Best side x side on market?

[slammer]

Have not looked at any of these yet but will be in the market for one soon. Wish I could have it now for the ice, but not ready to purchase yet. Just wondering what the pros and cons are on theses machines. It will be mostly used for ice fishing and pulling a wheel house around. Hope to add tracks at some point.

[merkman]

Have not looked at any of these yet but will be in the market for one soon. Wish I could have it now for the ice, but not ready to purchase yet. Just wondering what the pros and cons are on theses machines. It will be mostly used for ice fishing and pulling a wheel house around. Hope to add tracks at some point.

No mater what you end up getting, if you are going to use it for ice fishing get a full cab. The cabs are very nice!!

[Dave S]

There's many models available as well as huge difference in price. You can get into a basic UTV for around $7K all the way up to $15K.

I agree with Merk about the cab. You'll appreciate the extra protection from the elements in the winter.

The best thing you can do is to look at all brands including Polaris, Can Am, Kubota, John Deere, Kawasaki, Arctic Cat, Yamaha. Test drive them all and see which best suits your needs.

If you're a diesel kind of person, John Deere, Kubota and Polaris offer a diesel powerplant. You will find machines ranging in displacement from the Polaris 400 all the way to the Can Am 1000cc V-Twin with a claimed 85 hp.

According to the Polaris HSOforum, there's something big that's going to be announced and available to see on their HSOforum at midnight of New Years Eve. I suspect it'll be something to compete with the Can Am Commander, both in displacement and horsepower.

[1900_LE]

I have a Kawasaki Teryx. I was in the same boat as you before I bought mine. If you google side by side or utv reviews it will give you a lot of useful info. I was going to buy an Arctic Cat until I read the reviews. I'm sure in a years time they have made improvements. Polaris seems to be leading now. I got a real good price on mine because it was a left over 09. Adding acc. is something to consider too. Not all acc are available for every machine. The enclosed cab, as others have said, is definitely the way to go. I'll be adding one to mine real soon. Make sure you feel comfortable when sitting in the cab. That was another reason I didn't like the A/C. The Kawasaki seemed to fit me a little better. Good Luck!

[LipRipper!!]

I have a polaris ranger with a cab and heater.. I love it!! I had a yamaha rhino before and (IMO) the ranger is like a cadilac. The reason I switched is because I wanted the bench seat for my wife and daughter to ride with. It also has a bigger box to put all my ice fishing gear in. Also the power steering is a plus.. here is a pic.

[Fishing Junky]

If your looking for more of a sport side by, a Polaris RZR might be for you. Enclosed cab w/heater and defrosts. Junky.....

[Dave S]

If your looking for more of a sport side by, a Polaris RZR might be for you. Enclosed cab w/heater and defrosts. Junky.....

As you know FJ, I'm probably the last person someone should take advice from but keep your eyes posted to the Polaris site. You might like what you see at midnight on New Years Eve.

[usmcjsy]

What is the CCs on the can am..? Isn't it like a 1000...? I do not think you can license that as a class II ATV if I read this correctly from the DNR.

Class 2 ATVs are motorized flotation-tired vehicles with at least

three, but no more than six, low pressure tires that have an engine

displacement of less than 960 cubic centimeters.

Anyway I like the RZR the only side by side UTV small enough for ATV trails. If your not into trail riding I would go with the Ranger.

[Dave S]

You're correct. As the law currently states, the Commander would have to be registered as an OHV. The same as off road Jeeps and trucks. Not quite certain how the DNR would handle this one if they were to catch someone on a Class II trail or frozen public waters with the larger Can Am.

[PurpleFloyd]

I have a RZR too and I like it a lot. I believe I put almost 1300 miles on it in the past year and that is all happening from just driving from town out to my hunting spots etc.

Did they change the classifications this year and put the RZR into the same category as ATV's ?

[Dave S]

The basic RZR with a dry weight of 945 lbs would fall into the Class II category. I don't believe the MN reg's have changed to classify them as a Class I.

Some states such as WI will also have different reg's such as a maximum width or wheel size. I haven't kept up on their regs so they may have changed.

[usmcjsy]

I am not sure I just know that it is the only side by side that is narrow enough to be legal on a lot of ATV trails in state parks etc. The polaris dealer was the one that told me about the Can Ams having to big of a displacment to be licensed in away that allows them to be classed with a ATV which can cause issues as far as were they are allowed to be driven. I did not want to just take his word for it knowing he could just be trying to steer me away from Can Am. So I looked it up and it appears he is correct.

[Dave S]

Just to clarify the ATV registration, the State of MN has 2 ATV classifications. There's Class I and Class II.

After reading the new reg's for 2011, I see the limits for a Class I did in fact change to a displacement of less than 960cc and a dry weight less than 1000 lbs. This would allow the base model RAZR to be on Class I trails. The other models of RAZR in the lineup might be too heavy to be classified as a Class I.

Class II must have a displacement less than 960cc and a dry weight between 1000 to 1800 lbs.

[Fishing Junky]

Just to clarify the ATV registration, the State of MN has 2 ATV classifications. There's Class I and Class II.

After reading the new reg's for 2011, I see the limits for a Class I did in fact change to a displacement of less than 960cc and a dry weight less than 1000 lbs. This would allow the base model RAZR to be on Class I trails. The other models of RAZR in the lineup might be too heavy to be classified as a Class I.

Class II must have a displacement less than 960cc and a dry weight between 1000 to 1800 lbs.

Hey LEP. IF this is the case, would that mean I wouldn't be able to drive legally on County roads anymore, because it would be classified as a Class I? The way it was last year, it was legal for me to cruise the county roads. Confusing. Junky.....

[Dave S]

FJ,

how is your RAZR registered now? With your cab mounted, you'd be over the 1000 lb limit making it a Class II. I think (UH-OH here I go again....thinking) registrations are based on mfgr's specified dry weight. There might be some leniency as to how you register a RAZR but if you're registered as a Class I you wouldn't be able to drive down the County Roads.

I will need to dig into the reg's later and provide my interpretation of how they're stated.

[robert degeberg]

I just renewed my rzr registration yesterday and the card still says class 2. And the weight on the card says 1100 pounds

[Fishing Junky]

I currently have Class II registration. Maybe this should be started in another thread as repect to the poster? Junky......

[Dave S]

Good idea FJ. Although, this is good info that could determine what machine a person buys.

[PurpleFloyd]

I am not sure I just know that it is the only side by side that is narrow enough to be legal on a lot of ATV trails in state parks etc. The polaris dealer was the one that told me about the Can Ams having to big of a displacment to be licensed in away that allows them to be classed with a ATV which can cause issues as far as were they are allowed to be driven. I did not want to just take his word for it knowing he could just be trying to steer me away from Can Am. So I looked it up and it appears he is correct.

One of the reasons I bought my RZR is that my wife is from Ashland, Wi and I can ride the trails up there on the RZR and not on any other UTV which is great because I can take my 10 year old son along.

I don't ride any trails in Minnesota but I do ride in the country around where I live all of the time and I like the fact that the class II can ride on the gravel roads as opposed to being restricted to the ditches so this thing fits what I do to a "T". If it were reclassified to a class 1 I might think about going to a bigger unit to keep the class 2 and forgo the Wisconsin trail riding.

[JeffB]

I did a lot of research before buying in the end I was down to the polaris and John Deere. I ended up getting the deere 825i and love it, not that its better than the polaris, but it seemed to fit me and my needs better.

[Dave S]

There's a video on the tube of a JD Diesel SxS with a turbo doing donuts.

[PurpleFloyd]

I did a lot of research before buying in the end I was down to the polaris and John Deere. I ended up getting the deere 825i and love it, not that its better than the polaris, but it seemed to fit me and my needs better.

The dealership in Northern Wi that I bought my RZR from was also a Deere dealer and they had several different configurations there including on with a cab and tracks that made me look long and hard at. The good thing about the variety available is that you can buy what best fits YOUR needs and not what works for someone else.