# New here with new Ranger Crew. Lots of questions



## workandplay (Jun 4, 2014)

2014 Polaris Ranger Crew 800 

I will be using my ranger mainly for food plot work pulling implements, general property work like hauling wood/fencing materials, stand and feeder maintenance, and general transportation when deer and duck hunting. This includes driving through recent planted pine cut overs with lots of dropped limbs and stumps, grassy pastures with sandy loam soil, red dirt/clay creek bottoms, and thickly vegetated duck marshes with water 12-18" deep. It will also get used for occasional trail riding with the family but I do not foresee going "mudding" with it per say. 

I have already ordered the steel one piece bedlined roof from Texas Outdoors and will be installing the Polaris lock and ride tilting windshield tomorrow. 

I have looked into a few other things I want to do but want some advice/insight. 

*CV boot gaurds* : with the cutovers I think these are needed. So far I am thinking of the EMP aluminum gaurds 

*Skid plate*: I think the stock plastic one will get the job done as I am really not traversing any rocks. 

*Wheels/Tires*: I have stocks now but I have a set of 27x12x12 Mudlites mounted on ITP's on my Honda Foreman I am going to be getting rid of. I don't think the ITP's will match the bolt pattern on the Polaris but the Mudlites are still in good shape and I was thinking of trying to have them mounted on the stock rims. 

*Lift kit*: Although I don't plan on doing any joy mudding or competing in my ranger I will be going to and from the duck blind in it. Since the manual specifically says do not take deeper than the floor board, I think a lift would be useful. From what I have read a 2" lift will put minimal torque on the axles. I would like to keep the lift cheap if possible. I know lots here have noted they like the backwoodsarmor forward a arms and lift combo but they are a bit pricy. What do yall think of the EMP 2" lift? 

*Snorkle kit*: not necessary I suppose but it would be nice. I found a link here with a 900 xp snorkel diy thread. Looks pretty simple but I was wondering if anyone else had done a 800 crew and had advice. 

*Battery relocation*: Why did they put it so low from the factory? Seems like it could be raised 9-12" to sit in the small storage compartment under the rear seat. 

*Winch mount*: I already have a winch and it seems fairly straight forward with the EMP behind stock front bumper mount. any suggestions? 

*Sound reduction*: I am not sure what can be done here. On my ATV I had a Koplin Stealth exhaust and it helped. I see that the stock muffler has a very small 1-1/8" ID off set outport. I have heard that the koplin style silencers are just glasspack mufflers and I could get one much cheaper that way and would like to try a DIY mod here but I need some direction. 

*Front Fender Flares*: as a passanger in my buddies ranger I have been sprayed with mud several times. The wife will not appreciate this so I need fender extensions. I looked at the kits and at $250 they are a bit outrageous. I think I have a DIY mod that I can make work for less than $25 and if it works I will post pics/details. If it doesn't I was looking at the Universal fender extensions by Pacer. Has anyone used these? 

*LED lights*: these are pretty self explanatory and I will just be looking for the best bang for my buck. I will likely mount on the roof front and rear. will also put a dome light in the front inside of roof. I found some custom novelty rocker switches which are pretty neat and will be adding those too. Any wiring dos and don'ts here? 

*Gun/Bow/Utility racks*: Likely will put one or two behind the front seat and one or two behind the cab. Any suggestions or pics of homemade solutions? 

*Use for under seat storage*: I'm not sure what I will use the front under the seat storage space for. It seems like it was a last minute addition. If I am to use it for storage I will need to silicone the floor mounted bolts to keep the interior dry and maybe put some form of dividers in it. 

*Custom camo*: I will likely paint my own camo on the body panels/roof/bed to help hid the ranger when duck hunting. Has anyone had luck with the krylon spray paint specifically for plastic?


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## workandplay (Jun 4, 2014)

wow, over a month and greater than 200 views and not a single reply to any of my questions. 

Thanks :thinking:


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## Polaris425 (Dec 16, 2004)

I guess no one really knows. Sorry. 


Posted via TapaTalk for iPhone5


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## rmax (Nov 21, 2009)

all i know is they are very hard to get out when they get stuck , we had to get a track hole (325 cat) to get 1 out we tried for around 8 hrs with 4 atvs an a razor all had winches 2 had snatch blocks


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## gpinjason (Nov 10, 2009)

Sorry I didn't see this post. But MIMB is geared highly towards the Kawasaki Brute Force... Don't know what the rules are on here about linking to other forums, but Polaris Ranger Club Forum (PRC) has TONS of info on rangers. And I believe they are a sister forum to this one.

What little info I can provide. I have a 900, but for the most part, accessories are about the same. Hope this helps.

CV Guards - Yes they are helpful, but if you plan to buy aftermarket a-arms, they usually won't work. So far I've been lucky without guards, but I ride a lot of mud, so I don't really want more parts that can collect mud and debris... 

Skid Plate - if you ride in a lot of brush or over down trees/limbs, it's a good idea to upgrade.. I've had a stick put a hole in my battery (don't know how) I'm just glad it wasn't on the other side, or it would have been the gas tank. You can buy sheet of plastic "Starboard" for around $250 and cut you own skid if you have the tools. It's workable like wood, using wood saws/router/etc. The Trail Armor kits are really nice, but $$$$..

Wheels/Tires - I believe you should be able to run the 27" tires with no issues. You might need spacers with the factory wheels though, but not positive. You may be able to get adapters to use the honda wheels on the Ranger, but they definitely won't fit directly. If you decide to buy new tires, I love my MTC's, they are great all around tire. The 26's are massive compared to a stock 25" tire. I'm running 28's, but you would need forward arms for your 800 to run bigger than 27".

Lift kit: 2" lift would be a great addition for ground clearance, especially with the length of the crew. Gets high centered easily. My buddy is running 30" mudlights with forward arms and a 2" lift and that thing does great.

Snorkle kit: Always good for insurance. I'm the one that did the write up on the 900 snorkel. I'm not 100% on the 800 Crew, but they aren't hard to do if you are capable of running pipe, cutting what needs cut, and re-route vent lines and dielectric grease everything.

Battery relocation: I don't know about your battery location sorry. But I'm sure there have been others that have relocated. Also several have added extra batteries with an isolator.

Winch mount: Should be pretty straight forward with the EMP mount. Follow wiring instructions that came with winch and you should be good to go. I also recommend a rear winch if you have the option. Lots of times I've gotten hung up and didn't want to keep going forward after I realized where I was headed... LOL

Sound reduction: I have no ideas on this department. 

Front Fender Flares: My personal preference is that I don't like the way they look, and I would probably rip them off in the trails we ride. But the people that have made/bought flares seem to like them.

LED lights: I can recommend some places to buy lights, but cannot link to them here. As for wiring, if you buy from a decent company, they usually come with a harness that includes a fuse, relay, and switch. You can always use the nicer rocker switch instead of the supplied switch... If you do not get a harness, I recommend running a relay on any decent sized LED bar. Probably anything over 12". Under that you are safe running just a switch and fuse.

Gun/Bow/Utility racks: Lots of gun rack posts on PRC. I don't have any experience in this field either. 

Use for under seat storage: Good to store tow straps, tools, etc that you don't mind if it gets wet. I do some deep riding, so I keep anything that cannot get wet inside watertight ammo can in the bed.

Custom camo: My ranger is all scratched up, so I might be attempting a paint job soon... Just haven't worked up the courage yet. I did use Fusion on my old Yamaha Kodiak and it held up pretty good except when it got scraped really hard by a tree or something.


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## workandplay (Jun 4, 2014)

Hey what a great response! I really appreciate it. I had some unforeseen issues and have not had time to get back to the Polaris but I am planning on putting lift on tonight. I got the Backwoods Armor lift and the instructions are a bit bare minimum. Hopefully it will not be too difficult. I also added the winch to the front bumper and I am going to custom fab the front hitch as a bolt on option. through what seems to be a tow hook point in the front skid plate. 


Any advice on how to get the dang rubber stopper for the winch onto the winch cord?


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