UTV help wanted

[Remps17]

Hey all.

I am in the market for a UTV with a enclosed cab. I have narrowed it down to John Deer 835M and the Can Am Defender HD8. It will mainly be used around our half section farm, moving hay, fixing fences, checking cattle, moving snow (live in Alberta) and obviously pulling game out of the bush in fall. I tend to put tracks on it down the road so I can take it ice fishing.

We have never owned a UTV before but these are the two that i am most interested in. If you guys have a comparison between the two or if you have likes and dislikes of one of these please let me know.

Thanks all

Cheers

 

[danarnold]

We have 2 defenders, one w/cab. cant say enough good things about them, owned can am's since 2003 with pleasure

 

[BluMtn]

Of the two the defender is by far and away the better of the two. Not a big fan of Polaris, but look at the General also.

 

[IDLassie]

Have a Defender with cab. Only thing I'd put tracks on. Hope to get a set by the time snow starts to fly. Ha!
It's so dry here probably need tracks for the dust.

 

[AZ8]

I own a Defender HD8 without cab. Love it! More than enough for what I do....hunting and riding on forest roads and trails.

 

[Remps17]

So far I haven't heard anyone say the like the Deere more the Can Am on any of the forums I have posed the question. We are test driving the Deere as we speak. if the Defender is better then the Deere, I am very much looking forward to trying it out, as the Deere seems to be a nice unit. Thanks for the input lads.

Cheers

 

[Silveroddo]

We just bought a Defender Max HD8. Wasn't even in the market but we rented one and ended up being impressed enough with it to buy it. Guy had quite a few of them, several pushing 6k miles as rental machines and he said they hardly had to do anything to them.

 

[RAPTOR]

Honda pioneer 1000

 

[elkguide]

I have a Honda Pioneer 1000 and while I think it is the best machine (and with tracks, they will go places that will get you in trouble), Honda is in the dark ages when it comes to a good enclosure.

Of the two that you listed, from my experience, I would go with the Can Am. The John Deere has a great cab system but they do have their issues. One of the neighboring farmers has 2 John Deeres and one of them has 18,000 miles on it but he has the second one so he has something to drive when the other one is in the shop. The guys here that have Defenders love the machine but the only downside is that the closest good dealer is 2 hours away.

Dealer support is a real issue for me. While most of the machines today are pretty good, when they go down, having a good source for repairs and parts is very important.

 

[BluMtn]

So far I haven't heard anyone say the like the Deere more the Can Am on any of the forums I have posed the question. We are test driving the Deere as we speak. if the Defender is better then the Deere, I am very much looking forward to trying it out, as the Deere seems to be a nice unit. Thanks for the input lads.

Cheers

One of the downsides to the Deere is the lack of engine brake. Anytime you start down a steep hill you have to be on the brakes all the time. An engine brake will keep your speed down without riding the brakes all the time. I was a service manager for a Deere dealership for awhile and can tell you lots of stories about customers that brought their Gator in for repairs because it got away from them going down a hill or we were doing brake jobs on them.

 

[GrosVentre]

I would have to agree with elkguide in regards to the Honda. I love mine but they built the machine without forethought of a cab. Of the two mention the defender would be my choice. The power compared to the John Deere is on a while different level. One thing I like about the defender is how quiet the cabs are. Fit and finish is hands down better on the defender too.

 

[Billy Goat]

One of the downsides to the Deere is the lack of engine brake. Anytime you start down a steep hill you have to be on the brakes all the time. An engine brake will keep your speed down without riding the brakes all the time. I was a service manager for a Deere dealership for awhile and can tell you lots of stories about customers that brought their Gator in for repairs because it got away from them going down a hill or we were doing brake jobs on them.

As long as you keep a little throttle on the deer it will engine brake, let it go to idle and it kicks out. At least on the 825i.

In my experience the Deere is more of a work machine. I use mine all the time, no real issues with it except the starter going out. Think it's 4-5 years old now anyways. Can't compare it to can am. It's not as comfortable as a Polaris but a better unit in my opinion.

 

[CPD]

I have a John Deere Gator 825i. I believe it’s about a 2012 model. We’ve had a few smallish issues with it over the years: power steering went out twice, transmission clutch had to be replaced one. But our dealer provides awesome service and overall it’s been a pretty good machine. The bed and the dump mechanism are the most robust I’ve personally seen in action on a UTV. Hauling loads of dirt to repair a levy one day at the duck hunting hole, and of the 6 or so UTV’s there, my gator was the only one that could dump a full load of dirt. Literally ran circles around the others. It’s definitely made for work and still holds its own on trails, but there are better trail machines on the market. The engine braking going down hill can be annoying (like someone said, you have to keep a little throttle application to maintain engine braking). It’s loud. It doesn’t have a park gear (have to use the parking brake). It’s not as fast as other makes. That said, if I was buying another, I’d give the Honda Pioneer 1000 a hard look. If I was buying one to work with, I’d probably get another Gator. All depends on what you want it for and how good your local dealers for the various makes are.

 

[Squamch]

I have heard that the Honda 4wd system SUCKS from guys who are experienced with real 4x4s. For people accustomed to a nanny computer deciding which wheel you want spinning and how fast, they're great.

 

[sf jakey]

I have heard that the Honda 4wd system SUCKS from guys who are experienced with real 4x4s. For people accustomed to a nanny computer deciding which wheel you want spinning and how fast, they're great.

maybe for the fancy model, but mine is a simple lever with 4 choices, turf, rear lock, 4wd, full 4 wheel lock. No nanny making choices, and it will go ANYWHERE in full 4wd lock.

 

[Wib]

One of the downsides to the Deere is the lack of engine brake. Anytime you start down a steep hill you have to be on the brakes all the time. An engine brake will keep your speed down without riding the brakes all the time. I was a service manager for a Deere dealership for awhile and can tell you lots of stories about customers that brought their Gator in for repairs because it got away from them going down a hill or we were doing brake jobs on them.

Does the Can AM Defender have an engine braking system of some kind? Going up and down steep grades important for me. I have a 1999 Polaris Sportsman that has an EBS, you'd think this technology would be in all UTV?ATV's but it isn't..

 

[AZ8]

Does the Can AM Defender have an engine braking system of some kind? Going up and down steep grades important for me. I have a 1999 Polaris Sportsman that has an EBS, you'd think this technology would be in all UTV?ATV's but it isn't..

Yes. My Defender does well when going down steep grades. The EBS was one reason I went with the Defender.

 

[IDLassie]

We have a CanAm Defender wouldn't look at anything else. Love it, really enjoy the heater in winter. Enjoy the full rise windshield in the summer. Only bad thing for the USA is it's over 50" wide and you can't use it on the Forest Service trails. Live in very steep country and so far so good.

 

[Wib]

Torn between the Defender and the Textron Prowler Pro (Cat). I know the Arctic Cat ATV/UTV reviews are bad from the past, but the new company with tons of money behind them are fixing the issues. The Textron 3 cyl motor also the quietest by far. A lot of steep up and down for me, ATV's handle it well but a little concerned with the UTV. All things I'm considering, but leaning CAN AM Defender.