The Outdoors

By Scott Rall, Outdoors Columnist

I took a trip down to Omaha this past weekend to meet some friends and it only took about 30 minutes to the south of town on that trip to be almost completely snow-less. I still have a drift in my front yard that is over 6 feet tall and that wasn’t stacked there by a tractor or snow blower. My tender little fruitless flowering crab apple tree has been diagnosed by my tree guy as dead on arrival when spring comes. There is not 3 square inches of bark left on the entire tree that the rabbits didn’t eat.

Winter still has a pretty good grip in southwest Minnesota but I am told by those in the know that spring will show up sooner or later. When the weather does finally change all kinds of fun activities will be made available to those who choose to suffer in a northernly climate.

One of those pastimes will be the start of the side-by-side UTV rides I love so much. My brother decided he was in the market for a used UTV and he has no experience at all in this marketplace.  He reached out to me and was asking for suggestions. Of course as his little brother I had all kinds of ideas for him to consider.

I think that overall, the recreational vehicle market has changed a ton over the past 10 years. The Polaris Ranger is certainly the dominant provider of these vehicles in our area. I think this has mostly to do with the fact that there are more dealers of Polaris around then other manufactures. I have owned two ATVs and six side-by-sides or UTVs as they are referred too. Years ago I was of the mind set that it had to be a Polaris or it was going to be nothing at all.  This is no longer the case.  There are several other companies in this market now and they are all fine machines.

You would do fine with either a Polaris, Can-Am, Kawasaki, Honda or a John Deere Gator. Each has its benefits over the competitors. The first thing I would look for is local service. There is no Polaris dealer in my town so I have to drive 30 miles in about three different directions in order to get it serviced. If you can do the service yourself this is less of an issue but I am not that guy. Sure I can change the oil and other little stuff but for the bigger things it is a trailer it to the dealer and drop it off and then go back to work and repeat this process to pick it up when it is finished. Local service is pretty important to me and will bear heavily on my next trade.

What follows is a hash over of what I think are each of their strong points. I will start with what I am most familiar with. Polaris has the most dealers and by a huge margin has the largest variety of accessories. There is not much you could want for a Ranger you cannot get. I bought a rugged box cargo rack and when my friends with other makes wanted them they were not available for their makes and models.

Can-Ams are great machines but they are a little more expensive than some other competitors. Kawasaki Mules are also great machines but they are in my opinion louder then others and talking to my riding companion rolling down the road at 25 mph is still desirable. Accessories for these models can also a little lacking especially in the aftermarket segment.

Honda Pioneers are tough and come with a fully automatic transmission just like your car or truck. They upshift and downshift all on their own and this is very nice. My friend has a 2020 model and he has to let it warm up for 10 minutes before he drives it when the temperatures get below 20 degrees. This is kind of a hassle. They are also louder than other makes. They are a very solid rig though but are on the higher end price wise comparably equipped.

The list can go on and on but in the end things like tight turning radius, ground clearance, comfort of the ride, how loud they are when driving, available accessories and where you can get it serviced will play in the decision. The one thing I don’t really care all that much about is how big the engine is. My first rig had a 700cc machine. I have had three 800s and the one I have now is a 900 because the 800 was no longer available. They sell only 1000cc engines in this model today. I seed native grass, do prescribed burning, ride in the hills of South Dakota. I do all kinds of habitat work and I have always had enough power no matter which one I was driving.

Available units in stock are still very low so the selling prices don’t include many, if any, good priced deals. The bright side is the used ones are selling for a premium as well. The one my brother bought was a 2009 Polaris Ranger 800cc.  This rig used with 4,000 miles on it was only $3,000 less then my new 2019 was when I purchased it.

My life would not be complete without a UTV in it. They are hard working and are certainly the best wildlife ride vehicle out there. What ever you decide to do it will be a lot more fun than sitting on the couch.

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If you have any questions, reach out to me at scottarall@gmail.com.