Side x Side UTV what do you guys have?

[Tikkamike]

I have decided to get out of the 4wheeler world and try out a side x side. I am looking pretty hard at the Can-am Commander XT 1000, my dad has one and its pretty nice, although I have not driven it much. My Neighbor has a 2015 RZR 1000 and it is completely and utterly insanely awesome. we can fly down the powerline road doing 60-70 like its nothing, but it doesnt have much for cargo space so thats out I think. I am not a fan of the rangers, The teryx is an option although its only a 750.. just wonderin what you guys have or with you had and any pros and cons before I drop a bunch of money.

 

[North Idaho Hunter]

I owned a can am commander 800XT for a year. Put close to 2k miles on it.

Pros: Great power, good fuel economy. They are great when it comes to cargo space. I shot a 5x6 bull last archery season and i had it quartered out, with two bow boxes and backpacks with more room to spare in the bed.

The drawbacks to the can am are EXTREME heat between you and the passenger, it would literally make my water bottles as hot as my morning coffee! The other drawback is the very annoying gear whine, all of the can-am's do it but they are much more noticeable and intolerant (to me anyways) at 30 to 50 MPH with F&R windshields.One other HUGE downer is how big of a pain in the ***** it is to change the oil, you have to remove the center console, use a long hose to get your trans fluid in there, oil goes all over the skid plate when you pull the filter, and the rear differential is hard to get to to fill/check. I change my oil every 20 hours, so this got really old.


I now have a rzr 570 simply beings its less cost and much quicker to do oil changes, much more aftermarket accessories available. Nice & quiet, good fuel economy to boot. The bed is sufficient, (had a spike bull in it last year) and i like how much lower it is to the ground. Much easier to maneuver.

The cons are less arm room, and you are closer to the steering wheel w/not much leg room. (6'1 230 lbs)

The bed tends to get hot so i remedied that with a 3/4 sheet of plywood.

If i were you i would consider the 570 - afterall, the chances of you going 70MPH is very slim, especially if you use it for hunting.

 

[dmj]

Don't have a lot of experience with a bunch of different utvs. Have had a yamaha rhino. It was ok, fairly noisy and was very warm in the cab, especially between the seat. Were not going to get more than 2 adults in the cab and used a fair amount of gas. It was a 2005. I wanted one that I could load in the back of my pickup and the rhino did fit this bill. We decided to try and update and went with the one you're not interested in. A 570 ranger. Still wanted one to load in back of pickup and this one would fit this requirement. It has a bench seat and you can set 3 adults in it, much quieter, gets better fuel mileage and not near as warm in the cab. Now the heat issue is probably not a big issue in the winter, but we use ours all year around and in the summer it is an issue. Don't know if this helps or not. Good luck, they are all fun.

 

[wyowinchester]

I've got a 2up can am 800. I'll buy another can am. You can't beat it.
Out here the ATV trails are restricted to 50" wide, so a lot of the side x sides can't "legally" travel on them. Don't know if that a concern or not where you want to ride.

 

[300 ultra]

I picked up the Cub Cadet volunteer and it is fantastic. I highly recommend.

 

[BadDogPSD]

I have a Polaris Ranger XP900. It does everything I need it to.

 

[cornchuck]

I have a John Deere 825i Gator. I looked at the Polaris Ranger. Didn't care for the style. The Gator has a nice size bed for UTV's. And with my gator, I can pull (3) 350 bushel gravity wagons (empty). And I use the front receiver hitch to back those wagons into the storage shed. One at a time of course.

Get the Gator is one investment I have never regretted.

Jason

 

[Mabia]

Polaris Ranger 900 Crew. Will go anywhere I need to go.

 

[Tikkamike]

as far as the heat issue of the commander I am well aware of that, my dad has a 13' model 1000 and it stays plenty warm. I read that wrapping the exhaust helps with this, maybe some sort of heat shield too?
I have a friend with a ranger 800 and he loves it.. they just look a lot like golf carts to me..
The Gator I havent given much thought to but I will look at them.
Anyone have anything to say about the Teryx?

 

[dmj]

A friend of mine has a teryx. He has had good luck with it. He likes it quite well and is always making fun of our ranger. From what I've witnessed it's a very nice and a dependable utv. Good luck

 

[North Idaho Hunter]

When i had the commander i wrapped the header with lava wrap, and used thermotec insulating reflective heat shielding under the seats, center console, as well as made a shield underneath the cup holders to deflect heat downward.

The result was about 50% heat loss, but was still not tolerable in my opinion. Thats one of the big reason i sold it off.

 

[Batwing]

I have a Honda pioneer 500 and really like it so far, not real big but a lot of power and easy to drive.
Ron