the woods and moved a small couch with it. lol

Im still breaking it in so I'm taking it easy. Although I miss the maneuverability, and stone wall, log jumping capabilities of my old kawasaki 750, the comfort and increased work capacity of the side by side is something I can get used to. So far so good!

 

[CaveCreekRay]

You'll enjoy that Ranger. But not as much as your son!!!

I have had mine for two years. Bought it used with 350 mi on it from a retired guy who took awesome care of it.

A couple words of advice:

-The machine has an awesome suspension system, as you probably have already noticed. Best ride in the class. The OEM "tars" run around 12 psi and they won't last long. I drive on granite with 50% of my driving on asphalt. I have 1400 mi on the tires and will end up replacing them by the time I hit 2000. The DOT dual sport tires (Kanati Mongrel and others) last far longer. A set of tires for this buggy will run you $500!

-Don't catch the bug to put monster tires on it and then go 4-Wheeling. The drive train is engineered to handle the loads of the OEM tire sizes. Larger tires only stress your differential and axles more and that is why many people who up-size their wheels blow these parts up constantly during tough 4WD driving. The stocks are 26" tires and the Kanati starts at 27" but I do little off-roading so I think I'll be fine.

-Rangers are built in Mexico and are put together pretty well but expect "RV quality" and you should be happily surprised. There are a few weird items like running the exhaust out the front of the engine and doing a U-turn under the passenger seat before exiting the rear. On hot days, I park mine with the bed back to let the heat escape. You might want to wrap the water lines in and out of the block with tin foil. They are right next to the 600F header and they'll last a lot longer.

The torque converter is reliable but the belt is $150. Forget the cheaper belts as they don't last. Every time you engage the go pedal, the clutch action is provided by the belt slipping in the pulleys. Take it easy on initial engagement and your belt will last forever. One newbie tried to butt heads with his neighbors Yamaha to see who had more power. He melted the belt into the pulleys and the reverted rubber had to be cleaned off before a new belt was installed. That ran him about $350 at the dealer.

-Any water in your torque converter (TC) will cause slippage. I got some in simply by washing the engine down. Just pull the drain plug and slowly engage the TC and drive it around for a few minutes without stopping to heat up the TC and dry off the belt. Then put the plug back on.

-Try to stay out of water deeper than 6" and if you must, go slow in low range. Getting the TC wet will slow you down. Water really hammers the wheel bearings and steering components. Youtube has hours of guys driving these things underwater like submarines. What they don't show you is the hours of maintenance required to fix all the parts that get rusted out or worn out by water penetration following submersion. The throttle is fly-by-wire. Get the upper end of the gas pedal wet and the fun stops pretty quickly.

-Get some 20mil tape from Home Depot and seal up all the holes on the back firewall as well as the under seat holes. This will help reduce dust migration into the cabin. You will get some but a rear window works best in stopping much of that. Its a box with no doors. You'll never keep it totally clean. Blowing it off with a blower really helps keep most of the gunk off.

-If you want GREAT floor mats for cheap, buy a $20 3x4 rubber horse mat from Tractor Supply and make your own floor mats. You can pay $100 for crappy ones. Same for the bed mat.

-ALWAYS use synthetic oil and the OEM air filters. NEVER use the K&N filters as the dealer will void your warranty.

Have fun!

Here's the mats... I made a cardboard template. I cut the straight pieces with a box cutter and the curves with a scroll saw and a metal blade.... Same template works for both sides... just flip it over for the other side.

The stock size fits the bed with a 2" strip down either side to leave access to the tie down hooks. No trimming required.

I have the Polar 1500 and love that wagon!

 

[Tooljunkie]

All great from Ray.

 

[NEPA Guy]

Those are some great tips thanks!!!

I know a local farmer who said he's got the 570 model and has had it for 10 years and he has no problems with it.

I spoke with their mechanic and he said I should consider getting a kit for the clutch. He didn't mention a brand name or anything, but said it was around $300. He said it would be better for me in the long run being that I'll be doing a lot of heavy towing with it. He said it would be smoother shifting and would prolong a lot of the parts. He recommended I do it as soon as I can.

Ever hear or know anything about that?

 

[D2Cat]

Here's a good forum for a lot of information.

http://www.prcforum.com/forum/187-polaris-ranger-forums

Nice mats on the floor, Ray.

I have a 700XP, '09 version. My dog was loosing traction on the floor, and me also once in a while. I washed it real clean. Sprayed some black rubberized sealer for guttering on the floor then punched some holes in a cat food can with a 7P nail, filled the can with sand...and sifted the sand on the sealer before it set up. Just enough grit to stabilize traction. Been two years with no problems.

 

[NEPA Guy]

Thanks for the forum tip D2, ill get it worked out.

 

[CaveCreekRay]

NG,

The DuraClutch is the killer option but -its $1200. It has an integral clutch that does the slipping on initial launch making your belt wear only a function of riding on the variable pulleys. That quadruples the belt life.

https://www.duraclutch.com/features/

There are a few different kits you can put on your existing setup which change the engagement RPM or force by swapping out springs. None of those will really help with belt wear like the DuraClutch design.

My suggestion is try out what you have. If you are towing 1500 lbs, the OM recommends towing in low range. That will take a load off your belt. If you simply baby the belt on launch, you will likely get great use out of your current setup. By that, I mean get the RPM up to around 2500 to get a firm grasp on the belt and get the load moving. Once you are rolling, there should be no belt slippage, and you can pull away normally. A little belt slippage is fine and its intended to be the wear item. You just don't want to try and power up a steep grade with a heavy trailer in HIGH range. I would use LOW and I would also park such that I could get rolling before turning up hill.

Sadly, you cannot shift this gearbox on the fly. So, back on flat ground, you'll have to stop and shift into HIGH if you want a little more travel speed. The engine turns 3500 RPM at just a little over 15 mph so loading the engine is not the issue. The gearbox is geared down to allow the TC to stay engaged at lower speeds, like 4-wheeling. Honestly, I have only used LOW when I was pulling my big driveway sled/drag and speed was not an issue. The Ranger never balked nor did I ever smell any rubber off the clutch. Some of those pulls were from a dead stop with 500 lbs of granite on my sled so that is a pretty good test of the Ranger TC.

Net-net: Treat your TC right and it will last for years. Same with the vehicle, as some have posted here. I met an old guy at the Post Office one day in his 700 (I think). He had owned it since new for 15 years or so and it looked gently used. He laughed about the TC noises saying, "Yeah, this thing sounded like it was about to explode the day I drove it off the lot and it still makes the same noise and its still running!" He drives his around town like I do mine.

In the meantime, get a 5 gallon water dispenser bottle and put it in your closet. Throw all your change in there. When it fills up, order a DuraClutch!

That is my plan...

My Ranch Piggy...

 

[D2Cat]

The guys on the forum refer to the "starting to move" as you apply pressure to the go pedal "the Texas two step". You have to get the get the PVT (Polaris Variable Transmission) to start to move to tighten the belt. So you give a little fuel to get it started, hesitate a millisecond, then throttle up.

Takes a bit to get used to because it's not a positive connection as in a geared transmission.

This is on a bike, but it's the same. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhc_PqApIxY

A close up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v1hFuhDGGQ

 

[NEPA Guy]

CaveCreekRay, I like your Ranch Piggy. Lol That's a good looking machine. What does TC stand for? I'll follow your advice and try out the setup as is. The mechanic at the dealership told me to take it easy for 50 hours, instead of 25, so I'll use the 2650 to move my firewood around till I'm ready. So beyond belt wear, what other components am I saving by investing in the Duraclutch?


D2, I looked at the videos you posted and it makes sense, I"m not used to the polaris, just kawasaki's. Its strange how I have to slowly rev the gas for a second or two before it engages, the video helps me understand better whats going on.

I joined the forum you recommended as well, I asked for tips and one guy said that I should repack the bearings on the wheels, that the factory didn't do such a good job. I found a few videos of guys re-greasing the wheel bearings on their RAZRs. It looks like a pain to do. Is it something you've had to do with yours or did you do a little PM to make sure it didn't fail? At the point that you have to take everything apart to grease it, would it make sense to wait and regrease and put in new bearings when it needs it or does it prevent other components from failing and its worthwhile to do asap?

Thanks gents!

 

[JasonW]

I also have a Ranger 900xp. Great choice. I bought a duraclutch for mine when it was a few months old and let me tell you I wished I would have bought it when I bought the ranger. It's makes driving it better in every way.
As far as the going easy for the first 50 hours thats controversial. I ran mine hard from the beginning but not abusive. Let it get some temperature in the engine then run it.

 

[NEPA Guy]

WHen I first ran it, the first few hours I had a burning rubber smell. SOme googling led me to believe it was normal. I was running it in low becuase the OM said to keep it in low gear for hills and such. The mechanic tols me to just leave it in H. The buring smell did eventually go away. I run it hot for 20 minutes then cool it off. Twice a day. I just havent and wont do any hauling with it yet. Lots of info on the duraclutch, it sure seems popular! . Thanks for the feedback!

http://www.prcforum.com/forum/44-ge...duraclutch-vs-ddp-just-one-guy-s-opinion.html

 

[Tooljunkie]

3 years ago place i worked got a ranger diesel. Pulled pretty good. They beat the snot out of it,broke more than one drive axle. Tear boot open and time will tell.
Belt drives have been around forever. Bring up rpms and clutch engages. Lots of hevy stop and go is hard on belt. Need to crawl around use low range.

 

[helomech]

I went with the Honda big red in 2010, mainly because it has a real 3 speed transmission. Love that thing. I use it every day on my place and it has been perfect. In another 5 years or so I will upgrade and get a Honda pioneer. I like that they can now be shifted manually, where mine can't.

 

[JasonW]

I went with the Honda big red in 2010, mainly because it has a real 3 speed transmission. Love that thing. I use it every day on my place and it has been perfect. In another 5 years or so I will upgrade and get a Honda pioneer. I like that they can now be shifted manually, where mine can't.

I was all about Honda several years ago. One bad and very expensive mistake made me open my eyes toward other brands. The "real transmissions" are IMO way overrated. A while after I bought my ranger I still needed an atv for smaller places hunting, I didn't even consider Honda. Long story short I ended up getting a 2006 Yamaha Kodak 450 at a steal. If you read the Honda forums they are all about bashing CVT's and belts yet it seems none have ever driven one much less owned one.

Honda's are so far behind in the utility models it's ridiculous. My 2006 Yamaha has features the 2018 Honda's still don't have.

 

[helomech]

I was all about Honda several years ago. One bad and very expensive mistake made me open my eyes toward other brands. The "real transmissions" are IMO way overrated. A while after I bought my ranger I still needed an atv for smaller places hunting, I didn't even consider Honda. Long story short I ended up getting a 2006 Yamaha Kodak 450 at a steal. If you read the Honda forums they are all about bashing CVT's and belts yet it seems none have ever driven one much less owned one.

Honda's are so far behind in the utility models it's ridiculous. My 2006 Yamaha has features the 2018 Honda's still don't have.

I completely disagree, mine has taken care of my farm for the last 7 years without missing a beat. Hauls 1000 lbs of corn in the bed on a very regular basis, and other feeds almost daily. Climbs through every creek on my property with no issues. Has pulled trailers with deer stands all over the place. Would not own anything else. Had a polaris and will never own another.

 

[skeets]

If a man made it some thing is going to crap out if you beat it hard enough. I think when people trash talk any thing be it cars or bikes tractors what ever, you never hear the whole story. How they beat the snot out of it or the ,,,HEY HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS, part of the story. Are there lemons yep in everything made, and you cannot bash a whole line of widgets for a couple bad ones,, remember Shyt Happens all the time

 

[CaveCreekRay]

TC= Torque Converter -The older name for the belt setup the Ranger has. I had one on my 1972 Rupp Enduro.


Skeets is right...

Problems do arise. Some brands/models have more features than others. The dealer experience sure helps with the experience and, for some reason, many people have had poor experiences at their dealers. Maybe its the whole "warranty thing" with manufacturers, be it ute/car/truck/whatever, and their unwillingness to blindly do as much warranty work due to costs.

The thing that blows me away is the price of these "toys" today. The guy who bought my Ranger got the dolled-up model with all the bells and whistles for the price of a new econobox car! I have seen dealer up-modded Rangers going for $25-30k. Not for me! I spent WAY more than I originally planned. My wife wouldn't go for a sweet Kawasaki Mule at the local cycle shop a guy was selling for $3k. That'll teach her!

As Skeets said, it comes down to how you take care of your toys. I remember an absolutely hilarious video of a guy in Louisiana driving his Chinese ute in water so deep all you could see was the ROPs and his shoulders. Then, he complained that the suspension and steering parts all wore out in a month or two! LOL!

And then, there are the guys who put 32" tires and the requisite lift kits on these machines and then go out in the boondocks trying to rock crawl and they detonate front or rear ends or twist half-shafts in two because they have doubled or tripled the torque load on their machines by putting larger rubber on them. That reminds me of all the guys in the '70's putting cool looking wide wheels on their Porsche 914's. They looked awesome but, the increased rolling mass meant the 80hp motor accelerated and stopped lot slower than the stock machine did. But boy they "looked" cool!

You pays your money. You makes your choice. Operating within the margins of the design of the machine sure helps the ownership experience. Destroying a new machine by asking it to do the impossible gets expensive quickly.

 

[D2Cat]

Yep, we live a society most of the world dies for! We have enough discretionary income to buy things others can't imagine. Makes us quite wasteful!!

 

[workhorse]

Ranger is a great choice. Only other one to consider is the Kubota, but they are dog slow and low clearance. I have a 14' 800xp that amazes me in alot of situations. With stock tires it is very hard to get stuck. Also pulls a full bed and small trailer full of chunks like nothing. You will be impressed once you start working it. Only downside is size Vs your wheeler. I'm still getting used to driving it through the woods.

As far as my son is concerned ( 3.5 yr old) the ranger is only made to go through deep mud. Everytime we get close to getting stuck he wants to turn around and go right back through it. The whole family piles in for rides too, so it's more than just a workhorse.

And you got the 900.... I'm sure you will be satisfied !! Shiny side up !!

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[NEPA Guy]

Ive been out with the chainsaw widening my trails to accomodate the ranger. The only downside so far. (iv'e got lots of trails to work on) Its great though, I can easily take my wife and son and even my mother, who is handicapped, and can enjoy a ride around the old property. I've rejuvenated the orchard my father planted 20+ years ago so she's happy to be able to drive right under the trees and pick the fruit by hand like she used to.