Side by side or ATV?
 

Hello all. Newbie to the forum. Long story short; I'm in the market for my first ATV. I will be riding mostly in the woods of Quebec, New Hampshire, Vermont and Ontario. I hunt and fish in Quebec and it is hilly, muddy with some wide open spaces too. Snow is common hunting in the northern backwoods at the end of November. So mostly mud, dirt and some snow trails. I do want something with speed too. I'm still undecided between a good a Mud ATV, or a side by side (2 seater) boy they sure look like alot of fun. Budget is between 15 to 30K.

Was looking at the Outlander or Commander, but I'm not brand conscious. Just looking for quality, so open to any suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

Welcome to the forum. You need to find out if there are are trail width restrictions the places you'll be riding. If you get someplace and there are gates to keep out anything wider than 50" and you have say a 66" wide UTV, you'll have to turn around and go home without getting to ride.

I prefer to ride than to drive so I prefer ATVs.

SxS generally don't do well in deep snow.

I've owned a number of different SxS and ATVs over the years. For 50" wide trails I prefer an ATV because it is more maneuverable and you can just see the countryside better sitting on an ATV, compared to sitting in a UTV. The 50" wide UTVs aren't that impressive, with limited suspension, power, and handling. My son has a Wildcat Trail, my Dad has a Maverick Trail, and I have owned a couple of Rzr Trail UTVs, so I've tried them all. The cheap little Wildcat trails is just as good as the more expensive Polaris and Can Am in my opinion, so if you want to go that route, look at the Wildcat Trail and save yourself some money.

If you're using it for hunting you can carry more gear with a UTV. For long rides the UTV is less physically taxing, and you won't be as tired at the end of the day.

UTVs can work very well in snow. Here are some pictures from last years Elk hunt, and the Polaris General I owned at that time. We were going places that Jeeps and pickup trucks were not able to go. We were stuck in the last picture, but a nearby tree and the Warn winch saved the day and pulled us right out. You can get excellent cab enclosures for some UTVs, which is nice in cold weather, but horrible in hot weather. Notice my 83 year old father that is getting out of the General in the last picture. He is only wearing a flannel shirt, and doesn't even have his coat on. It was -18 degrees below zero when we started out that morning, and the cab enclosure and heater in the General kept us completely comfortable.

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The trails are pretty wide in most places. there's alot of open areas as most are also snowmobile trails in the winter. I may stat with an ATV and get the SXS ltr?

AdrenalineRush: Firstly, let me say how amazing I think it is that you still get to hunt with your dad at his age. No doubt getting out there is keeping him young. Good Bless!

Thanks for the input. You're right about the ATV being better for enjoying the scenery. The best time I had was the week we spent on Antocosti Island deer hunting. We tagged out early and spend the rest of the week riding in swampy, hilly, dirt and water (Oceanside and inland rocky rivers). The riding was worth the price alone. The meat was a plus...

As for hunting: our blinds are never far from camp....

Hi and welcome: The question you posed is the same one I had while researching a trail riding machine. I was advised to seriously consider a side by side. My purpose for a machine is trail riding and snow plowing. I decided a side by side was to big and clumsy for snow plowing on my rather tight driveway. I did purchase a Can Am Outlander Max giving me an extra 8" of wheel base for some stability on steeper assents. And I do have a passenger seat behind me if needed.

That said, it is my opinion that a "quad", or "bike" is an inherently unstable machine. They have narrow and short footprint and the CG is rather high, with my body weight adding to the problem. I think flip overs and roll overs are not uncommon with quads here in Colorado. A guy has to mind his Ps and Qs when riding steep and rocky trails. I might add Colorado has "Jeep" trails that allow the wider side by sides. The 50" restriction trails are not a problem where we have been riding. Further, the side by sides make a bit more sense for street legal licensing. I think some politicians have a hard time understanding quads as "bikes".

Okay, now comes along the narrow side by sides. They are longer, the operator sits lower, they have a roll cage around them, and the CG is lower. I think they are a safer machine to ride trails with. I've not driven one, and I don't think they will be good for snow plowing at my place, but they do look safer. Today I saw a Polaris Ace in the bed of his pickup. They are that narrow.

I told my friends with the shrinking market for sport quads, and the growing market for side by sides, the utility quads like my Overlander may start to shrink too. I think maneuverability will be a big factor in a guy's decision between the two. We shall see how the market develops.

David
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Thanx jbj216. Hence my dilemma; I love the open air feeling I get from the ATV (Similar to a motorcycle), but the SXS also look like fun and fast too!. I hear you on the CG, but on the ATV I won't gun it anyways. Also, mudding is much more fun in an ATV. I think I will get a SXS eventually cuz they look like a blast!. I haven't seen those narrow SXS in your photo.

That said, I passed by a dealer today just to get a feel for the 2019s. The larger SXS I don't think will fit in an F150 bed? 2 seaters are approx 10' long and 60" wide.

Lots of mudding ATV models with the snorkels and front mounted rads! Sales person said there is a huge demand for these now!

If you buy a utv, you're probably going to need to buy a trailer to haul it. The narrow sxs in the pic are the Polaris Ace. Its basically a one seater utv but it has all the controls like a normal utv and they are 48" wide and about the same length and weight as a 2 up atv.

The one of a kind kid-size Ace 150 EFI, the Ace 500 and Ace 570 EPS are all 48" wide just like my quad, but they make an Ace 900 XC that's 59" wide. That's only 1" less than the 4-person RZR S4 1000 and seems to defeat the purpose of having a single seat vehicle. The Ace 500 and 570 EPS are both 7'6" long and I could easily fit one in my truck with the tailgate closed. Most of the SxSs would have to go on a trailer.