I was planning on buying a new utility quad soon but now the Rhino has caught my attention. I have had quite a few sport quads but am now looking for a little more practicality. I have 84 acres off hilly wooded land and need something that is fun to ride but can also be a useful work tool. I am finding it hard to believe that the Rhino is as capable as everyone says. What can I really expect from this thing? I want to be able to throw a couple of chainsaws in the back, hook a trailer up to it and go out and cut some fire wood. I don't want to have to worry about getting stuck or being limited in where I can go. Plus my wife wants to be able to get in it and go out hunting for berries/flowers or do some light landscaping (ex: spread bark chips) in the yard. Will I be happy with a 660 Rhino, or should I stick to a utility quad? If I get a side-by-side it will definately be a Rhino. I am still looking for something fun to ride in the nasty trails and I don't think that the other side-by-sides will cut it. Any and all thoughts are welcome. Thanks!

 

if you are looking at a rhino for work too, also look at the polaris ranger, as it has higher capacities in towing, payload, a larger engine and EFI, all at a lower price than the rhino


the ranger is also wider, and longer, with a longer wheelbase than that of the rhino


yamaha is in the middle of a class-action lawsuit due to the rollovers that have happenend in the rhino.

I am sure the ranger tips, But i have had mine in the dunes and the dirt, and havent come close to tipping it yet. however, my friend tipped his in the dunes

 

For what your going to do with it I'd say either brand will work. The one thing that's nice about a side by side is that they carry (2) people so you can take on passengers and share the experience/work. You could also buy a roof or cab enclosure for not so good weather times.... I have a Rhino and use it mostly for fun in the dunes. The only problems I've had were self inflicked do to launching (jumping it). As both will work for your application, I'D say it's then a visual or cosmetic thing... For me I'd say the Rhino has a nice sport look and the Ranger has a utility or work horse look.. The Ranger's probably the better work horse or the two.

Rude Dog

 

I have Rhino that I use exclusively around the property and I love it! The Ranger may have been more suited for the utility work but the width of the Rhino actually allows access through areas the Ranger may not go. Also it is easier to find a dry place to park it because of it's size.

 

I have a Honda Foreman Rubicon 500 and use it on 40 acres with some field, some forest, and some pretty good hills. The Honda did pretty much everything I ever wanted. But I went ahead and bought a Rhino a few weeks ago. So far I am amazed at what it can do and how much fun it is. I use it for plowing snow a lot, and it out performs the Honda in nearly every way. I didn't like the bench seat of the Ranger and I liked the idea of being able to put the Rhino in the back of a pickup if I ever wanted to. I wanted work and play, and this is fantastic so far.

I read a comparison of all the side by sides (can't find the article anymore), except for the Prowler that was done by giving 10 farmers time with the gator, mule, rhino, ranger, kubota, etc. The Rhino and Ranger ended up tops because the others were limited to 25 mph. But they also outperformed the others in nearly every catagory as well. It came down to this....if you just need a pure work rig, the Ranger was a little ahead. But most of the farmers said they would take the Rhino because it did everything they would need, plus it was a lot more fun.

The only knock on the Rhino was the fact that it isn't as easy as it should be to check your oil or service yourself. The oil is a pain to check, but the benefits outweighed that for me. But you probably can't go wrong with either.

 

Oh, and about the roll over thing....so far I have taken the rhino through some stuff that would have scared me on the Honda, but didn't even get my heart rate up in the Rhino. These were slow but steep manuevers. I have also raced around the field and find it to be very stable. I did buy some leg shields that keep you from being able to put your leg out if you do tip because of what I had read, but so far I have a heard time seeing these as being easy to tip. I don't doubt you can if you go crazy with it, but that is true of most everything.

 

I do a lot of water riding with my Rhino so I cut a hole (large enough to fit my hand) right in front of the air box. You can't even see it! Now I just reach in and ck the air-box drain. I just broke a CV and an axle because i'm running 29" swamp lites and I give it total hell. I still haven't rolled it (yet). Good luck with your Rhino and I hope you like it as much as I like mine
Robert

 

Do not buy the Rhino, Mine is an 04, nothing but a huge disappointment, replaced stator assembly at 9 months old and at 2 years old, having to rebuild engine at cost of 3000.00+. I would not wish this on anyone. The air intake is poorly designed and allows dust into the engine. The dealership said it was generalized wear, nothing I did or did not do. I would forget the rhino and look at the ranger or prowler.

 

Well I'm sorry to hear that you've had bad luck with your's. However, the majority of the Rhino owners have nothing but good things to say about theirs. I did consider the Prowler, but I have read about alot of issues that they are having. Plus many people that have both say that they prefer their Rhino over their Prowler. Thank you for your concern and warning.

 

i dont know what the difference in the 04 rhino but a friend of mine has one and it overheats. i have 4 other buddies that have them along with myself and they really do rip. no problems with mine or my other buddies. my friend that had the one that overheated traded his in for an 06 ducks unlimited 660 rhino. i own a kawasaki mule 3010 4x4 and a rhino 660. the only thing i use the mule to do is entertain kids. the rhino is just amazing and it is in a class all by itself, you cant compair it to any other side by side, its a blast! whatever you do dont buy the arctic cat. the only other side by side that is worth the look is the polaris ranger. its not as fun, alot bigger , and alot more expencive.