The number of side-by-side UTV models on the market has grown pretty significantly in the last couple of years. And no wonder. These machines can be pretty handy around the farm. But has the wide variety of choices left you wondering what each model is capable of, how they compare and which one best fills your needs?
Well if so, we’ll soon be able to help answer those questions. Grainews is holding a UTV Challenge on the grounds of this year’s Ag in Motion farm show near Saskatoon in July. A group of judges will have a whole week to put 10 machines from eight different manufacturers through their paces. To provide the kind of information farmers need, they’ll make them work at exactly the kinds of things livestock and grain producers would use them for, so this won’t be just a weekend at the lake for the contenders.
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The judges will be doing their evaluations a few days ahead of the public show days. And after they’re done, the test machines will be put on display at the Glacier FarmMedia tent on the show grounds for everyone to check out. Some of the judges will also be on hand for part of each day to discuss their findings with the public. And we expect a few of the manufacturers will also have a product rep available to answer questions about the features offered by their machines. So stop by during the show and get the lowdown directly from the horses’ mouths.
And visitors to the show can participate as well. They can vote for their favourite machine to help us pick a fan favourite. There’ll be some free swag up for grabs, too.
Here’s the list of the UTV Challenge contenders:
- Kioti Mechron 2200 PS
- Kawasaki Mule Pro FXT Ranch
- Can Am Defender XT
- Kubota RTV X1120D
- Polaris Diesel Ranger and Big Boss 6X6
- John Deere Gator XUV 590i
- Case IH Scout
- CFMoto U Force 500 HO and U Force 800 EPS
If you’re thinking about buying a UTV this summer, you may want to wait to hear what our judges had to say. We’ll have a full test report in the pages of Grainews in August. And the e-QuipTV cameras will be at the Challenge filming too, so watch for upcoming online video of the testing at grainews.ca.
