Best side X side?

[300RUM]

Planning on getting rid of my current ATV. A Arctic Cat 500 4X4. Main reason is I have a young son of which Id like to be able to seat belt in, and would be more comfortable with some type of overhead protection. With this in mind, I do not ride recreationally, only to scout, hunt, work small food plots etc... I have ridden a friends Polaris Ranger 700 and like it, but its pricey, and Ive never owned a Polaris product. I havent heard any talk of side by sides on this forum, but I am a green horn here. G & G community, I would like your opinions. (If you have one.) Thank ye.

[RabidPitWeasle]

I've checked out the yamaha rhino's and have ridden in them before and I like them the most as far as performance. My father-in-law has a Kawisaki Mule, its a good utility for ranch work and getting to point A to point B but only tops out at about 30mph and can only make it though about 2-1/2 feet of water (belive me I know). Kawasaki has a sturdy machine but for play I'd give it the thumbs down BUT! they did come out with the new TERX havnt checked it out yet but its suppose to be a more sport type side-by-side.
ArticCat has the prowler, havnt been on one of them yet but they look pretty badass. Rangers are cool to and keep in mind the newer RAZER more sporter type. You can get online and get DVD's from each company and compare them to each other, But of course each company will brag up their own product.
In the end it will be your own choice that matters.

[Momoney567]

The polaris i believe it was razr is pretty nice.
Pretty good pull to it i found it a lot more stable in rocky stuff and less bog prone in the mud.
Keep in mind though it will not float =]
If you get a side by side i recommend a lift kit and some aftermarket tires.

[Dustdevil]

I have a Rhino. My choice came down to that or a Polaris Ranger. I chose the Rhino due to its performance and its size. It fits in the back of my toybox trailer, as well as my pickup. The Ranger does not. Mine is carbureted. I would have preferred injection, but both the new Rhino 700EFI and the Ranger are injected now. The Teryx and the Arctic Cat Prowler also look like great vehicles. I don't think you could go wrong with any of them.

BTW, they do turn over. So beware! Spinning donuts is a no-no! I have a lev-o-gauge in mine to keep an eye on side angle. It will go to nearly 45 degrees before tipping. Since I travel everywhere off-road with mine, including steep and rocky trails, it's important to know the limits.

I can recommend the Rhino, and if you want a used one, there are many nice ones on the market in either the 450 or 660 engine. Mine is a 450, and I can go anywhere the 660 can go, except fast uphill in sand.

I've used it scouting, chukar hunting, and turkey hunting, and it can't be beat!

[Mitchell]

we've a Polaris RAZR and before that we had a Ranger for a long time. the RAZR is a blast and can't be beat if you want to go fast. but since you're carrying a kid around the Ranger would be a good choice.

we have Polaris RAZR and I love it. i have tore the crap out of it but still have had no problems. it just keeps going. and if you want to go fast it can't be beat. but before the RAZR we had a Ranger and it's more of a workhorse and probably safer since you're carrying a kid around. but you can still have a lot of fun in it. Polaris has a pretty good reputation for having tough USA made products.

[badbilly56]

i had the rhino 450,fine machine,hauled a mature cow elk with it last year very impressive.only draw back for me is hunting at 9-12000 ft. EL.robbed to much power from the little 421cc motor.so anyway traded for the new efi 700 rhino.well worth the extra $.my opinions on rangers and prowlers"to big" except the rzr but the bed is to small.new kawi teryx,big and no efi.if you wont see high el. get a 450 rhino.goes 35 mph and is good on gas.

[Magnumsrule]

What kind of accesibility does the Rhino have? My grandeparents where thinking of getting one as a better option than a quad. Is it high up? Leg room? Head room? I have never seen one close up before.... Any info would be appreciated.

[tommy]

i have a 08 700fi rhino and a 04 hpx gator . as for as trail riding and mud riding i would go with the rhino. now if you wanna haul some stuff and trailride then get a hpx/xuv gator they are wide but not to wide and they are very stable.i don't know if i could live with myself if i put my grandpa in a rhino and they flipped it. here's my two "man-toys" lol
http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/1130/1005526at7.jpg

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/9809/1005530ga0.jpg

[tommy]

if you want a really good sidexside for granda i would get a john deere xuv it has a smooth ride. true 4 wheel drive like the rhino and it's probably the most dependable utv out there . rhino's have some querks with them and have been know to leave you stuck.the xuv has just about the same ground clearance as the rhino but it can haul 1k in the bed and not even flinch plus it's wider and pretty much impossible to flip. it has a little less hp than the rhino but if you hook them up back to back the xuv will drag that rhino all over the place. so give them xuv's a lookin over

http://www.deere.com/en_US/ProductCa...R_GATORFR.html

[livebythegun]

Kawasaki Mule, first on the market best out there. Much wider stance than any other. Just look at all the recent lawsuits involving the Yamaha.

[tommy]

now the mules are nice and they serve the purpose in what they was built for but they are not a very good sport utvi think the best all around utv would be the xuv from john deere it can haul over 1k in the bed it has a really good suspension and it's made tough the polaris rangers are nice but they just ain't as tough as the gator/mules but the xuv will do more of both than the mule will.the mule doesn't have the nice ground clearance and shock travel like the xuv does.

[livebythegun]

Originally Posted by tommy

now the mules are nice and they serve the purpose in what they was built for but they are not a very good sport utvi think the best all around utv would be the xuv from john deere it can haul over 1k in the bed it has a really good suspension and it's made tough the polaris rangers are nice but they just ain't as tough as the gator/mules but the xuv will do more of both than the mule will.the mule doesn't have the nice ground clearance and shock travel like the xuv does.

I have to disagree with you on this one. I have a 2007 Mule Trans4X4 (4 seater) and it will haul 4 people anywhere. I promise you it has as much clearence as any of them if not more.

[tommy]

the mule won't make it through 3 feet of gumbo mud i garantee you it won't . it doesn't have the ground clearance . it might have the ump to haul people and in a little mud it will do ok but not in the real muddy locations. my hpx does ok but it has it's limites as to what it can go through . can you post pictures of the mule in 3 feet of mud and water? what is the ground clearnce on the mule note the mule only has 7" of clearance my rhino has 12+ inches of clearance. as for as power goes i have the same engine the mule does in my hpx . it's a good engine but ground clearnce is what kills it.


TRANS4x4. When you need a large cargo area, the 3010 can function as a two-passenger vehicle with a 15.2-cubic-foot bed. If four adults are the cargo, fold the front of the bed and flip the rear seat up. Dependable power comes from a Kawasaki liquid-cooled four stroke V-twin.

MSRP: $9,599
Engine: 617cc liquid cooled V-twin
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Drive Wheels: 2WD, 4WD, w/low range
Front Suspension: Independent MacPherson strut
Rear Suspension: Semi-independent DeDion axle
Wheelbase: 85.2 in
Curb Weight: 1,472 lb
Ground Clearance: 7.0 in
Fuel Capacity: 6.4 gal
Bed Capacity: 800 lb
Tow Capacity: 1,200 lb

Originally Posted by livebythegun

I have to disagree with you on this one. I have a 2007 Mule Trans4X4 and it will haul 4 people anywhere. I promise you it has as much clearence as any of them if not more.

[tommy]

The big news at your Yamaha dealer (www.Yamaha-Motor.com; 800-962-7926) this year is the addition of fuel injection and more displacement to the Rhino. The new Rhino 700 FI is powered by a 686cc liquid-cooled, 4-valve, four-stroke engine, with a larger bore and slightly higher compression than the 660cc engine used previously. Yamaha’s new fuel injection delivers peak performance, quicker throttle response and easier cold starts. Other changes for 2008 include hard molded half doors, improved four-wheel disc brakes and a new sport steering wheel.

MSRP: $10,499
Engine: 686cc Yamaha liquid-cooled, 4-stroke
Transmission: Yamaha Ultramatic
Drive Wheels: 2WD, 4WD, locked 4WD
Front Suspension: Independent, double wishbone
Rear Suspension: Independent, double wishbone
Wheelbase: 75.2 in
Curb Weight: NA
Ground Clearance: 12.1 in
Fuel Capacity: 7.9 gal
Bed Capacity: 400 lb
Tow Capacity: 1,212 lb

Originally Posted by livebythegun

I have to disagree with you on this one. I have a 2007 Mule Trans4X4 (4 seater) and it will haul 4 people anywhere. I promise you it has as much clearence as any of them if not more.

[livebythegun]

I want to see pics of that Rhino in three feet of water and mud.

[tommy]

i'll try and get you some this weekend if not i might go today and get you some. i put it in mud and water up to the seats and thats right at 3 feet. you can also go to youtube and look it up to there are plenty of them on there in deep mud. i tried to find some with the mules in deep mud and water but i couldn't ??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MD-o...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH0qV...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAxFZ...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A0Ao...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWPqJ...eature=related

[livebythegun]

I'm not trying to fight with you fella. If you like your Rhino that's all that matters. I have owned a Mule since the very first one came out in 1988. I sold that one to buy the Trans4X4 last year it was still running great when I sold it.

[tommy]

no fussin here i like the mules too but they are two diferent clases here . the mule is in the alot of work and some play class like my hpx is and the rhino is in the all play class. i could put my rhino on the bed of my hpx and carry it all over the place plus if i hook them up and have a pull off the hpx would drag the rhino all over . now if i tried to put my hpx on the bed of my rhino it would break the rhino in half. if you got some muddin pitsures i would like to see them though i'm always interested in what people put their stuff through.i'll try and get some of me in the mud this weekend.

[livebythegun]

Not much mud around here right now. Hot and dry as hell. If I get in some mud sometime I'll put up some pics.

[tommy]

the rain is just starting to let up . we was getting a big downpour every day but now it's down to a shower every otherday. just enough to keep the mud hole wet .lol