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Can someone educate me about a side by side?

SteveSS

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At 91 Mom still putters around the ranch. We don't need something for going on trails but something for light snow and fair inclines is needed. Also, doors so the interior can be heated in the winter. No heavy clutch pedals. She's been using her Husky lawn tractor but I want something better. Cost is not a big problem but I know these things can go nuts price-wise and we don't need something crazy. If you can just point us in the right direction. We've got a little Kubota for the heavier stuff.
 
polaris ranger , northstar if you want heat and air conditioning
 
We have two Polaris Ranger 500’s, and absolutely adore them. They are powerful enough, fast enough, and are mid sized. Converted wife from a couch potato to a back woods explorer and adventurer. I have enough money to buy what I want and these are what we want. My friends have bigger, faster units and we keep up just fine.
No cabs on ours and once you start buying cabs the price goes up quickly for quality.
 
Kawasaki or Honda. Polaris will stay in the shop. Can Am is top of the line too
 
I've got a Can Am Commander, way to much for a 91 year old (it does 70mph) but can say it's been a tough machine! For what you're looking for there's plenty of options, Kubota, John Deer, Polaris, Kawasaki, Honda, the list goes on. Being 91 I'd likely steer away from the John Deer and Kubota and put a lot of focus on getting one with great suspension that won't beat her up that sits low enough that getting in and out isn't a struggle.
 
Cub cadet makes a few models. Reasonably priced and good quality.
 
Kawasaki or Honda. Polaris will stay in the shop. Can Am is top of the line too
The Can Am is very problematic. I did a lot of reading and that's why I went with the Polaris Northstar.
 
I live in the North and we get a fair amount of snow, I have an old 85 Ramcharger with a Meyers plow system and it's a beast! But I have a friend who decided to get a side x side, Polaris I think, with a little box on the back and a snow blade for clearing his yard. He says it's only good for maybe 3" of snow, and less if it's wet snow, and he's stripped a plastic gear in the transmission 3-4 times just last winter because it can't handle the weight and strain of pushing the snow.
 
I sold Kawi, Polaris, Honda, Suzuki, and Roxor for a couple years. Any of them can have a cab added. Polaris - at least when I last worked in the industry - was the only one who offered FACTORY heat and a/c instead of aftermarket foot-warmers and stuff. As noted above, the Ranger Northstar is the cabbed, heated-a/c'd version of the Ranger 1000.

It is F-A-S-T. Like capitol-F, HOLY F! fast. Not quite RS1 stupid-psycho-fast...but it'll definitely get your attention!

All of 'em are automatics, so no clutch. Many have EPS (Electronic Power Steering). Northstar also has tunes, cameras, can get GPS, touchscreen...and they are solid. What typically would cause problems was, plain and simple, owner abuse (if you're going slow, use LOW range; only use high range if you have to get there like yesterday) or lack of maintenance. I give Polaris the nod for the BEST power steering in the industry though - they have a built-in damping system that eliminates steering kick-back when you're crawling or hopping rocks. Go to a Polaris dealer (preferably one who sells other brands as well) and hop on one of their ATVs with EPS. Turn it on. Don't start it, just turn on the key so everything boots up. Have a buddy kick the side of a front wheel as hard as they can - the bars will barely twitch. Do the same on a Honda, Kawi, or any other brand - they'll wrench the bars out of your hands. Same thing on the side-by-sides - that damper setup is THE BEST, especially after a day on the trails. The others will wear you the hell out; Polaris, it'll feel like you drove on the highway all day. Seriously.

All brands use a CVT trans...except Honda, who uses a geared trans in their Pioneers. But, the Pioneers ride like **** on the trail. And they're loud. Personally...I don't like 'em, but to each his own.

Roxor, on the other hand....THOSE are COOL.

ROXOR-all-weather-model.jpg


They basically copied an old CJ-3 body, with CJ-5 suspension setup...and a DIESEL turbo 4. Steel body. Solid axles. Nice deep gears. Factory heat available. And, there are many places who are converting them to street-legal status (first thing is an ECM flash to pull the 27mph limiter off - they're good for 55-65mph with just that done). And the direct-inject diesel is rock-solid - Mahindra makes some of the best tractors and implements out there, and this is one of their products. They're just....cool. But, they're full-size, not "side-by-side" sized, so you'll need a bigger trail.

https://roxoroffroad.com/

Regardless, I wouldn't get anything without EPS (smaller units like 450s and 500s - and the Honda 700s - are manual steer units). And, HAVE HER DRIVE IT FIRST. Seat time is important, it'll tell a million times more than a spec sheet will.
 
I have a 900 Ranger. I have had it for 6 years. Since day one it has had quite a bit of drive line noise. I don’t have heat or doors. I would vote for power steering.
 
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