I was at the dealer checking out a new Limited last week. How do you get to the oil filter on that? Looks like the a/c unit covers that side of the engine?
Utv, Kei Truck or Other
- Thread starter chris_the_wrench
- Start date
I haven't changed it yet. But from what I've gleaned I'll need to take out the pass and center seat bottoms and remove some of the interior sound proofing the access a hatch behind the seats.
I'll report back in a month or so.
can-am isn't that popular here. Not many dealers, little support. The 4x4 system is kind of wonky. Engine is fine, although it's really more powerful than what you're looking for-you want a workhorse or a play toy? Defender is more play toy than work horse. I work at a polaris dealer, and we're taking on can-am as we speak. Their system of doing things, is just weird but whatever. we're gonna have to "get used to it".
Polaris now has the Ranger XD which fits the bill. Just came out, we've sold I think 8 this week and 2 the week before. So far the owners LOVE them. 3 cylinder, really really smooth running. It is specifically made for this purpose-work. It's designed for those who would normally get an old used truck and wear one out every 2 years, but that customer doesn't want a ranger 1000 or XP1000 which are kinda like the defender-but less expensive. So far the Rangers have been MUCH easier to work on than defenders. That's all I'm gonna say about that.
if you're gonna customize (light bars, stereo, doors, winches, windows, etc) Polaris destroys the rest of the market in that aspect. Can Am tried. LOL! Yamaha & kawasak suck in that department. They have stuff but NOTHING like Polaris does. Polaris owns the accessorization market.
yamaha has the viking and 6 seat viking. I like them and I hate them. More play than work, although they'll do both. metal bed rather than plastic, and it's wide/long enough to put a full size pallet in it.
Kawasaki has the Mule line. The pro FX and FXT are exactly what you are looking for. Excellent ride, about 50hp 3 cylinder Chery engine (chincanese engine), fast enough to get you in trouble but torqey enough to work. Use low gear as much as possible at low speeds. As of last month they have a Pro FX/T 1000 too, which has a lot more power but it's not been out very long. The 820 FXT, the only downside is that the air intake is a little too low, so when you cross water, you have to keep that in mind. that's not much of an issue with Polaris until you get much over the tires. most of us don't go that deep. The duck hunters do. And kids.
theres some 'other' brands out there too. Kymco, Intimidator, the many chincanese brands/wannabe's, etc. and I generally recommend staying away from them. Might be great for some of you but when they ain't, they're just not. All I'm gonna say on that.
Polaris now has the Ranger XD which fits the bill. Just came out, we've sold I think 8 this week and 2 the week before. So far the owners LOVE them. 3 cylinder, really really smooth running. It is specifically made for this purpose-work. It's designed for those who would normally get an old used truck and wear one out every 2 years, but that customer doesn't want a ranger 1000 or XP1000 which are kinda like the defender-but less expensive. So far the Rangers have been MUCH easier to work on than defenders. That's all I'm gonna say about that.
if you're gonna customize (light bars, stereo, doors, winches, windows, etc) Polaris destroys the rest of the market in that aspect. Can Am tried. LOL! Yamaha & kawasak suck in that department. They have stuff but NOTHING like Polaris does. Polaris owns the accessorization market.
yamaha has the viking and 6 seat viking. I like them and I hate them. More play than work, although they'll do both. metal bed rather than plastic, and it's wide/long enough to put a full size pallet in it.
Kawasaki has the Mule line. The pro FX and FXT are exactly what you are looking for. Excellent ride, about 50hp 3 cylinder Chery engine (chincanese engine), fast enough to get you in trouble but torqey enough to work. Use low gear as much as possible at low speeds. As of last month they have a Pro FX/T 1000 too, which has a lot more power but it's not been out very long. The 820 FXT, the only downside is that the air intake is a little too low, so when you cross water, you have to keep that in mind. that's not much of an issue with Polaris until you get much over the tires. most of us don't go that deep. The duck hunters do. And kids.
theres some 'other' brands out there too. Kymco, Intimidator, the many chincanese brands/wannabe's, etc. and I generally recommend staying away from them. Might be great for some of you but when they ain't, they're just not. All I'm gonna say on that.
If I'm reading it right, 295.3 miles and 282.2 hours.
Keep in mind that leaving the property means go to the mailboxes, snowplow, or go to the trashcans.
Jchonline
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Lifetime Member
Equipment
Kubota L6060, KX040-4, M7060, RTV X1100C, M62 (sold)
The main difference between one of these small truck/jeeps and a RTV or SxS is where they can go. What makes the RTV invaluable to me is its size relative to capability and the fact that I can drive it anywhere on my 45 acres (almost). No truck or tractor can come close. Rocks, steep inclines, trees everywhere.
The RTV has turned out to be the most useful machine I have on the property…and I have a L6060 and a KX040. It is used daily.
The RTV has turned out to be the most useful machine I have on the property…and I have a L6060 and a KX040. It is used daily.
Lil Foot
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
1979 B7100DT Gear, Nissan Hanix N150-2 Excavator
Holy idle time Batman. 1.0 mph lifetime average with about 45 miles and hours per year. The yearly hours is on par with my L, but I think I move it a fair bit more. But when you need it, you need it. Kind of like a tractor.
What is the correct ratio for a working UTV?
For instance, when I’m winching a 6x6 Elk, should my engine be off?
How about when I’m dragging a cow Elk or deer, should I go faster? How about moving firewood, should I try to set a speed record fully loaded? How about pulling my mower? I could go on, but reality is my UTV mostly works and rarely is used just to drive around.
It’s an observation, not a critique. I’d say the correct ratio for your usage is right around 1 mile per hour. Probably ought to run the engine while winching and take it easy hauling firewood. Land speed record runs are for mail runs, rightWhat is the correct ratio for a working UTV?
For instance, when I’m winching a 6x6 Elk, should my engine be off?
.I don't really know what it should be either.It’s an observation, not a critique. I’d say the correct ratio for your usage is right around 1 mile per hour. Probably ought to run the engine while winching and take it easy hauling firewood. Land speed record runs are for mail runs, right
RCW
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BX2360, FEL, MMM, BX2750D snowblower. 1953 Minneapolis Moline ZAU
This is so not true but you’re entitled to think what you want. My defender ain’t shy of hard work. Both defender and ranger were priced within a few hundred of each other in my part of the world. I’d also give ya Polaris has more accessories to accessorize but I wouldn’t call that custom Both these units are pretty much the same thing with a different name and I think both would easily accomplish what the op is looking for. And if you ask me they all suck to work on evenly. lol
I see both daily. I see both customers daily (canned ham and polaris). I work on both. I drive both. I have to deal with dealer support crews daily.
what I also see is brand loyalty. Canned ham owners say their stuff can do anything (and they do in fact try). Polaris customers sometimes say the same things, although as a shop tech I hear more complaints than anything. I hear more complaints with Polaris than canam but polaris outsells can am by 14:1 in our territory so what do you expect?
They'll both do what op is asking no doubt. I think for the more work side of things the XD 1500 Ranger is a better bet; as it was specifically built for the purpose. But it doesn't play very well, heavy and kind of lumbering. Interior is much more comfortable than any of the defender HD10's I've been in. The HD10 has a nice seat, but the suspension is a little rougher riding-which makes the seat that much more important, also my biggest complaint with the HD10 is the center console/armrest. Who came up with that idea to make it so low? You have to lean into the armrest. Kind of dumb. I will admit, I admire the HD10's smooth and quiet V-twin engine, although it is a little more expensive to work on (2 cylinder heads, etc vs one on Polaris and Sidekick) Cab is a little more "roomy" as well but the XD 1500 ranger addressed that too, as we expected they would after the input from 26 of us at wott last year. We drove 27 different units from different brands and the results were clear, polaris was more comfortable, smoother riding, and felt like harder working-but now that the xd 1500 is out, I would think that it will ride a little rougher but the seat position is better and obviously it's built more for work with it's automotive style transmission vs the standard v belt CVT. Also the xd's air conditioner is much, much better I'm told. Good, because I always felt that the ranger xp's a/c was lacking.
because of what we went through last year at wott, I ended up buying a Polaris general xp. It fits "our" needs much better than the commander, the yamaha rmax, or any of the chincanese units. The honda was there too but I absolutely hate the dct transmission for trail riding. It's never in the right gear and sometimes downright dangerous as you are decending (especially) or climbing a hill; it wants to shift at the wrong time. It was fine running around on flat open trails but those are rare here. Commander was nice, a little quieter, but the 4x4 system is lacking (visco-lock), the seats weren't quite as nice for our backsides, gave off a good bit of heat (which admittedly would be nice in the winter but we don't ride in the winter), plus it's gps system was subpar; in comparison to ride command. Originally I was using a ipad, and that worked. However I ended up buying a ride command unit-which is sweet. The Yamaha's gps was second best, however yamaha is a lot harder to work on, the engine was a little on the noisy side (so is the General to be honest), but for me, dealer support is the biggest reason I didn't get it-no dealer closeby. Well there is, I used to work there, but that's also why I didn't buy from em. I don't trust them (biggest reason I don't work there any longer). So that left me with Honda talon (not having it) or Polaris or Commander, ruled out the commander which left me with General.
I posted my experience so others can learn from it. Go drive them. If you know some folks who own em, ask around. If you know anyone who trail rides, go to a trail ride and get their opinions. Or better yet go drive each one if you have that option.
On the honda, for work units the pioneer is their only offering. It's cramped for leg room, it runs warm around your feet/legs and back, and the dct transmission sucks for stop & go type stuff, because it's like slipping the clutch in a manual transmission car every time you stop and start again. That clutch wears out and it's not exactly cheap to replace either. Secondly it can't seem to stay in the correct gear. My friend bought one (he's a honda fan boy) and 4 months afterwards, at a friend of ours' funeral we used the pioneer to haul people from the bottom of a hill to the cemetery, up about a 1/4 mile length of gravel road on a hillside. Put 6 of us on the honda, and it wouldn't pull us if we stopped on the hillside. Pretty pathetic. On the ascent, as long as it was rolling it was ok, until it upshifted, then it just bogged the engine, so then it wanted to downshift again-repeat. Have to use manual shifting in cases like that. CVT is a much better option. You put it in high or low (usually low) and now YOU can focus on driving it rather than having to put it into manual shift mode and all that. Also cvt is always in the correct 'gear" by design, no abrupt shifting is ever done automatically or manually. Just a lot smoother, and for that reason safer, IMO. XD1500 uses a cvt as well but it's completely different than a rubber band that everyone else uses (except honda and the diesel rtv's, which has no belt at all).
what I also see is brand loyalty. Canned ham owners say their stuff can do anything (and they do in fact try). Polaris customers sometimes say the same things, although as a shop tech I hear more complaints than anything. I hear more complaints with Polaris than canam but polaris outsells can am by 14:1 in our territory so what do you expect?
They'll both do what op is asking no doubt. I think for the more work side of things the XD 1500 Ranger is a better bet; as it was specifically built for the purpose. But it doesn't play very well, heavy and kind of lumbering. Interior is much more comfortable than any of the defender HD10's I've been in. The HD10 has a nice seat, but the suspension is a little rougher riding-which makes the seat that much more important, also my biggest complaint with the HD10 is the center console/armrest. Who came up with that idea to make it so low? You have to lean into the armrest. Kind of dumb. I will admit, I admire the HD10's smooth and quiet V-twin engine, although it is a little more expensive to work on (2 cylinder heads, etc vs one on Polaris and Sidekick) Cab is a little more "roomy" as well but the XD 1500 ranger addressed that too, as we expected they would after the input from 26 of us at wott last year. We drove 27 different units from different brands and the results were clear, polaris was more comfortable, smoother riding, and felt like harder working-but now that the xd 1500 is out, I would think that it will ride a little rougher but the seat position is better and obviously it's built more for work with it's automotive style transmission vs the standard v belt CVT. Also the xd's air conditioner is much, much better I'm told. Good, because I always felt that the ranger xp's a/c was lacking.
because of what we went through last year at wott, I ended up buying a Polaris general xp. It fits "our" needs much better than the commander, the yamaha rmax, or any of the chincanese units. The honda was there too but I absolutely hate the dct transmission for trail riding. It's never in the right gear and sometimes downright dangerous as you are decending (especially) or climbing a hill; it wants to shift at the wrong time. It was fine running around on flat open trails but those are rare here. Commander was nice, a little quieter, but the 4x4 system is lacking (visco-lock), the seats weren't quite as nice for our backsides, gave off a good bit of heat (which admittedly would be nice in the winter but we don't ride in the winter), plus it's gps system was subpar; in comparison to ride command. Originally I was using a ipad, and that worked. However I ended up buying a ride command unit-which is sweet. The Yamaha's gps was second best, however yamaha is a lot harder to work on, the engine was a little on the noisy side (so is the General to be honest), but for me, dealer support is the biggest reason I didn't get it-no dealer closeby. Well there is, I used to work there, but that's also why I didn't buy from em. I don't trust them (biggest reason I don't work there any longer). So that left me with Honda talon (not having it) or Polaris or Commander, ruled out the commander which left me with General.
I posted my experience so others can learn from it. Go drive them. If you know some folks who own em, ask around. If you know anyone who trail rides, go to a trail ride and get their opinions. Or better yet go drive each one if you have that option.
On the honda, for work units the pioneer is their only offering. It's cramped for leg room, it runs warm around your feet/legs and back, and the dct transmission sucks for stop & go type stuff, because it's like slipping the clutch in a manual transmission car every time you stop and start again. That clutch wears out and it's not exactly cheap to replace either. Secondly it can't seem to stay in the correct gear. My friend bought one (he's a honda fan boy) and 4 months afterwards, at a friend of ours' funeral we used the pioneer to haul people from the bottom of a hill to the cemetery, up about a 1/4 mile length of gravel road on a hillside. Put 6 of us on the honda, and it wouldn't pull us if we stopped on the hillside. Pretty pathetic. On the ascent, as long as it was rolling it was ok, until it upshifted, then it just bogged the engine, so then it wanted to downshift again-repeat. Have to use manual shifting in cases like that. CVT is a much better option. You put it in high or low (usually low) and now YOU can focus on driving it rather than having to put it into manual shift mode and all that. Also cvt is always in the correct 'gear" by design, no abrupt shifting is ever done automatically or manually. Just a lot smoother, and for that reason safer, IMO. XD1500 uses a cvt as well but it's completely different than a rubber band that everyone else uses (except honda and the diesel rtv's, which has no belt at all).
Lil Foot
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
1979 B7100DT Gear, Nissan Hanix N150-2 Excavator
Great read but The op was already not liking new prices on units then you start talking about a 50,000 dollar side by side. I hope it’s the best one out for that price. That’s not even the Northstar price. Unfortunately these days nothing is built with pride so I put most of them on the same lvl personally. Another unfortunate thing we are loosing is dealers who actually care about the customer. What ever brand you like or choose make sure they have a good service dept in your area. the sales guys are always gonna be nice but they don’t service your ride. I’d really be asking around for service departments if I was buying used, find out from others in your area on local service departments If you live close to lugbolt I’d buy from his place. He sounds like he knows his way around machines and with his posts on hear it also sounds like he is always willing to help. Personally I’ve never bought a machine because it was the cheapest to change rings but to each their own.
The 4x4 system on a Can-am is wonky??? In what way?
I'd venture to say the Polaris system is more "wonky" than the Can-am. I've been part of a Sheriff's Search and Rescue team for several years. We have 3 UTVs...2 Polaris Rangers and an old Yamaha Rhino. When we have to go out in really gnarly terrain the old Yamaha is the way to go. And here's why. On a Can-am or the Yamaha, when we start down a steep hill we have engine braking. Not so on a Polaris Ranger- it immediately freewheels - until you give it throttle! How intuitive is that, to have to give a machine throttle to make the clutch engage so you can have engine braking? Secondly, a Polaris Ranger does not have true 4wd - it has AWD just like a lot of the SUVs on the highway these days. Which means it doesn't engage the front drivetrain until it detects slippage (rear drivetrain is turning faster than the front). That's fine going uphill - but then when going a steep downhill (where your front tires do most of the holding back) the front end is disengaged because the rear wheels are not turning faster than the front. When engine braking does kick in, the rear tends to slide sideways as the rear tires lose grip. It is always in 2wd going downhill. Whenever we are breaking in new Search and Rescue members I always take them out in one of the Polaris Rangers and have them take it down a steep shaly mountainside just so they can experience what that feels like when the machine tries to run away with them. Here's a post from someone in New Zealand complaining about the problem:
I have seen recent ads that Polaris now makes a clutch assembly to address the engine braking...something that should have been stock to begin with!
Yes, Polaris outsells Can-am by far around here also. Seems every ranch or farm has at least one and sometimes several. They work just fine on flat ground. And they are cheaper than Can-am. But I don't see many Polaris Rangers running around up in the mountains.
3300 trouble-free miles on my Can-am now...but then I use it in the mountains, not just on the ranch.
For what it’s worth, I live at elevation on a mountan. My Polaris Ranger has no issues on this terrain. Sometimes, I use my brakes, but so what.
The older rangers did in fact suffer in the engine braking department. That's fixed with the 1000's (2018+). The newer ones have a helix in the center of the clutch that springs out when the driven clutch tries to drive the primary clutch (down a hill at idle speed), which puts pressure on the belt and slows the machine down. The Generals still use the older style but they don't freewheel anymore-the ECU increases the engine speed to the point where it will apply a little pressure to the belt and slow the machine. I own one of those, and it's fine. It is a non-issue anymore.
Rhino's used a dual clutch setup. There was your traditional belt drive (CVT) which in itself requires a little maintenance. The primary is full of grease, and once you get dirt/dust/water in the grease, your speed drops from a top speed of 38/39 mph to about 10-12, on the rev limiter. But that's not the big issue. The big issue is the wet clutch (which drives the CVT). Yes it has engine braking, and it works great-when it works. Once the one-way bearing dies (and it will-at some point they all do), it's about a $1500 fix to get all 3 parts, the gasket, 3 quarts of oil, and new grease/bushings/rollers for the CVT since almost nobody services the CVT like they should. In addition, that wet clutch inside the engine, runs on the same oil as the rest of the engine and transmission. So if you're running low speeds, say checking fences, creeping along like you would in a truck, or pulling a load behind you on a lawn cart or whatever, that clutch slippage heats the engine oil up, which can contribute to an overheat situation-in other words they are a little bit sensitive to overheating. They still use this design on most if not all of their side-by-sides. It works, and does what it's supposed to, but it's not completely bulletproof. None of them are really. So really, you're trading one set of problems (supposed lack of engine braking) for another (expense to fix the rhino). I've had 3 rhino's in my lifetime. The newest Rhinos are now 10+ years old, with no telling how many hours, and no telling what kind of maintenance was done (usually none to very little), and a few parts are being discontinued for them. It was a great machine in it's day, but stuff has come a LONG way since then. Also Rhino's don't have power steering and they don't have a way to unlock the rear end, both of which make it a little more challenging to drive especially in tighter trails where you're making lots of turns and such. I sold and serviced 2209 of them from 2004 through 2012 to ONE company, plus thousands more to "normal" customers-including farmers, ranchers, and trail riding individual owners.
Since I'm "in that mood", I thought I'd let y'all in on something else I ran across. Defender 1000. The skid plates, they have to come off to do driveline maintenance and repairs. They are held on with RIVETS, about 400 of them (well I didn't count exactly how many, but it's a LOT of them). Typical, you just drill the rivet head off and pop them loose. Easy enough, except they're (I think) stainless steel and you'll wear out a couple drill bits, and those cheap horrible freight drill bits will dull so fast that you MIGHT get one or two of them drilled off before the bit is gone. Biggest complaint, however, is that once you drill the head off and do your repair, now you have a bunch of rivet boogers stuck inside the frame, creating quite the annoying rattle. Not much you can do about it either. Can-Am really screwed that design up, along with a few other things. Storage boxes are removable-I like that. I don't like the lack of storage under the seats. Battery is a little hard to get to. Electrical accessory install is subpar in comparison to the Rangers' use of the pulse bar--where everything just plugs in. Light bar? 15 minute install using the pulse harness and switch kit. Clean, easy. Can-Am doesn't even come close, they put their accessory connector under the dash instead of under the hood. In fact the HD-10 I am looking at, there is nothing under the hood because there is VERY little room under there, a winch contactor and some wires, and that's about it. But hey it's got a nice big 1000cc v-twin that runs smooth and somewhat quiet so? Again--trading one set of issues for another. But that skid plate deal.....HUGE turn off for me. Ranger skidplate comes off in 15 minutes once it's on the lift. This defender, I'll be into it about 2 hours not counting the actual repairs I have to do with it.
wonky 4x4? Visco-lock. Nothing more needs to be said. Has been problematic and requires maintenance. Way too complicated, pumps, lines, dedicated fluid, etc--just to engage the 4x4. And when it has issues (and it probably will based on what I'm hearing), bend over and don't expect a kiss. Polaris's Hilliard front diff? Been on the market for decades, it works, it's not that complicated, easy to work on, and supported heavily. Polaris, when you engage the AWD (that's what it is, AWD not 4wd), it takes 1/20 of a turn of the wheels to lock. Visco-lok may be 1 turn, or it might not engage at all due to it's complexity. Or it might take 25 turns of the rear wheel to finally engage the front. Could have been a lot less complex and a lot easier to work on but I don't design them. Yamaha's front diff is pretty nice setup where it mechanically LOCKS the drivelines, and when in diff lock, it mechanically LOCKS both front axles together for a true 4wd. I do like that however in the non power steering machines, it becomes impossible to steer them in 4x4 diff lock. Real dangerous in certain situations; which I found out first hand when it jerked the steering wheel right out of my tight grip and broke my thumb. I put power steering kit on it after that, and its STILL tough to steer in diff lock, but a lot better than without EPS for sure. It was a good investment at $600 at the time. The Vikings come with EPS, or more specifically are available with it (you can still buy a non EPS I think). I like most things about the Viking, but I am not a big fan of the cylinder and head design. Overheat them, and get ready to replace the head and cylinder as they often warp and/or crack. The Wolverine 700cc is a completely different engine that doesn't have that issue too much. Just keep the radiator washed out and it's not an issue. On that note, Polaris has a removable grille so you can access most of the radiator to wash it out. Some other brands don't have that feature, so you have to get creative in how you can get access to the radiator with a water hose. I generally don't recommend a pressure washer as it has a tendency to bend the fins over especially on some of the machines where you can't take the grille out so you have to spray kinda sideways.
Rhino's used a dual clutch setup. There was your traditional belt drive (CVT) which in itself requires a little maintenance. The primary is full of grease, and once you get dirt/dust/water in the grease, your speed drops from a top speed of 38/39 mph to about 10-12, on the rev limiter. But that's not the big issue. The big issue is the wet clutch (which drives the CVT). Yes it has engine braking, and it works great-when it works. Once the one-way bearing dies (and it will-at some point they all do), it's about a $1500 fix to get all 3 parts, the gasket, 3 quarts of oil, and new grease/bushings/rollers for the CVT since almost nobody services the CVT like they should. In addition, that wet clutch inside the engine, runs on the same oil as the rest of the engine and transmission. So if you're running low speeds, say checking fences, creeping along like you would in a truck, or pulling a load behind you on a lawn cart or whatever, that clutch slippage heats the engine oil up, which can contribute to an overheat situation-in other words they are a little bit sensitive to overheating. They still use this design on most if not all of their side-by-sides. It works, and does what it's supposed to, but it's not completely bulletproof. None of them are really. So really, you're trading one set of problems (supposed lack of engine braking) for another (expense to fix the rhino). I've had 3 rhino's in my lifetime. The newest Rhinos are now 10+ years old, with no telling how many hours, and no telling what kind of maintenance was done (usually none to very little), and a few parts are being discontinued for them. It was a great machine in it's day, but stuff has come a LONG way since then. Also Rhino's don't have power steering and they don't have a way to unlock the rear end, both of which make it a little more challenging to drive especially in tighter trails where you're making lots of turns and such. I sold and serviced 2209 of them from 2004 through 2012 to ONE company, plus thousands more to "normal" customers-including farmers, ranchers, and trail riding individual owners.
Since I'm "in that mood", I thought I'd let y'all in on something else I ran across. Defender 1000. The skid plates, they have to come off to do driveline maintenance and repairs. They are held on with RIVETS, about 400 of them (well I didn't count exactly how many, but it's a LOT of them). Typical, you just drill the rivet head off and pop them loose. Easy enough, except they're (I think) stainless steel and you'll wear out a couple drill bits, and those cheap horrible freight drill bits will dull so fast that you MIGHT get one or two of them drilled off before the bit is gone. Biggest complaint, however, is that once you drill the head off and do your repair, now you have a bunch of rivet boogers stuck inside the frame, creating quite the annoying rattle. Not much you can do about it either. Can-Am really screwed that design up, along with a few other things. Storage boxes are removable-I like that. I don't like the lack of storage under the seats. Battery is a little hard to get to. Electrical accessory install is subpar in comparison to the Rangers' use of the pulse bar--where everything just plugs in. Light bar? 15 minute install using the pulse harness and switch kit. Clean, easy. Can-Am doesn't even come close, they put their accessory connector under the dash instead of under the hood. In fact the HD-10 I am looking at, there is nothing under the hood because there is VERY little room under there, a winch contactor and some wires, and that's about it. But hey it's got a nice big 1000cc v-twin that runs smooth and somewhat quiet so? Again--trading one set of issues for another. But that skid plate deal.....HUGE turn off for me. Ranger skidplate comes off in 15 minutes once it's on the lift. This defender, I'll be into it about 2 hours not counting the actual repairs I have to do with it.
wonky 4x4? Visco-lock. Nothing more needs to be said. Has been problematic and requires maintenance. Way too complicated, pumps, lines, dedicated fluid, etc--just to engage the 4x4. And when it has issues (and it probably will based on what I'm hearing), bend over and don't expect a kiss. Polaris's Hilliard front diff? Been on the market for decades, it works, it's not that complicated, easy to work on, and supported heavily. Polaris, when you engage the AWD (that's what it is, AWD not 4wd), it takes 1/20 of a turn of the wheels to lock. Visco-lok may be 1 turn, or it might not engage at all due to it's complexity. Or it might take 25 turns of the rear wheel to finally engage the front. Could have been a lot less complex and a lot easier to work on but I don't design them. Yamaha's front diff is pretty nice setup where it mechanically LOCKS the drivelines, and when in diff lock, it mechanically LOCKS both front axles together for a true 4wd. I do like that however in the non power steering machines, it becomes impossible to steer them in 4x4 diff lock. Real dangerous in certain situations; which I found out first hand when it jerked the steering wheel right out of my tight grip and broke my thumb. I put power steering kit on it after that, and its STILL tough to steer in diff lock, but a lot better than without EPS for sure. It was a good investment at $600 at the time. The Vikings come with EPS, or more specifically are available with it (you can still buy a non EPS I think). I like most things about the Viking, but I am not a big fan of the cylinder and head design. Overheat them, and get ready to replace the head and cylinder as they often warp and/or crack. The Wolverine 700cc is a completely different engine that doesn't have that issue too much. Just keep the radiator washed out and it's not an issue. On that note, Polaris has a removable grille so you can access most of the radiator to wash it out. Some other brands don't have that feature, so you have to get creative in how you can get access to the radiator with a water hose. I generally don't recommend a pressure washer as it has a tendency to bend the fins over especially on some of the machines where you can't take the grille out so you have to spray kinda sideways.
Wow you sure do dislike the defender aside from the motor apparently. It’s all good but for others reading to my knowledge no maintenance to do that is gonna require you to pull the skid plates. Only repairs.
To get at the battery is as easy as tilting passenger side seat and popping out the plastic piece. Maybe 20 sec job. A pain to some I guess.
Also a bit more under the hood on new units. Not so much on the early models was relays winch plug and remote powering steering fluid and coolant but newer ones have key power acc hook ups for light bars or whatever floats your boat. I keep my spare belt there alap. All kinds of other stuff people have done to them but not lots of room so have to be creative.
I’m glad you’re so familiar with the mechanics of all these but clearly your biased against Can Am if the only thing good you can say about the defender is the motor and removable storage. I’ve never had any issues with the 4x4 and neither have any other people I know that own them. So to call it wonky? I guess you do work on them every day. I’m a nobody and don’t work on them for a living but I do run mine daily for work and it’s never disappointed me so they made at least one good unit.
The Polaris ranger has been around for a long time. 1999 I think. The defender only started production in 2016. I think Can Am has something good with the defender as does Polaris with the ranger.
Everything stock on all units has its limitations and they all have issues and quirks. When beer and mud are mixed is when most of the driveline issues I’ve seen happen lol
Dealers love these debates between folks. Personally I like anything with a motor and gas pedal. Always have since a kid.
I stick to the search for good service department and mechanics in your area over being biased. My local Polaris dealer sucks. so I own a Can am. If I didn’t want the speed it would be a kubota. If the local Polaris dealer was good it would be a ranger likely. Even if one is cheaper or easier to work then another if your local Polaris Yamaha Can-Am Honda whatever service sucks your screwed. I’d rather have my machine back to work sooner regardless of the brand. I use my utv/sxs for 90% work so I have a different outlook on it then my toys I guess. I also will do almost anything service or replacement needed for this defender but still want good service dept for parts and info and for when it’s over my head.
No shortage of SxS forums and debates online. So I won’t post my toy preference list here lol. Thanks for all the valuable info on different brands of utv/SxS though I enjoy reading those kinds of posts.
To get at the battery is as easy as tilting passenger side seat and popping out the plastic piece. Maybe 20 sec job. A pain to some I guess.
Also a bit more under the hood on new units. Not so much on the early models was relays winch plug and remote powering steering fluid and coolant but newer ones have key power acc hook ups for light bars or whatever floats your boat. I keep my spare belt there alap. All kinds of other stuff people have done to them but not lots of room so have to be creative.
I’m glad you’re so familiar with the mechanics of all these but clearly your biased against Can Am if the only thing good you can say about the defender is the motor and removable storage. I’ve never had any issues with the 4x4 and neither have any other people I know that own them. So to call it wonky? I guess you do work on them every day. I’m a nobody and don’t work on them for a living but I do run mine daily for work and it’s never disappointed me so they made at least one good unit.
The Polaris ranger has been around for a long time. 1999 I think. The defender only started production in 2016. I think Can Am has something good with the defender as does Polaris with the ranger.
Everything stock on all units has its limitations and they all have issues and quirks. When beer and mud are mixed is when most of the driveline issues I’ve seen happen lol
Dealers love these debates between folks. Personally I like anything with a motor and gas pedal. Always have since a kid.
I stick to the search for good service department and mechanics in your area over being biased. My local Polaris dealer sucks. so I own a Can am. If I didn’t want the speed it would be a kubota. If the local Polaris dealer was good it would be a ranger likely. Even if one is cheaper or easier to work then another if your local Polaris Yamaha Can-Am Honda whatever service sucks your screwed. I’d rather have my machine back to work sooner regardless of the brand. I use my utv/sxs for 90% work so I have a different outlook on it then my toys I guess. I also will do almost anything service or replacement needed for this defender but still want good service dept for parts and info and for when it’s over my head.
No shortage of SxS forums and debates online. So I won’t post my toy preference list here lol. Thanks for all the valuable info on different brands of utv/SxS though I enjoy reading those kinds of posts.
I'm seeing avg about 7.2 mph on the stuff I work onWhat is the correct ratio for a working UTV?
For instance, when I’m winching a 6x6 Elk, should my engine be off?
I appraised a Yamaha YXZ a while back that had an avg speed of 40.2mph. I forget the hours & miles but it was unreal. They traded for it, but didn't give much for it (went to wholesale buyers).