I Need Advice

[gunflint]

We have a 96 Polaris 6X that has given us it's all. I'm afraid the time has come to put it out to pasture. I could use some expert advice on what to replace it with.

What I'm looking for is a work horse. We do alot of trail maintanence in hilly and rocky terrain, haul firewood, plow the skating rink, move trailers, etc. I use it almost daily around the resort so it should be quiet (This would be a pleasant change from our chain driven 6 wheeler) It can't be any wider than the Polaris so a standard 4 wheeler will do.

I have years of experience on this old gal and practicaly none on any other type machine. I could really use some advice on what I should be shopping for. Thanks.

[Macgyver55]

I can't say enough about how happy I've been with my Hondas over the years. My current Foreman simply works and works and works. I have about 5300 miles on my current one and it has never seen the shop. Other than scheduled maintainence and oil changes its seen zero repairs. In all I've had a dozen Hondas and logged an estimated 60,000 miles (the early ones had no speedo) and not one has even seen a warranty claim for anything. I think that alone says alot. Those who know me will attest that I don't baby them by any means.

You may hear claims that the prices are too high, but then the resale is often higher. Another model may be better for this or that, or another model may have this or that, but for me they have simply been the most trouble free vehicle I could ask for, and are capable of doing what ever I ask of them. I've gotten a lot of heat for being so brand loyal, but in my opinion they have earned it.

[Dave]

I had a feeling Mac and his Honda would be here But, Mac does tell the truth.

I think you should look at the Yamaha Rhino, however. Within inches of the same width as an ATV (can still fit in a truck bed), can haul loads, anyone can drive it, smooth ride, has plenty of power, easier to get in and out, can customize to your liking easier than an ATV.

[stretch]

i agree with both dave and mac. the nice thing with a rhino is you don't have to straddle a seat while drivig it.

[ChuckN]

Ditto what Mac said. Mine is 7 years old and works like no other. Only issue I've had was a rubber boot on a CV joint I had to repair. I'm still on the original battery though, with I believe 4,000 hours and 2,000 miles. It has never let me down, ever.

[Hawks]

Gunflint-

We have one of the old POO 6x6's as well. This has been an extremely solid machine for us as well.

Sounds like you will be doing quite a bit of hard, heavy work. I would take a look at the Polaris RANGER, both 4x4 and 6x6. These machines flat-out outwork all of the other machines out there. It can handle extremely heavy loads, has a far superior capacity to it's competitiors, better ground clearance, seating for 3, EFI for cold starts and the lock & ride accessories from Polaris are tough to beat. If you consider a Rhino for work and then play, you should really consider a RANGER as well.

[Powerstroke]

I'm interested in this conversation more the the advice give to gunflint. I've never owned an ATV.

I'm also starting to look for a workhorse vehicle. I prefer the side-by-side vehicles in my choices.

LIke was said if you would consider the Yamaha Rhino then you should consider the Polaris Ranger and the Prowler from Artic Cat.

They all are a bit different in their own ways. In my opinion, its beteween the Rhino and the Prowler for me.

I wish Honda would make a UTV. That would solve this problem altogether. I have several friends with different brands of ATVs and the Honda seems to be the most reliable and best for all-around everyday use.

[Hawks]

Hey Powerstroke,

Just curious...what makes you like the Arctic Cat Prowler and Yami Rhino over the Polaris Ranger? Just curious to learn more about what differentiates these machines.

[Powerstroke]

(not to hijack Gunflints thread, but maybe my ideas about this purchase are the same and maybe they are different and worth noting....who knows)

I guess for starters, I've developed a bit of an aversion to Polaris because of reliability issues I've seen with friends machines. I've never actuallu owned one, but its one of those things where some people have problems and others don't and the guys I know that have had problems are usually Pol. owners.

As far as looking at numbers on paper, the Ranger doens't have great ground clearance. The other 2 I suggested have better ground clearance than the Ranger. The Rhino has the worst susp. travel with the Cat having the best by inches. I will admit the the Polaris has better gearing giving it the highest ratings for towing and hauling capacity, but I don't know that I want to haul 1000lbs anyway.

Another thing for me is that I would like a vehicle that is still a little more sport than workhorse. I plan on doing the usualy chores of firewood, stand building, food plots and driveway plowing with mine, but IMO the 2 I suggested are gonna be funner machines than the Ranger. I will not rule out the Ranger until I actually test drive these vehicles, but if I had to start somewhere, the Ranger would be my last choice of the big 3.

For Gunflint, I know with owning the resort and all and I know you've talked cost savings before when discussing boats, you may be well served to check out the Rhino and the Rangers with the smaller engines. They don't have quite the same zip, but they still provide all the utilitarian amenities. I also like the Kubota diesel too, just not sporty enough for me.