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Posting here because this gets more traffic than the 4x4 forum. I am not an ATV/UTV guy at all. However, I need one for a 2-3 weeks for a hunt in SE Idaho (Soda Springs Area). Can't fine a rental place, so... If you were going to buy one with the intention of selling it after a month, what used brand and "set up" would you consider. I need a good size back deck on it and just a two seater. Thanks, Mike  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | ||
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I bought a used Ranger for 2000 bucks and its been a great machine.4 x 4 with a dump box | |||
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Mike- The larger general rental companies have them for rent. Larger construction jobs have them all the time. Common practice. They even sell them after they pay for themselves so check that out too. The only easy day is yesterday! | |||
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I have a John Deere Gator. Love it. | |||
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Nothing holds its value like a Honda Pioneer. The 700 will do all you want. A 1000 will do all you want and is actually quieter than a 700. The 500 is the ticket if you are planning on running 50" width restricted trails. Short term you could likely buy a used Pioneer and sell it a month later for what you paid for it so long as there is no damage or excessive miles. All We Know Is All We Are | |||
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Polaris Ranger, hard to beat. | |||
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The Hondas are the only one I know of that use gear drive instead of a belt drive. We pulled many Rangers off the mountain with broken belts. I Elk hunted with the ATV's for years and then got a Pioneer 1000 because in our fourth season hunting area it got to -20 degrees regularly and we started hunting in pairs. The tilt bed was also excellent for hauling Elk and Deer. Good Shooting. phurley | |||
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i've had polaris arctic cat kubota, honda and john deere all have good things and bad but my currrnt favorite is a polaris with the power steering until you have the power steering you don't even suspect what you're missing | |||
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Same here. No problems in 4 years. Vote Trump- Putin’s best friend… | |||
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I have 3 Polaris Rangers on my farm, a crew cab 570, a regular size 570, a mid size 500, they are all tough and reliable. We hunt deer, ducks, carry a 40 gallon spray rig for fence lines, haul hundreds of pounds of deer feed, pull dead hogs to the Train Station, etc. It is muddy and wet during hunting season. I wouldn’t own anything else. There are times when power steering would be nice but not really necessary. BTW, you don’t need big engines, waste of money, the 570cc has a ton of power. I don’t know about other states but in Louisiana the Polaris Rangers far outsell their competitors. It is not hard here to find a good used Ranger. BUTCH C'est Tout Bon (It is all good) | |||
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Seems like out West the most common Side x Side is the Polaris Ranger. That is quickly being replaced by the General but the Ranger is still really popular. My fried has the 6 seater 700cc Ranger and is looking to get rid of it because it just doesn't have the HP to move 4 guys with all their gear up steep hills when at elevation. The 1000cc seems to be what is needed there. A good friend of mine has the 4 seat General and had a bull and a cow elk in it along with gear and himself and his father. He said the machine motored back to camp with little effort. Another friend has the Honda Pioneer 1000cc 5 seater. He loves that one. It has plenty of room and lots of power. I'm in the market for a side x side and seriously looking at the Honda and the Polaris General. I currently have two Suzuki King Quads and really like them, however the wife took a little off camber spill(no injuries) on her quad and she no longer wants to ride. She is pushing for the side x side. | |||
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Mike if you have a Polaris you'll look like a local. if you get a john deer make sure you drive through some cow patties, and throw a shovel in the back, so you look like a farmer. for 2 weeks I'd just buy a used one over your way and put it back on the market when you get home. | |||
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I hunted with a guy 3 years ago in Utah and he had a Honda Pioneer 500. It sold itself to me for the following. 1. it is 50" wide, so you can go on any ATV trail. 2. The price point is around 9k w/out accessories. 3. It has a driveshaft opposed to belt. 4. You can load in p/up. 5. it is not a speed machine but a little mule. 6. It has a rack on back that I have put large box with bungee's that I can just set off when I need to haul Elk qtrs to camp. 6. Where I hunted in Utah if you wanted to go up mtn where I got Elk if your machine was wider than 50" inches you are not getting in. I came home and sold my ATV and bought the Pioneer 500. There is one thing you need to be vigilant about and that is keeping air cleaner clean. Zim 2006 Zim 2007 Namibia 2013 Brown Bear Togiak Nat'l Refuge Sep 2010 Argentina 2019 RSA 2023 SCI Life Member USMC | |||
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For your purposes it is 6 half dozen. All will perform what you need one to do. Polaris will be easier to resale. They are also very easy to work on in the field if you do bust a belt, which is operator error on even a decent belt Perry | |||
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My only comment on this is...I’ll buy one when they become all electric ...as I hate noise in the woods period Got me Ebike and it’s been life changing experience " Until the day breaks and the nights shadows flee away " Big ivory for my pillow and 2.5% of Neanderthal DNA flowing thru my veins. When I'm ready to go, pack a bag of gunpowder up my ass and strike a fire to my pecker, until I squeal like a boar. Yours truly , Milan The Boarkiller - World according to Milan PS I have big boar on my floor...but it ain't dead, just scared to move... Man should be happy and in good humor until the day he dies... Only fools hope to live forever “ Hávamál” | |||
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Milan: I’ve looked at an ebike as well. Too much noise from my side by side (I still do like my side by side) | |||
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My short term requirement relates to the challenges associated with the potential of a dead moose. Mike What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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I had a Polaris Ranger....it was a real piece of junk. OK for putting around but if you used it hard it started to fall apart immediately. Sold it and bought a Textron Stampede 900. It has been great so far. Heavier built than the others I looked at and has a very convenient extended cab area behind the seats. Milan....electric? I love the silence as well but when you live in the boonies and then use the utv to go way out, they are just going to get you in trouble. Range on the batteries is not practical unless you are just putzing around in the back 40 and can tow it back if you get into heavy 4 wheeling and the batteries crap out a lot sooner than you expected. Things will have to improve by light years with the electric utv's before I would contemplate one. In the mean time the gas ones will haul a pile of weight for their size and get a whole moose or elk out in one go. ______________________________________________ The power of accurate observation is frequently called cynicism by those who are bereft of that gift. | |||
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Agreed, I’d like one but the noise just turns me off Them Ebikes are awesome I have Rogue, those guys are in Belgrade/Bozeman MT " Until the day breaks and the nights shadows flee away " Big ivory for my pillow and 2.5% of Neanderthal DNA flowing thru my veins. When I'm ready to go, pack a bag of gunpowder up my ass and strike a fire to my pecker, until I squeal like a boar. Yours truly , Milan The Boarkiller - World according to Milan PS I have big boar on my floor...but it ain't dead, just scared to move... Man should be happy and in good humor until the day he dies... Only fools hope to live forever “ Hávamál” | |||
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I’d say ebike will not help in that department Mike " Until the day breaks and the nights shadows flee away " Big ivory for my pillow and 2.5% of Neanderthal DNA flowing thru my veins. When I'm ready to go, pack a bag of gunpowder up my ass and strike a fire to my pecker, until I squeal like a boar. Yours truly , Milan The Boarkiller - World according to Milan PS I have big boar on my floor...but it ain't dead, just scared to move... Man should be happy and in good humor until the day he dies... Only fools hope to live forever “ Hávamál” | |||
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Did you check Intermountain power sports rental? There is one in Nampa. And when you get that moose back to Boise and need a hand hauling meat, let me know. I’m local now, and will work for meat! | |||
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Mike, as you know I’m using my Kawasaki Mule pretty regularly in the fall, and I don’t have a trailer, or I’d work you a deal to use mine. It’s more machine than you’d need, but I and the other guys in the duck club all think the Kawasaki’s are better than most other UTVs. It certainly has all the power you’d ever need. If I was looking for one to use short term like you are, I’d check with Grizzly Power Sports and see what they have that’s a used machine. They’ve treated me real well. | |||
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Found a friend who is going to loan me one for about 5 days. Dan - thanks, I'll reach out in the next few days on a related issue. Baxter B - you in the Boise Area now? Mike What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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I see only one mention of the Kawasaki Mule. It was the original, and early versions had their weaknesses. I have a 2009 Mule 4010. This is the two-seat version with 4WD and electric power steering. It has given outstanding service in places as varied as the South Texas brush country to the Colorado Rockies. 1. I don't want a machine that is wider. If it had only been a few inches wider we would not have been able to retrieve a bull elk (whole) from a ravine. It would also require a trailer wider than the 5' wide model which I transport it on. The five foot wide trailer's wheel track is the same as my pickup, making it trail better, especially off-road, and easier to maneuver in traffic. 2. The rear seat folds to make an extended bed. With the help of an electric winch mounted to the roll bar, it easily winches a whole elk up and into the bed (which also tilts to make things even easier.) 3. Its maximum speed is governed to 22 mph, which is slow on improved roads, but is about twice as fast as you'll ever use it off-road. It has plenty of low-end power, but 'tain't no hotrod. If you have youngsters with access to it this is a very good thing. 4. It now has 1200 hours on it and has never used a drop of oil. Maintenance is simple. 5. Not that I need to replace it yet, but in looking around for "when the time comes" I can't find any other machine which I'd swap it for. | |||
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Interesting observations you make. When I was shopping for a side by side to use duck hunting in Idaho, I looked aT Honda, Polaris, John Deere, Kubota and Kawasaki. The guys who run our duck club thought the Kawasaki was the best current machine and that’s what I ended up getting. I customized it with a 2-inch lift, spacers to widen the track, bigger tires and wheels. My goal was more ground clearance as it’s often running in flooded fields, but I gave up some side hill stability in exchange. So far, it’s been a great machine with no problems. Plenty of power to haul 3 hunters, my big yellow lab, all our gear, decoys, ducks, etc. and it Goes great through mud, ice, snow and water 2 feet deep. Mike DeTorre has ridden it in several times on duck hunts with me and I think he’d agree it’s a good machine for what I use it for. Glad I got a Kawasaki. | |||
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Not saying this is a solution here, but a guide friend swears by an Argo over his ATVs and larger UTV/mule type vehicles. Carries it when needed on a metal rack with ramps on the back of his full size pickup. He uses it in SE Montana for deer/antelope and in Saskatchewan for bear. . "Listen more than you speak, and you will hear more stupid things than you say." | |||
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I have asked many ATV/UTV users what is the best one. Most of the answers were the one they owned at the time. Unless they were having trouble with it. Then another brand was best. | |||
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I agree. When I was in the market quite a few years ago after a lot of questions to dealers, etc. I had a rep tell me that they are all good or they wouldn't stay in business. Just like with anything there some trade offs you have to consider. The only thing that really stuck with me through all of that was a Rep told me that if I was going to get on one (ATV) and go a very long distance, it would be a Honda for reliability. He was not a Honda dealer and I didn't buy one. Zim 2006 Zim 2007 Namibia 2013 Brown Bear Togiak Nat'l Refuge Sep 2010 Argentina 2019 RSA 2023 SCI Life Member USMC | |||
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That's spelled "Arrgh! Go". Very rough ride and very slow. It is certainly better in a swamp than any ATV or side by side, but except for extreme off-road conditions the Argo is a pain (in the ass, particularly). Guys in the bear camp in Alberta where we hunted referred to being stricken with "Argo butt". | |||
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Get a Roxor. Cheaper and miles above the noisy UTVs in capability | |||
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The Roxor is the Mahindra Thar outside of the US. It is basically a Jeep CJ-7 with a Bosh turbo diesel with independent front suspension. They are amazingly tough vehicles and with the independent front, they are better on trails than the old CJ-7. Once you remove all the exhaust restrictions, the turbo comes alive at low RPM. In Namibia we pay about $6,500 for the Thar. Or about half what they are currently selling for here in the US. Little wonder why Jeep has filed to block their sales in the US. ___________________ Just Remember, We ALL Told You So. | |||
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