I am trying to decide between an ATV or a side X side. I will be doing mostly trail riding and plowing my driveway. I have had 3 ATV's before, all with plows, and they all did a great job. I do love the look of the Rhino and swore it would be my next off road vehicle, but now that I'm getting close to making a decision, I'm wondering. Besides the fact that I have more places to ride an ATV than a RUV, I also look at the cost. Not only the initial cost but all the goodies after the fact. I know that stock is boring and I can see already were I would spend a couple of grand customizing the Rhino.
One more question, If I did go the ATV route, could someone give me a un-biased opinion on which is a better ATV between the Yamaha Grizzly 700 (no EPS) or the Kawasaki Bruteforce 750i? I have owned 2 v twin Kawi's and love the power the v twin offers but I like the 4 wheel drive and locker better on the Grizzly.
Which ever I get, the first accessories will be a winch and a Moose rapid mount plow system. I'm tires of shoveling.
Any input would be appreciated.

 

One more thing I wanted to mention.
Even though I am slightly leaning toward the Grizzly because it seems to be built slightly better, I do have a better relationship with the local Kawasaki dealer.

 

I own ATV's as well as an RUV and UTV and if I could keep only one, it would be my Rhino. I can think of very few places I can go on my ATV that I can't on my Rhino and there are a few places I can go in my Rhino I cannot on my ATV due to its stability from the slightly longer wheel base and width.

You can drop a bundle of money on accessories on either one of the two; accessories for these things and "improvements" are almost limitless. The buy-in price for the RUV is however going to be higher than an ATV, so in the end you will spend more on a comparably equipped RUV whether Rhino, TeraX, Prowler or whatever. If you are concerned about high performance and speed, you will spend considerably more on the RUV and still not equal that of a 700/750 cc ATV.

Things I prefer about the RUV are safety due to the roll cage or ROPS and seat belt. I don't worry so much about going over unfamiliar terrain at speed, been thrown over a handle bar or two, and if your machine does tip over, you won't be trapped under it or crushed when it rolls over you. The cage also keeps you from getting slapped by low limbs and gives you something to hold onto. I also like the ability to share the ride with my wife or one of my kids/grandchildren as you can talk much easier to someone sitting beside you. I also like the storage capability of an RUV as I like to take a chainsaw or two for fallen trees/limbs that may block my path an during the summer often carry a spray rig. I am sure there are some reasons I am leaving out. Downsides are that you will not be able to transport it in the back of your truck as easily though it can be done and some people don't find an RUV t be as much "fun" as an ATV, so this will be a personal thing.

As to the Grizzly v Brute Force, I know exactly what you mean. I absolutely hate the 4WD system on the BF, but really like the engine. My Grizzly has plenty of power, but will not hold up against the BF or Polaris; don't know about the others. The Grizzly has good all around power, is agile and light as well as it is very comfortable, but I certainly can't say it is "better" than a BF. Neither is "perfect", but both are good and I don't think you can go wrong with either.

Don't know if any of this helps.

 

I've owned two Rhino's, several Grizzly's, and have spent countless hours riding with my father, who owns a Brute Force. I have switched rides with my Father numerous times and have lots of time on the Brute Force. The Brute Force has a better engine, with much better performance, but pretty much every thing else is better on the Grizzly. If I were choosing one of these two I would choose the Grizzly.

I did make the choice to keep only one of my Yamaha's (Rhino and Grizzly), and I kept the Grizzly. The almost total lack of performance with the Rhino was a big big disappointment for me, and it had countless more reliability problems than our Grizzly did. I'm glad the Rhino is gone.

DesertViper

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: Hedgehog

I am trying to decide between an ATV or a side X side. .</end quote></div>
I am in the same boat as you! I was recently on a ride and one guy had the Polaris RZR 800. I was impressed with it. It went everywhere the bikes and quads went and it went places the other quads wouldn't try. I have been doing some research on them and I do want one ,,,,but the expense compared to the quad and I don't think it will fit in my truck are the problems I have.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: djphelan01

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: Hedgehog



I am trying to decide between an ATV or a side X side. .</end quote></div>

I am in the same boat as you! I was recently on a ride and one guy had the Polaris RZR 800. I was impressed with it. It went everywhere the bikes and quads went and it went places the other quads wouldn't try. I have been doing some research on them and I do want one ,,,,but the expense compared to the quad and I don't think it will fit in my truck are the problems I have.</end quote></div>

I saw on one of the other forums where a guy hauls his Rhino in the back of his full size truck. I personally would not try it, but apparently it can be done and the Rzr is quite a bit smaller than the Rhino.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: tripleR

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: djphelan01



<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: Hedgehog







I am trying to decide between an ATV or a side X side. .</end quote></div>



I am in the same boat as you! I was recently on a ride and one guy had the Polaris RZR 800. I was impressed with it. It went everywhere the bikes and quads went and it went places the other quads wouldn't try. I have been doing some research on them and I do want one ,,,,but the expense compared to the quad and I don't think it will fit in my truck are the problems I have.</end quote></div>



I saw on one of the other forums where a guy hauls his Rhino in the back of his full size truck. I personally would not try it, but apparently it can be done and the Rzr is quite a bit smaller than the Rhino.</end quote></div>

Yea I also saw it done before. I own a Honda Ridgeline and the Kawasaki Brute force 750 just fits in it without much room to spare. I will be checking the size difference between the Rzr and the quad to see how close it will come.

 

I see what you mean. The Ridgeline is a nice truck, but the box is pretty small; don't think any of the RUV's will fit in it. I always use a trailer even for my Grizzly, but a lot of people like to haul them in the back.

 

For trail riding and plowing, I would suggest the Rhino or RZR, especially if you have a companion to bring along on rides. The Rhinos run great and do really well with mods as long as you stay on top of maintenence (of course), and I have heard nothing but good things about the RZR. The cost difference for a plow for ATV/UTV is relatively small. I've never ridden a Bruteforce so I can't help you there, but the Grizzly 700 is a great machine. The people that ride them around here just rave. Hope this helps.