Quantcast
Jump to content


Recommended Posts

Posted

Hi all.  I enjoy meandering down going down narrow trails in forested and desert areas. Jumps, mudding or speed turning are just not my thing so I don't believe I need a very powerful machine - but I am new to all this so what do I know?.  Because of space limitations of my cargo trailer and pickup, I'm considering considering 3 machines: 1) Hisun Sector 250 or the Hisun Strike 250, the Trailmaster Challenger 300x and the BMS Sand Spider T350. 

Because the trails I will go down have ruts, rocks and can be steep, I will need some ground clearance.  The Sector has 8" clearance front and back whereas the Strike has only 5.8" clearance in the back.  The Trailmaster clearance is 6.3" front and back.  The Sand Sniper is 11" as I recall I am wondering what your thoughts are as to whether 5.8, 6.3 or even 8 inches is enough for the uses I intend.  Also, do you have any thoughts on how well these machines would do on a moderately steep hill? I'm only 5'7" but weigh close to 200lbs so I am wondering if the 250, 300 or 350 cc motors can propel while I'm riding.

The Hisun has favorable reviews by Dirt Wheels Magazine. I couldn't find independent reviews of any on the others so it's hard to judge the reliability or quality of the others.

Thanks for your thoughts

  • 5 weeks later...
Posted

You will be able to drive the Sector 250 with no problems.  It's only 49 inches wide and there are high/low gears.  The Sector 250 is a rear wheel chain drive with swing arm suspension and it doesn't have 4 wheel drive.  If most of your riding is trail then you should have any problems.

  • 3 months later...
Posted

Not sure what your budget might be, but two yrs back I was also shopping for a smaller UTV. After months of shopping, kicking tires and crawling up, under, around, and thru I bought a "KYMCO 450i" UTV and the machine has been excellent!!  10" ground clearance, 2wd, 4wd, and diff lock will get you thru anything. Comfortable ride, plenty of power, 56" in total width. Kymco is made in Tiawan under USA engineering and quality control.  There customer complaint per 100 units manufactured is the lowest in the industry. Do yourself a favor and check them out..

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



  • Similar Topics

    • By AlphaSerenity
      Hello,
      Before I invest $10k+ into a brand new UTV for the farm, I want to get my feet wet with a fixer upper and learn the mechanical side of things. I acquired a 2022 Hisun Axis 500 (Lowes-specific model) from an auction for $500. It has only 200 hours and 120 miles on the engine. It looks like the previous owner used it for ranch work and didn't drive it on trails, deep water/mud, or anything too crazy.
      While it runs and moves, it has some problems. It struggles to accelerate up any incline in high and low range and sometimes stalls when I let off of the throttle or change gears. When I apply throttle in neutral, it sounds like it is struggling for fuel/air and pops. When I decelerate, there is a grinding sound coming from the clutch, which I've read to be related to the one way bearing and is semi-common. The last thing I've observed is sometimes the speedometer display sometimes will show a much higher value for a few seconds after barely touching the throttle. Based on the documentation, if a problem is detected from the sensors, the instrument panel display should have an error code rendered on the screen in place of the time, but this isn't happening. Here is a video showing some of these issues (engine is exposed with console removed):
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFAkO5TaGps
       
      Here is another video of the clutches in action:
       
      I've done some research, but information on this specific unit and sister units is limited. There does seem to be transmission and clutch issues reported. I still need to check into the head gaskets. I don't have the equipment to test compression right now, but I do plan on ordering what is needed soon. I do have an order in place for some cables to read the diagnostics from the computer. There is a shop two hours away from me that works on Hisun products, but I am hoping the problem can be identified and is something within my ability to handle. Below is what I've already investigated.  I am leaning towards the primary clutch needing replacement right now.
      After getting it home and unloaded, I did the following maintenance/checks to it prior to operating it further:
      Changed the engine/clutch oil (and filter) and gear oils using manufacture recommended viscosity Changed the air filter and checked for cracks in the air intake flow. Verified good suction. Cleaned the throttle body Changed the spark plug and verified the gap was within spec (0.6-0.7mm) Changed the coil and coil wire Changed the fuel lines, fuel injector, and verified the fuel pump was outputting the correct initial prime pressure for ignition and continuous pressure after ignition. Also completely emptied the fuel tank and made sure octane 91+ fuel is being used per manufacturer specs. Ran seafoam through system too. Cleaned the spark arrester and verified no cracks or gaps in the exhaust flow Changed out the O2 sensor Checked all wired connections to ensure they were secured and no breaks were visible Checked the belt for tightness and for any signs of wear and tear Verified 4WD and the differential lock function as expected - still hesitates and struggles uphill Verified the fan gears in the shifter are not corroded and working as expected ECU was reset after replacing sensors and fuel-related parts  
       
      Thanks!
    • By jertex
      I bought a 2017 Stampede 900 last fall that was new, old stock with less than 5 hours on it thinking that I would be getting a relatively trouble free UTV as compared to buying a used Polaris or CanAm, or Honda, etc. It's been a little quirky, but reliable. What I thought was just a minor issue with this model, the difficulty in shifting between R, N, L, H, etc., was just a characteristic of this model is now a big problem. I had to climb two very steep trails to get to the upper meadow of our hunting property, which seemed to stress the UTV more than usual since I was carrying some lumber to work on a platform for a hunting blind, and when I went to shift into park, I felt something give and it would not shift out of low, but it did move up into high gear.  I couldn't get it to shift at all at that point and the shifter felt mushy for lack of a better word. I was able to get it down to the lodge and when I investigated, I discovered that the straight, metal tube portion of the shift cable had bent to almost 90 degrees (see pics). I'm positive that it had already had some deformation that had happened previously and it had the right amount of resistance to bend to the point where it was unusable. 
      I have two questions:
      1. I suspect that there must be some other issues that makes this UTV difficult to shift, and I'm wondering if this is a common problem and if someone could enlighten me on what could cause this to be difficult to shift?
      2. Have any of you had this happen and if so, how difficult is it to replace the shifter cable?
      Any other advice is welcome, this is the first UTV that I've ever owned, so I don't know much about working on these or maintaining them. I'm relatively capable when it comes to working on my own vehicles in general, and I'm not afraid to take things apart and get my hands dirty.
      Thanks in advance for any insight, I'll be traveling most the day so I won't get a chance to look at replies until this evening.


       
    • By rdc
      Hope I posted this in the right place. Looking for the left side shaft carrier where the rear bearings go for an 1100cc sand viper, I understand an 800 cc carrier will also work. I need the old style two bearing with the spacer in the middle, the new style with just the one wide bearing wont work. If anybody has one I'll buy it right away. my email is [email protected]
    • By MilSurpYinzer
      I heard there's several off road festivals out that way. One or two post apocalyptic, the rest just rev and run. Anyone know a good one that offers camping? Any advice for out of state people like hauling, legality, and where to stay?
      Ideally me and the missus would be down for camping out and setting up shop somewhere nearby. That way we can just wake up, load up, and ride.
    • By Xov
      Just received delivery of a 2024 AMP Pro.  Thought I'd start a thread with my impressions as I use it and learn more.  There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of real-world usage information out there on this model.  Hope this will help others as they research.
      Intended Use Cases
      Fire mitigation / slash removal from a 5 acre forested and well-gamble-oaked property.  The previous owners thought as much about fire mitigation as I do about fashion: not much. Snow removal Stump pulling General hauling (rock, lumber, etc.) Weimaraner energy depletion.  Wasn't an original use case, but a nice added bonus.  Experiences So Far
      Wasn't impressed that two of the bumpers on the underside of the bed where it sits upon the frame were missing.  The metal on metal contact has damaged the powder coating and the frame.  I expect a little better QC.
      I've only put a few hours on it, so not a ton to report on usage.  It isn't quiet; it's silent.  I can't even detect an electric note from the motor. I removed (and subsequently replaced) the motor cover noticed that the motor is German and made by Schambuller.  The motor controller is Italian and made by Dana TM4.  Given the operating specs of both I found on the web, I suspect both are higher quality than the previous Navitas (which is supposed to be decent).  The motor is rated at 25 hp and 71.5 lb-ft of torque.  It feels very powerful.  All the torque is delivered instantly, if desired.
      The bed is huge and has an electric dump as standard.  Great feature but would like it to go up a bit more.  Probably not feasible from an engineering perspective, but I want and I need ;).
      Power steering is nice, but vague.  Probably common to many UTVs, but I am accustomed to more direct results from input.  Plan early and plan often.
      In our first full day of usage, we hauled about 1/2 as much slash as the entire rest of the year when I was doing it by hand cart.  I may get fatter, but I'll also get more done.  After a few days of usage, the battery meter has gone down by 1/10th. 
      Until next time...


×
×
  • Create New...