F
Greetings, All,
I've got a new 700-4 on the boat headed my way and I have to figure out which add-ons and accessories to get added at the factory, which to get aftermarket, and which to get later on myself. I'm handy, I've searched quite a bit on this site and there is so much information it almost overwhelming. I often find myself less sure of how to proceed after I've read 20 threads than before I started. So I'm hoping I might get some feedback here. If I have missed a post that asks all these questions, or if I've posted this in the wrong forum (I debated between 3 others as most appropriate), please let me know I can post it elsewhere instead. And please forgive the lengthy post. I keep seeing posts here that go nowhere because initial posters don't really provide much info. I'll not make that mistake, but the post may get a little long.
My planned use for this UTV is for work on a small (10 acre) piece of property and general family recreational use. On the property, I'll be making trails, towing a wide cut mower, pulling a chain harrow, hauling stuff around in the bed, etc, etc. It's worth noting that I have a utility tractor, but it is overkill for much of this and makes ruts in the ground 8 months out of the year when the ground is wet. The initial reason for looking into this vehicle was for some work vehicle that would float a little more rather than dig in to the moist ground. In terms of recreational use, I intend to (at first) take it into town (a 10-mile drive) on sunny days, drive up to the local lake with my canoe, take my kids to the bus stop, and drive around the trail(s) I mention above like a crazy man. I'm sure I'll branch out from there, but I'm going to start modestly, as I am new to the UTV game.
My urgent need at this point is to figure out what to buy from Honda and what to buy aftermarket. I have a handful of stuff that I know I will eventually want, and would like to get any of it that I should get from the dealer now rather than having to take the vehicle back to them in future. My focus here is equal parts price/convenience/quality: A little extra cost for a top quality installed accessory is a good deal in my opinion, but I don't want to pay double the price for a marginal improvement in quality or an hour's work. Here is what I am considering, though please feel free to point out any lack of foresight given my planned use.
Roof: I think I need a top pretty quickly. It's hot and sunny here (Seattle) in the summer, and rains 8 months out of the year. I have read on this forum that the Honda hard roof is top notch. My dealer assures me it is fairly easy to remove if need be (important to me), which also that means that if that the dealer wants to charge a bunch to install it I can probably bolt it on myself. Any thoughts on this? Should I consider other tops instead? (Note: I will probably eventually want front/rear windows, if this makes any difference.)
Winch: The sense I get here is that the Honda winch setups are overly expensive due to the 'installation kit' and limited to higher end Warn winches. Is it hard to install one myself?
Street legal kit: I assume this is probably best done by the dealer. They indicated it would cost about $1k, and it seems like it might involve a lot of routing wires and etc that would take me quite a while to do on my own. Is there some piece of hardware I should add here to make the additional electrical powered stuff easier later on?
Skid plate and/A-arm guards: Given my emphasis on trail building this seems like a good idea. If it's just bolt on, I can do that pretty easily myself. If there are better options than Honda's equipment, I could do that. If it's similar in price and quality, I'll go with Honda.
Windshield: I read here that Honda's poly windshield is great, but then I also read about flip-up or flip down windshields available elsewhere, and full-tilt windshields. I don't know enough about the merits of these to make an informed decision and would really value input. (Note: I will probably eventually want front/rear windows, if this makes any difference.)
Bumpers: Seem like a good idea. I am only interested in protection, not aesthetics. I assume both front and back will be useful to me. Should I go stock or aftermarket? Are most of them bolt-on? (I'm not a very good welder.)
Bed Liner: It seems like if I use the dump bed for its intended purpose I'm going to get gravel or dirt or etc in the recesses that hold the seats, but maybe I'm wrong about this. Should I add the Honda bed liner to prevent this?
Tires/Wheels: There's a whole forum on this, but for the moment it seems like it may be better to go aftermarket than get these through the dealer. I see people here making a good case for Tusk Terrabytes and the dealer is pointing me to wheelpros.com, which seems to carry a different selection. My need for an extra set of wheels/tires is to get something hard that will resist sticks and other hazards in trail making and hold up to trips to town on paved roads. The plan will be to put those soft stock wheels/tires back on in December and leave them on until May or so every year while the ground is super saturated and avoid use that will wear them out. All I really need to know is if there is some compelling reason to get wheels/tires from the dealer at the time of purchase. If not, I'll take this question up on the wheels/tires forum separately.
Thank you for your patience and willingness to share your experience and advice!
I've got a new 700-4 on the boat headed my way and I have to figure out which add-ons and accessories to get added at the factory, which to get aftermarket, and which to get later on myself. I'm handy, I've searched quite a bit on this site and there is so much information it almost overwhelming. I often find myself less sure of how to proceed after I've read 20 threads than before I started. So I'm hoping I might get some feedback here. If I have missed a post that asks all these questions, or if I've posted this in the wrong forum (I debated between 3 others as most appropriate), please let me know I can post it elsewhere instead. And please forgive the lengthy post. I keep seeing posts here that go nowhere because initial posters don't really provide much info. I'll not make that mistake, but the post may get a little long.
My planned use for this UTV is for work on a small (10 acre) piece of property and general family recreational use. On the property, I'll be making trails, towing a wide cut mower, pulling a chain harrow, hauling stuff around in the bed, etc, etc. It's worth noting that I have a utility tractor, but it is overkill for much of this and makes ruts in the ground 8 months out of the year when the ground is wet. The initial reason for looking into this vehicle was for some work vehicle that would float a little more rather than dig in to the moist ground. In terms of recreational use, I intend to (at first) take it into town (a 10-mile drive) on sunny days, drive up to the local lake with my canoe, take my kids to the bus stop, and drive around the trail(s) I mention above like a crazy man. I'm sure I'll branch out from there, but I'm going to start modestly, as I am new to the UTV game.
My urgent need at this point is to figure out what to buy from Honda and what to buy aftermarket. I have a handful of stuff that I know I will eventually want, and would like to get any of it that I should get from the dealer now rather than having to take the vehicle back to them in future. My focus here is equal parts price/convenience/quality: A little extra cost for a top quality installed accessory is a good deal in my opinion, but I don't want to pay double the price for a marginal improvement in quality or an hour's work. Here is what I am considering, though please feel free to point out any lack of foresight given my planned use.
Roof: I think I need a top pretty quickly. It's hot and sunny here (Seattle) in the summer, and rains 8 months out of the year. I have read on this forum that the Honda hard roof is top notch. My dealer assures me it is fairly easy to remove if need be (important to me), which also that means that if that the dealer wants to charge a bunch to install it I can probably bolt it on myself. Any thoughts on this? Should I consider other tops instead? (Note: I will probably eventually want front/rear windows, if this makes any difference.)
Winch: The sense I get here is that the Honda winch setups are overly expensive due to the 'installation kit' and limited to higher end Warn winches. Is it hard to install one myself?
Street legal kit: I assume this is probably best done by the dealer. They indicated it would cost about $1k, and it seems like it might involve a lot of routing wires and etc that would take me quite a while to do on my own. Is there some piece of hardware I should add here to make the additional electrical powered stuff easier later on?
Skid plate and/A-arm guards: Given my emphasis on trail building this seems like a good idea. If it's just bolt on, I can do that pretty easily myself. If there are better options than Honda's equipment, I could do that. If it's similar in price and quality, I'll go with Honda.
Windshield: I read here that Honda's poly windshield is great, but then I also read about flip-up or flip down windshields available elsewhere, and full-tilt windshields. I don't know enough about the merits of these to make an informed decision and would really value input. (Note: I will probably eventually want front/rear windows, if this makes any difference.)
Bumpers: Seem like a good idea. I am only interested in protection, not aesthetics. I assume both front and back will be useful to me. Should I go stock or aftermarket? Are most of them bolt-on? (I'm not a very good welder.)
Bed Liner: It seems like if I use the dump bed for its intended purpose I'm going to get gravel or dirt or etc in the recesses that hold the seats, but maybe I'm wrong about this. Should I add the Honda bed liner to prevent this?
Tires/Wheels: There's a whole forum on this, but for the moment it seems like it may be better to go aftermarket than get these through the dealer. I see people here making a good case for Tusk Terrabytes and the dealer is pointing me to wheelpros.com, which seems to carry a different selection. My need for an extra set of wheels/tires is to get something hard that will resist sticks and other hazards in trail making and hold up to trips to town on paved roads. The plan will be to put those soft stock wheels/tires back on in December and leave them on until May or so every year while the ground is super saturated and avoid use that will wear them out. All I really need to know is if there is some compelling reason to get wheels/tires from the dealer at the time of purchase. If not, I'll take this question up on the wheels/tires forum separately.
Thank you for your patience and willingness to share your experience and advice!
