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Which UTV is best?

Emma

Well-known member
We're giving up on our Gator HPX 4x4; it was a disappointing purchase.

Now we're looking at Kubotas and Polaris Rangers. What do you think of them, is one better than the other?

We have 100 head of cattle and some horses and use the gator for feeding, ground maintenance and employee transport. Pretty tame landscape and only 70 acres to cover.
 

per

Well-known member
We have a couple of Rangers. We use them in a fairly rough manner and they are not maintenance free. Used a little more gently maybe they would last well. Not sure about the other makes though. We were going to try a Kubota but Polaris guy made the better deal.
 

RobinFarmandRanch

Well-known member
i love my kubota. slow as a snail but as powerful as a mule. get the hydraulic dump bed, its a life saver. its goes decent in the mud, only have stuck it once.
 

Ranchman00

New member
We have a ranger and a rhino. the rhino is a better machine. Neither one is as good as a atv, Just depends what your using it for>
 

Liveoak

Well-known member
Had the 08 Polaris Ranger - bought new. Rear differential went out and they refused to replace it. Cost me $700. Won't buy another one.

Kawasaki and Honda make very reliable UTV's but Arctic Cat has been getting a lot of good notice the last couple of years.
 

TexasBred

Well-known member
We use the Kawasaki Mule....looked at Gators but they cost considerably more and at the time had a Kawasaki motor so just went with the Mule. About 4 years old and works well for me.
 

Soapweed

Well-known member
We have two Polaris Rangers and really like them. The bench seat which holds three people comfortably is nice, and the smooth ride is quite enjoyable. I often haul twenty 50-pound sacks of salt and mineral, which totals up to 1000 pounds (half a ton). The outfit handles the weight well and still rides very smooth. I like the fact that the seat goes right to the edge of the vehicle, which allows easy fence post checking and staple pounding. The extra speed is often desirable, also. They are good outfits, and I would give them a "thumbs up." :)
 

Rancher3!

Well-known member
I agree with Soapweed the extra speed is nice if have ground to cover. Also have one of those Japanese mini trucks which is great in the winter with the heater and radio.
 

marksmu

Active member
I am also curious what went wrong with your Gator? I have an 08 Diesel XUV gator 4x4 and its been great. I have put about 400 hours on it, and it has not missed a beat. I run it through high water constantly (which does slip the belt) but its still been good.

The only thing that has gone wrong with it has been the brakes needed to be replaced once already. When I first got it, I always forgot to take the parking brake off, and I burned the brakes up in about 50 hours.

The Kubota's are real nice, but they are also real heavy - so if mud is an issue, I would be careful with them. Also with the price of the Kubota ones with cabs, you could just get a jeep and remove the back seat. Then you could drive it on the roads too.

A used jeep would run about $7500 pull the back seat and add a spray in liner and your good to go for $10,000 less than the Kubota.
 

jeff in ca

Well-known member
I bought a Bushhog last summer. I really like it. It is no speedster, but get me anywhere I need to go. I also like the fact that most parts are available at NAPA auto parts. I am putting a radio on mine as I use it more than my pickup.
 

cowhunter

Well-known member
There fairy cheap I think we give 6500.00 for ours. Its 4 wheel drive and has a high and low range. It will do 28 mph and gets good gas mileage. Its got a dump bed to. Ours has sure caught hell. We got a dogbox on it and with 6 dogs and3 people, its maxed out. Then with a big hog tied and ridein on top, its way overloaded. Its held up well and will go in a bad muddy place.
 

RSL

Well-known member
We are seriously looking at a Japanese mini-truck Heat, air, 4x4, road legal, hydraulic dump, 1/3 the price of a ranger or similar in this part of the world, and 50+mpg. Also has 800+ pound payload and can tow quite a bit.
 

HAY MAKER

Well-known member
Emma said:
We're giving up on our Gator HPX 4x4; it was a disappointing purchase.

Now we're looking at Kubotas and Polaris Rangers. What do you think of them, is one better than the other?

We have 100 head of cattle and some horses and use the gator for feeding, ground maintenance and employee transport. Pretty tame landscape and only 70 acres to cover.

Why aint you lookin at the "Mules" pretty good lil machines.
IMG_1687.jpg

good luck
 

flyingS

Well-known member
I have a Bobcat 2200 diesel. I wouldn't have one if it was given to me. First off they are terrible slow. Secondly they have no ground clearance. The Hydraulic dump bed tips up if you do not have the weight forward in the box. They do not have much power. On the top side they are really efficient. They are pretty similar to the Kubota's. The clutch packs do not hold up. The ranch has 4 bobcats and has replaced the clutches in every one of them before they had 300 hrs on them.
 
Owned a 2007 Polaras. Was always in the shop. Will never get another. traded it for a JD 850D. 1/2 the speed but twice the machine. Workes better in my operation. I like the fact that I can fallow cows at a resonable pace and not drive them on the run. I use mine every day and can go a full week on a tank of fuel.
 
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