Shopping for first UTV - need advice

SteveMO · September 17

Folks:

I live on 11 acres that demands a bit of maintenance, and co-own a large farm a couple of hours away that I hunt on (professionals do the farming). My mowing/brush control/trail maintenance duties are handled by a 57" rough cut mower (Kunz brand), and I also drag logs and pull sprayers and seeders for food plots and such.
I've been using a pair of ATV's for decades to handle this work - a 750 for when I need real power (or need both machines at the same time when I have help) and a 500 cc with fixed rear axle for most duties.

Some of the places I need to work are VERY rough, and very three-dimensional, with steep ups and downs and some side-hilling I've learned the hard way not to try with my independent rear suspension 750, but handle with ease with my fixed rear suspension 500.

I've decided I want to sell the 750 and replace it with a UTV that I hope to use as my main workhorse. If anyone makes a working UTV that fits my specs that's what I'm gonna do. This is an all-work machine, I don't do any recreational riding so don't care about things like top speed.

So looking for advice on what models might handle what I'm looking for:

Gotta have:
2 passenger (1 row)
selectable 4wd
Power steering
Selectable gearing (not CVT)
Power-assisted dump bed
Engine cooling adequate for all-day slow-speed work in the summertime. Like towing a 700lb mower at 4mph all day in 100° weather)
Beefy tow rating, including tonque weight. Nobody ever mentions tongue weight because that exposes how crappy independent rear suspension is for towing safely in rough terrain.

Really want:
Selectable locking diff
Fixed rear axle (Isolates tongue weight from rear suspension. Holds more stable & consistent center of gravity than IRS over side-slopes and other complex terrain, and keeps geometry and suspension response consistent over wide range of tongue-weight of towed loads)
Slow speed cruise control (Factory option or aftermarket, covering at least 4mph - 10mph. For calibrated spraying and controlled mowing speed.
Muffler designed for quiet operation for comfortable all-day use, and to minimize disturbance for getting to hunting grounds. Not concerned about normal motor noise, but don't want something specifically piped to "sound fun".

Any advice on brands or models I'm most likely to have luck with?