What SxS do you have and or recommend and why?

[Single_shot]

I will be in the market for a SxS in the future and was wondering what ya got? Why did you choose it over another, has it done ya well, or do you hate it and why? I will be needing a machine that can haul/pull firewood from the woods and and be easy for the wife to run as well. No electric machines, gas only. Shaft drive would be nice and also EFI...no carb. Should I buy new or used and why? If used, how many hours should I limit my search to on a unit?

Regards,Jody

[Geno C]

i always hear yamaha makes a good one...

[Tikka T3]

I have a carberator Cub Cadet. Plow with a lift (not winch) full enclosed cab with the sports camo package, light bar and kolpin gun case. I bought the rear seat for the back from Cabelas comes with seat belts. I had a Polaris Sportsman 500 and went with the s x s. I tried them all but went with the Cub. Top speed is 21 mph where the others are 50+ mph. I carry insurance on it and under NYS VTL you cannot register it like an ATV. I have the triangle on the rear and been stopped several times and checked for insurance no tickets yet for being unregistered. I bought the slow model thinking if they pass the law to register maybe they will be by speed. but who knows.

 

[NYBowhunter]

I will be in the market for a SxS in the future and was wondering what ya got? Why did you choose it over another, has it done ya well, or do you hate it and why? I will be needing a machine that can haul/pull firewood from the woods and and be easy for the wife to run as well. No electric machines, gas only. Shaft drive would be nice and also EFI...no carb. Should I buy new or used and why? If used, how many hours should I limit my search to on a unit?

Regards,Jody

The SxS are very nice ( I dont own one), however if you dont have one already I think a tractor atleast in my opinion is a much better investment. Those SxS are not cheap,  a nice tractor can be had at a comparable cost to a SxS. The only thing you are limited with on a tractor is speed and its a single passenger, outside of that a tractor is much more versatile. Unless you already have a tractor, then its a no brainer. For me I'd rather have an ATV, they are much more manuverable in the woods and take up less space. My nieghbor has a SxS and they are not small, they would be tuff to get in some of the spots I go to.

[coyoteman]

I have a 2009 Polaris Ranger 700xp. They are great for work and play. I use mine for the same things you mentioned. They have the largest payload capacity of the SxS from the major brands. The new ones are EFI and run really good without any major problems. I use mine at for hauling wood and sometimes rcoks the bed is real handy.

[agross]

x2 on the cub cadet

[t_barb]

kubota... great diesel engine, hydraulic tilt bed... I have had one for 4 years and wwould never think about buying anything else.. I know others that have them and feel the same way..

[Doc]

I will be in the market for a SxS in the future and was wondering what ya got? Why did you choose it over another, has it done ya well, or do you hate it and why? I will be needing a machine that can haul/pull firewood from the woods and and be easy for the wife to run as well. No electric machines, gas only. Shaft drive would be nice and also EFI...no carb. Should I buy new or used and why? If used, how many hours should I limit my search to on a unit?

Regards,Jody

What kind of terrain do you have? I don't know whether my concern is valid or not, but I have one steep, ugly hill that I have to climb to access the back of my property. And I have always wondered if the side-by-sides aren't so big and bulky that I will lose the ability to apply a bit of body english to shift weight and C.G. and such. Maybe it's nothing I don't know, but on my ATV I do feel the need to lean into the hill a bit when going up or across. That's why I am asking about the terrain. It might be something you should be thinking about or maybe those side-by-sides are heavy enough to hold their ground. i was looking at a Kawasaki Mule and the first thing that came to mind was that there is no way that I could ever influence something that huge.

[burmjohn]

I think the wider wheel base takes care of the instability you might feel on an ATV, however with that said I don't think a UTV could handle some stuff an ATV can do.

[Single_shot]

What kind of terrain do you have? I don't know whether my concern is valid or not, but I have one steep, ugly hill that I have to climb to access the back of my property. And I have always wondered if the side-by-sides aren't so big and bulky that I will lose the ability to apply a bit of body english to shift weight and C.G. and such. Maybe it's nothing I don't know, but on my ATV I do feel the need to lean into the hill a bit when going up or across. That's why I am asking about the terrain. It might be something you should be thinking about or maybe those side-by-sides are heavy enough to hold their ground. i was looking at a Kawasaki Mule and the first thing that came to mind was that there is no way that I could ever influence something that huge.

I don't have any "bad" terrain and any machine should do ok. I would be concerned with a tractor on some parts of it,but a UTV would be perfect as there are already a couple trails started.I'm gonna play around with the idea till spring/summer of next year. Really torn between UTV or tractor. We may go with both......used ofcourse. A new Polaris Ranger after I did the build it online cost upwards of $14K.........that's just too much IMO. I would settle for a used trade-in, in decent cond.(maybe $4K) [a neighbor where I live just grabbed a nice Ranger for that] and still be able to pick a nice used tractor up to do my plots with.

[cboy18]

I am in the same boat. have a tractor, works great in the fields, but it is too big for much of the property. was thinking of a sxs or a compact utility tractor for woods and fence work. been a pain carrying stands out 1 at a time.sure would be nice to have a sxs with a bed.

[teamcowboyup]

however with that said I don't think a UTV could handle some stuff an ATV can do.

Ive had 2 yamaha grizzly 660's and now i have a Ranger xp 700 and i can tell you that yes its not as fast but it goes a heck of alot more places then any quad. And with the Ranger you can have 1 or 2 or 4 wheels powering you. I use a Kabota Rtv at work and get ready for some whip lash when you get off the go pedal and its speed is about 14mph where the ranger is about 55.

[nyslowhand]

Some ATVs can ride double, passenger & driver. Atleast they were available before the UTV craze.

A decent ATV with a strong ball hitch and an optional, good trailer can do everything a UTV can with out the size limitations.

Somewhat $$, but my Otter trailer can haul 1000+lbs of payload, has a tilt bed, torsional axel and has ATV wheels/tires.

I've abused mine and I've never had a problem with it.

Have hauled gravel, rocks, firewood (4' log & 17" chunks), deer, treestands, fence posts and about anything I've wanted.

Of course a tractor with a 3pt hitch has a lot of benifits with the available attachments.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you get one with 4wd the cost goes up significantly...?

To me, a tractor seems like "over-kill" for hauling things around.

As far as mobility, it's all dependent on the type of tires & the unit's ground clearance.

My ATV has a meager 9" of clearance with mud tires, but I've only had to winch myself out twice.

Worst situations are getting hung-up on a log or crossing a stone fence or bottoming out on snow with unfrozen, wet ground underneath.

[Northerner]

I know this is an older post but thought I would add to the pro's & cons.

I have a 2007 Yamaha Rhino 450 and absolutey love it. I have had a few atv's prior to the Rhino and my last machine was a Honda Foreman with 28" Mudlites, lift kit and a Dyno Jet kit.

The reason I went to a side by side was just having the ability for more cargo space. And since the Honda was straight axle, the wishbone suspension on all four corners was like night and day.

The machine is a good solid performer in the mud and 4x4 is excellent. Although it does not replace an atv in this category. Almost but not when it get's REALLY bad. I find the machine very noisey however and have snorkeled mine to get the engine sound a little quieter. Also the 450 is a tad under powered and if I were to do it again I would opt for the bigger cc's.

That being said I use my machine only for hunting and the 450 can pull a moose out no problem. Low gear with real 4x4 on all wheels is a tank.

The other thing with the box is it is great for deer hunters who are hauling out corn, apples and all your gear. I also have a double Kolpin gunboot on my back rack that I carry when moose hunting for example my rifle and a .410 for partridge. Or a rifle for your passenger of course.

Bear hunting and baiting is easy as you can throw your buckets etc. in the box and you are good to go.

Dragging in stands, setting them up, chainsaws hammers nails, I just grab a blue box and fill it with my portable saw and everything I need to go move or set up a new stand.

Just sooo much easier than trying to balance stuff on the racks of your bike.

I just recently put a lift on my UTV with new tires, jet kit, clutch sheave, and HID lights. Haven't taken it out yet but am looking forward to the upcoming seasons.

Drives like a Cadillac and won't spill your beer!

Here is an older pic before the add on's.

Edited July 23, 2012 by Northerner

[Goose chaser]

My old 1995 suzuki king Quad is headed toward retirement, my 80 year old Dad can't comfortably ride on the back. Its electrical system is giving me fits, so its going to be my wood hauler around the farm. Bought a 2013 John Deere 550. with the discounts John Deere has and the other money off is going to be around 12,000 with the plow , winch. and upgraded bumpers. Haven't heard much about them, mostly going to be used to haul Dad around in deer and turkey season, plow the driveway and shag the goose decoys out to the pit. Hopefully will give the 80 year old some more outdoor memory's. Any thoughts on this rig?

 

[thphm]

I have both an ATV and a compact tractor. The atv I bought to move my old body around and use to tow my 2 wheel trailer that has carried 6 to 8 pieces of 2 foot dia. x 2foot long pieces of oak.and a lot of stone for retaning walls ect.The tractor is used to put the big logs in and out of the trailer , 2' dia. oak is not that light.I have built many retaining walls out of stone on the property, many of the pieces are 3' to 4' oblong shapes by 6"" t0 8" thick ( used for bases ) then smaller 2' x 2" thick for the walls. I have up rooted at least 100 2" to 6" dia. trunked trees in the spring time of the year with it and dug or pulled out root balls on larger trees. And this winter used it many timed to move snow piles around. So if you have a good amount of property they both come in handy.If I were to have a choice between an ATV or UTV I would buy a UTV., too many pluses.

[Curmudgeon]

I have the basic model Cub Cadet. I'm quite pleased with it. The main reason I bought it was they gave me a very good trade on an old farm tractor. The sport machine dealers weren't interested in the tractor. My father uses it to get in and out of the woods during deer season. I use it to carry tools and generally carry a load of wood to the house whenever I am up the hill.

 

A local dealer's delivery guy told me he prefers the Cub Cadet over the Kubota. They sell them both.

[Jaeger]

I had a John Deere Trail Gator on my farm, the one without the roll cage.  It was great as it could sneak under branches like an atv.

 

It was speed limited to about 20-25mph but on rough ground that was all I needed.  I bought that model because it was the first side by side to have an adjustable drivers side bucket seat and I'm short.

 

It hauled 600-800 lbs of lime, fertilizer and seed all over the place and pulled a plotmaster 400 through anything I lowered into.  I loved it, unfortunately I had to leave it behind with the new farm owner.

 

It would go practically anywhere an atv would go, but in more comfort and control.  It was only a few inches wider/narrower that the big atv's and I could show the farm to ANY passenger, even my 80 yr old parents.

 

I could dump anything an put any equipment, tree stands and harvested deer easily in the bed.

 

I guess the most important thing in the end was its great capacity and small size/height made it very useful.

[thphm]

Ok back to Doc.s question , I also have a  steep  old logging trail I use to get to the top of the property , steep enough where I have to lean forward on my ATV to make it up the hill to the top. Not a power. issue , a matter of flipping over backwards.and that is in Low gear.I am guessing that the UTV's have a slightly longer wheelbase ?. If so would that help on the steep hills ?.

[dbHunterNY]

some get away with a lot but treat a UTV like you would an ATV.  if a hill is to the limits of your ATV then don't think it's cake with a UTV.  many get messed up bouncing or get sideways sliding or rolling back down the hill and then roll it.  if you're doing any recreational riding then the my sport based ones are the way to go.  sounds like simply work horse related.  momentum and subtle actions are your friend when dealing with hills.

[bristolhillsoutfitters]

I will be in the market for a SxS in the future and was wondering what ya got? Why did you choose it over another, has it done ya well, or do you hate it and why? I will be needing a machine that can haul/pull firewood from the woods and and be easy for the wife to run as well. No electric machines, gas only. Shaft drive would be nice and also EFI...no carb. Should I buy new or used and why? If used, how many hours should I limit my search to on a unit?

Regards,Jody

I have a polaris SxS 6 wheel it goes through anything. . swamp trails.. Long steep hills ... It has 600 hours on it and I have replaced the belts a couple of times and all the steering pieces once... Drive joints are original and brakes are original.. Polaris should film us using it... We really put it through a lot over the years.. I did rip the plastic skid plate when I first got it and a the local metal shop make me a replacement... Oh it was new in 2001.. And going strong...

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