IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
IceShanty Main => General Ice Fishing Chit Chat => Topic started by: spikes on Sep 25, 2021, 08:15 PM
-
Looking to upgrade to UTV. Looking to see what machines have worked best for others.
-
I just got my first SxS this past spring. Bought it for working around the cabin, plowing snow and ice fishing. Can-Am Defender Pro. ;D
(https://i.postimg.cc/phZwL7FZ/PSX-20210925-192014.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/phZwL7FZ)
-
John Deere is the most popular around here due to farm use, dealerships, and service shops. There are a lot of John Deere dealerships around. Polaris, Honda, and others not so much.
I’m not sure what it’s like in your area….but I would suggest not getting caught up so much in the brand….I would be more concerned about having a good quality dealership that does good work at a fair price & having multiple dealerships available in case one gives bad service is handy.
-
Honda products for me. I like a machine with a real transmission vs. belt drive. I like shifting gears and controlling the engine rpms. Also reliability of a tranny and not relying on a belt. Honda is the only brand with a transmission. All others are belt drive.
I will admit, I have ridden in a buddies Polaris Ranger, and the ride was more plush than my Honda. Another buddy has a Yamaha, and the ride on that is similar to my Honda.
Just my 2¢.
(https://i.postimg.cc/nsXLtmgD/IMG-20210523-145300875-2.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/nsXLtmgD)
-
Yamaha has a five speed sequential shift manual tyranny in one of their utv models that doesn't use a belt. It would probably be too much of a hot rod for ice fishing though.
I have a Yamaha Viking 700 and may be trading for a new Yamaha Wolverine 850 X4 when the 2022s are available. The Wolverine has a ten year warranty on the belt which I think says a lot.
-
Honda pioneer 700 or 1000. Built like a tank. No belt to worry about when the snow slush gets deep.
-
My side X side is a full size Ranger, a full cab, hard doors and a real glass windshield, it rides good. Since there has been no ATV/UTV dealers within 100 miles of me and a Can-Am dealer just came to the area this spring, I will probably be thinking of one of them the next time since they are close. Personally I don't want to have to deal with shifting, much more convenient not too. I have had 4-wheelers and 6-wheelers over the years and have never had any belt problems, even on the 6-wheelers we worked hard in the mud in our field drainage business, maybe I have been lucky, but the times I have been in deep slush with the Ranger, the belt was not an issue (it is lifted an extra 3'" for rock/stump clearance), snowmobiles and belts are an entirely different issue.
Not knowing how you will use the UTV, there are a few things you might consider. If you are getting a full cab, windshield wipers are a must, electric windows are really nice, a heater is a plus, if you get in bad stuff a rear winch can be useful, do not consider anything other than rope winches.
I think the name brands will all be good, but would stay away from the Chinese ones, I would say that the Kawasaki Mule is the worst riding UTV I have ever been in, would never consider one simply because of that.
-
Honda pioneer 700 or 1000. Built like a tank. No belt to worry about when the snow slush gets deep.
Before I bought my Can-Am I tried to buy a loaded Honda 1000 and it seemed the dealer wasn't interested in selling me one.
The closest Honda UTV dealer is 1,000 miles South of me as well. I actually went into the dealer to work a deal and purchase but the sales goy never got back to me and didn't return my messages so I walked into my local Can-Am dealer and bought the one I have.
Full cab, power windows, heat/AC, heated seats etc.
-
Anything you can fully enclose and make almost airtight. I’m a Honda fan boy but from what I’ve seen they don’t have a cab you can seal up tight. Again I haven’t seen a Honda cab up close. A ranger would be my first choice since Polaris is the king of accessories, can am would be right behind them.