Go to dealers and ride some.

For me with a bad back ride was very important. I used a Kawasaki mule for years doing soil samples, picking up rocks and all sorts of field work. They are tough as nails and excellent machines. They will beat you to death on rough ground.

When I went to buy a personal machine for recreation more than hard work and as I have gotten quite a few years older and the bumps do me in a lot quicker than they used to I ended up with a Polaris Ranger 900. In fact I am on my second one. The first one got handed down to the farm hands and they use it now. I think there are probably lots of other machines out there just as good, the Polaris just happened to have the qualities I wanted and a good dealer near by.

The things I particularly liked about it. It was quiet and lots less vibration compared to an older Yamaha Rhino 660 that we also have on the farm (but in defense of the Rhino it is a lot older and smaller - it has been and still is a good machine despite being very old). The side by sides that have the engine mounted further forward between the driver and passenger can be quite a bit louder and not as smooth as the ones with the engine mounted behind the driver further back. It has power steering. Before purchasing my wife and I drove several other models and brands. I was really set on a smaller machine because for my use I did not need a 900. But one drive and between me liking it being smoother (less vibration)and my wife saying "this one" as soon as she drove the one with electric power steering there was no going back. So much for not spending so much money on a toy. Even though she drives is maybe 5% of what I do, I still have come to appreciate the power steering and would not buy another one without it. It is just nice, and hey, I can't take it with me so might as well enjoy it while I still can. The Polaris 900 also rides very nice. Much better than my older Rhino. That may not mean much to some, but to me with my back condition a rough ride is a deal breaker. I already get beat up enough on my small tractor. Don't need it on the UTV also.

I own at lest 40 Diesel machines and trucks on the farm. But for me my pickups, cars and utility vehicles are gasoline. I just like it better. Personal preference. Others will disagree.

If there is one thing that is less than perfect on the Polaris 900 it is cold weather starting. It is not bad, but not good as it could be. I think the emissions are weaned back so much that it simply does not get enough gas when it gets down to about 15 degrees. Cycling the key switch two or three times will help. Don't try to crank the engine before the 3 second computer boot up after the key is switched on. My personal solution to this problem is get on an airplane and go south for the winter.

That is my experience with the Polaris Ranger XP900. I don't promote it to be the best machine in the world because I have not owned or tried lots of others. But my experience with this particular model has been very good, both times. I'll probably buy another one in another year or two and pass the current one down to the farm again (3-4 years of age).

The darn things are as expensive as a small car. Seems ridiculous. On the other hand I put more hours per year on my UTV than my tractors or pickup. I use it more than anything else on the farm. So I figure it is worth it. Rarely a day goes by that we are home that it does not get started and ran.

I take the side screens off as soon as it gets home. They are a PIA. If I had small kids or reckless drivers I would rethink that, but I drive like a grandma (I like things to last for many years) so am not worried about falling out. I am not hard on nor abuse the machine in any way. So I can't really advise on the reliability it might have run under more demanding conditions.

Last edited by snrub; 11/26/18 02:59 PM.
John

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