Can Am Defender owners?

[PATRO]

Any Can Am Defender owners here?

Looking for my next SxS and have Can Am, Honda and Polaris on the radar in no particular order. I’ve owned three Polaris units, 2 ATV’s and 1 SxS without any issues however they seem to get a bad rap. I do think the Ranger XP 1000 is the best application for my needs which is 90% hunting, 10% light trail riding. Can Am has sparked my interest some with the Defender XMR or HD10 but following the pages on social media they have their issues as well. The Honda Pioneer 1000-5 is ideal for taking the wife and 2 kids riding but seems like the extended roll cage might would interfere with hauling deer stands and such. Also the Honda does seem to have its on issues with trans problems and being hot in the cab from my findings. Have a couple buddies that own Honda’s so I have a good idea on them but none with Cam Am.

[FTMS]

I have a couple of customers with them. One is the 2 seater the other is the 4. Both of them use them like you would. The transmission problems that the earlier Commanders had seems to have gone away but neither of them have that much mileage. On is about 600 the other about 800. It still has the stupid Can Am quirks that drive everyone crazy but they seem decent. If you are looking at Polaris i would look at the General for your use. I am still not a fan of Polaris but i have not seen many of those in my shop.

[BigSexyPhoenix]

Several of my family and friends have can ams and they love theirs. One of them does break something every time we go ride. We have a couple of guys that ride Pioneers and they love them. I think the problems with the clutches has been resolved for the most part. I ride a Kawasaki Teryx so we have a good mix of brands in our group. Go look at all the different brands before you buy bc they all have pluses and minuses. When I bought mine I asked the dealer which brand they had the best luck out of because they sell multiple brands. He told me that Polaris keeps their service department busy, can am quality is much better in recent years and they never get a Kawasaki in for repairs.

[Altro Cat]

Ranger XP 1000 owner here. It is my third Polaris and I have had great service out of all three. The reliability problems with Polaris are wildly overblown IMO, Polaris is the worldwide leader in sales for a reason. Mine have all been used for hunting, fishing, working with a little trail riding thrown in. The General could work for you too but for the price difference over a Ranger I would go Ranger. Also keep in mind that Polaris just released a non XP 1000 Ranger this year that is a nice machine as well for less money. I work at a dealership so feel free to ask any questions.

[PATRO]

I’m lucky to have all the major brands fairly close to me and I’ve checked most of them out. My last SxS was a Polaris Ranger 900XP and it was flawless in the 3 years I owned it. The Teryx and others are nice but lack the bed space for hauling gear. Just started looking at Can Am and the interior seemed really nice and reviews are good for the most part.

Altro Cat, since you’re in the business what’s your thought on the Backcountry Package Ranger 1000XP vs. the standard Ranger 1000XP? My dealer has the XP 1000 at $14,800 and the XP 1000 Backcountry at $17,200. Is it really worth the extra money for what it includes?

[Altro Cat]

Backcountry Edition is nice if you need or want the features. For me personally I am never going to be deep enough in mud or water to need the snorkels. The high clearance a arms and factory installed winch are both nice touches. Active descent control is new for this year so no experience with it yet. The engine brake is stout enough that if you do not have four wheel drive engaged when going down hill on the standard XP1000 that the rear tires will slide if you are not also using the brakes. ADC may be Polaris's way of "fixing" this issue.

Either way those are solid prices for those machines and I think you would be happy with either one.

[PATRO]

Thanks a lot for the info!!

I was looking at the BC more for it having the upgraded reverse gear and the winch more than the snorkels. Seems the reverse chain and turf mode are the two biggest issues I have read about on the Rangers.

[Altro Cat]

I've put over 20k miles on the three I have owned without any transmission or turf mode problems. It is widely overblown IMO. I can only remember one General and one XP 1000 ever having a turf mode failure here at the shop. Polaris fixed one under warranty, brand new trans, and good willed the parts on the general transmission, customer covered the labor as it was far out of warranty. I have only saw a couple RZR's with broken reverse chains and we sell 100's of those every year.

[Corkpuller]

PATRO did ya buy anything yet?

[Corkpuller]

It is my third Polaris and I have had great service out of all three. The reliability problems with Polaris are wildly overblown IMO, so feel free to ask any questions.

what's the story behind having to replace the axles quite often, or axle end assemblies or ???
My neighbor has two Polaris 900's, 2013 maybe, not certain, and he claims they've replaced some axle assembly parts on both machines, and acted like it is just part of owning one. ???

I have heard and read something similar elsewhere.

Difference in the 2020 XP 1000 and the new 1000 ?

Is Polaris all you sell and service?

Thanks

[Altro Cat]

what's the story behind having to replace the axles quite often, or axle end assemblies or ???
My neighbor has two Polaris 900's, 2013 maybe, not certain, and he claims they've replaced some axle assembly parts on both machines, and acted like it is just part of owning one. ???

I have heard and read something similar elsewhere.

Difference in the 2020 XP 1000 and the new 1000 ?

Is Polaris all you sell and service?

Thanks

We do Yamaha, Polaris and Kawaski. Shouldn't be replacing axles very often in anything that isn't being abused. The only thing that comes to mind is that the splines in the diff and transmission that the axles spline into are not made to be super tight. Even new they will have a little movement. Some people will think this is abnormal and try replacing axles or diff hubs to eliminate the slack. Over all they are pretty good machines and getting better. The newer Polaris stuff is many times better than even 10 to 15 years ago.

If you are talking about the Ranger XP1000 vs Ranger 1000 there are some important differences. The XP has a DOHC engine with about 20 more HP than the 1000. XP comes standard with a full front bumper, larger speedo display and better wheels and tires. XP has front and rear sway bars, 1000 only has a rear sway bar. XP overall is just a little nicer and more refined vs the 1000. The 1000 was designed to be the entry level option to replace the 900XP. Probably some more things I am forgetting but that is the major stuff.

[Corkpuller]

Thanks Altro

[jc1992]

Four years ago I looked at all brands and was stuck between can-am defender, Polaris RZR and yamaha Wolverine. The decision maker for me was I got a good deal for the Wolverine and have had zero issues. We us ours for hunting but also farm warm as well. Can say it has easily been put through abuse as we make new trails with ours looking for new spots. What I mean is we push over trees with them and go through whatever we need to where we think there is a possible potential hunting spot. Around the farm I have pulled more with it than it’s definitely supposed to. The bed is rated for 400 but we pile 12 50ib bags of corn on it all the time with no issues. I will say that I never take it through anything that would be deeper than the floor board. If something is I make a new trail around to a better crossing spot.

[Corkpuller]

I think you made a great choice with the Wolverine.
But for my use, I want the Wolverine chassis/suspension, and power plant, with the bed size and doors of the Mule Pro FX.

[jc1992]

I do agree that I wish the bed was a little bigger and a tad easier to get out of but I’ll take them drawbacks over the others. Does anyone know what the OP has decided?

[Altro Cat]

I think you made a great choice with the Wolverine.
But for my use, I want the Wolverine chassis/suspension, and power plant, with the bed size and doors of the Mule Pro FX.

Check out the Mule Pro FXR. Should be just what you are wanting. Slightly smaller bed than a Pro FX but with a trail ready suspension. Personally from someone who works in a dealership I prefer the Mule Pro engine to the new Wolverine engine. The Mule engine has been refined from years of automotive use in Asia.

[Corkpuller]

Check out the Mule Pro FXR. Should be just what you are wanting. Slightly smaller bed than a Pro FX but with a trail ready suspension. Personally from someone who works in a dealership I prefer the Mule Pro engine to the new Wolverine engine. The Mule engine has been refined from years of automotive use in Asia.

Thanks! I'll look closer at the FXR. I thought the Mule Pro's were the same and the FXR just has a little fancier look along with better headlights maybe?, and something about the interior and maybe bumpers, I don't remember.

One thing I hate about the Mules is the damn bed is hard to dump without anything in it, and you have to unlatch both sides. That sucks. They got the pivot point wrong or something. So if I were to own a Mule, the electric/hydraulic dump would be a MUST for me.
Other than that there's a lot I like about them.

[PATRO]

PATRO did ya buy anything yet?

Sorry for the late reply.

Not yet but I made the decision to go with the Honda Pioneer 1000-5. I was ready to pull the trigger on the Polaris Ranger but that same night a few post on the Polaris Ranger Facebook came up about turf mode imploding and clutch issues. While I know it doesn’t happen to every one the thought of having turf mode or clutch issues have turned me off to Polaris. It’s a shame cause I really liked the Ranger 900XP I had but I know in the back of my mind I will always wonder if or when something is gonna happen. Also I have two boys so with the Pioneer I can ride all 4 of us.

Dealer called yesterday to tell me the Pioneer came in but with everything going on in the world right now I’m not sure if I want to drop that much cash on a toy. I’m in the pharmaceutical business so I’m considered an essential worker and also wide open with making a drug that will help with treating the symptoms of Covid-19. Just bad timing to buy anything right now.

[FTMS]

I have not done anything with the turf mode in my shop yet and have not heard much about it from other shops. The reverse chain is a more common problem around here. I did 2 of them last year.

[Altro Cat]

The turf mode issue is way overblown. I can't remember doing one in our shop in years.