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SE MT | With all the polaris threads, I though why not really discuss this and evaluate where we really are-
15 years ago everyone pretty much used ATV's and horses. some folks got by with small pickups or a combination of all of those. Pickup repairs were high, ATV's were cold, wet, and killed alot of people (still do). Horses were not alot better, many people thrown from them, fell with them, broke legs, backs, ect.
Along came a SXS with a cab no less that really paved the way, the Polaris Ranger-
We have owned six of these machines over the pas 9 years, Started out with one, then two 700s with cabs, ran them out to 2500 hours, and traded. They did everything and completely changed the way we ranch forever. After we traded those off for half of what we paid for them used (which we thought was great) we bought a 2011 and 2012 ranger, both new with 5 years of warranty. At year 3, my brother moved home and we bought another used 2011. By the time the 5 year warranty was up this fall, polaris had paid around $7,000 into each machine. Mostly in clutches, transmission rebuilds,fuel pumps, and a couple steering racks.
Aside from those, I have have put alot of my own money into them and sweat. They require alot of maintenance if you intend to run them as we do. I buy alot of parts used now out of PowerSports Nation in Norfolk, NE, and it's worked well.
I will say they are a little underbuilt for what we put them through.. They all have steel cabs, full of accessories, mine carry's a full toolbox across the bed, with usually a pile of fencing supplies, They all have 40# grill guards across the front and get used about 500-700hours per year...... each. The oldest 3 all have over 20,000 miles on them now, with over 3000 hours on their clocks. Two have had engine top end rebuilds, because of dirt inhalation from a rubbed through boot. I rebuild the CVT system annually on each machine instead of waiting on it to have problems, as well as inspect and repair any worn suspension parts. The transmissions I have completely re-bearinged with non Chinese (polaris) bearings, and filled with J-20C hyd fluid, and have not had another transmission failure since that point. I can say they run better now than they ever did with polaris parts and polaris fluids.
Sounds like they're alot of work doesn't it? Well, They are, but the alternative is worse. Do you remember how much it cost to buy and keep good horses? to winter them find a place for them to graze the rest of the year? the tack? What about the pickups? It wasn't uncommon for ranch pickups here to be traded every 3-4 years with less than 60,000 miles on them. What's that cost? Worse off are the guys that have to trade every couple years. The cost of these things is high, and to trade them off and lose 10-12 K every time on a machine with a cab is just nuts!
These machines are easier to work on than an atv, and definitely better than most pickups. When compared to Honda, or yamaha, they are MUCH easier to service and work on. It shocks me how many guys that can repair their own tractors or tillage equipment but take their SxS to a dealer for service. These things are VERY simple, and you're throwing your money away paying someone else to do it.
So, some guys say they're junk, some like them but hate the price. All I can ask is,"would you like to go back 15 years and go without them?" Because we could not. We are far to productive now in comparison to where we were. We no longer have livestock that we didn't have time to move before a winter storm, there's no fence that can't be fixed because it's too muddy, and you can move livestock, fence, and put out salt all on the same trip. Just last night we were out taking shifts checking cows because we're calving hard, and it's snowing and blowing. From the cab and my LED light bars, I can see what's calved, while staying warm, and if something does calf, I can throw it in my sled, pull it into the shed and if need be run the cow in if she decides to be stubborn. After that go back home and get some sleep knowing that my job is done and there's not a calf out there freezing. The polaris ranger has increased our production in a big way, and actually allowed us to become much better managers of our operation while actually reducing our costs.
People love to complain, but many times they fail to look back and see where they were and ask themselves if they really want to go back, or put up with the inconveniences they have. | |
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Lets clear up some things about polaris-
