Rhino or Ranger?

jdhudson5415 · 2011-10-17 12:42:28

I plan to buy either a ranger or rhino early next year and have been doing some research. I am down to either the ranger 800, 500, or rhino. I have pros/cons to each but having a hard time getting any up-to-date comparisons on these machines. All reviews I have run across are at least a couple years old and both polaris and Yamaha models have changed since 2009. Hoping to get some help in which way to go from this group. The veh. will be used on a hunting lease in S. GA. where the terrain is sand on the roads and thick brush, pine stumps, swamps, and bogs off-road. I will mainly use the utv to get me to and from stands and as a work vehicle to fill feeders etc. However, there will probably be some significant 4-wheeling that needs to be done to blaze trails to get to the feeders and stands. In general, Polaris concerns are size with the 800 (won't fit in a 5' wide trailer). With the 500, is that enough power and is the 10 inch clearance vs. 12 a big issues. Also not sure I understand the impact of not having dual-a arm suspension on both ends like the 800. With the Yamaha, I can not find any recent reviews comparing with other sxs's. I do like the size of it (fitting on a 5' trailer) and the clearance isn't an issue, but have heard that it doesn't do as well off-road vs. the ranger 800 (that wasn't from an expert source). It is also slightly more expensive than the 800 and so trying to compare what I get/don't get for the extra cash. Yamaha will handle 400lbs in the bed which is the lowest of the three but that would work for me.

Just overall having a tough time deciding. I think I like the bench seats vs. the buckets on the rhino too but not sure if that is really a big deal or not. Any advice appreciated and if anyone knows of a recent forum or objective review that is out there comparing the two I would love to know about it.

ghostriderr6 · 2011-10-17 23:47:27

I've sat here for 5 minutes staring at the screen and I can't come up with an answer on which one. What I can say is I have a 2010 Ranger Crew and I love it. I've driven pretty much every SxS out there in the dunes and in the Arizona desert and I can't say anything bad about the Rhino. Personally I would remove the Polaris 500 from my list not that it's not a great machine but you'll never wish you went smaller. Both the Ranger and Rhino would do what you need and there are endless possibilities for accessories for both. I suggest go sit in both of them, open all the compartments, see how easy oil changes compare, and drive them if possible. See if theres a place you can rent one. Here in Phoenix there's a handful of places that rent them.

RANGERDALEXP · 2011-10-18 10:26:56

This is a pretty simple answer. The Ranger is the one to get. Why is that. More speed. Much bigger size box and capacity. Seats three instead of two. Much heavier towing capacity. better suspension and ride quality. I think that says it all.....

redmoose · 2011-10-19 09:19:26

Looks like Ranger and Ghost have given you good advice. The only word I might take exception to depends entirely on how you plan to use the machine. I live and ride in a forested area, and there are is one trail I've been down in my 500 EFI that the wider 700 and 800s can't go down. It's less than 6 inches difference, but if you deal with narrow trails that is an advantage. Of course, my machine seats 2, not 3, but in my case that is what I need, so no loss. The bigger rigs also have 2 more inches ground clearance than mine, 12" vs. 10", though I've yet to high-center mine. Finally, there is probably a couple of grand $$$ difference in price - which I promptly spent on cab, heater and plow! The box on the 500 is rated at 500# and will handle every bit of it with ease, and towing is good at 1250#, but neither equals the 800, of course. Happy hunting, whatever you decide on!

Ron

RANGERDALEXP · 2011-10-19 10:07:39

Looks like Ranger and Ghost have given you good advice. The only word I might take exception to depends entirely on how you plan to use the machine. I live and ride in a forested area, and there are is one trail I've been down in my 500 EFI that the wider 700 and 800s can't go down. It's less than 6 inches difference, but if you deal with narrow trails that is an advantage. Of course, my machine seats 2, not 3, but in my case that is what I need, so no loss. The bigger rigs also have 2 more inches ground clearance than mine, 12" vs. 10", though I've yet to high-center mine. Finally, there is probably a couple of grand $$$ difference in price - which I promptly spent on cab, heater and plow! The box on the 500 is rated at 500# and will handle every bit of it with ease, and towing is good at 1250#, but neither equals the 800, of course. Happy hunting, whatever you decide on!
Ron

I just make the trails bigger with mine so in the future all rides will be equal .....

#1 2011-10-17 12:42:28

Re: Rhino or Ranger?

#2 2011-10-17 23:47:27

Re: Rhino or Ranger?

#3 2011-10-18 10:26:56

Re: Rhino or Ranger?

#4 2011-10-19 09:19:26

Re: Rhino or Ranger?

#5 2011-10-19 10:07:39

Re: Rhino or Ranger?

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