Survival and Emergency Preparedness

Just bought a used 500cc UTV side x side. Full story later

I keep looking for one, but haven't found a price that I'm willing to pay.

So...been looking at UTVs i.e, side by sides but new ones are ridiculously expensive particularly the name brand ones, Polaris, Honda, Kawasaki etc. Even the used brand named ones are way out of line.

Started seeing ones at the big box hardware stores, Lowes, Home Depot, Tractor Supply, Rural King etc. Turns out the Colemans, Axis, Massimo, Vector and similar are all made by a Chinese company named Hisun. Same machines, slightly different looks and names. I call them the CCCs (cheap Chinese crap)

The advantage of the big box store UTVs is the price, usually around $9-12k as opposed to $15-30K for the brand names. Hisun machines include windshields, bumpers, tops, doors and winches all which cost extra as add ons to the name brand ones.

Tip...sometimes the CCCs go on sale and if you apply/get the BB store's credit card they will knock 10-20% off your first purchase which can be applied to their UTVs. So if you are going to buy a new CCC, consider this.

9K is still more than I wanted to pay but I set that as the limit I would pay for a used domestic brand. However, nearly all the name brand used ones I found at that price were either really old 10+ years or really beat up or both.

There are plenty of reviews on youtube and other places including facebook pages dedicated to the CCCs. I started looking at those as well. The reviews range from good to awful. Be aware that most people go online when they have a problem so negative reviews tend to dominate. There are some positive reviews however.

Apparently the CCCs are shipped to stores and the stores simply prep them. There sometimes seems to be issues with the prep/assembly process which seems to be the source of many problems.

Warning: While they do have limited warranties, none of the big box stores service/fix them. Service centers for these are few and far between. If they break you have to find someone or do it yourself. I was lucky and found a CCC service center 14 miles away if needed.

I ended up finding a used 2021 (Hisun) Axis 500 (which are sold by Lowes and is a copy of the Yamaha Rhino) listed on Facebook marketplace for $6500. It had been listed for something like 40 weeks. I contacted the guy back when it was first listed and he never responded. I contacted him again several months ago when I noticed it was still for sale. Finally I started searching for someone with the same last name. I found a relative and told them to tell him to respond which he did the next day.

The machine was pretty dirty but started right up and I took it for a ride. I had done my homework and checked everything and everything worked. After some discussion I made a low ball offer, he countered and we settled on $5K which I thought was very reasonable and worth the risk. So my persistence in finding the guy paid off. I figure the money I saved on this used CCC could be used to fix it later if needed.

That was last Friday. I did take it for a short ride but was busy with the 5K adventure race Friday aft and all day Saturday. Finally got it washed and rode it a little bit more on Sunday.

I pretty much bought it for my wife to use around the property. She doesn't like driving the ATV. This UTV is essentially a 4wd golf cart with a dump bed.

Going back up to the house on Thurs this week. I'll change the oil/fluids and filters just to start fresh.



Edited to add....my wife took a pic of it while I was washing it. Shown with the bed tilted. You can see from the driveway how dirty it was.

My brother was also looking at UTVs. He went out and found a used Bad Boy Bandit 550. Bad Boy buggies is the same company that makes well known Bad Boy mowers. They are now owned by Textron who also owns among other things, Arctic Cat & Cushman vehicles & EZ Go golf carts in addition to Beechcraft, Bell and Cessna aircraft.

He bought his used but with only 100 miles on it. He paid $11K for it (which I thought was too much but it is a like new machine*). The same machine was $13K+ new so he saved $2k for that 100 miles. From what I understand Bad Boys are also made by Hisun.

My brother and his UTV. Except for different tires and some cosmetics it looks pretty much like mine. The windshields on these things are removable.



*Besides being a 550cc machine, it also has power steering, bigger tires , bench seats and a few other upgraded things mine doesn't. It's also a little bigger size wise. It's actually a very nice machine. Kind of better than mine but not 2x+ the price better.

Nice. I have my nephew on the watch for a used UTV. He loves going to actions and he scours the sales pages/forums looking for deals. Hopefully, we will eventually find one.

He did just get himself a mini-skid steer at a good price. I guess having patience pays off.

I'm back up at the woods house today and got a chance to check everything on the Axis. Everything works. The air filter was very dirty. I washed the pre filter and will replace the air filter when I get a chance to order one. The oil was okay but I'll change the oil and filter next week, I got a filter on order.

The seats in this thing just pop out. I was surprised to find a large empty space under the driver's seat. A sealable plastic bin would work well there to store tools and off road gear.

In the mean time I'm making a list of off road stuff to add to the machine.

Edited to add:
Until I get a plastic bin to put under the seat I put a cat liter bucket under the seat to hold stuff. It was about 2" too tall so I cut it down.

Above is a work in progress

Drove the ATV and UTV yesterday and over the weekend out on the trails with my brother and his twin grandsons for a couple hours at a time. Had no problems with it. Kind of fun to ride in a golf cart kind of way. I think I like my ATV better but the UTV is easier to drive.

My brother drove the UTV mostly and thought it was very easy and fun to drive. I kind of prefer the ATV. There is a difference between riding ON something and riding IN something.

Although one of the reasons I started looking at UTVs is the 70 mile Fun Fest rides I do every year wear me out. My back and shoulders are usually sore the next day from riding the ATV.



The annual county ORV Fun Fest is coming up in August so we'll probably run the UTV instead of the ATV unless we lend it to my brother and his wife. We're trying to get family members to go with us this year so we'll see.

Been putting together a "Trail Kit". Basically stuff you might need out on the trail

Basically the Trail Kit comes down to sub kits..

-Recovery Kit-tow strap, rope, carabiners etc in case you or someone else gets stuck and needs to be pulled out and/or towed home. The machine already has a winch but it's recommended replacing the steel rope with a synthetic one.

First Aid Kit-Speaks for itself.

Tire Repair Kit-Basically a means to fix tires on the trail. Patch kit, slime, jack, lug nut wrench, air pump and/or inflator. Some people recommend bringing inner tubes in case the sidewall is cut or hole is to big to patch. These things don't come with anything to fix or change a tire.

Tool Kit-These things usually come with a basic tool kit (mine didn't) with a phillips screw driver, spark plug wrench and pliers. I think allen wrenches, racket/sockets, end wrenches, channel locks, locking pliers etc would be helpful.

Fix It kit-Stuff like duct tape, electrical tape, wire, fuses, hose clamps, drive belt, para cord, rope etc would be helpful. Along with extra oil & coolant.

Navigation Kit-maps,compass, GPS. I have a couple old GPSs that I could dig out and mount. Somewhat easier to use than your cell phone at times. I also have downloaded trail maps that at one time were loaded on the GPS when I was dual sport motorcycling riding. I'll have to dig that stuff out.

Securing/protection Kit-ratchet straps, para cord, garbage bags, tarps, plastic sheeting, bungy cords

Convenience Kit-rubber gloves, face masks, extra goggles, rain gear, flashlight, fire making kit (matches, fire starters etc), machete/saw (for cutting low hanging branches), knife, shovel,

More when I think of it. I'm open to other suggestions

And BTW, I just ordered a roll up rear window. With the windshield and no rear window the air gets sucked in the back which is annoying in cool weather. In warm weather you just take off/fold down the windshield. So this rear windscreen is clear plastic, unzips and rolls up when needed. Eventually I may add zip open soft side doors as well but I don't plan on using much in the winter unless I put a plow on it.

And they do make a rear seat that goes in the bed. It comes with seat belts and is quick detachable. Might be a viable option for hauling the grand kids around. Technically not supposes to ride a modified UTV on public roads/trails but it's ok on private land.

And...I received the oil/air filters & seat covers i ordered on Amazon. Still have some other things to order like a rear view mirror. It has side mirrors but an in cab mirror would be helpful.

Put the seat covers and rear window on. Both work pretty good. Used the UTV to pull the fertilizer spreader on all the food plots.

In the afternoon I drove it over to my brothers house and went for a ride on the back roads. Put 32 miles on it.

I'll say one thing about it, it is really noisy i.e, loud.. you basically sit on top of the engine, there is not much sound proofing. Starting to think about wearing ear muffs maybe with sound and mic in order to speak over a radio. Really need an intercom to speak to my passenger/wife.

When I got home I saw a big woodchuck out on the lawn thats been digging holes under the porch and pooping on the porch. Been hunting him for a couple weeks.. Finally got him today.

Update... got 2 more woodchucks this evening