Many ATV trails are limited to 50" wide which eliminates the large majority of UTV's. A big ATV can haul 2 people but it's sure nice to have my wife belted in beside me instead of perched up on a high seat behind me. On side hills, you sit lower in an SXS for better stability but also you can't lean uphill so that part is a wash (The SXS has a roll cage in case you really screw up).
However, there are very few 50's out there. We have a 50" 2012 Polaris RZR 800 that we take in some pretty hairy places. We trail ride. We don't race, jump, or any of that stuff. We're 70'ish and don't want to be tearing up an expensive machine but we do some technical riding over, around, and seemingly under some pretty big rocks and logs. By staying under 50", we have a lot more places we can go. There are hundreds of miles of 50" trails around here that we can ride.
A 50 will fit in the back of a pickup so we can also pull our camp trailer. We have a long bed pickup. The back tires of the RZR put the full weight on the bed, not the tailgate, but the gate doesn't quite close so I have to tie it shut. With a short bed, the back wheels of the UTV are on the tailgate which usually isn't strong enough to safely carry the weight. They make kits to strengthen them if necessary. A 50 will fit between the wheel wells so you don't have to invent some way to go above them. I've seen some racks that put the front wheels above the cab which allows you to close the tailgate.
There are only a half dozen 50's made. The only REAL 50" UTV's are these:
Polaris 570 and 900. I know a couple people who have the 570 and it gets there. It's a good machine. I have an 800 which was replaced by the 900. I'd much prefer that one but they cost quite a bit more. The extra horses are very useful when it gets steep or when speeding down a road between trails.
CanAm Maverick Trail A lot of guys don't like CanAm but I have no experience with them. I've never heard anything really bad about them, though, so I don't know what the complaints are.
Honda 500 Pioneer It's said to be underpowered and slow but very well built. They don't have any extra features, it's a very basic model
Arctic Cat Wildcat Trail I'm told the AC has gone downhill since Textron bought them out
The others that I wouldn't even consider
Cub Cadet makes one but it has a tiny 400cc engine and can only do 25 mph. I suspect it would power out on some of the hills we climb.
CFMOTO – Zforce 800 Trail. It's made in China so that should tell you all you need to know. There are no dealers anywhere near here anyway.
With a machine weighing close to 1000lb (maybe 1500 with 2 men and fully loaded), you'd like 60 or 70 hp or more. That's a lot of weight to be hauling up a steep hill. Our RZR 800 has climbed every hill that I have the cojones to try. I haven't tried towing a trailer behind it up in the hills but some of these can tow 1500lb.
