It's been a while since I've bought an atv/utv. Can am seems to be priced way below Honda and Yamaha. How do they compare dependability and longevity wise? It will be a utility vehicle for ranch work and not abused or dogged in deep mud

you left out Kubota for "ranch work" ...

they aren't the fastest or nimblest ... but they keep going and going and going, put in clean fuel, keep filters changed and keep rolling. Very dependable and relatively low maintenance

Honda for reliability. No question

I own 2 CanAm Defenders and I like them a lot. That being said, there's a whole lotta Hondas and Yamahas in Alaska. They can't afford anything less dependable.

I had not thought about tractor companies. Duh! Thanks for the idea.

How long have you had them? And have you had issues?

I’d go CanAm or Kawasaki. That’s a tough decision and would likely come down to price & availability.

I’ll never go back to Honda or Yamaha

our rancher we lease from has a John Deer. I want to say 10K hours on it last year. I'd have to give it a hard look if I was looking for something for ranch use.

5 years for the oldest one. I don't tax them that much. Ask a decent dealer service manager about any past issues on the heavy use ones, but I think they've tried to correct them. If you have mesquite like I do, on whatever you buy, put Wolfpack tires on it. 'Rougher ride, but a lot less hassle. Check pressures occasionally 'cause they're stiff.

Ok, let me define "ranch use". It's the family land that we call "the ranch". It's not a working ranch other than hay right now. Use will be filling feeders and fetching dead animals mostly. Carrying tools to mend fences or go fix a busted pipe, or spray weeds on the driveway.

As for Mesquites, I think we have 3 of them on 250 acres. Navarro county terreain.

Why not? Our Honda atv lasted 20 years and had 23000+ miles when the display crapped out 2 years ago. Until recently, it's been very reliable. Our current Yamaha has also been very dependable, although it doesn't have quite as many miles.

Check on repair facilities in the area of your ranch. Or haul it yourself to your local one.

I usually do my own repairs.

Can am without question on an ATV

UTV, Can Am or Kawasaki.

Have both and like both, but they are different machines

We have a herd of Can Ams and they’re the biggest POS I’ve ever seen. I think every time I get in one something else is broke. I’d buy Kawasaki or Kubota.

I was about to post the same. They run them hard and heavy all year.

For real work, Kawasaki or Kubota.
For plush ride, Honda or Yamaha.
If you want plush and a screaming SOB and don't need to haul more than a beach towel and VERY small cooler, get a Yamaha YXZ1000R.

How did I get so lucky with my Polaris Ranger? I guess it's like my Leupold scope and factory ammo.

Never an issue with my Ranger, Three years of hard panhandle and Colorado use. I do maintain to schedule, air filters, all fluids, etc......You'll hear plenty of trash talk on Rangers, partly because the sample size is huge considering their market share.

Yelp he has over 20k miles on one of them and one trip to dealer.

They have same motor the Mule pro 812cc do.

It was a while back, but I went to an ATV repair shop and asked what machines they saw the least. The answer was Yamaha and Honda, in that order.

My guess is that most of them will do well if you keep up with maintenance and don't dog them.

That alone is not an indicator of quality. That could be due to their low #'s sold. I'd like to see objective market share data between Kawasaki, Polaris, Honda, Yamaha, Kubota and John Deere for UTV sales. Not objective, but my dealer told me Polaris had 50% of the UTV market. For that reason alone you'll see more of them in repair shops. The real tell would be units repaired under warranty per 1,000 sold, or some similar measure.

Or modify them.

Lift kits to put the CVs out of their rated angle of deflection and big tires are the two biggest killers of all of them.

Mule Pro
Besides not breaking down, leg room, easy to shift, turning radius

I concur, all I’ve done to my Mule Pro DX repair wise after 7 years of ownership is replace a battery at 6 years, and a valve stem on the front tire.

Exactly. They aren’t built like they used to be. I had 2, 2004 Foreman 450’s. The foot shift model had over 18,000 miles when I sold it in 2015, the thumb shift had over 5,000 miles. Both lived a very hard life at the hands of a young man. Both were excellent machines.

In 2012 a friend bought a new Rancher and new UTV, both had tremendous mechanical issues. He replaced them after 4 agonizing years with another Honda UTV. Again, plagued with mechanical issues after the first 1000 miles.

We have 2 Honda Talon’s in my extended family, they’ve been decent, don’t get ridden a ton, but were plagued with issues known in the Talon world that should’ve never been an issue.

I’ve never cared for Yamaha with exception for the Banshee

Kawasaki— work horses, metal, dependable, not a 40-60 mph, jumping machine
Kubota-absolutely dependable farm worker, can be expensive, not a 40-60 mph, jumping machine, will not run in high altitude if you go there.
Yamaha-can work, can do most chores, but real good in play. Mostly dependable
Can Am- same
Honda- same, but a little less
The key is DEALER, buy the extended warranty ( you can shop around and get it cheap)
If you have it don’t have family, the two seater is a no brainer.

I mean get the 6 seater.

New Mule pro ftx 1000 will run 60mph

My 800 with a lift, heavy roof and 28” tires will run 40mph.

Just takes a minute to get there.


My Defender HD 8 gets there a lot quicker though

Ya I think mine GPS ‘s out around 43 on highway, and it takes a runway

Honda has a funky transmission...it's not belt driven like the others. That always turned me off the Honda UTVs.

A UTV is not an ATV and recommendations will be different. A Honda or Yamaha wouldn't even make my UTV list. So based upon your list, a CanAm would be my choice between those 3.

I wouldn't discount the newer Mule, they are hard to kill...Bobo is proof of that. I will say I wouldn't get anything with a solid rear axle, they ride like poop.

Good luck!

This

I've had my Canam Defender lonestar HD10 since February 2019 and it's been a solid machine. I put some S3 Powersports HD springs and 32" tires on it and havent looked back. Only issue I've had with it is a fuel filter and just now have a rear axle starting to pop a little. It's just a workhorse and will go back to a Canam again if I ever decide to sell this one.

I have several friends with Can Am’s. One of them makes me look gentle and soft. he put 3000miles first year on his chasing mountain lions and bears year round and couldn’t break it . I feel as if you want a fancy cab or go fast—can am, if you want tight turns and long term dependability go mule pro ftx, HD springs or Elka are a must in either though

Great luck with my Ranger (knock on wood)

I wouldn’t pass on a Polaris, I flog on mine every chance I get and it has had ZERO issues. Hell, it’s more reliable than my new F250, CarPlay and GPS work every time unlike the truck. Belt drive isn’t a big issue, I’m still on the factory belt after 1700 miles and it’s been smoked a few times.

I've had my Ranger three years, 3674 miles. Those are hard miles in the dusty panhandle and mountains in Colorado. I load it down with 600 lbs of feed, climb hills sandy creek bottoms, you name it. No issues. Still on factory Bighorn tires until Saturday, punctured one on what I am certain was a dry sunflower stalk.

Kawasaki Mule Pro 820 Trans is the BEST UTV on the market!!! We've tried most brands and Kawasaki's just GO and GO and GO as long as you do basic service to them. We have 4 in service now at the ranch and a couple of them have over 30k miles on them with minimal repairs.

I’ve heard of some mules having 20k or more miles on them. From what I understand the engines are basically little car engines.

Only down side is not designed for a cab like can am but the cabs are adequate

Went 57mph in a Polaris in red River, went up a mountain top like the race to pikes peak, it took it all. Part of the time no wheels were touching. Routinely drive 43mph back and forth many miles in a can am in country, no problems. Have extended warranty and great dealer.

My 2012Can Am Commander 800R was by far the best UTV I've owned. Had it in the shop for fuel pump replacement only once, but found out later that the REAL issue was dirty fuel injectors! Otherwise, the machine never had to go into the shop for any issue at all, because there were never any issues!. Found out oil changes and fuel filter changes were an easy DIY. Would haul 600 lbs corn to the feeders with no issues. I replaced factory
headlights with LED headlights, added a winch, and added a top. Battery life was extraordinary!

BRP is the parent company = Bombardier Recreational Products, which also produces Sea Doo and Ski Doo'

So who owns a new Mule Pro FXT 1000? Isn't this the first year for that motor?
Looks like they already had a recall on it but I don't know how serious it is. I'm assuming they fixed the issue on new units.

Anyone plan on replacing their 812cc with a 1000?

I own five Kubota RTVs. Two are 2014s and the others 2020. I bought them all new and use them for work with employees driving them through very rough terrain all over the US. They are great machines and haven’t given us any major trouble. They are not fast, and the ride is kind of rough, they are somewhat loud, but they just go and go and the sip the diesel.

Hondas have never let us down either. Their ATVs are tanks. I have a pioneer 600 UTV that is excellent as well.

For my personal use and on the ranch I have a mule pro fxt. It rides like a Cadillac, is quiet, and has worked great for me. It has a lot of plastic though and I am not sure how it would hold up under heavy work.

The only thing I would definitely avoid is a Polaris. I have owned three of them and every one of them gave us trouble.

Apparently the issues were pretty big.

I’ve not driven a 1000 yet but I’m happy with my 812cc.

They are all good machines. It is the driver that dictates how long the machine will last.

To some degree, you are spot on.

Next time you're in a UTV dealership, ask who made the motor in the one you are looking at, you may be shocked

I can attest that the old Kawasaki Mules were tough. A rancher down the road had a really old one that was, by then, rolling junk. But it was still running. He never did ANY basic maintenance on it, and I don’t think he changed oil more than twice a decade. Since he has no mechanical skills, he’d call me to see if I could breathe a little more life into it. Finally, with a cracked block and only one wheel that would move the thing, I told him that it was, for all intents and purposes, dead. He got a new one and hasn’t bothered me since.

It amazes me how some folks don’t maintain their equipment.

Started with a Ranger (blown engine, then front A frame arm twice same machine) . Enough of the Polaris garbage. Asked my Dealer sales person what machine other than Polaris and he said Can Am or Kawasaki. No issues with either. Kawasaki just rides rougher. Make sure and do scheduled maintenance whichever way you go. I now have 410 hrs on a Can Am 2021 HD 10 and its running well. It's quieter than the Ranger and actually rides 'softer' if that matters to some. I don't abuse my equipment just use and also clean the air filter every month or so when we have a dry spell.

The Honda Accord was the most stolen vehicle in the US for over a decade. It wasn't because they were easy to steal, it was because so many of them sold. Polaris owns the largest market share of UTV sales, so common sense dictates that more will end up in in a shop than the other brands who hold a fraction of the market share.

Yamaha makes the worst UTV. The Viking is junk.

You're making way too much sense. Stop looking at things objectively relative to the market sample size.

I was a Polaris guy for years - owned 3 different ones. The last one I bought they changed a bunch of stuff from steel to plastic - then started having tons of issues.

Switched to the Kubota diesel - fully enclosed cab with great AC and heat, no dust - they are not super fast but I do not need fast - they will run 20-25 mph loaded down. Have not had a single issue with mine and they are well built IMO