ATV to a SxS Who’s made the switch?

[Weldor]

For those that have a SxS be sure to get some of these and stick them on the dash or front windshield.
They’re even helpful in your truck too.


View attachment 812149

I need a bunch of those. Perfect!

 

[HuntHarder]

I went quad to SxS. SxS is better in almost every way imo. More comfortable, feels safer, able to haul things. Dust is a factor, but just the cost of doing business imo. There are ways to cut down the dust, but you will never get rid of it. I use a dustproof cargo container or trash bags tied shut to keep the dust off my pack.

 

[LostArra]

Our Ranger has no doors, no windshield. Late season it gets chilly but dust only a minor issue in the bed. Comfort and capacity still outweighs the ATV for me.
(Disclaimer I'm old)

 

[jimh406]

I have a Ranger 570 UTV. I went with it to have a tilt bed and like it a lot. For the best ride, I think you will need to go even bigger than a Rzr570. Obviously, the bed of a Ranger makes it a lot better for other purposes compared to a Rzr.

I heard a long time ago that a front windshield doesn't do much good without a rear one. I have a soft cab, but it's mainly for winter or rain to keep everything from getting wet inside from snow/rain. How much dust you get has to do with how fast you drive and the roads you drive.

 

[DirtyDusty]

I went to a Honda pioneer and love it. Use it around the farm and for hunting. Can haul 3 in the from and gear in the back. I have the 1000-5 so the bed has 2 seats that pop up if you got extra people. I am 6’3” tall and 270lbs and I can fit in the back. The roof extends over the bed, so it dry storage. The Honda has a transmission instead of belt drive and is much quieter than the Polaris’s my hunting buddies run. You can rig a winch up to the back roll bar or use a hitch mounted lift to load deer.

 

[IdahoBeav]

If you're riding 2-track trails with technical sections, especially on a slope with risk of rolling the machine hundreds of feet to the bottom of a canyon, you'll want an atv. Yes, they make narrow trail model sxs, but they are much more difficult to maneuver and visibility is much worse than with an atv. If you're out in the desert or anywhere else without a width restriction and without serious risk of rolling your machine off the side of a mountain, then it's an easy call for a sxs. As mentioned by others, the cab does seem to make the dust worse. Dust rises up from the undercarriage and seeps through the bottom of the cab, and there is no wind to blow it out. However, the cab is nice in cold weather, especially if you have a heater on the machine like those Northstars have.

The rzr is comfortable once you are in it, but it's not so easy to get in and out of the seats, and cargo space is very limited. I much prefer the Ranger in the Polaris line. The Polaris 570 is an awesome engine in an atv, but it is a dog in a sxs. It basically makes the machine a flatland ranch rig. With sxs I think it's better to go with the largest engine available. With atvs, it seems that a 450-600 cc machine can easily do everything that is needed.

 

[Weldor]

I make my own windscreens, I machine in slots on the top and sides with sliders to turn on or off. When moving over 5 mph the air keeps the dust down pretty good. They all get pretty silted up in the desert. That's what the make dry bags and totes for.

 

[Forrest84]

went to a ranger crew and a 2 seater general and i love them. the general will climbe like a goat in the mountains and the ranger is a workhorse with space.

 

[fmyth]

I don’t have a SxS but I have spent plenty of time in one.

Dusty is an understatement!!
Anything inside the cab is covered.
Guns, bows, clothes

I guess they make a ‘dust kit’ that kinda helps.

Does the SXS you refer to have a windshield?

 

[cnelk]

Does the SXS you refer to have a windshield?

Fully enclosed Polaris Ranger 1000

We were using it in October, a cold morning, extremely dry conditions and we were covered in dust.

 

[Dogone]

My time in an sxs was dusty , very dusty. I think a couple of fans in the right places would really help. They give you positive out flow .

 

[Davyalabama]

CNelk, if I have to post those signs, they don't belong with me.

SXS vs ATV - have both --- Now, I made the switch a few years ago, I bought a Can Am Defender max 10 (6 seats), that thing is nicccceeeee, it's comfortable, it can haul a bunch of stuff in the bed, it's worth it to me.

Now, I also have an old ATV at the camp, this is when I need to get in tight places to get a deer out or I don't feel liking dragging his butt up a hill.

That SXS, I don't even have to load him in the bed anymore, I have a foldup cargo carrier that fits in the trailer hitch slot, just a little lifting, some bungees, off to camp I go. Yeah, you Western boys, eat your hearts out on that.

 

[EdP]

I went from ATV to SxS 2 yrs ago at 68. Have not regretted it. Got a Yamaha Wolverine 850 and put on front and rear windshields. I like being out of the wind and having rain cover overhead. I can park it anywhere and it is relatively dry inside. I can safely take a passenger like my 5 y/o grandson out to to hunt with me.

What I don't like at all is the centrifugal clutch drive, It may be just the machine I got but it doesn't have fine enough control, especially going downhill. It is either too much or too little gas. On the flat or uphill is OK.

 

[Wetwork]

Just curious...Why choose a SXS over a Suzuki Samurai? I got a Sami and would never trade it for a SXS. I don't get dusty, I can go anywere a SXS can go. I got radio, heater, fold down windshield, hard top, soft top. I have many friends with snow tracks. It's street legal and the biggest plus it's ten-fold cheaper.-WW
ps. I also have ATVs.

 

[EdP]

We had a 1988 Samurai until about 2002. Was on it's second engine when we got rid of it. Pretty much all road miles though. I think a Samurai would work well for all the reasons you listed if you can keep it maintained. Hardly ever see any around anymore and Suzuki abandoned the US auto market years ago.

 

[Elkhntr08]

After looking around at some SxS in the area, I’ve pretty much decided to go a different route.
Wasn’t impressed with the size of the beds at the units I was looking at. Power seems to be a small issue with the 50” units.
Think I’m going with a bigger quad, 660-800, and a small trailer I can pull behind.
After measuring, it will fit on the 14’ trailer I already have, just going to put a ramp tailgate on it and be done.
Definitely looking for a quad with IRS. Night and day difference between the Honda and Polaris I already have.

 

[Boarmaster]

I made the switch to a SXS. A ranger xp1000. Pretty handy having the bed and easier for me to get in and out of. Better on my bad shoulders with a steering wheel vs a 4 wheeler handlebar. Frankly I would rather have had my big 4 wheeler than climb in and out of rzr. For myself a rzr would not do much for me. So if your question is atv or rzr I would stick with my atv. But I would definitely say if you go from a 4 wheeler to utility SxS you will be happy. I wish I would have done it years again instead of last year.

 

[Boarmaster]

After looking around at some SxS in the area, I’ve pretty much decided to go a different route.
Wasn’t impressed with the size of the beds at the units I was looking at. Power seems to be a small issue with the 50” units.
Think I’m going with a bigger quad, 660-800, and a small trailer I can pull behind.
After measuring, it will fit on the 14’ trailer I already have, just going to put a ramp tailgate on it and be done.
Definitely looking for a quad with IRS. Night and day difference between the Honda and Polaris I already have.

I made the move to irs in 2007 when I bought my polaris 800 sportsman atv. My old honda foreman was beating the snot out of my back. I kept the honda around as a spare as it was very reliable. The new Polaris had a nice ride. I enjoyed riding it. I got rid of the Polaris 800 when I bought the Ranger last year.
I still have the foreman and it will start everytime. I dont care to ride the honda but it makes a good spare.
I really have enjoyed the Ranger. I wish the bed was bigger but I carry a 30 qt cooler for drinks and a 45 qt cooler for dry storage of gear and still have plenty of room for a few deer. I saw a Can Am the that had longer bed when I was looking around to buy. That looked pretty good but I keep my machines 9 hours away from home in a small town and where I keep them has a great Polaris dealer. So I went the polaris route.

 

[Boarmaster]

I make my own windscreens, I machine in slots on the top and sides with sliders to turn on or off. When moving over 5 mph the air keeps the dust down pretty good. They all get pretty silted up in the desert. That's what the make dry bags and totes for.

I like that.

 

[KenLee]

Does an ATV solve the dust problem?

Yes but ya gotta run 'er hard