Oh wise outdoor board,

I know this debate has occurred many times over the past. Wondering what the current situation is. Going to purchase either a full size, crew ranger or mule in the near future. Both have equivalent displacement. I know the ranger has a bit of a better ride than the mule and is tailored a little bit more toward the fun/adventure side than the work side. Ranger comes equipped with a winch (which I have had on many utvs in the past and never used) and the fit and finish on the roof feels a little bit more sturdy. Of course, it has those net doors which just get in the way. One year warranty

The mule has the little mini doors, smaller initial bed but will convert into the long bed just like a Kubota. Definitely more of a workhorse. 3-year warranty.

Price difference is negligible.

I use it to go back and forth from my house to the b&b and my office/studio as well as projects on 24 acres.

I do run up and down the county road in front of the house to visit neighbors and whatnot.

Thank you in advance for your input.

I have a ranger and really enjoy it. That said, if everything is equal I would go with the one with doors. There's so much dust in my Ranger and from what I hear, doors help out a lot.

Doors are amazing. Especially driving down muddy county roads at speed

Agree with above - for work/fun, Mule hands down.

For fun/work, Ranger is probably a better choice.

I personally like the ability to go from a front seat only to a front and back seat in my Mule without changing the wheel base, and I'll argue with you on the ride - almost everybody I know that has experience in both has said that the Mule has one of the softest rides out there. I think Can-Am is probably a smidge better but both are better than the Ranger. The half doors are great, and if you want to spend stupid money and turn it into a mini-jeep, you can get full door kits, windshields, air conditioners, heaters, etc. IMO if you are doing that just get a jeep to begin with.

Mule has a better payload, but not sure it is "holy cow!" better. Ranger is faster, which overall top end doesn't mean much to me since we are limited on how fast we can go by either the standing water, depth of mud or how rough the roads are when they dry up because the cows turn them into garbage that can jar your teeth loose. I *think* the Ranger has a little better low end tire spinning capability, which I readily admit that the Mule is lacking on.

I'd lean Mule, but it probably is a coin flip depending on what you will do most of the time with it.

Both are good options and the perks of both are already listed above. Do regular maintenance and treat the machine like it is the $15-25k piece of equipment it is and not like you're Bo Duke running from the law 24/7.

We have owned several Mules over the years. I have really enjoyed having them and they have held up great.

I run a diesel Ranger that's older than dirt with about 7000 hours on it and dtill runs great. Does about 55
Due to not so cautious nephew and young grands about to get behind the wheel I got a diesel Kubota. Has that single or double seat configuration but it only does maybe 30. Much safer for young drivers .

I can only speak to the Mule Pro because that's what I own. It's been great in the 10 years I have owned it. Knock on wood no issues other than changing a battery.

I mentioned this previously, but I bought it from a place that sold everything. This was prior to Can-Am really taking off, but they had everything else. I went to the service bay and spoke with the mechanics working on them. The two guys there at the time both said Kawasaki. That's what I ended up doing.

We bought a mule pro last year and I have really been impressed with that machine. It is simple, but just works.

I also have a newer Can-Am at the house. It is flashy and comfortable, but that thing won't turn around inside of 2 acres.

Mules are great. Also don't overlook the Ridge

I just started looking at some of the prices since I'm in the same boat.

Hard to believe they cost as much as the 2006 Rubicon 6-speed with the 4.0 I bought last year. 60K miles for $18K. Great shape, AC, smart radio, fun to drive, etc.

Anybody know anything about the CF Moto U Force?

I have mules and a ridge
The mule is best for every day ranch work

The ridge is like a Sunday afternoon cruising vehicle.
I love that is enclosed with ac but it's harder to drive than mule pro. Ridge is much higher off ground than mules.

Smooth roads, workingMule.

Rough roads/terrain, no roads, speedPolaris.

Love my Kawasaki mule pro fxt. Got a 7 year bumper to bumper warranty. Good luck getting Polaris to give you that warranty.

fburgtx said:

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Smooth roads, workingMule.

Rough roads/terrain, no roads, speedPolaris.

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Curious as to why you say this. Everybody that had a Polaris that has ridden in our PRO's at our place raves about how much better the ride is versus their Rangers.

The first two things that are almost always said are comments about how quiet the Mule is compared to the Ranger and how much better the suspension is.

schmellba99 said:

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fburgtx said:

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Smooth roads, workingMule.

Rough roads/terrain, no roads, speedPolaris.

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Curious as to why you say this. Everybody that had a Polaris that has ridden in our PRO's at our place raves about how much better the ride is versus their Rangers.

The first two things that are almost always said are comments about how quiet the Mule is compared to the Ranger and how much better the suspension is.

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I'm not talking about the Mule Pro. I'm talking about the Mule 4010 Trans.

fburgtx said:

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schmellba99 said:

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fburgtx said:

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Smooth roads, workingMule.

Rough roads/terrain, no roads, speedPolaris.

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Curious as to why you say this. Everybody that had a Polaris that has ridden in our PRO's at our place raves about how much better the ride is versus their Rangers.

The first two things that are almost always said are comments about how quiet the Mule is compared to the Ranger and how much better the suspension is.

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I'm not talking about the Mule Pro. I'm talking about the Mule 4010 Trans.

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Ahh. In that case, 100% agree.

I have a Mule Pro-FXT 1000 and am very pleased w it. I was shocked at the smooth ride. I was expected a much rougher ride on the ranch roads.