UTV drive trains?

I am in the market for possibly buying a UTV. 

My main concern is the drive train options. I'm very leery of any belt drive machines. 

What manufacturers use shaft drives?

Thanks, 

Big Mac 

That’s a nice looking rig, Cambridge!  I looked at and priced Ranger’s as well.  One thing I found and may be worth sharing here:  there was a huge difference in accessory pricing from brand to brand, and Polaris was very high.  I assumed you were best off buying all accessories online anyway, but was very wrong with the Yamaha.  The dealer I purchased from discounted accessories significantly and I got everything for less than I could find anywhere online.  The bottom line, don’t base your decision on prices you see on dealer websites.  I saw a Ranger Crew 570 listed for around 11k.  I was comparing that with the XT-R I bought that was listed on line for north of 18k.  So I thought for 7k difference, I would do the polaris.  However, that dealer was adding on freight, destination charges, and accessories quote was crazy (plus it needed a winch and install).  Set up with all the accessories was just under 17k. When I called on the Wolverine, Yamaha was offering incentives, it came with a 3,500 lb winch, and the rest of the accessories were very cheep.  All in was 20k.  So the gap went from 7k to just over 3k!  Plus I got 36 month interest free financing with Yamaha.  I was gonna pay cash, but took the financing and paid off my truck instead.

Sorry for the long post! 

There's a lot of good options, as seen by  others.  I purchased a 2019 Polaris Ranger 570 crew cab.  I liked this option since it allowed me to carry 4 adults comfortably and still has the dump cargo bed in the back. I also wanted it to have a cab heater, full doors, power steering and front and rear windshields for winter/ice fishing. In summer I pull all four doors off for a really fun summer rider.  It only tows 1500 lbs but it sufficient for my small trailers but will still get up and go nearly 50 mph. Although most of my riding is probably in the sub 25 mph range.  Most of the year it's primarily a trail rider for me, the wife and our golden.  1 year in and about 1k miles and no problems so far.

For what its worth my comparison involved this Ranger and a Honda Pioneer 700. I chose the Ranger primarily due to the improved rear seating capability and the rear cargo bed.

I don't think you can go wrong with any.  Just have to look at how you plan to use it and perhaps where the local dealer is for future repairs.

Prop - what year is your rig?  19K sounds pretty reasonable if you bought it this year.  I couldn't find one with all accessories for that in spring 2020.

I'll provide another option as I looked at just about all options this last spring.  I settled on a Yamaha Wolverine X4 XT-R, which was the top of the line X4 model for 2020.  It is an 847cc that comes stock with a Warn winch and 27" tires w/custom aluminum wheels.  I added roof, windshield, soft rear window, 6' plow and the plow push bars.  All in, with tax, title and everything, I was at exactly $20K.  The machine is awesome.  According to most experts, Yamaha has the industry's best CVT system and they back it with with an industry best 10 year belt warranty.

I was down to the Wolverine and Pioneer.  I'm using this machine for 90% trail riding, and in my opinion, the X4 is the best machine on the market for 4 adults.  I'm 6'3" and fit comfortably in the back seats.  

That is an awesome ride prop!

I was looking at the Honda pioneer 1000 deluxe. My brother-in-law has one with a dump bed, and it’s a really versatile rig - awesome machine!

The reason I gave it a strong look was the shaft drive versus CVT.

At the end of the day, it was a bit more than I was looking to spend.

The arctic cat prowler pro base was 13,500, 16 and change after the winch, front hitch, plow, windshields etc. 

The pioneer which I believe is a step up, was close to 20  base, plus the goodies. 

Due to the price difference , ended up with an arctic cat prowler pro 800. So far I really like it, it even pulls my pontoon in / out of the water. 

I will say when I’m trail riding with my BIL, he can walk away from me fairly easily with his Honda Pioneer 1000. 

When we’re not on a straight away, we can hang pretty close, but on the straightaways, his machine just walks away from mine. 

I think the pioneer is as good as it gets.

That said depending on how you look at it, my rig was quite a bit cheaper, but with the winch, plow, and dump bed, it does everything I need it to do. 

With the shaft drive, the Honda is clearly the best thing out there, but they are pricey!

At the end the day it’s all what you want! I haven’t had any issues with the belt drive, and it is miles above the CVT drive you see in snowmobiles. 

Very smooth ride, no hesitation, no issues with the belt getting wet and water, and it can really pull some weight. I would have to guess my pontoon boat weighs around 2500 pounds, and it pulls it out of the water with no trouble. 

The suspension is nice too, my wife doesn’t even tell me to slow down on the trails LOL!

Do you have a picture of your rig? I’d like to see it! 

I have the Honda Pioneer 1000-5 Deluxe edition. I was all in with roof and Window for little under 19. Great machine not as loud as most. Nice ride, you can't have anyone real tall ride in the jump seat area but it's nice to have the option and not have it as long as the ranger or Can-Am if you ride trails in the woods like we do. 

Almost all UTV’s have a CVT transmission.  I just purchased an arctic cat prowler pro, and it also has a belt...  very different than the machines of yesteryear, very smooth, very comfortable ride, and the belt is very protected by a shield to prevent it from getting wet. It can also pull 2500 pounds. 

I looked at purchasing a shaft drive, and the only one I could find was manufactured by Honda.  Honda makes a great machine in my opinion, but it was $23,000, which was way out of the budget-so I settled for an Arctic Cat.

The base was 13.5, but after a plow, winch, front and rear view windshields etc., ended up being closer to 16. 

The Honda base was 20 K, and you were closer to 23 by the time you tack the goodies on.

So far I’ve taken it on the trails, as well as pulled some boats around the cabins, very pleased. Also went through a number of extended periods with water, had no issue.

I do think the shaft drive is likely a bit better, but you are going to pay big bucks for it, and I’m not sure how much more benefit you get.