Ranger vs Pioneer
 

I?m looking at purchasing a Ranger or Pioneer. It will be used mainly for hunting and some yard/farm work. Anyone have any personal experience with these units, good or bad?

Thanks.

Josh


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have a ranger at work for me to use. Thing is awesome!! Know nothing of a pioneer. I didn't even know the ranger existed, but wow it is a fun machine.

When my 4 wheeler got stolen a few months back, I almost bought a side by side. But they ended up finding my 4 wheeler so I tabled the side by side. I was choosing between a Pioneer and Ranger, also. I was going to pull the trigger on a Pioneer. I was looking for a crew cab. With everything I wanted on it, the Pioneer 700 Deluxe was going to cost me around $15k and the Ranger 900 was like $22k. That was enough to justify my decision there. Only thing I really liked more on the Ranger was that it was a true crew cab with a bed. The Pioneer's rear seating is actually part of the bed so if you have a full load of ppl, you can't carry much. Power steering is a must IMO. My dad has the first side by side Honda made, Big Red, and if it's locked in 4x4 you can't hardly turn it! Other than that though, it's a beast and have had it for over 12 years with not one issue.

The rangers we bought are the crew cabs. I think they are a 900. They are basic but we paid about $14k I think. 4x4, with netting doors, probably stock tires, no windshield, and no top.

had a Polaris 800 crew w/o power steering. it did good but was a headache to turn sometimes and the motor wasn't as smooth as it could have been at idle. got the job done though. I have a Polaris 900 crew now with power steering. it's worlds different. smooth power though out, power steering is a must from now on. the ride is great also. I also have a can am 800 crew that's 2 weeks old. I haven't really put the can am through the paces but so far its pretty good. my only experience with a Honda side x side is the big red. I hated that bike. rough and sounded like it was about to blow up every time I took it out.

I just purchased a Polaris 900 XP (bench seat)with power steering in Sage Green. You can sit 3 adults pretty comfortably on the bench seat. I added the roof and 1/2 wind shield and I paid 13,270 out the door. Polaris is running good deals on the 900s. My 2nd choice was a Pioneer 700. The power steering on the Polaris is 10X better compared to the Honda plus the Pioneer has tighter seating on the bench seat even though it is pretty much the same width as the 900 Ranger. To me, for a little extra cash (1K more than the Pioneer) the Ranger gives you a lot more features than the Honda. Now when it comes to 4 wheelers I am 110% Honda.

This is the bike I?m interested in. Where did you buy it?


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Polaris of Baton Rouge. Their price was actually a little less than the ATV Zone.

I was looking at the 570 full size which is the same length and width as the 900 and by the time I added power steering the price was about 700 less than the 900 Xp with power steering. The 900 has more HP 68 vs the 570 Full Size which I think has 44.

Ive used several rangers in rice field conditions and had problems with most of em. Front axles mostly. Pioneers have been more dependable and much more quiet.

I have a buddy of mine that has the Pioneer 700 bench seat Deluxe. It is way louder than the Polaris and a lot hotter since the engine is right under the seat. The Polaris is under the bed. Plus the Honda power steering is a joke!
Now older Polaris machines I do not know where the engine was located.

I talked to two guys I know real well that deer and duck in the MS delta area that own Polaris SxS (both are Honda guys in regards to 4 wheelers) and they say 75% of the Side X Sides they see people using are Polaris. They both go thru a lot of crap (water and mud) on their lease. I am sure the Pioneer is a sound bike and it should be since it is, well I will admit it is very underwhelming. Way under power and shifts and down shifts every 2-3 seconds since the 700 is a freaking 3 speed unless you keep a constant speed. Nothing special about it at all for spending 12K. I know it is hard for Honda guys to accept the fact that Honda is way behind in technology when it comes to SxS. Like I stated, I am a Honda guy and it was hard me to even go against the holy grail and not get a Honda.

I have to agree with ASR from my past dealings. All Honda for 4 wheelers, but I?m struggling with the SXS. Buddies have Polaris, but they tell me they have electrical problems. I hear the Honda?s are underpowered and have problems of their own. A buddy just bought the Honda 1000-5, and he aid too many issues with he 16 and 17 models. Only buy an 18 if I wanted one. Through my travels, I?ve heard good and bad for all models. Not an easy decision.


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I have owned both. I had a Ranger that had a piston and cylinder come apart. Mechanic never could find a reason but it was about $2500 to get another piston and cylinder. Polaris coats the inside of the cylinder with something where you have to send it off or pay a lot to get one. I now have a Pioneer 700-4. I talked to 4 atv mechanics about which side by side to buy and they all told me Pioneer. Only have 1 cylinder to deal with and if they do need repair they are a lot cheaper to fix according to them. One of them told me the Ranger was a piece of junk with a brand name. I have more ground clearance than my Ranger have and no belt to worry about. My pioneer is all shaft driven. I happen to be one that likes having the back 2 seats fold into the bed. Most of the time I don't need them and have the full bed. Other times I use only one or both. The Ranger crew is right at 3 feet longer than my Pioneer. I would never be able to turn that thing around on my deer lease. I have the roof and windshield on mine which I consider must haves. Still cost me less than a Ranger without those. Just my 2 cents but I've never had a Honda crap out on me.

Sorry but you are wrong about the ground clearance which I why I looked it up on both web sites.


The Polaris 900 has a ground clearance of 12"

The Honda Pioneer 700-4 has a ground clearance of 10.7"

I said Honda is a good machine but for 12K based on the one I looked at - 700 with bench seat Deluxe- I was really not getting much for that price point!

Matter of fact, my Rancher 4 wheeler I just had to change my front 2 CV axles after 5 years! I thought Honda's last forever! LOL

If I would get the Pioneer I would get the 1000. I think you get a lot more bike for your money compared to the 700.

We have a Ranger 1000 crew with ES and it is pretty impressive. It has a lift with 29s, they are an all terrain. I like everything about it except for the front drive shaft, it sucks. Other than that, plenty of power, load capacity, and room. Road with a Honda and some Vikings a while back and the Ranger would stay in 2wd where they struggled. Most of them had oversized tires but no ground clearance. Personally I would go with a Ranger and the largest engine you can afford. The Honda's are super nice but lack power and ground clearance in my opinion. I hated Polaris all my life until using the crew, it is way better than expected.....minus the drive shaft coming apart twice.

My dad has the first Big Red Honda came out with and it has plenty of power at only like 660cc. It is loud and shifts alot. I will agree with that but certainly not underpowered IMO. He's been having it for at least 10-12 years and never had a lick of issues with it. Changed a few boots on it but that's it. I haven't driven a Pioneer before though, so I can't say what the new ones are like.

Like I stated earlier, a 900 Ranger crew with all the bells and whistles(windshield, roof, tires, power steering) compared to a Pioneer 700 Deluxe with all the bells and whistles is a HUGE price difference. Like $7-8,000. That's enough to buy a Pioneer AND Honda's best ATV for the price of a Ranger. Kind of a no-brainer if you ask me. BUT that's for a crew cab.

The polaris ranger crew likely cost a lot more compared to the Pioneer 700-4 because you can seat 6 where the Pioneer you can seat 4. Plus you have the full bed with the Ranger where on the Pioneer you only have 3-4 inches of rear bed space with the jump seats flipped up.

The Ranger has a ton more room which leads to a higher price machine. Plus 68 HP Ranger vs like 37 or 38 Pioneer. I think they are all good machines and you can throw in the Mule and Viking to the mix to.


However, the rear jump seats in the Pioneer is a pretty neat design.

I have had the mule pro fxt for 2 years now and love it, Comes with a 7 year warranty.
What sold me on it was the design of the rear seat. It will fold up and give you tons of bed room and when the rear seat is folded down you still have plenty of room in the bed.
With the honda when the back seats are up there is no room in the bed.
It is far from the fastest bike but the ride is great.

I have had the pioneer 700 2 seater for 3 or 4 years and it has been a good machine. Only changed battery and brake calipers. Caliper were probably from not washing. In regard to power and speed it is a turd but in reliability and fuel efficiency it is excellent. If you don't mind running 40mph and under and staying with nearly factory size tires it is great. But I wouldn't recommend it for large tires and thick, boggy mud. The 1000 pioneer is more comparable to polaris.

have you looked into Can AM defenders?

Anyone have a Mule Pro FXT? I test drove one the other day and really like it. Any experience?


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