Anyone using ATV or side by side

Good ideas and comments here. I have been to the major dealers and have tested and reviewed side by sides with owners. The comments have been interesting. The Honda dealer says the Big Red is not selling well anywhere except the coal country and look for rebates. Too big and bulky with lots of plastic seem to be the majority of the comments. The Yamaha guy has a manufacturers recall letter to suspend sales of the Rhino until dealers are provided with rear wheel extensions to help alleviate turn overs. This recall makes the 2nd safety recall on the Rhino with 2 issues on each recall. Rebates should follow when dealer machines are updated to get buyers back. The Polaris dealer told me they have had transmission issues and to buy a Kawasaki Mule. I am visiting the Kawasaki dealer today.
 
My ranger has 200 hrs on it now and have had 0 problems. I can testify on polaris products in that I ride a 500 HO ATV everyday on the farm during growing season. Last year I rode one 6000 miles between Jan 1 and Aug 12 before trading it for another. I change the oil every 500 miles and run a K&N filter..
 
We had transmission problems with our Polaris Ranger, but the factory service was great, and they took care of it.

As I said earlier it is a great bike. However it just is not as tough and durable as my Kawasaki Mule. And as I stated earlier I detest all the plastic on the Polaris. Especially the plastic floor. It is just too weak. The Kawasaki floor is steel. Big difference.

However I will admit that I had a front drive shaft go bad on the Mule after a few months. But just like Polaris their service was great--and they fixed it immediately. Tom.
 
Well - I rode a Mule today and within five minutes it coughed out a lot of smoke and died right there on the dealer lot... So, I helped the salesman push it out of the way and we got another 4010 Mule from the storage lot. This one took about the same amount of time to cough out smoke and die. Well, the salesman was speechless and I didnt know what to say. We got one of the mechanics from the shop who checked everything, got it started and got the same smoke screen we had the first time. The mechanic's answer is that the machine is new and has not been run other than being moved around on the lot, some engine oil seeped past the rings and mixed with the gas which caused lack of power, smoke and fouled plug. Make sense to anyone? Any Mule owners out there that can relate to this experience?
 
Can't imagine not having one now! 08 rhino 700efi, wish it was a little faster, only goes 42mph (not to bad). Great for covering ground/trails/two-trax and works great for chores too......

*(minus the half doors,warning labels & wheel spacers)

. Money hungry lawyers representing people that don't accept responsibility for they're negligence (the way of today's progressive society!).



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Guys, for what it's worth - I was at my local tractor dealer today checking out some equipment and he mentioned that next year Bobcat and Polaris are either teaming up or maybe it was that Bobcat was buying Polaris...something like that. Anyway, supposedly there will be many new options/features on the new Ranger series coming out in 2010. Here is a news release link: http://www.bobcat.com/publicadmin/viewArticle.html?id=15857
 
I useor have used, on a regular basis, the Mule, Ranger, and RTV.

The RTV is nice, but it is heavy, rides rough, won't go as well as the others, and will only allow 1 passenger even though it has a bench seat.

The mule is a sweet machine but is not as durable as the Ranger. The mule will only go abot 25 mph, bt that is plenty fast most of the time. Since it is all steel, rust is an issue, as well as dents, and they both WILL happen.

The Ranger is a beast! Since it is plastic, limbs and rocks just bounce off. Our RTV is almost new but looks like heck because of dents and scratches just from binding things down in the bed. This was an issue with our Mule too. The Ranger goes faster (50+ mph), rides smoother, goes better, (Rangers will go where others, 'cept maybe the Rhino, won't even think about going) and will haul 2 passengers (3 people in cab. I have had both my kids & m wife w/me before). The Ranger's bed is a bit smaller than the mule or RTV but it hasn't been a problem. We use our Ranger almost every day on the farm and hunting, if I couldn't have it, I would consider the Rhino or mule.
 
Msmith,
I used herculiner inside the bed and it looks great. Just last weekend I was trowing 20 lb rocks intot he bed without any dents. Also the protective skin on the camo does not show any scratches.

After 3 years of daily use the RTV still looks and runs great.
 
Have you looked at the artic cat line? artic cat has seemed to really be comeing up in the ATV world. There built very well and look good.
 
With so many comments in this thread I thought I would give an update. After riding the Rhino, Mule, Artic Cat, Kubota and Polaris - I am leaning towards Polaris. The Ranger 700 is about 1K more than the 500 and I really wonder if it is worth the difference.
 
My father custom made this coyote dog box for a Polaris RZR for a customer. The cables run into the cab to release the hounds on either side!. Back in the 70's/80's dad was a die hard coyote dog hunter; CB's and all; with the rule of "No guns when your using dogs". The dogs did the killing. That box is pretty slick, the customer was grinning from ear to ear when he picked it up...

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va_ken - after driving both the 500 and the 700 I chose the 700. The difference becomes much more apparent when you have it loaded down.
 
I've got a rhino 660. Have had it near 2 years without one single little problem. My buddy has had a ranger for 3 years with a crap load of problems.
 
Tombo and Skeet987, I appreciate the info. The Ranger's are totally different for 2009 and I'm seeing lots of improvements in the new models. There is $200 rebate on the 500 and $400 on the 700 which puts the bottom line closer. Have had some experience with a Rhino 660. Hard starting, loud with air intake between the seats and heat off the motor radiates to the interior passengers. New models are EFI with the intake under the hood - so that makes them somewhat better.
 
I just got back from a memorial day BBQ and my buddy has a brand new Rhino 450. I rammed around with it quite a bit in the yard with the kids for fun. My impression was that it was geared ALOT lower than my 400 Polaris Sportsman, too low IMHO. It was fun to drive but seemed too noisy for the performance that it had. 37 MPH top speed. Ergonomics were good, but the bed was very small. Overall I liked it and it was $2K cheaper than the Polaris Ranger, but I'm stuffing my sock drawer for the Ranger XP.
If money was no object, I'd want the Polaris Razor S for fun...drooooool...
 
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