What machine will be the ultimate UTV?

[Jeff_a_Caldwell]

Members of our machinery team are in the mountains outside Sheridan, Wyoming, for the Ultimate UTV Evaluation this week! The test is off to a great start and they're loooking at myriad functions of these machines to rank them all. So, what are important things to you in a good UTV? What's the top UTV out there to you? Follow along here with their results!

[Longcreekfarms]

I'd say most of us have a 4x4 F350 that just gets used and abused. From scouting crops and hauling round bales out of the field, to tieing off to the gooseneck hitch and roping a pinkeyed calf, pickups will always have seniority. It's a toolbox, gun safe, diesel horse, and a dashboard filing cabinet.

[Shaggy98]

Well said LCF.  I've got an 04 F350 Lariat that just turned over 230,000 miles.  Starting to use just a tad bit of oil, but the V10 has never left me sitting in someplace that wasn't my fault to begin with.  I've already replaced the arms on the Dew-Eze bed once because they were wornout.  Dern good pickup though, wouldn't want to replace it with what a new one costs today.  I bet an equivalent 2014 model with an equivalent hydraulic Dew-Eze bale bed would run me close to $70,000.

[Longcreekfarms]

Sister just bought a new one a few months ago with a shiny aluminum bed on it. Right around 60. My old trucks are an 01 and 00 both with the 7.3. Simply solid pickups. Heard of too many issues with the newer diesel engines and may buy a gas myself next time. 200k on my licensed pickup, had 1 or 2 electrical problems in its life, but that's all. Service truck only has 80k but god knows how many hours. Have a big inverter wired to it that runs a welder and air compressor. Or anything else up to 30 amps. I put a 200 amp alternator on it years ago, so just let her run while I'm fixing a tire or welding something together.

[Husker-J]

Out my way, if you don't have an ATV or UTV, doing the kinds of things we do, your truck will be stuck more times each spring than you can count, and rattle apart, from all the off-roading.

I've seen the newer GM trucks, with the IFS, get the frames bowed out where the suspension attatches, just from the constant bouncing up and down.   There are some guys who just refuse to buy anything but a solid front axle truck, just because they don't do that.

(Oh, and I've also personally seen 3 trucks with snapped front axles, 1 was a half ton, the other 2 were 3/4 ton, they get some real abuse out here from time to time).

[buckfarmer]

Guys that wanted to lease the hunting rights to my place brought a ranger to ride while I showed them around. I was impressed with how smoth it ran compaird to dad's gator. a few times while we were cresting a hill it jumped out of gear. He put I back in like it was no big deal. Left me thinking it must be common at least for his to do that. Guys that hunted there last year had a four seat mule. It wouldn't lock into four wheel drive and spun out a lot. A competion where you could compaird used machines to tell what they will be like in a few years would be cool.

[Husker-J]

I know people with Rangers, and they never pop out of gear.   They either have something out of adjustment, or broken.

The Gator also must have something broken, as the few I have been around, had a very good 4wd system.

[Jessie_Scott_SF]

Here's the list of machines we'll be evaluating:

• Yamaha Viking
• Honda Pioneer 700-4
• Polaris Ranger XP 900
• Kubota - we'll have a brand new machine so unfortunately we can't release any info on it yet
• John Deere Gator XUV 825i
• John Deere Gator RSX 850i
• Bobcat 3400
• Arctic Cat Prowler 700 HDX

I was hoping to put this in a poll so you guys could vote for the machine you think will be the Ultimate UTV, but unfortunately we're having some technical difficulties. However, I'd still like to hear what machine you think will be the best overall and why. You can learn a little more about the machines in this slideshow.

[Shaggy98]

My guess would be the Kubota and the Bobcat will be favorable in the slower more demanding jobs and the others will come out on top where tasks with more ground speed involved is concerned. I won't comment on the Deere equipment, I've used one extensively the last few years and won't have anything nice to say about it.

[Husker-J]

I'm with Shaggy, in that the 'best' will be determined by what your test criteria are, as well as where you drive them.

For example, one with the most suspension travel might ride the smoothest over rough ground, but require you to lift stuff higher up, to get in the box, and sag more when loaded (just as one example).

My thoughts is there will be a 'best workhorse', a 'best runaround', etc.