This is a great idea! You're going to use a handheld spotlight hooked to your 2nd battery I assume?

I may have to use this mod as well. I always get nervous using a spotlight for extended periods.

I own one of the new John Deere Gator 825i. If anyone says that the Gators arent sporty. Think again. And I have no worries running lights all night either. No mods needed.

Alright here is what I have seen and what I have experience with on UTVs.
I have driven the Polaris 4x6, 4x4 and 2x4 for ranch vehicles. Good. They are very comfortable to sit in and to ride in with their suspension with the 4x6 the best in any terrain. The 4x6 is the best in the mud of all of them and I have had them all stuck. They have a great payload capicity and tops in the industry, with lots of power and speed and great towing capacity. Bad. Expensive to own from a repair standpoint. 4x6 is the worst with the extra drive train. All do not do well in heavy clay soils from a mud problem and then boot, bearing and u-joint problem in time from wear. The roll cages will stress crack in uneven terrain. Ranch had 3 at one time and one was in the shop just about any month out of the year. Radiators need a screen wire to protect them from grass and debris. Oil reservoir was a bad location and design from material standpoint. Had a mesquite root flip up and poke a hole into the plastic reservoir and drain the oil, seize the engine and cost $4,000 for new engine alone. Plastic bed is a negative for me.

Mule. Have had 6 on the ranch. Good is they are easy to work on in comparison to the Ranger and much cheaper to own and maintain over long haul with much less down time and repair parts are much cheaper. Not paying for the name. The newer Mule has fuel injection and much easier to start. The new Mule also has power steering. Also a fan of the metal bed. Never had an issue with stress fracture on roll cage. Bad. They are slower than the Ranger and much rougher in ride. Not near as much power, payload or pulling power. Over the years of use they will cost less to own than the Mule handsdown. Fuel economy seems to worse on the newer Mule than the older models at this point but have not checked it for sure.

Suzuki and Diahatsu Carry or Mini Vans. Have had 5 on the ranch. All were automatic and slightly used to new. All 4x4. Good. All very smooth riding and super quiet. Good power under average driving condtions. A/C, heat and windshield. Very comfortable ride all togther. Bad. PITA to get in and out of as build for small framed person but the vans or extended cab models have pretty good room inside for you once you squeeze in. Repairs...oh my...parts are hard to find new and very expensive to order. Filters..oil same as Mule but air are PITA to find. They are important to get the exact one to replace the old one as dirt getting into the engine will make for a very costly repair or new engine once you have lost compression. I know what 2 new engines cost. Finding a repair shop to work on one is out of the question. Manuals are hard to come by in English. All in all they are not built for daily off road use. Occasional is ok but not daily. Added these into the mix for the next post.

Nockoff UTVs. I have looked at them but owned or driven one. From walking around one and comparing to what I have owned, I could see they were not going to last or built to handle daily usage offroad. IMO they would be very expensive to maintain and own. Buying parts and finding a repair shop would compariable to the MiniTrucks. I would not own one of them unless I used it very little and on good roads.

Rino and Gator. Looked at them last year. Did not think they were built as well or designed as well as a Ranger or Mule. Did not like the front end at all as is was open on both of them and would not protect the radiator that well. Did not like payload also. Roll cages were not as heavy built as Ranger or Mule. Seems like they are built to haul 2 people, 2 rifles and an ice chest and that was it. Seemed to by comfortable for 2 people and the ride was good. The Rinos are fast but for what I do speed is not an issue. I just did not think they would last in day to day use on either model.

With all of the said I think you can get a great one to own in any of them depending on how much you use one just like you can get a lemon that is going to cost you way more to own that it was worth to begin with.
My experience is based off over 10,000 hrs put on the ones I have had on the ranches in the last 8+yrs now. So they are used daily for a minimum of 3 hours per day yr round. They have to handle that kind of usage or they are sold or traded off on something new. For the money the Mule is the best investment over time but may not be the prettiest or fastest. JMHO

thanks for everybody's 2 cents worth it helps alot,think i will start looking seriously now at the rhino,ranger and mule,father-in law has a rhino 450,cusin has mule 4010 ,think i need to look at them a little harder

I chose the Rhino over the Mule becaus the Rhino had more ground clearence, larger gas tank, 10MPH greater top end speed and the Rhino has engine breaking.

i like the rhino cause i think it would do better in muddy situations than the mule,but i like the mule because i think they would hold up better in the long run,don't know too much about ranger they're a little wide concerned about going up to colorado don't know if they are too wide for trails,guess i just need to win lottery and get one of each

Haha, lottery would be nice.

I'll say this. If you want an honest opinion, I would venture to say that Rhino is going to hold up just as long if not longer than the mule. Yamaha makes a seriously durable product. I have owned 3 of their big bore ATV's. All of them were bulletproof, I wouldn't think the Rhinos would be any different.

just might have to go look at them tommorow,have to leave the wife home lol

X2

Arctic Cat Prowler is the way to go. They are stout, fast, and comfy...

New HOlland Rustler check them out

I've got one myself and love it. It's the 2008 model so it only has the two seats, but the newer models have the 3 person bench seat.

Hmmmmm.........Yes, I bet they are stout enough to break axles

They've got some serious power. I think Can-Am has one upped them now though. That thing has some power!

After looking at them all the Rhino And Teryx were my top choices, bought the rex over the rhino due more power.