P500 Accessories/ General Questions

[Stalkman50]

Ive just put the deposit down on a 520 and am looking to pick it up next week. Questions:

1. Are the doors/nets easy to take off? If so is there an advantage disadvantage to doing so. I just thought it would make it more comfortable off.

2. the biggest problem Ive seen with this machine vs the competition is the lack of interior storage compartments. Does anyone have any solutions on where to keep your phone, etc…?

3. Ground clearance issues? Are there any major issues when on the trail and is there a cheap way without putting a lift to fix if so?

4. This one may be frowned on but I am unsure if there is a seatbelt speed limiter but if there is how do you get around it? Im a big guy an bought a slower machine because I was to use it as a putt putt around town, easy trail riding, and occasional work machine. Seems like 30 mph should be safe enough without it.

5. with the top speed on the machines being so slow I am specifically buying a Honda because I dont want the belts. How fast can you run it constantly without over revin it and hurting the engine?

6. whats the smallest size trailer you guys haul this thing in. Currently I have a 5x8 with a gate. If I take the gate off I know it will fit and just hang off a little but it will make it hard to load/unload. I dont have a problem upgrading but I thought about backing it up on the trailer and letting the bed hang over the tongue. If I have to upgrade I will. Or how easy is it to get it in a pick up truck. I have a quad cab short wheel base dodge.

 

[educ8tedguess]

I, too, am waiting on my 520 to come in so this information is coming from my experience with the Pioneer 500 I had.

1. I never took the doors off so I'm not sure. The nets are easy though.

2. I never added the aftermarket glovebox but I did purchase a bag that attached to the ROPS. That was perfect for holding most of the small things like wallet, phone, keys, etc... Before I got that bag, I attached a waterproof backpack to the back of the ROPS and that held all those little things.

3. I put 26 inch tires on which added some ground clearance. (Remember to widen the stance if you go taller) And, because I knew I would still be dragging the belly quite often, I put the SSS skidplates on. I still got high sided in deep ruts at times but on rocks, those skid plates acted like a sled and helped keep forward momentum.

4. There is something on the "club store" section. Harness accessory seat belt override bypass - Pioneer 500/520

5. I can't really answer this one for you. Most of my riding happened between 10 and 20 mph, which this does fine.

6. No clue on how small of a trailer you can go with. The smallest I used was a 7x12. I know it will go in a truck bed but short beds may need tailgate supports.

Hope that helps a little. What I learned with this machine: the buy in is relatively cheap compared to others. But making it yours is where the real costs come in.

 

[Bigjim]

If I bought one, I would make sure it has 26” tires on it. My father-in-law has a P-500 with 26” and in 1st gear, there is lots of grunt for pulling. Also it still hits the rev limiter at top end speed. It gave about 2 mph more at top end (according to the speedometer). Tires gave it a 1” lift plus we’re going to put a 1” lift. I have the Pioneer 1000-5 LE and wouldn’t part with it.

 

[Remington]

Ive just put the deposit down on a 520 and am looking to pick it up next week. Questions:

Welcome from Michigan!
dont forget when u pic it up we like pics pics pics! Or the pic police will b out in full force!!! Lol

WOW Thats alot of questions for not having one in your possession yet! 😂 God bless you!

BTW you may want to try the search for most of your answers

 

[Parttime]

My trailer is a 5x10 and have 19 inches left. That measuring from my gate to my rear bumper. You might want to look into loading it backwards. It will gain you a couple extra inches of room for your gate. Now if your gate has the straight bars to hold in place might be able to make longer bars to allow the gate to tilt back a little. ( something to consider)

 

[crewcabrob]

1.I took the nets off the first day of ownership. Pretty easy to do. The doors are notoriously hard to take off and I found it does odd stuff to air flow if you leave them open. It made our P520 really hot when the doors are open... exact opposite of what you would think.

2. I added the under hood storage from EMP and a lockable glove box for phones and garage door remote. Easy to install

3.In stock form, you will no doubt hit. Even after I put 27" tall tires that measure 27.7" inflated. Something is going to hit even with portals and 34" tires. You will just have to watch more when stock

4.I put one of the dog leads in our P520. It clips into the seatbelt and we tether our dog so she can't move too much inside the buggy. Super easy to fund and remove. 15 is really slow, so you will want to come up with a solution.

5. I would love to know what my RPMs are when we hit the limiter at 39mph. I suspect that it will run faster safely and not get the engine taxed. Larger tires will actually allow you to travel faster than what is indicated on the speedo. I believe I'm at 43mph GPS clocked when the limiter kicks in at 39mph

6. I have a 5x8 trailer right now with no ramp on. I will be upgrading soon because I want an enclosed trailer. Below is a picture of mine on a 5x8:

 

[OlYeller15]

1.I took the nets off the first day of ownership. Pretty easy to do. The doors are notoriously hard to take off and I found it does odd stuff to air flow if you leave them open. It made our P520 really hot when the doors are open... exact opposite of what you would think.

2. I added the under hood storage from EMP and a lockable glove box for phones and garage door remote. Easy to install

3.In stock form, you will no doubt hit. Even after I put 27" tall tires that measure 27.7" inflated. Something is going to hit even with portals and 34" tires. You will just have to watch more when stock

4.I put one of the dog leads in our P520. It clips into the seatbelt and we tether our dog so she can't move too much inside the buggy. Super easy to fund and remove. 15 is really slow, so you will want to come up with a solution.

5. I would love to know what my RPMs are when we hit the limiter at 39mph. I suspect that it will run faster safely and not get the engine taxed. Larger tires will actually allow you to travel faster than what is indicated on the speedo. I believe I'm at 43mph GPS clocked when the limiter kicks in at 39mph

6. I have a 5x8 trailer right now with no ramp on. I will be upgrading soon because I want an enclosed trailer. Below is a picture of mine on a 5x8:
View attachment 322061View attachment 322062View attachment 322063View attachment 322064

Love your wheels…what brand and style? Don’t mean to change topic but here I go.😂

 

[crewcabrob]

They are Tusk Teton 14"x7" wheels 4/110 is the bolt pattern and they are the 5+2 spacing. They are made by RMATV and you can find them all over the web: Ebay, Amazon RMATV... I'm running them the same at all 4 corners. Maxxis Big Horn 3.0, 27"x11"x14" size.

Rob

 

[OlYeller15]

They are Tusk Teton 14"x7" wheels 4/110 is the bolt pattern and they are the 5+2 spacing. They are made by RMATV and you can find them all over the web: Ebay, Amazon RMATV... I'm running them the same at all 4 corners. Maxxis Big Horn 3.0, 27"x11"x14" size.

Rob

Thanks!

 

[Stalkman50]

I, too, am waiting on my 520 to come in so this information is coming from my experience with the Pioneer 500 I had.

1. I never took the doors off so I'm not sure. The nets are easy though.

2. I never added the aftermarket glovebox but I did purchase a bag that attached to the ROPS. That was perfect for holding most of the small things like wallet, phone, keys, etc... Before I got that bag, I attached a waterproof backpack to the back of the ROPS and that held all those little things.

3. I put 26 inch tires on which added some ground clearance. (Remember to widen the stance if you go taller) And, because I knew I would still be dragging the belly quite often, I put the SSS skidplates on. I still got high sided in deep ruts at times but on rocks, those skid plates acted like a sled and helped keep forward momentum.

4. There is something on the "club store" section. Harness accessory seat belt override bypass - Pioneer 500/520

5. I can't really answer this one for you. Most of my riding happened between 10 and 20 mph, which this does fine.

6. No clue on how small of a trailer you can go with. The smallest I used was a 7x12. I know it will go in a truck bed but short beds may need tailgate supports.

Hope that helps a little. What I learned with this machine: the buy in is relatively cheap compared to others. But making it yours is where the real costs come in.

I like the bag idea. After seeing the glovebox I think im going to go with it as well. Thank you for the input. Did you go wider on the 26s? Just wondering (and this is probably on the forum). Whats the maximum height you think you could go without the spacers. I really dont want to lose the width.

 

[Stalkman50]

Welcome from Michigan!
dont forget when u pic it up we like pics pics pics! Or the pic police will b out in full force!!! Lol

WOW Thats alot of questions for not having one in your possession yet! 😂 God bless you!

BTW you may want to try the search for most of your answers

Thanks. I will def upload pics. Im pretty particular about what I buy and what I need to do. Really important for me to get bang for the buck. Thats why Im not buying a polaris because I want it to last and not buying a 1000-5 because of the cab heat issues. $ for $ I dont think there is a better machine.

 

[trigger]

Whats the maximum height you think you could go without the spacers. I really dont want to lose the width.

None of us did but it's necessary. Aftermarket offsets or spacers... or leave it alone. 🤷‍♂️

 

[Stalkman50]

1.I took the nets off the first day of ownership. Pretty easy to do. The doors are notoriously hard to take off and I found it does odd stuff to air flow if you leave them open. It made our P520 really hot when the doors are open... exact opposite of what you would think.

2. I added the under hood storage from EMP and a lockable glove box for phones and garage door remote. Easy to install

3.In stock form, you will no doubt hit. Even after I put 27" tall tires that measure 27.7" inflated. Something is going to hit even with portals and 34" tires. You will just have to watch more when stock

4.I put one of the dog leads in our P520. It clips into the seatbelt and we tether our dog so she can't move too much inside the buggy. Super easy to fund and remove. 15 is really slow, so you will want to come up with a solution.

5. I would love to know what my RPMs are when we hit the limiter at 39mph. I suspect that it will run faster safely and not get the engine taxed. Larger tires will actually allow you to travel faster than what is indicated on the speedo. I believe I'm at 43mph GPS clocked when the limiter kicks in at 39mph

6. I have a 5x8 trailer right now with no ramp on. I will be upgrading soon because I want an enclosed trailer. Below is a picture of mine on a 5x8:
View attachment 322061View attachment 322062View attachment 322063View attachment 322064

Thats an awesome looking rig. If you dont mind how do you load and unload that from the trailer? Do you just find a ditch? Have ramps?

 

[crewcabrob]

I have some 36” ramps. Really easy to load . I will get you a picture when I can.

Rob

 

[Stalkman50]

I have some 36” ramps. Really easy to load . I will get you a picture when I can.

Rob

Thatd be awesome. In sure the gate on my 5x8 is easy to take off.

 

[educ8tedguess]

I like the bag idea. After seeing the glovebox I think im going to go with it as well. Thank you for the input. Did you go wider on the 26s? Just wondering (and this is probably on the forum). Whats the maximum height you think you could go without the spacers. I really dont want to lose the width.

—————————————————-


In terms of tire width, I ran 9inch fronts and 11 inch rears. And honestly, if I would have had spacers or gone wider somehow, I’d probably still have it. Tipped it over on a turn (hit a large stump or rock on the inside of the turn) and, at 15 mph hit the ROPS on a tree before landing on its side. The ROPS did it’s job but machine was totaled. My 520 will have wider offset wheels and possibly spacers if needed.

 

[futzin]

Aftermarket wheels with offset of 5+2 or 4+3 pair well with 26 or 27" tires.
Personally, I run 12" steel wheels with 27" tires, 4+3 offset, 9" front, 11" rear.

 

[Chuckie3]

I run 26”tires on 12 “ steel rims 9” fronts 11” rear have had no tipping issues

 

[DaddyDubbs]

Welcome from Alabama.
Door nets are a safety item designed to keep your arms inside in the event of a rollover. you might ask @educ8tedguess his thoughts, I remember the photo's he posted after the accident, but personally I wouldn't take them off. I have unclipped the top when no danger of roll over like roaming around the Petit le Mans racetrack or when crossing the Big Mac Bridge for better vision out the side.
When I grade our driveway, I bungee the driver door open since the landscape rake is manually adjustable and I'm in and out of the cab a lot.

 

[LJP]

As noted in the photo above, for storage I added a Bar Maid CR-760 tray under the dashboard. It is 3 x 5 x 14 and has a drain hole in the middle of it. To secure it, I epoxied some OSF boards under the dashboard. There are some slight bump outs on the firewall and side wall that I lined it up with. I needed to cut a small angle out on the upper left side of the tray- otherwise the lips of the tray rests on the OSF for added support. Then I just used a few 3/4 screws to affix it. It does not get in the way of the passenger knees. Not the largest but I can store stuff in it.

Note above it I have a CrossWinds locking glove compartment. Super easy to install and just right for our smartphones. Also a great choice.