UTV Opinions/Advice Solicited

[4wanderingeyes]

Yanmar are also sold at Yamaha dealers.
The Yanmar Brahma diesel is the one my buddy uses. It is a beast.

 

[swat1018]

My Polaris has lots of life left. But if and when it’s time to replace it I’m going with a small 4x4 truck. Heck an old Toyota with a muffler is quieter than my Polaris. Plus it has heat, air and more cargo space and costs 1/4 of the price. 10K miles on a side by side is a lot. 10k miles on an old beater truck that started with 180k miles ain’t much.

Get a Japanese mini truck, you'll thank me later.

 

[yoderjac]

I'm also now considering the Honda Pioneer 700 as well as the 520. It is slightly larger, about 10" wider and less than that longer. I'd like to hear any experiences with it as well as with alternatives that are about the same dimensions as the 520 or 700.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[ruskbucks]

Have you looked at the John Deere Gators, or the Kabotas, or a Yanmar? A friend uses a Yanmar diesel for his tree construction company, for clean up around yards, and pulling equipment into yards when he doesn’t want to drive into it with a full sized truck. I don’t think it has ever been driven above 20 mph in its life. It runs forever on a tank of diesel. I am not sure on available, or price, but it is a work horse for sure. If I was in the market for a new utv for the farm, I would at least check one out.

And the Yanmar UTVs are built in your area.

We have a john Deere at home on the farm. It has the yanmar 3 cylinder diesel in it. It get used almost everyday. It's been a real good machine., but did have to put glow plugs in last year to the tune of around $700. I was thinking of getting another gator, but went with a Yamaha Viking. I love that machine. The design, fit, and finish is one of the best I've seen on a utv. They are supposed to be close to the Hondas in reliability. It is a large machine, I thought our gator was big. The Viking makes it look small.

 

[yoderjac]

We have a john Deere at home on the farm. It has the yanmar 3 cylinder diesel in it. It get used almost everyday. It's been a real good machine., but did have to put glow plugs in last year to the tune of around $700. I was thinking of getting another gator, but went with a Yamaha Viking. I love that machine. The design, fit, and finish is one of the best I've seen on a utv. They are supposed to be close to the Hondas in reliability. It is a large machine, I thought our gator was big. The Viking makes it look small.

Yes, I'm thinking of small for my application. I'm looking for maneuverability near ATV class. That was one reason the 520 was on the top of my list along with honda's reliability. I'm flirting with the idea of a 700 but I would loose some maneuverability with it.

 

[williams111]

Get a Japanese mini truck, you'll thank me later.

I’ve got one, can’t say I’ve gotten a lot of work out of it yet but I’ve only had it a few months. It’s got a snowplow as well so we will see how it does with the snow this winter, then habitat work come spring.

 

[BC Buck]

I’ve got one, can’t say I’ve gotten a lot of work out of it yet but I’ve only had it a few months. It’s got a snowplow as well so we will see how it does with the snow this winter, then habitat work come spring.

That looks sweet. Where did you purchase that and about how much $ .

 

[williams111]

That looks sweet. Where did you purchase that and about how much $ .

I found it on facebook marketplace. It is a 2001 Daihatsu Hijet, it has a 3 cylinder 660 cc fuel Injected engine. I paid $7000 for it. Its got heat, but no AC.

 

[SwampCat]

https://twinriversminitrucks.com/mini-truck-inventory

This mini truck place right down to road from my house

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I found it on facebook marketplace. It is a 2001 Daihatsu Hijet, it has a 3 cylinder 660 cc fuel Injected engine. I paid $7000 for it. Its got heat, but no AC.

That thing is in great shape compared to ones I have seen for just a little less money.

 

[williams111]

That thing is in great shape compared to ones I have seen for just a little less money.

Ya it was a fair deal I thought, although I have done some work to it. It had a few dents and a little rust so I painted it with raptor liner and put new rims and tires on it.

 

[yoderjac]

Well, I've been doing some digging and considering. I'm about to pull the trigger on a Honda Pioneer 700 Deluxe. I'm adding a roof, winch, and windshield (hardcoat). I flip-flopped back and forth between the 520 and 700 based on size. The 520 would be a more maneuverable vehicle for retrieving deer, but the 700 would be the clear winner as a work vehicle. It is only about 10" bigger in both directions. I went with the deluxe because of the electronic steering.

I have a quote in hand for a mid-Feb delivery. I'll probably put down a deposit tomorrow.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Moundhill]

Jac, I think you’re making a good decision. I’ve had a rhino 700 for a few years and the motor blew on it this fall. It has been a great machine, it was just at the end of the motors life. While waiting on the motor to get rebuilt, I pulled the trigger on a 2017 Pioneer Deluxe. The power steering is a amazing and it’s an incredibly tough machine. Can’t beat the reliable of Hondas either. I’m impressed with how sharp it will turn. It took my a while to get used to the transmission though.

 

[yoderjac]

Jac, I think you’re making a good decision. I’ve had a rhino 700 for a few years and the motor blew on it this fall. It has been a great machine, it was just at the end of the motors life. While waiting on the motor to get rebuilt, I pulled the trigger on a 2017 Pioneer Deluxe. The power steering is a amazing and it’s an incredibly tough machine. Can’t beat the reliable of Hondas either. I’m impressed with how sharp it will turn. It took my a while to get used to the transmission though.

Thanks for the encouragement. This has been a tough decision. I really wanted to go electric, but talked myself out of lead/acid battery technology and I couldn't justify the price of an LI machine like the new Polaris Ranger.

I have a buddy that I respect that has a Pioneer 500 and is very happy with it. That got me started looking at Honda as an option. I've been doing off and on research on-line and just when my ATV started having real issues and I was ready to start hands-on stuff, COVID and the supply chain issues have made products unavailable. This is the first large purchase I'm making without test driving it.

The power steering was one of the things that set the deluxe apart. I also like having the differential lock. I doubt I'll have many situations where I need to do manual shifting.

I'd like to hear more about how the transmission was an issue for you as well as any other things you can tell me about wat to watch out for or pay particular attention to once I get it.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Moundhill]

I wouldn’t say the transmission was an issue, I was just so used to the Rhino I had, having set gears and not shifting. It does seem like sometimes it gets to too high of rpm’s before it decides to shift, but I’m learning to get used to it. The paddle shift is nice whenever you want to stay in a low gear while going slow through trails etc. The diff lock also is great, I’ve used it a couple times just testing it out basically. It’s one of those things that you don’t think you need it, until you do. Then you’ll be glad you had it. Good luck with your purchase! I’m certain you want regret going with a Honda.

 

[yoderjac]

Well, I did it! I just put a deposit down on the unit. For some screwy reason having to do with allocation, the dealership won't sell it for cash. They say they won't make a deal if don't take the financing, but there is no finance charge if I pay it off in 11 days. Since there is no room for negotiations with dealerships these days because of the supply chain issues, I had to agree to it. It looks like everything can be done digitally until the day of pickup, so I'll only need to make one trip to the dealership in a neighboring state.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Booner21]

Well, I did it! I just put a deposit down on the unit. For some screwy reason having to do with allocation, the dealership won't sell it for cash. They say they won't make a deal if don't take the financing, but there is no finance charge if I pay it off in 11 days. Since there is no room for negotiations with dealerships these days because of the supply chain issues, I had to agree to it. It looks like everything can be done digitally until the day of pickup, so I'll only need to make one trip to the dealership in a neighboring state.

Thanks,

Jack

They get a kickback on financing them at least all the dealerships I have talked to lately have. Last vehicle I bought they said they could finance it cheaper than if I paid cash. Bizarre no early payment penalty either.


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[yoderjac]

While my timing on buying the 700 is pretty bad from a cost perspective, it appears it may be good from a need perspective. I stopped at the farm to pick some turnips for friends on Saturday. I went to start up the ATV and it wouldn't turn over. I tried long enough that I didn't want to kill the starter or battery, so I gave up. There is only two weeks of season left and I can get by without it, but I would like to get it running again. By the way, it was about 50 degrees out, so I don't think cold was an issue. Having said that, it does seem to do worse in cold weather.

So, last time I could not get it started and took it into the shop, the mechanic said all he did to started it was to change the plugs. The plugs were only a few months old but he said they were pretty fouled. He adjusted the mixture a bit leaner. It ran fine when I got it back for a while but eventually started the backfire thing again. I'm wondering if that is causing the plugs to foul and then it gets in a state where it won't start. Maybe there is something wrong with the ignition module or something. Who knows. I have very few mechanic skills.

It is a pain in the butt to tow it out and trailer it and take it to the shop. I figured I'd at least try to change the plugs to see if that will get it started again. I did a little reading and decided to try some iridium plugs. I'm not sure if this will make a difference or not. I'm hoping that if it does not fix the problem in the long run, the plugs will function better under bad conditions. For $20, I figured it was worth a try.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[bwoods11]

I have a Yamaha Viking & it’s great . Had a Yamaha ATV of some kind since 2004 I think, not one issue.

 

[BC Buck]

If its fouling a plug that fast there is something seriously wrong. See if will pop shooting some starter fluid while turning over. Nothing worse than equipment unreliable.