Gotlift01
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Loveland, Colorado
Can't plate them in Colorado. I've heard that down in Silverton they allow you to ride them around town, but I haven't confirmed that. Other than that, it's a no go on street legal.
Leaving the Jeep world and entering the UTV world....
- Thread starter Gotlift01
- Start date
adrenalinepirate
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Lakewood,CO
Found a auction house that sells wrecked Polaris. Most of the time the items you would need to build are in great setup. I want to buy a two seater 800cc or 900cc and build a custom chassis and use all the parts from the wrecked one. You can do a trail alot quicker in a utv then a jeep.
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Gotlift01
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Loveland, Colorado
Re: Re: Leaving the Jeep world and entering the UTV world....
People have been trying to get it passed for years now here but for some reason it always gets shot down. There are a few states that its legal like Wyoming, Arizona, and even some parts of Cali I've heard allow it, and a few others. Its definitely a bummer, sure would make life easier at times.
Very much so! We can cover some serious ground in a day with these things. Our last Moab trip we did between 40-50 miles of trail a day and that wasn't even pushing it hard.
DutchVDub
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Milliken, CO
They are still expensive, buy you have to look at what you're getting for your money too when it comes to the offroad side. The T4 w/ a long travel conversion will run you about 20K. With that you get King Coil-overs, 14" of travel, selectable front locker, locked rear, and a much better power/weight ratio than a Jeep.
A RZR 1000 is 22K but comes with 16" front travel and 18" rear travel stock. Locked rear axle, and a lot of HP.
You're basically buying mini-comp buggies with these things, and while it isn't going to be able to do the same stuff as a full KOH rig its going to be able to whoop all over a regular Jeep. Most of the trails we do with our rigs the SxS will rip through in a fraction of the time w/o beating up your kidneys. I also think that only having a 30" tall tire (oversized btw) will make the obstacles on those trails a lot more fun.
A RZR 1000 is 22K but comes with 16" front travel and 18" rear travel stock. Locked rear axle, and a lot of HP.
You're basically buying mini-comp buggies with these things, and while it isn't going to be able to do the same stuff as a full KOH rig its going to be able to whoop all over a regular Jeep. Most of the trails we do with our rigs the SxS will rip through in a fraction of the time w/o beating up your kidneys. I also think that only having a 30" tall tire (oversized btw) will make the obstacles on those trails a lot more fun.
DutchVDub
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Milliken, CO
Yeah, but a buggy isn't any cheaper. In fact to do a buggy right it's going to cost more. Plus you have to build it. You're not buying a quality buggy new for less. There are good deals to be had on used ones but there are also good deals to be had on used SXS's.
I'm not sure if I'm going to make the switch or not, but I can definitely see the benefits, especially for me. I'm not looking to do the stuff that warrants a full comp buggy, but I do want the quality suspension and the comfort that comes with it. The trails I'm doing with the family my JK just walks right over so it can be a bit boring bouncing along at 5mph to never really be challenged. That's where I think the SXS could be great. I can haul ass between obstacles (fun in it own right) and then when I get to them I'm in a small rig with up to a 30" tall tire, so there will be an added challenge. I won't mind pushing it hard on those obstacles because it's just got to get back to the trailer and it's not my primary source of transportation.
Another thing is at 1500lbs the SXS requires a much lighter trailer and can be easily towed by a 1/2Ton truck (or smaller) so you save some money there.
I started pricing out building another XJ how I would ultimately want it for doing what I do now and using all new parts I'm looking at 17-20K. Obviously I can save money here and there by being patient and utilizing Craigslist and junkyards, but I'll also have to build it. That's keeping it at a D30 and either D44 or Super8.8 out back too and only 35's. And it still probably wouldn't be as fun and reliable as the SXS.
On the same token continuing to modify my JK means big money too. They have a huge penalty added to them for parts, it's actually ridiculous. Business is business but I don't understand how some of these companies can sleep at night.
The lack of being able to plate the SXS does suck, but it's bound to change. More and more states are making them legal on the road with a 50-55mph speed limit max. That's all you really need to get back to the trailer and explorer multiple trails while being able to connect them with pavement.
I considered going back to a Sammy but the truth is the T4 is roomier for the family, has better suspension, has power steering, makes more power, gets better fuel economy, and has a better wheelbase.
I'm not sure if I'm going to make the switch or not, but I can definitely see the benefits, especially for me. I'm not looking to do the stuff that warrants a full comp buggy, but I do want the quality suspension and the comfort that comes with it. The trails I'm doing with the family my JK just walks right over so it can be a bit boring bouncing along at 5mph to never really be challenged. That's where I think the SXS could be great. I can haul ass between obstacles (fun in it own right) and then when I get to them I'm in a small rig with up to a 30" tall tire, so there will be an added challenge. I won't mind pushing it hard on those obstacles because it's just got to get back to the trailer and it's not my primary source of transportation.
Another thing is at 1500lbs the SXS requires a much lighter trailer and can be easily towed by a 1/2Ton truck (or smaller) so you save some money there.
I started pricing out building another XJ how I would ultimately want it for doing what I do now and using all new parts I'm looking at 17-20K. Obviously I can save money here and there by being patient and utilizing Craigslist and junkyards, but I'll also have to build it. That's keeping it at a D30 and either D44 or Super8.8 out back too and only 35's. And it still probably wouldn't be as fun and reliable as the SXS.
On the same token continuing to modify my JK means big money too. They have a huge penalty added to them for parts, it's actually ridiculous. Business is business but I don't understand how some of these companies can sleep at night.
The lack of being able to plate the SXS does suck, but it's bound to change. More and more states are making them legal on the road with a 50-55mph speed limit max. That's all you really need to get back to the trailer and explorer multiple trails while being able to connect them with pavement.
I considered going back to a Sammy but the truth is the T4 is roomier for the family, has better suspension, has power steering, makes more power, gets better fuel economy, and has a better wheelbase.
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Gotlift01
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Loveland, Colorado
It's an expensive hobby, but in the big picture, this entire off road hobby is expensive. I tried the whole buggy route and decided that was by the far the dumbest damn decision I've made so far. Granted it was a blast, but the only trails that were a challenge were HOURS away, and I stood a good chance of breaking something $$$$ every time I went out.
Not to mention the buggy on the local trails around here was BORING AS F**K! I never even locked the front in, and did everything in 2 wheel drive for the most part. Even in my current XJ which is very built, I was getting bored. The obstacles that were challenging were few and far between, and the trail would just beat the piss out of you if you tried to hurry through it.
With the SXS, it makes even a mild trail fun. You can pick up the pace that would be painful in a Jeep, drift a few corners, do a little jumping, and if you happen to lay it on its side....have a buddy come help you push it back over.
You can also make more of your time when out on a trail. For example.... we just went to Ouray last month. In a Jeep, doing Blackbear and Imogene is a pretty long day on the trail even if you are pressing on without a lot of stops. I was down there with a few friends in a built Sami, 4 door JK, and an FJ40. It took us almost 2 hours to get to the stair steps of Blackbear where I had to turn around due to the one way switchbacks. I made it back to my truck in 25 minutes, loaded up, drove the highway back to Ouray ( which is a haul ), drove up a long dirt road, unloaded, did almost the entire Imogene trail, and was waiting for my friends at the Tomboy mine. All they did was finish the switchbacks on Blackbear, stop in Telluride for a T-shirt, and do the first mile or two of Imogene.
So in that day, I did Blackbear twice, Imogene twice, and had a lot of highway miles to drive to and from....in the time that it took them to do 2 trails.
Different strokes for different folks.
I have relatively little into my sammy.
Has a new motor, it's street legal and I flat tow it. I thought about it for sometime.
Dont get me wrong the high hp/low weight from a razor is awesome and im sure it is funner off road
But being debt free is my cup of tea.
I have relatively little into my sammy.
Has a new motor, it's street legal and I flat tow it. I thought about it for sometime.
Dont get me wrong the high hp/low weight from a razor is awesome and im sure it is funner off road
But being debt free is my cup of tea.
adrenalinepirate
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Lakewood,CO
Time is precious to me. Saw a Polaris 900cc this morning on that auction website for $1000. Dutch is right on the whole trailer and 1/2 ton truck. It is my plan to modify my trailer and use my wife's Tahoe to drag it around. I can drop the kids off at school then go run a trail and be back enough time to pick them up on my day off. I grew up riding quads and have always wanted a buggy. This is a compromise that is very right for my situation. The size of the machine makes a different challenge. On 38's my biggest rig I was getting bored and not challenged. At least with 30 inch tires that I want seem light enough to change out and aggressive enough to get me where I want to go. This has been the direction I have wanted to go for a long time. Also this industry off the utv is growing!
Gotlift01
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Loveland, Colorado
DutchVDub
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Milliken, CO
My JK is free and clear and if I were to make the switch it would get sold to buy the SXS and truck.
With 37's on my Rubicon I find most of the trails I'm willing to do pretty boring. The fun trails are pretty far away and the stuff that would really challenge me and the Jeep are far too likely to cause serious damage to my rather expensive and solitary means of transportation. My wife also has no desire to go on them and I really don't want them in the Jeep with me either. I also found that I didn't particularly enjoy those trails anyways, the cost/fun/risk ratio just wasn't very agreeable to me.
I didn't have to build my JK so big but it walked up most everything with the 35's too, I only went as big as I did to try and keep the belly from hanging me up so much. I can look at an obstacle and know that I'm either going to walk up it on such and such line or I'm going to hang up on my belly and need to winch. There pretty much isn't a middle ground with this rig, either its walking up or it isn't. I don't even turn on my lockers anymore just to make things slightly more interesting.
With 37's on my Rubicon I find most of the trails I'm willing to do pretty boring. The fun trails are pretty far away and the stuff that would really challenge me and the Jeep are far too likely to cause serious damage to my rather expensive and solitary means of transportation. My wife also has no desire to go on them and I really don't want them in the Jeep with me either. I also found that I didn't particularly enjoy those trails anyways, the cost/fun/risk ratio just wasn't very agreeable to me.
I didn't have to build my JK so big but it walked up most everything with the 35's too, I only went as big as I did to try and keep the belly from hanging me up so much. I can look at an obstacle and know that I'm either going to walk up it on such and such line or I'm going to hang up on my belly and need to winch. There pretty much isn't a middle ground with this rig, either its walking up or it isn't. I don't even turn on my lockers anymore just to make things slightly more interesting.
DutchVDub
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Milliken, CO
I don't think there is a contest going on, besides you might have me on length but I'll split the sides of a tuna can. 
There are plenty of advantages to the Jeep route too. Heat/AC for one, doors and windows are standard, more storage room, don't need to tow it (depending on how built and the trails you're doing). The jeep can carry all the camping gear and then I'm not leaving a truck/trailer back at camp. I can get it into more remote camping areas than I could with a truck and trailer. It can double as my daily driver.
My JK has also been pretty nice for not having to do a major build on it to get it where its at. The longest project on it was when I pulled my axles to truss them and regear. That took me about 4 days. The next longest ordeal was the cage kit, and that was about a 3 day affair. Other than that its just simple bolt-ons like flares, bumpers, and a lift. It already rides better than any Jeep I've had before and is also a lot more capable than any I've had before except the YJ. There is a downfall to the cost of stuff for it, but most anything I want is there in a easy to install kit. Just buy it, follow the directions, and go wheeling. I like that, it frees up time for me to watch hockey and play Xbox with my son. Or even just go camping/wheeling which is the whole point of having the Jeep in the first place. Like Nick's SxS I don't have to spend a lot of time working on the JK. Pretty much everything I've done has been optional, and some of it merely because its what I wanted. In fact, I don't think I've had anything break except my license plate holder and I was able to snap it back together and screw it back on while on the trail. I replaced my t-case linkage bushings and my TIPM, the front drive shaft I upgraded because the Rzeppa joint started wearing out and I wanted to go to a doublecardon style for the extra room/reliability with my lift. Oh yeah, I broke a tail light housing when my neighbor left his trash can behind my Jeep and I hit it. After 12,000 miles in the last 14mos with the majority of that being to/from/on the trail (I only drive 3 miles each way to work and only work 4 days a week) its pretty impressive not to have had to fix/replace shit left and right.
There are plenty of advantages to the Jeep route too. Heat/AC for one, doors and windows are standard, more storage room, don't need to tow it (depending on how built and the trails you're doing). The jeep can carry all the camping gear and then I'm not leaving a truck/trailer back at camp. I can get it into more remote camping areas than I could with a truck and trailer. It can double as my daily driver.
My JK has also been pretty nice for not having to do a major build on it to get it where its at. The longest project on it was when I pulled my axles to truss them and regear. That took me about 4 days. The next longest ordeal was the cage kit, and that was about a 3 day affair. Other than that its just simple bolt-ons like flares, bumpers, and a lift. It already rides better than any Jeep I've had before and is also a lot more capable than any I've had before except the YJ. There is a downfall to the cost of stuff for it, but most anything I want is there in a easy to install kit. Just buy it, follow the directions, and go wheeling. I like that, it frees up time for me to watch hockey and play Xbox with my son. Or even just go camping/wheeling which is the whole point of having the Jeep in the first place. Like Nick's SxS I don't have to spend a lot of time working on the JK. Pretty much everything I've done has been optional, and some of it merely because its what I wanted. In fact, I don't think I've had anything break except my license plate holder and I was able to snap it back together and screw it back on while on the trail. I replaced my t-case linkage bushings and my TIPM, the front drive shaft I upgraded because the Rzeppa joint started wearing out and I wanted to go to a doublecardon style for the extra room/reliability with my lift. Oh yeah, I broke a tail light housing when my neighbor left his trash can behind my Jeep and I hit it. After 12,000 miles in the last 14mos with the majority of that being to/from/on the trail (I only drive 3 miles each way to work and only work 4 days a week) its pretty impressive not to have had to fix/replace shit left and right.
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Gotlift01
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Loveland, Colorado
Nope no contest here, I just like talking about stuff. And I'm german...so y'all are f*cked in the size department!
There are definitely times I miss the Jeep ( well I still have it, just don't do anything with it ). But for times when the weather gets shitty, it's nice to just roll up the windows and turn the heat on....where in the Teryx, it's dig out the rain gear and prepare to freeze for awhile.
The drivetrain noise is also another downfall to the SXS...and the Teryx is pretty loud. All you have is a plastic cover over the engine, so it can get pretty damn noisy inside and can be rather annoying if you're trying to have a conversation. You get used to it after awhile, but I'm still not a fan of it.
Having to trailer it everywhere does get old....not gonna lie! The Jeep was nice for the trails that you don't do a big loop. You just hop on the road and head home...where as the SXS, you gotta turn around and do the entire trail again...just backwards. This is where the speediness and agility of them comes in handy. You can make short work of a trail if needed.
Another thing like Dutch and I have discussed is the camping ordeal. That is probably the number #1 thing that I miss most about the Jeep. Being able to just load up your gear and head into the trail is nice. With the SXS....I'll be damned if I leave my truck unattended over night at a trail head, or drive my truck and trailer up the trail...just not going to happen. So I bought a toy hauler to go camping with, and had to find new areas to camp that had decent dirt roads to get in and out of. Don't get me wrong, that's fun too, but it's a TON more work than just tossing your sleeping back and tent in the Jeep.
There are definitely times I miss the Jeep ( well I still have it, just don't do anything with it ). But for times when the weather gets shitty, it's nice to just roll up the windows and turn the heat on....where in the Teryx, it's dig out the rain gear and prepare to freeze for awhile.
The drivetrain noise is also another downfall to the SXS...and the Teryx is pretty loud. All you have is a plastic cover over the engine, so it can get pretty damn noisy inside and can be rather annoying if you're trying to have a conversation. You get used to it after awhile, but I'm still not a fan of it.
Having to trailer it everywhere does get old....not gonna lie! The Jeep was nice for the trails that you don't do a big loop. You just hop on the road and head home...where as the SXS, you gotta turn around and do the entire trail again...just backwards. This is where the speediness and agility of them comes in handy. You can make short work of a trail if needed.
Another thing like Dutch and I have discussed is the camping ordeal. That is probably the number #1 thing that I miss most about the Jeep. Being able to just load up your gear and head into the trail is nice. With the SXS....I'll be damned if I leave my truck unattended over night at a trail head, or drive my truck and trailer up the trail...just not going to happen. So I bought a toy hauler to go camping with, and had to find new areas to camp that had decent dirt roads to get in and out of. Don't get me wrong, that's fun too, but it's a TON more work than just tossing your sleeping back and tent in the Jeep.
DutchVDub
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Milliken, CO
Please, I'm a Dutch-Scott ginger. Y'all can't handle me.
xj-grin
NAXJA Member #1096
- Location
- Colorado Springs, Colorado
nor do we want to :eyes:
Gotlift01
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Loveland, Colorado
