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I am considering a replacement for my John Deere Gator and looking at the Can Am. Does anyone have experience with them. We use it mainly on the ranch checking cattle, fences and drinkers. Some public road driving but mostly washes and two track roads. Lots of deep sand. Four wheel drive most of the time. The gator is under powered at about 25 HP.

A round trip to the ranch is about 50 miles. Would like to be able to go at least 35 mph but no need to go 60 mph. Need a bed to haul fencing, plumbing supplies and tools. Sometimes carry bales of hay, salt and feed.

Any knowledge or experience you are willing to share would be appreciated.

Honda Pioneer 1000 with dump box, lots of power no belt.

Will do thanks

Mule pro

That many miles per trip -- would a Roxor do what you need?

I've heard of guys putting lots of miles on the Pioneer 1000 and the Mule Pro both. Neither seems to be known for spending lots of time in the shop. No real experience with Can Am, but they are starting to get more popular around here.

Everyone I know with a Can Am has a decidedly sporty model - not something you're looking for. That said, generally they've been okay but the occasional small issue. I will also say - they tend to accumulate squeaks and rattles unlike their Japanese counterparts - Honda/Yam/Kawasaki seem to be quieter as miles go up. Can Am not as loud as a Polaris with miles on it tho.

Thanks for the comments. I might add, our weather is generally pretty mild. About 105 max mid-day in the summer and just below freezing in the winter. Not looking for a cab, doors, a/c, etc., just a top and windshield. Something easy to get in and out which we do a lot.

I ended up with the mule FXT Pro. It runs 50mph rides like a Buick and I know a lot of people that have them with zero problems. I personally know of two with over 20k on them only thing replaced was a belt or 2 and brakes. They make a 1000 model now and have 2 or 4 seat versions. The 4 seat converts to a 2 seater so it’s not long like most 4 seaters. You can honestly put 6 full grown adults in it and be fine. The best part is unlike the pioneer when you convert it to 2 seat verson you still have plenty of bead and the rear seat is way more comfy. I’ve moved my 5k boat around with it, we use it checking fields and pasture fence lines as well as moving stuff around the apiary. My friends use them in duck fields and in peach orchards. 3 year unlimited mileage warranty.

The 1000-5 pioneer is good. I will tell you make sure you get the style with the paddle shifters with it and make sure to use them to shift or you will have tranny problems If you plan on doing a lot of slow fence work or spraying. Honda dealer actually talked me out of buying one when the only few he had in to show me all were in for transmission replacment. I can buy alot of 80 dollar belts for that. I think they had a 1 year warranty

I’ve never messed with the can-am much I know parts are harder to get around us and when you go down it’s for awhile do to this. Personally I’m not a BRP fan anyways mostly to to BRP ruining Evinrude and the fact I know BRP isn’t the best with warranty claims.


I’d stay clear of Polaris 10k is high mileage on one of those things if it even makes it that far.

We have had several Polaris Rangers and they have been fine. No problems with them and we use them for the stuff you describe. Ranch/farm work and hunting. They have great cab systems but sounds like you don't need that.

Let me start by saying I am a long time Honda fan. Have owned 5-6 Honda ATV's through the years. Now I've got a Can am Defender HD10XT that I bought new over 5 years ago. It's only got 3600 miles on it (100% troublefree) but it has been hard miles. I use it strictly for deer hunting/food plot prep/filling feeders etc etc. I've towed my 18' trailer with box blinds on it many times, pull a 4' disc to plow food plots every year, overloaded it with 25+ 50lb sacks of corn, seed, fertilizer, lime or whatever else (rear end sags like crazy) and it just keeps on doing everything I ask it to. It's never been to the shop besides annual maintenance every year before hunting season. Still even has the factory big horn tires on it. The absolute only complaint I have had is the suspension does start squeaking every year before it goes in for maintenance but I get the dealer to grease all of the fittings while it's there and it's back to new again for a while. I'm sure the fact that 90% of my driving is on gravel, dirt or mud roads doesn't help it. When I bought it I had originally set out to buy a Ranger but after driving the Ranger, Pioneer, Viking and Defender it was clear the Defender was in a league of it's own. Quieter, smoother riding, less vibration, more room, better fit and finish, more power I could go on and on. The Pioneer was a close 2nd for me but Honda's DCT was only a year or 2 old at the time and I did not like the way it shifted at all during multiple test drives with testing multiple units. It seemed like the machine did not know what gear it wanted/needed to be in at slow speeds. Test drove a new Honda Rubicon a year or so later and it felt the same way. Not sure why Honda did away with the Hondamatic but that was a huge mistake for them. Was so impressed with the Defender I ended up buying a Can am Outlander 570 DPS a year or so later. I did not test drive Kawasaki Mule or John Deere and do not have much experience with either of them. For what it's worth 10+ yrs ago I pretty much only saw Polaris Rangers and Yamaha Rhinos in my area and now I see almost exclusively Can am Defenders or Honda Pioneers. Good luck with your decision.

Thanks for all the comments

The can-am will certainly do all you’re looking for. I’d suggest a roof at least though to keep the sun off you.

Hell you can get them with doors and a/c if you really want to.

The Polaris general would be another to look for comparison if you haven’t

Honda , own several . I would not have an ATV or 4 wheeler that does not have a trans. Quieter, No whinny snowmobile belt and over reving motor.

If you're not going full cab, I'd definitely stay away from a Ranger. While practical, they suck in so much dust it's ridiculous.

I have heard the same complaint from 2 guys who own Rangers. For what it's worth one of them still has his 2013 Ranger but bought a new Pioneer before last hunting season.

Are you saying that a Ranger with no cab gets more dusty than say a Honda with no cab on the same trail?

Thanks for all the comments. This is what we ended up doing. Ended up at a dealer in Tucson. Big mistake but we endured and finally bought a used 2020 Can Am Defender HD10 with 42 hours on the meter. It had pretty much everything we wanted and nothing we didn’t want. Looked at Kawasaki Mules, Honda Pioneer, Can Am defender and Polaris Ranger. Almost all the units in stock were six passenger and had doors, cab, heater, a/c and other equipment we didn’t want. The dealer didn’t have a new unit like we wanted. The Honda Pioneer was definitely a nice unit with the fold down rear seats you had a choice of a bed or more passenger room. Ended up with the Can Am because it had the most powerful engine.

Dealer said they looked for a new unit like we wanted but none was to be found. Based on our overall experience it is doubtful they looked very hard. The overall purchase experience was a CF. Their service department was atrocious and incompetent. When we finally got the first price quote there was four thousand dollars in add-ons. Definitely don’t plan to use their service department and ordered a service manual this morning.

So we spent today at the ranch. Drove 45 miles round trip. Used about five gallons of gas. The Gator usually burns about three gallons so not terrible considering the difference in horsepower. The Can Am plowed through the sand just fine with power to spare. Never had to shift into low range. It bogged down in two wheel drive and would have gotten stuck. Four wheel drive was a must. Went several places a longer unit would not have been able to go. It is taller and slightly wider than the John Deere Gator but doesn’t seem to be a major issue. Will take a chain saw next time and trim up a few places we didn’t want to try. Looks like it will suit our needs, has power to spare and goes much faster than we will drive. Like pretty much everything else it will be a crap shoot to see how it holds up.

From what I have seen so far it appears parts for the Can Am are generally cheaper than John Deere. I think that is pretty much true with everything as far as JohnnDeere goes. Thanks again for all the comments. They were helpful.

Some free advice, so take it for what it's worth. If in doubt when lugging through mud or sand, low range is your belt's best friend. Have seen more than a few Rangers cook their belts in high range in sloppy or high torque situations. Low range is much easier on the belt.

+1 on badger's comment. If you are about to make the machine grunt a bit, pause for a second and shift into low range.