Can-Am Commander

[IttaBenaKilla]

Anybody own one and have any useful information/comparisons?
In the market and pretty much have made up my mind, just looking for some first hand experiences with the machine.

Thanks!

[boovan]

What you want to know?

Mine, before I sold it. ( nothing wrong with it when i sold it, would buy another one today. Guy just wanted it more than I did)

[umrebs]

That's a nice rig!

[munyoz70]

I'm a life long Honda man but.... If your wanting a utility sxs get avpolaris ranger, I got one and couldn't be happier. Only thing I had to get used to is not talk crap about Polaris anymore.

[teul2]

Guy at work has been doing a good deal of comparing and has really been looking at the canam. Its had me looking at them and I kind of like them.
Polaris had better ground clearance. Canam supposed to have a great motor and tranny. Don't like the idea that the whole underside is skid platted except the A arms where the boots can get poked. Dealers say you have to bring the thing back in after 10 hours for a full service / fluid change.

[hbrown]

I love mine. It will do 74 before the governor kicks in. You'll probably like it.

[SHANE704]

are you getting it to play with, or to hunt/work with?

[IttaBenaKilla]

I'm already shopping quotes on the 2013 1000xt, I was mainly curious as to if anyone has put any time in the woods/fields duck hunting off one. What, if anything, was unique to the Commander due to them being a somewhat late entry into the market. I noticed the muffler is alarmingly low, especially if you drive to a blind in a flooded field and stop to throw dekes, unload etc...
This is mainly for hunting, but I have been known to "play" from time to time as well haha. Had Rhinos (many problems), Rangers are too big for my applications. I don't use it on the farm. My camp is prone to flooding from Steele Bayou, need a mud machine with power, Commander seems to fit the bill.

[SHANE704]

Only disadvantage to them that ive seen is they are heavy!

[munyoz70]

Commander is bigger and much more heavy all other sxs besides the honda big red. The bed is smaller and as stated the muffler is low. I think weight to power it's not a great match for hunting. But if you have the itch for a toy, it will haul but.

[IttaBenaKilla]

^^^^True. It is a lot heavier than a Rhino 1049 lbs. vs. 1295 lbs.
BUT the Ranger 800 weighs in @ 1237 lbs. vs. 1295 lbs. the difference being the Commander has 200cc's more to cover the extra 58 pounds. The Rhino is definitely lighter, but I don't want another one.

[kb7722]

What about bed space? Looks like the Commander is more sporty where as the Ranger is geared towards utility. Not sure that its an apples to apples comparison. Guess it depends on intended use.

[hbrown]

The commander also has a lower storage compartment, storage in the glove box, and under the drivers seat. It has plenty of low end torque to pull 33 inch mud tires in the stickiest of mud. I've had mine in 4 foot of water with no problem. I did snorkel mine for deep water crossings. Just the belt intake and exhaust and the engine intake, but as for the exhaust, as long as the engine is running you will have no problem. The only draw backs on the commander are: jumpy clutch, whiny rear end, and no locking front differential. Most of those are supposed to be fixed in the 2013. They are also supposed to have power steering this year. Over all the commander is a super nice machine. The interior is second to none in it's class, and it's not cheaply made. Those were the reasons that I bought mine, and the skinny pedal makes me smile really big !

[Matt S]

The commander is for play IMO not that you can't hunt out of it. The can ams are very well built. If you are going to compare the commander to a Polaris you should look at the RZR. Especially the 900. The 900 has unreal power and beats the can am in a drag race. Also I was told because if the suspension you could put 31" tires on it with no lift. So you may want to look at the 900 RZR too. For hunting I will stick to my ranger tho.

[boovan]

The commander is for play IMO not that you can't hunt out of it. The can ams are very well built. If you are going to compare the commander to a Polaris you should look at the RZR. Especially the 900. The 900 has unreal power and beats the can am in a drag race. Also I was told because if the suspension you could put 31" tires on it with no lift. So you may want to look at the 900 RZR too. For hunting I will stick to my ranger tho.

This is where people are wrong. The Commander is more comparable to the Ranger, than it is to the RZR. For all out play get a RZR. I hunted off of my commander and had no problem with it. The belt system on the commander needs some help. You can get a clutch kit or full replacement clutch and fix that. The low exhaust is not a problem in water. I had mine over the front dashboard a few times idling, with no problems. I did have the belt & motor snorkeled, just for the piece of mind that comes from knowing exactly where the intakes are. Unless you have owned one, you really do not have a leg to stand on when comparing them. I had an 800xp Ranger and the 1000X Commander, just for reference. Also, look @ the fit and finish of the machines....