New Side-By-Side UTV Thoughts?

[yoderjac]

I like a "toolbox" type storage for the bed, for things bigger than I want to put in the cab and just leave in the Ranger. Gloves, hammer, pruners, zip ties, etc. I can keep things dry in the rain, and locked away from critters.

45L Storage box / Cargo Box (Left Side) for Polaris Ranger

The storage box for Polaris Ranger is an excellent accessory for long rides, weekend trail excursions, and work-related duties on the farm, homestead, or construction site.

www.kemimoto.com

Our Rangers live in a barn with no electricity. I added a rearview mirror with LED light on it. It helps getting in and out when it's dark out. A backup light is handy for the same scenarios.

Speaking of electricity. I also installed leads from the battery so I don't have to pop the seat to connect it to a charger. It really extends battery life if I plug it in when not in use, especially in cold weather.

 

[RGrizzzz]

Speaking of electricity. I also installed leads from the battery so I don't have to pop the seat to connect it to a charger. It really extends battery life if I plug it in when not in use, especially in cold weather.

My Ranger has a trickle charge port in the dash from the factory. I have a solar charger in the barn.
(Although the polarity it backwards, which is finally getting fixed under warranty this week)

 

[yoderjac]

My Ranger has a trickle charge port in the dash from the factory. I have a solar charger in the barn.
(Although the polarity it backwards, which is finally getting fixed under warranty this week)

That is a nice feature!

 

[Mennoniteman]

I ended up with a Honda Pioneer. It has a dump bed. The most useful thing I got was a bed winch. I welded up a bracket and bolted it to the front of the bed behind the seat. I bought an inexpensive winch from Harbor freight and welded up a mounting plate that slides into the bracket. This allows me to remove the winch easily when I'm not using it. I ran power cables with disconnects from the battery to the winch for disconnection.

So, now when I shoot a deer, I take the UTV out and back up to the dead deer. I dump the bed and free-wheel the winch. I wrap the winch cable around the chest of the deer. I then pop the free-wheel back in and use the remote that came with the winch to winch the deer up into the bed. I then put the bed back flat and head back to the barn.

It has been one of my best "back therapy" investments. No more trying to lift deer.

I also added a couple gun rack sections to the roll-bar for transporting firearms. The only other thing I did to it was to make a bracket that holds a large plastic storage box in the bed when it is tilted. That gives me some dry storage for tools and such when working at the farm.

The accessories I purchased included a roof, windshield, and front winch. I wanted the winch for emergency situations. The windshield and roof are nice to keep equipment (and me) dry in wet weather.

I can hardly believe I'm saying this, but I'm joining your Honda club and getting out of the Polaris Ranger business. From the very start with the Ranger I had some niggling little doubts about the durability of the drive train, and in the year and a half that I've had it those doubts have been reinforced, and I decided that I'm going to unload it while I can still get a good price for it, so I sold it yesterday, and didn't take too bad of a beating on it because I purchased it at a pretty good deal. So today, one day later, I picked up a 2025 Honda Pioneer 1000-6 that have been pretty rare up to now. I will try to get some pics up.

 

[RGrizzzz]

I can hardly believe I'm saying this, but I'm joining your Honda club and getting out of the Polaris Ranger business. From the very start with the Ranger I had some niggling little doubts about the durability of the drive train, and in the year and a half that I've had it those doubts have been reinforced, and I decided that I'm going to unload it while I can still get a good price for it, so I sold it yesterday, and didn't take too bad of a beating on it because I purchased it at a pretty good deal. So today, one day later, I picked up a 2025 Honda Pioneer 1000-6 that have been pretty rare up to now. I will try to get some pics up.

What was your issue with the drive train?

 

[yoderjac]

I can hardly believe I'm saying this, but I'm joining your Honda club and getting out of the Polaris Ranger business. From the very start with the Ranger I had some niggling little doubts about the durability of the drive train, and in the year and a half that I've had it those doubts have been reinforced, and I decided that I'm going to unload it while I can still get a good price for it, so I sold it yesterday, and didn't take too bad of a beating on it because I purchased it at a pretty good deal. So today, one day later, I picked up a 2025 Honda Pioneer 1000-6 that have been pretty rare up to now. I will try to get some pics up.

Welcome aboard club Honda...

I'm glad I ended up with the Honda (smaller than yours). It was a good fit for me. I looked hard at the electric Ranger with the LI batteries, but just could not stomach the cost and I wanted something a little smaller for maneuverability. I have no complaints about my Honda so far. I don't run it hard. It is a work vehicle and deer retrieval vehicle for me. The combination of the Honda UTV with the e-bike was a good fit for me. I use the e-bike for fast, quiet access to my stand locations. If I harvest a deer, I return for the Honda, change clothes, and head back out to track and retrieve. I've got a dump bed on mine and rigged up a bed winch. I winch deer into the dump bed which is nice on my back.

If you are getting the 1000, it depends on what kind of back you want, seating or dump. The bed winch was the only customization I did besides a couple gun rack.

Best of luck with the new UTV!

 

[buckdeer1]

I googled rebates when I bought mine a couple years ago and got all kinds of discounts,Must haves a roof,front and back winshields

 

[yoderjac]

I googled rebates when I bought mine a couple years ago and got all kinds of discounts,Must haves a roof,front and back winshields

I bought mine at the peak of COVID and paid through the nose with no discounts. They would not even sell it to me if I did not finance. They were very hard to find at the time because of the supply chain issues. I ponied up for a roof, windshield, and winch which were all dealer add-ons. In addition to the custom bed winch I put in for loading deer, I did do one other thing, now that I think about it that I would recommend. I bought a cheap harbor freight charger. I permanently hooked the leads to the battery and the connector sticks out to the right of the passenger seat. I plug it in when I'm not using it on a daily basis. SLA batteries discharge over time, and if they are left at less than about 75% charge for even a few days, it significantly shortens their life span.

 

[Mennoniteman]

What was your issue with the drive train?

A time or two I heard a minor grinding noise in the rear when turning a tight radius in the yard in turf mode, the trans shifter always was kind of a poke and hope affair, and starting off would also sometimes be a bit of a jerk. Nothing major, more of a gut feeling than science, one of those things where it's probably a good unit for the next ten thousand miles, but I was telling myself "I told you so, out of warranty, this will get expensive, that's what happened to the one my friend owned" kind of thing. But then my other friend beats his Ranger constantly with no ill effects.

 

[Mennoniteman]

I had the Honda out cutting some trees off a right-of-way just before dark. The dual clutch gear drive power shift is really nice to get going, shifts as smooth as butter, and no jump or jerk on takeoff, due to having a torque converter and 2 centrifugal wet clutches, once you're moving it zips right through 6 evenly spaced gears, with just barely noticeable shift points, pretty much just like a car or truck.

 

[yoderjac]

That's a nice one! rear seats and a dump bed. Not as maneuverable as my 700 but a lot more capacity!

 

[Mennoniteman]

That's a nice one! rear seats and a dump bed. Not as maneuverable as my 700 but a lot more capacity!

It's 1" wider and the wheelbase is 2" longer than a Ranger which makes for a really smooth ride, the floor and rock clearance underneath is the same height, but the rear dump bed on the Honda is also an inch wider, but 2" lower, which is actually nice, because the Ranger was a bit high for loading gear over the bed side. Honda has bigger shocks in the back than Polaris or Canam, and a bit heavier frame and struts. And you are right, turning radius is a country mile!