[bigrok]

My father in law is giving me money to buy a side by side for his ranch. To make a long story short, he lives in MT, owns a ~600 acre ranch in TX. I am going to be moving to LA in Oct and going to the ranch quite often to hunt/fix it up/play around. He plans on moving to the ranch in the next 1-3 years.

What is the best side by side on the market? Ranger? Mule? Prowler? Commander? I like the look of the Ranger the best. They are the most common from what I've seen driving around.

It will be used just for driving around the ranch hunting and checking on/feeding the sheep some corn.

What are your opinions?

 

[bj.hardy]

the razors are supposed to be amazing,,,

 

[bigrok]

I've heard that too, but it's not practical for our use. For a Ranger, I was looking at the 500.

 

[sledhead443]

the prowlers are top for utilitiy sise by sides

 

[brian126]

I've heard the Kubota ones are good workhorses.

 

[bigrok]

Ranger and Rhino are on top of my list.

 

[quick]

ranger bigger badder better payload just all around an awesome machine thats proven its self time and time again

 

[driftpounder]

The Razor is awesome for more playing around then work, it just isn't that practical for the purpose you need bogrok.

Ranger and Rhino are on top of my list.

I have experience with both the Ranger and the Rhino.

The 500cc Ranger is more then enough engine to get most jobs done, but going up to the 700 is a nice touch if you are looking for a little more power to meet your need for speed. My uncles have the 500 6x6 and 700 4x4 and they can go just about everywhere and can pull almost anything, with in reason. We had shot a bull elk way back in the cougar canyon at home, 1200 lbs animal and the little 500 hauled it out of there no problems reguardless how steep or slippery the terrain. Stock tires are decent for most types of use and for you they should be just fine in TX. The 700 we have used to pull the Airseeder tank out of the quanset without to much complaining form it.

My girlfriends brother in law just bought a brand new Rhino 660, chipped it, pipe, tires and track kit......let me tell you this thing rips!!!!
We use it more as a toy and haven't worked it very hard, but I think it can do everything the Ranger can when done up the same. Bed size is a little smaller looking then the Ranger, but I don't think it actually is.

I personally perfer the way the that the Ranger is set up in the cockpit, but would rather have something a little different for seats. The bench seat is ok and really good if you need to move three people, but I would rather it be something more comfortable like that in the Razor for less passenger situations, not as low down as the Razor, but that style of seat at a medium mount height somewhere between the Ranger (high) and Razor (low).

Headlights on both are very good, and there is room for additional lights if need on the roll cage, which is a little bit *******, but if your out check sheep late the more lights the better.

The Rangers do have a better payload and have been around a lot longer, but the Rhino has proven to be a tough customer.

Either would be a great addition to a stable of toys.

 

[bigrok]

Thanks driftpounder. That's the info I was looking for.

 

[OhioPolarisKid]

Ranger, no question about it. I have friends that have Rhino's, and they have rolled theirs a couple times. They came over one day and i took them for a ride on our 700 EFI Ranger, which lets just say i can drive pretty good. They just about shit their pants cause they thought for sure it would flip. I can kick that thing sideways going through a field and never even feel like its going to tip over.

Plus for work, i pulled a 2 place enclosed sled trailer that we used for our company. It was full of tools, supplies, etc.. It squatted down our pickups pretty good. So one day it had to get moved probably a mile down the road. All the trucks had trailers behind them, and the only thing free was the Ranger. I hopped in, put it in low and went. We had 5 guys sitting on the front to hold it down so i could steer, but it had no problem at all pulling it at 10+ MPH. I was tempted to put it in high but i knew i'd have no way to stop it or steer.

We also use it when we are splitting firewood. We stack the bed up past the roll cage, and then put a 14 ft trailer behind stacked full a wood. It pulls that with no problem.

I would never ever buy anything except a Ranger, i have 0 complaints from ours. It will go anywhere, haul anything, tow anything, rides really nice and just flat out do anything.

 

[bigrok]

I just talked to my dad and he said he was thinking about a side by side also. He would use his for hauling hay bales, feed, fencing, chasing cows, typical ranch work. He was looking at the Mule. He can get a basic Mule for $7300 or $7900 for a little better one (not sure on the model). What are the cons of a Mule? I told him the Rhino and Ranger were at the top of the list. I read off the specs comparing the Mule and Ranger and it doesn't look like much of a comparison. He's going to talk to the Polaris dealer.

 

[ethan.justinger]

i have a 700 ranger xp. the only bad thing is that the clutch doesnt tighten it, just spins and will snap if your going 40ish for awhile

 

[Pharotek]

the thing that is nice about the kubota's is they have hydro hook-ups on some models.

 

[OhioPolarisKid]

I just talked to my dad and he said he was thinking about a side by side also. He would use his for hauling hay bales, feed, fencing, chasing cows, typical ranch work. He was looking at the Mule. He can get a basic Mule for $7300 or $7900 for a little better one (not sure on the model). What are the cons of a Mule? I told him the Rhino and Ranger were at the top of the list. I read off the specs comparing the Mule and Ranger and it doesn't look like much of a comparison. He's going to talk to the Polaris dealer.

Yeah, all the Mules i've seen have a shitty suspension and are slow. But they are a strong, reliable workhorse. We got a Ranger cause it can go work all day without a problem, then we can take it out through the trails and do 50+ down the road. If he isn't concerned about speed or a smooth ride then a Mule would be great.

And Ethan, what do you mean about it snapping? As in snapping a belt? We've cruised around 40 MPH for a while and never had a problem. [dunno]

 

[bigrok]

Yeah i read the Mule has 3" of suspension travel. [thumb] Top speed is 25 MPH. [Disappointed]

 

[mxz440kid]

Yeah i read the Mule has 3" of suspension travel. [thumb] Top speed is 25 MPH. [Disappointed]

not my idea of fun.
but the mules are a workhorse for sure!
the diesel will pull pretty strong

 

[ethan.justinger]

yea my belt snaps...do you have a rzr

 

[OhioPolarisKid]

No, its just a 700 EFI Ranger XP. I want a rzr but i like the bench seat, big bed, and good payload capacity of the XP.

 

[ethan.justinger]

thats what i have...your belt doesnt snap?

 

[tughillboy]

We were going to get a side by side but we ended up getting a geo tracker for about a tenth of the price. Its good for trails because you can go on any roads even if it is no ATVs. Ive ridden in a few rangers that were really nice better than my friends rhino. Around here people put those farming triangles on the back of the side by sides and they say its an agricultural vehicle and the cops cant say anything when they go down the road []