Home Forums Gear Horses and ATV's Side by side ATV's ...... I don't understand the utility or draw of them

OK, as ATV's get bigger and bigger we now have a plethora of SxS ATV's. My question is this: WHERE can one take these pigs that could not just as easily have been navigated by a small street legal 4x4 like a CJ5 or a Samurai with nice fat aggresive tires and posi? The ads I see for them show them being used in places that I could even get my F-250 4x4 with no troubles! Had mine (F-250 4x4) in cross country / no road mode a fair bit this last week and it hauls a 'bit' more than any 750cc SxS ATV can haul. Cannot for the life of me see what they will do that well equipped and set up a CJ5 could not do as well or better.

What am I missing here?

I've asked the same question in the past and found the real, underlying answer. We're HUNTERS. There is no limit to what the hunter NEEDS to hunt. If there is nothing we don't have, we must invent something else to buy or our sport can't be performed.

Also, the ads showing them on a road open to a 3/4 ton 4x4 are shot by a camera crew with a Dodge Caravan full of photo equipment. If the crew can't get there, no ad.

Here in Utah...trails are developed and maintained at 50" on our Forest property...having boulders or deadfalls creating squueze points on the trails....As also mentioned our BLM property is less restrictive....some BLM trails are listed at 50" for a resaon...too steep or knarley for anything wider...so the places where a SXS will fit...I in no way would take my Toyota Tacoma let alone my 2500HD Chevy..the ATV crowd loves their machines...but SXS's are becoming more popular...especially for some that just want to ride/ buy/maintain/transport one machine...I have both machines...a Honda ATV & Yamaha Rhino...which one goes the most ? The Rhino...more space to haul gear is a very big plus....covered roof is another...much more comfort....windshield to cut the winter air..seatbelts.....side by side passenger conversation...the list goes on..each machine has their place...here's a pic from the Henry Mtns in SE Utah....

OK, that makes sense. Thanks for a reply without getting overly defensive. Nice pic, too. I really was and am curious. As much as I love my Rokon in an area like you hunt I could dig the comfort of that unit for sure! Two up on the Rokon in bumpy terrain is better than walking but a might rough and tiring.

Could you get a CJ-5 where that SxS ATV is sitting? They are pretty narrow and short.

There are many areas in Alaska where there is a 1500lb restriction on off road vehicles which limits it to atv's and some utv's. Another plus for the utv over the regular sized jeep or truck is you can get into the back country much quicker. There are only a few models of utv that I would use up here, the Razr and Rhino and possibly the Prowler, most of the other models are too wide to access some of the trails I ride. I am a big fan of Honda atv's but that Big Red is downright ugly and huge, would make a nice farm rig though.

A friend just bought one of those big ugly honda big red machines,and for what . i can't say. he rides on the puplic roads of west virginia. i think he likes it because he can let his wife drive while he drinks all the coors he can hold.

Now THAT is a serious big game hunter....

Yes....you could drive your one ton 4x4 p/u to the spot where the Rhino is shown....but why ? The Henry Mtn range in SE Utah is very steep...the BLM roads are graded....but again very steep & narrow in spots...and flash floods are common in the lower country in Aug/Sept...the ridgeline in the first pic tops out at nearly 12K'..this pic shows what I cooked for lunch....two fat ribeye steaks and a can of pork & beans....a few cold beers...and scenery of course...lots of room for a full size cooler full of viddles & beer..and everything else you could need 25 miles from the truck...

Because if I can get my truck there, I don't have to spend $6,000 on a SxS ATV, and can take my smaller ATV, like my Rokon in the back of the truck, maybe even a BBQ grill, and go from there to even more remote area's.

Not being argumentative, good posts here, just bantering some questions I have had.

Beautiful country there. Did you bag a big game animal on that trip?

Nope...no tags....Henry's are a premium mule deer draw unit...along with Bison...here's a few bucks I 'shot' with my Sony...eight weeks prior to my last trip in Sept...

Wow. Nice Bucks!

Back to the original question. . . As a lifelong Jeep owner, I originally thought the same about the Rhino/UTVs until I owned one. I was in the market for an ATV, and had talked myself into a new one. After the initial sticker shock at the dealer, I found a well equipped Rhino with 100 miles on it for less money than the ATV I had my eyes on. I compared the pros and cons of each, and the fact that I can pack the whole family comfortably (or 2 guys and a ton of gear) in the Rhino was what tipped the scales. The Rhino weighs 1050 lbs, while a CJ-5 will run 3 times that. You can make your own trails through the woods with the Rhino without tearing up the terrain as much. The Rhino also comes factory with front and rear lockers. You can also put a Rhino in the back of a truck. Try one. You'll like it.

I would say that a Rhino and a CJ-5 are as similar as a .243 and a .30-06 . . . both will get the job done, but one will shine where the other will just get by and visa-versa. YMMV.

let me know where you can get one for 6K.

I was being very conservative and figuring used prices. Have not priced them.

I did the same thing last February..drove a new Honda Rancher with AT & PS....nice quick machine...forgot how much $$...but a new Rhino OTD was $11K....found my used '07 660 with low miles/hrs for $7500 and loaded...its in my garage and I'm happy with it...also have a Honda 450 quad...Tacoma V6 SB 4x4 w/diff loc...Chev 2500HD crew...the Rhino get used...
PS....you won't make your own trails in Utah on Forest or BLM property...stiff tickets await you for off trail riding..

Good posts and answers. I still like my Rokon, kind of the anti SxS or opposite end of the ATV spectrum I suppose.

I found my '06 Camo Rhino with 4K Warn Winch (~$500) and 26" ITP Wheel kit (~$1000), and only 120 miles for $6200. You are right though, the new ones are pricey at $11K or so. I was looking at a Honda Rincon holdover that was $8K, so I was very happy with the deal I found on the Rhino.

Rokons are definitely a neat ride, with no real equal. They are made about 20 minutes from me in Rochester NH. They too are pricey for what they are. Looks like new ones are over $5K.

Another Rhino in 'Rhino Country'.....

I sure like those Rhino's.

I like the Rhino's too, but I sold mine last year and went with the Ranger 6x6. I needed more capacity for the stuff I do, and the 6x6 definitely works for that.