Recreational riding and top speed are of no concern for me. I need 4wd for the snow, ground clearance for fields and snow and the ability to operate down to -10 degrees. I'd like to use it for general farm stuff, hunting and it'd be nice if I could plow a 400 yard driveway with it.

Current options I'm considering-

A brand new mule 610, you can get a 2014 model for a little under $7000. These are still carbureted, would that be a concern in the cold?

A local dealer has a 09 Rhino 700. It's been dealer owned this whole time, has a plow. It has less than 100 hours and they want $9000 out the door.

I also found a Kubota RTV-X900 for around $4000, I'm waiting to hear back from the seller about how many hours it has. It looks dirty and used but if the hours are low enough I don't mind hosing it off.

 

An older John Deere Gator would obviously be another one to look at and you could probably find a 4x4 Gator in the same price range as the Kubota. The new 2016 Polaris Ranger ETX would be a great choice if you wanted to opt for a brand new machine. 2016 RANGER ETX White Lightning : Features I'm sure you can negotiate a price much less than the $8799 retail price. I've seen new Ranger 570 models for $8999 so I would expect you could get an ETX for less than $8000.

 

The new cub cadet UTVs look to be pretty nice for your needs, they are 65" wide though. Certain Kymco can use the engine as a generator which may be a benefit depending on your farm layout/equipment. I am not sure on mule ground clearance, I know it is decent but not stellar on many models. Still, they sound right up your alley.

I can also attest to the Polaris Ranger etx if you are looking at new in a budget. I rented one for 24 hours in WV. That thing was capable and fairly comfortable over the 60 miles we put on it. Enough so I am debating getting a 570 mid size next year perhaps(same machine, just 11 or so more hp plus turf mode.)

The 700 Rhino sounds real good to me also. Not sure on the price, but that Yamaha is probably just broken in at 100 hours.

 

If you have a Kymco dealer nearby, they have some very reasonably priced utvs as well. This 500cc model for instance KYMCO UXV 500 Overview - KYMCO USA costs even less than the Ranger ETX. Also this 450cc model that is a little smaller and compact for the same $7999 retail price KYMCO UXV 450i Overview - KYMCO USA They do have a 700cc model that is very similar to the Rhino 700 but its about $10,000 retail. I think either of these 2 models would be more than powerful enough to get the job done along with the Ranger ETX. The smaller 450i still has a dumping cargo box, thats something you don't see in many base models. With the smaller size and weight, the 450cc engine will feel a lot peppier too and still claims a 1200 lb towing capacity.

 

Kymco is ok if your a mechanic, stick to name brand.
I hear the Honda 500 Pioneer is a good price and it has EFI, Diff-lock and a low range. As long as it has low range it will never run out of wheel turning power.

 

The Honda Pioneer is one I was going to mention as well. The others I mentioned have more power though. The Pioneer 500 is unique in that it has the semi-auto transmission just like the Foreman 500 which it shares the engine with. Instead of push button electric shifting, it has paddles on the steering wheel like many sports cars. One paddle to upshift and the other to downshift. I think it would make it a bit more fun to ride and actually makes it more versatile for slow speed work duties as you can lock the transmission into a lower gear to putt around your property. Its roughly about the same price as the Ranger ETX. Another feature of the Pioneer 500 is that it is 50" wide. It will fit inside the bed of any full size truck and narrower trails that the wider utvs can't. Lighter weight as well, its basically the same weight as the 1000cc quads. Not particularly fast but I think it can still manage about 40 mph which is probably more than fast enough for what you're looking for.

 

No diff lock on the P500.No bed.For the price it's hard to beat the Ranger 570.There's been some issues with stalling with the ETX.

 

Looks like your right , I though since the 500 ATV has diff lock the SXS would get it also. Honda SxS

 

The Pioneer 500 doesn't have a dumping cargo box either. It doesn't even have one at all, just an oversize rear rack. You can buy a box as an accessory from Honda but it costs about $400 and of course it still doesn't dump. I think a lot of people just buy a pickup truck toolbox and mount it on the rear rack instead. The Kymco models do have diff-lock and they shouldn't be confused with the cheap Chinese crap sold online. They have built a reputation for quality for quite some time here in the U.S. Are they at the level of Honda and Yamaha? Not quite but they're not far off. Their biggest challenge now is that they just don't have enough dealers in the U.S. That's probably why you don't see many of them out there on the trail, there isn't a Kymco dealer near you.