Hatin' on Polaris?

[RenoHuskerDu]

I've recently run into two Polaris owners who bent my ear about how much trouble their Polaris ATVs are. For one guy, a chicken farmer, I was being helpful and pointing out that he had a worn CV joint. He went off about how everything breaks and the costs are outrageous and it was only 2 years old. He's selling his farm and never wants to see another Polaris.

The second guy is very mechanical and likes to fix his own stuff. We talked for a long time. He said Polaris is putting chips in parts like fuel pumps, so you can't replace your own anymore because only the dealer can "code in" the new parts. He said he's spent way more on repairs than the initial cost of the Polaris. The Polaris ads show happy customers blasting thru creeks, but the Polaris shop says getting the CV joints wet causes early failure.

I don't fit in Polaris anyway, but what could I recommend to folks like this next time? The 2nd guy wants to cut up an old AWD minivan and make an ATV out of it, thinking it will be more reliable. There really are a lot of Polaris sold in Texas, but most are used infrequently. Sounds like they don't hold up to intensive use. Our old Club Cars have been reliable.

[Mooncarter]

Really not sure what you are asking, but I'll throw in my 2 cents about Polaris.

i rode with a 4 wheeler group almost every weekend for years. (I can't speak about side by sides) By far, the Polaris was best. We rode hard: mud, water, you name it 40-60 or more miles a day. Water is hard on any bearings, seals etc. but at the end of the day so to speak, and after years of doing this most of the riders who did not have Polaris to begin with, switched to Polaris. Mine was a Sportsman with hi-lo range and push button 4wd.

Hope this helps.

[Fairtax4me]

Polaris ATVs are still tough.
UTVs are garbage unless you plan on racing them. But then the guys and gals who race them don't care about busted CV joints and blown out cvt belts because they expect them to break.

We have a 2010 Polaris Ranger 800 with just under 800 hours on it now.
Around 200 hours it caught fire because of Hay getting between the bed and the rear of the front seat, and the hay falls right on top of the exhaust system. Had to make a shield to bolt to the frame below the cargo box to keep hay and other stuff from falling through again. Not Polaris' fault, but not a good start.
Around 300 hours it ate it's first drive belt. New belt $165.
450 hours every bushing and all 4 ball joints in the front suspension are shot. And wheel bearings on the front left are shot. Did both fronts, and all bushings and ball joints. $800 in parts.
At 575 hours I had to replace the primary clutch due to a locked up idler bearing in the center. $700 clutch plus another new drive belt.
Not long after that it started loosing coolant and overheating randomly. New radiator cap $45, fresh coolant, bled system. Good for a month, then overheating again.
new thermostat, new hoses, new radiator, because don't know at this point so just do everything. The only thing I Do know, is it passed a hydrocarbon test, so hopefully it's not the head gasket. Another $800 in parts. Good for another month. Overheats again.
Took brand new $65 thermostat out and tested it, doesn't open. Took it back and got a replacement (at this point the parts guys know me pretty well, so they comped it under warranty). Finally it's right again, no more overheating.

I forgot brake pads. Somewhere along the line around the first 2-300 hours the factory pads wore out. Second set wore out and took one of the rotors with it. So around 700 hours new pads and rotors (which are TINY btw) all the way around. $900 for aftermarket "high performance" brakes. Supposed to be better in mud/dirt, but they cost about the same as factory stuff. Jury still out on that one.

Two weeks ago it's leaking oil. Leaving a puddle on the ground. Needs an oil change anyway. Oil dipstick tube fell out of the motor.
There's a rubber grommet at the top that bolts it to the top of the engine, and a metal clamp that bolts to the block at the bottom to hold the tube to the block. Grommet broke, clamp and the bolt that holds it on are just gone. Dipstick tube is just flapping around.
I've worked on thousands of cars and other equipment, never had a dipstick tube fall off. Have had them leak, o-ring or seal at the bottom dries up, they seep a little. Never had one fall off.

Coming up time for another new drive belt.

But through all of this, not one CV joint failure.

[CP241]

I know a lot of guys that do some pretty extreme stuff with Polaris, but, they expect them to break the stock parts. But it's not the "coded" stuff (computers, etc) that fail. Those are usually pretty sound. It's suspension, axles, etc. And they upgrade all that stuff anyway because they're running big nasty mud tires on them so the stock components were in the garbage long ago. They hold up pretty well once they're upgraded, but upgrade parts aren't cheap.

Can-Am is no better. Don't even mention the word "mule" lol

IF you're looking for something as tough as it's going to get, I would have to say the JD Gator is probably about as bulletproof as you're going to find. Be forewarned, parts are expensive and there is virtually NO aftermarket support for JD stuff, it all has to come from the dealer, but they make some pretty stout machines. Only drawback to a Gator vs. polaris or some of the others is they're much slower.


Best thing you could probably ever do, get an old 80's 4cylinder 5 speed 4x4 toyota pickup, pull the doors off, and go. Best work truck ever, and small enough to go where most side by sides will fit. I don't even know if it is possible to kill one of those lol

[spriddle]

Originally Posted by CP241

I know a lot of guys that do some pretty extreme stuff with Polaris, but, they expect them to break the stock parts. But it's not the "coded" stuff (computers, etc) that fail. Those are usually pretty sound. It's suspension, axles, etc. And they upgrade all that stuff anyway because they're running big nasty mud tires on them so the stock components were in the garbage long ago. They hold up pretty well once they're upgraded, but upgrade parts aren't cheap.

Can-Am is no better. Don't even mention the word "mule" lol

IF you're looking for something as tough as it's going to get, I would have to say the JD Gator is probably about as bulletproof as you're going to find. Be forewarned, parts are expensive and there is virtually NO aftermarket support for JD stuff, it all has to come from the dealer, but they make some pretty stout machines. Only drawback to a Gator vs. polaris or some of the others is they're much slower.


Best thing you could probably ever do, get an old 80's 4cylinder 5 speed 4x4 toyota pickup, pull the doors off, and go. Best work truck ever, and small enough to go where most side by sides will fit. I don't even know if it is possible to kill one of those lol

I completely agree with the old Toyota trucks! They are very versatile and extremely dependable. With the right tires, they'll go just about anywhere.

The little 22r engines are tanks! Only issue I ever saw out of them was a very very few head gaskets which was due to an overheating issue.

[cgtech]

Agreed, 22r is a tank, just don't ever overheat it. Overheated very much once is problems forever. If it's getting hot, shut it off, don't try to "limp it home". It'll run forever.

[jclark138]

Toyota never imported the diesel model Hilux to the US, wish they had. Rated for 1/2 , it took that much to make it ride like a regular pick-up -
http://www.bbcamerica.com/shows/top-...ructible-truck

[Rooster59]

All this makes me glad I gave up off roading years ago. Now just mild trail riding through the woods and fields is plenty of enjoyment. Less cleanup and easier on the equipment. Especially me.

[meimk]

I've had a couple Polaris Rangers find their way to my Golf Cart shop. We have a Polaris dealer a mile down the road, but they told one customer (48 volt Ranger EV) they couldn't / wouldn't work on his. Apparently no one there was willing to work on an electric. Same dealer that sold him the vehicle.
Another one, gas this time but with an electrical / charging system issue. Same dealer didn't want to work on it, don't know why. I fixed and made money on both.

[mikeasis]

my boss has a Ranger 500? i think and the **** thing wouldn't start one day. Took it to the dealer and they told him the top end needed replaced. just over a year old mind you. no smoke no warning signs.Took lots of phone calls and they replaced it under a good faith warranty

One we have at work ate a fuel pump at less than 45 hrs and it was not cheap.

We have several JD gators, the 4 seaters, used daily for mowing crews and its a constant battle keeping belts on them. the dealer has upgraded to an HD clutch ect. one was voided warranty because there was a hitch ball on it when it when in for service. mind you there a spot for hitch recievers both front and back on them. Dealer even went as far to tell us we shouldnt have 4 grown adults in them. LOL. We actually had a JD tech tell us we aren't the only ones with this issue and his thoughts where the engine has more power than the clutches can handle.

Like stated above don't get me started on the mules