I have owned 2 Yamaha Rhino's, a 2004 660 that gave me good service and a 2011 700 that my insurance company just told me they are going to total it since I had an accident and bent the frame. I have no problem buying another Yamaha but I know there are several other options out there now and I want to get some inpup from others. I will be using it strictly for hunting, no hot rodding or racing, so a vehicle that will do 40-45 mph is fine, although I like the Yamaha 700 torque. I want camo color, and most important, as QUIET as possible. I like the size of the Rhino so the smaller the better. I hunt in Northern California and go out of state a lot. Any suggestions?
This is always a very opionated subject. Everyone has there favorite. Rather then opening up a can of worms find a place where you can get the best service. If you have had good luck with Yami's and you like the service you have been getting with that dealer stick with them.
Get a ***anese mini truck and you will not be unhappy with the choice. I've had both and the mini truck is so much more practical its not even a comparison. Larger box, full cab, heat/ac, 3 cyl, street legal in some states, 4x4 will go darn near anywhere you want, and the list goes on. And the best part.............half the price!
One of the guys that I hunt with put an after market muffler on his Rhino that was supposed to quieten the "putt-putt" noise .... it did a great job.
The battery operated "high dollar" UTV's are extremely quiet, but the two guys in my hunting group that have had them were not happy at all with the battery life and overall ruggedness. They had a lot of problems with theirs. Som much so that one of these guys actually pushed his off a 25' +/- embankment into a large creek !!!
One of the guys has a 48 volt, 2-wheel drive, "jacked" up golf cart that does pretty darned good as far as getting around. But it has zip for power and cannot manage deep mud. He uses his primarily to get around in good conditions, and uses his Rhino for the rest of the time.
I have a Ranger HD that my buddies say is quieter than the stock Rhino or new John Deere Gator. I can't tell the difference frankly. But I am about half deaf anyway !!
My best buddy has a Kubota 900 diesel, 4x4 .... it is loud but so far has been very rugged. I do not have experience with any other UTV's.