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After reading a lot here, we put a deposit on a red P520 and will need to make the 24 hour drive to pick it up soon. That’ll likely be the last time it sees a dealer as the closest is 10 hours away from its new home.
It’s replacing a Polaris 800 Big Boss 6x6 that was really useful, though the quality hasn’t impressed me.
We expect to use the P520 for the same stuff as the Polaris did, with the exception that we don’t plan to plow the driveway with it (getting a CTL for that). The 1 km driveway with steep hill on the last half with significant snow was a bit much for an ATV and walk behind blower, but you do what you have to!
What we plan to do with the P520:
Accessory questions—besides a drawbar and hitch ball, we’re looking at the following:
1 - We want sturdy tires with good traction for loose rocky stuff and occasional mud as well as some snow. ITP Blackwater Evolutions worked well on the 6x6 so we’re considering swapping stock tires to these immediately. Is 26x9-12 front and 26x11-12 rear a good size for the P520 as a primarily utility vehicle on steep terrain, occasionally towing or hauling heavier loads? Would you recommend a different/smaller/larger tire?
2 - No garage for it, so we’re thinking maybe a hard top to hold up a tarp so it doesn’t sag and pool ice/snow in the top of the roll cage when covered in winter. Would the soft top be durable enough for this?
3 - Would Honda storage cover make a durable winter cover? Does it fit well enough to use it to keep it clean on a 1000 mile highway trip on the back of a pickup without getting shredded?
4 - Is the Warn 3500 lb winch package Honda sells a good fit, or would you recommend something else? Would you have Honda install it?
5 - Are the aluminum skid plates and A-arm guards from Honda the way to go, or is UHMW better? Where do you get the UHMW ones I’ve seen mentioned? How well protected are things without these?
6 - Honda wants a lot for their under hood and under seat storage boxes... is there a smarter way to get some good sealed storage, or do we pay the ransom?
7 - I can’t see wanting a windshield in most of our dry summer weather, but it would be nice in the occasional rain and probably really nice in occasional winter use. Would you recommend the Honda hard coat tilt up or something else? Maybe wait and decide later?
8 - EPS and torque lock: I think we’ll want to add these, but it’s hard to know how much we’ll want them till we’ve driven it around here. Don’t want to break the bank completely up front.
Please fire away with any thoughts, questions, and suggestions!
It’s replacing a Polaris 800 Big Boss 6x6 that was really useful, though the quality hasn’t impressed me.
We expect to use the P520 for the same stuff as the Polaris did, with the exception that we don’t plan to plow the driveway with it (getting a CTL for that). The 1 km driveway with steep hill on the last half with significant snow was a bit much for an ATV and walk behind blower, but you do what you have to!
What we plan to do with the P520:
- Gather firewood from around mountainside property and steep trails. We really liked the long wheelbase of the 6x6 going up hills, and the P520’s is only a bit shorter
- Move people, tools, and stuff around
- Occasional moose hunting trip
- Probably tow a trailer for moving stuff as the box is on the small side—but CTL may take over some of this work. Terrain is hilly and steep. We’re hoping we don’t miss the 6x6 traction too much.
Accessory questions—besides a drawbar and hitch ball, we’re looking at the following:
1 - We want sturdy tires with good traction for loose rocky stuff and occasional mud as well as some snow. ITP Blackwater Evolutions worked well on the 6x6 so we’re considering swapping stock tires to these immediately. Is 26x9-12 front and 26x11-12 rear a good size for the P520 as a primarily utility vehicle on steep terrain, occasionally towing or hauling heavier loads? Would you recommend a different/smaller/larger tire?
2 - No garage for it, so we’re thinking maybe a hard top to hold up a tarp so it doesn’t sag and pool ice/snow in the top of the roll cage when covered in winter. Would the soft top be durable enough for this?
3 - Would Honda storage cover make a durable winter cover? Does it fit well enough to use it to keep it clean on a 1000 mile highway trip on the back of a pickup without getting shredded?
4 - Is the Warn 3500 lb winch package Honda sells a good fit, or would you recommend something else? Would you have Honda install it?
5 - Are the aluminum skid plates and A-arm guards from Honda the way to go, or is UHMW better? Where do you get the UHMW ones I’ve seen mentioned? How well protected are things without these?
6 - Honda wants a lot for their under hood and under seat storage boxes... is there a smarter way to get some good sealed storage, or do we pay the ransom?
7 - I can’t see wanting a windshield in most of our dry summer weather, but it would be nice in the occasional rain and probably really nice in occasional winter use. Would you recommend the Honda hard coat tilt up or something else? Maybe wait and decide later?
8 - EPS and torque lock: I think we’ll want to add these, but it’s hard to know how much we’ll want them till we’ve driven it around here. Don’t want to break the bank completely up front.
Please fire away with any thoughts, questions, and suggestions!
