Tasks Are More Fun in the 2023 Polaris Ranger Crew XP 1000 Texas Edition
Bring the whole family on an off-road cruise and get ready to accomplish a great many things with the 2023 Polaris Ranger Crew XP 1000 Texas Edition.
The Capable Polaris Ranger Brings a Thrill to Everyday Chores
We live in the northernmost part of the state of Texas with the Red River’s treeline visible from our driveway in the winter months. To say our little community is rural would be an understatement – in this part of the country, there are more tractors and ORVs on the road than trucks and cars most days.
While cattle ranches and hay pastures surround us, our little slice of heaven is just under 4 acres. We raise chickens, garden, and dream of planting an orchard. Of everyone in our neighborhood, we’re probably the only ones who don’t own an ORV or ATV of some kind, so when my kids heard we’d get to experience one for a while, they were ecstatic. And so was I as I imagined how useful a 2023 Polaris Ranger Crew XP 1000 Texas Edition could be on a mini-farm like ours.
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Toy, Workhorse, or Both?
At first glance, the 2023 Polaris Ranger Crew XP 1000 Texas Edition looks like a rancher’s dream. It has a mini truck bed that dumps (perfect for hauling bags of buckets of feed, mineral blocks, or fencing tools) and a winch for pulling calves or getting one’s lawnmower out of the pond. (Don’t ask.) Powered by a 999cc ProStar engine, which produces 82 horsepower, plus a ground clearance of 14 inches, the RANGER XP 1000 is capable of towing 2,500 lb or hauling 1600lb over uneven terrain or through low water crossings with water up to the floorboards.
But is it fun? Our family says yes, yes, yes! While we don’t have a ton of land here to go rip-roaring around on, we did get to take the RANGER out to some family land that has been vacant for 20 years. It’s overgrown with weeds, saplings, and decent-sized cedar trees.
The Ranger XP 1000 let us explore safely thanks to the seat belts and mesh doors, and we had no trouble at all with the rough ground and tall weeds. Around our fields at home, we got to experience the Ranger’s exhilarating speed and engine noise and were able to use the ORV to talk to our kids about ORV and ATV safety – something we hadn’t really taught them or discussed but should have, considering many of their friends have these vehicles on their farms.
One of the safety features I really appreciated was the regulator that keeps the Ranger from operating at high speeds if seatbelts aren’t buckled. One of my sons was only allowed to drive the ORV in low gear, which kept the speed down, but my oldest could drive it fast IF seatbelts were worn and all safety measures were taken.
The best part? The XP 1000 is a six-seater, so everyone could come along for the fun!
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How We Used the ORV on Our Mini-Farm
Our first job for the Ranger XP 1000 was hauling over 500 square feet of vinyl plank flooring I had purchased for a home renovation project. Because we weren’t quite ready to use it, we needed to move it from our truck in the driveway to a climate-controlled shop on the back of our property for storage. My boys moved an entire pallet of boxes of flooring in just two short trips, and they were completely sold on the usefulness of an ORV.
After that, we used the Ranger multiple times to haul bags of feed and woodchips from the driveway to the barn, used the bed to clean up branches and haul cardboard to the bonfire. I had hoped to use it to haul bales of straw for garden mulch, but we ran into some really wet weather toward the end of our loan, so I decided not to tear up our lawn by driving over it. I’m sure the Ranger could have handled it just fine, but the ground was so soft we worried we’d leave ruts everywhere.
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Comfort in an ORV?
The 10 inches of suspension travel and adjustable shocks make for an exceptionally smooth ride, even when bumping around the field. And the seats are really comfortable too. We were impressed with how well they were made and how they dried quickly after a rain. We also loved the multitude of drink holders, storage cubbies under every seat, seat belts for safety, USB port for charging your phone, 4” digital driver display, and a hard roof for safety. (Ask my kid who forgot we’d just installed a clothesline how important that roof can be.)
The Ranger we drove did not have the optional hard doors, a windscreen or a back window, but I have seen these options on some local ORVs and I can imagine that for ranches working in inclement weather they’re a must-have.
Buy or Rent a Polaris ORV: Everything’s Bigger (and Better) in Texas
Starting at $24,299, the 2023 Polaris Ranger Crew XP 1000 Texas Edition is one of the biggest, baddest ORVs on the market and definitely the crown of the Ranger family. Yes, the NorthStar edition tries to outdo it with its hard doors and fancy name, but it’s not a Texan, and it doesn’t come in a beautiful bronze metallic finish.
It was fun to notice how many other Rangers we saw on the road and on farms around us. They definitely have a corner on the market around here. Their “task to trail versatility” is proven every weekend when we see all the neighbors heading home from their afternoon down at the river, ORVs covered in mud, and people appearing to have a grand ol’ time.
Did you know that you could rent a Polaris RANGER? There are even planned off-road adventures you can sign up for to experience the RANGER if you don’t have your own property. There are also Polaris memberships available where you can pay a monthly fee for credits that you can use to rent Polaris vehicles, including snowmobiles, pontoon boats, and motorcycles if you’d like to enjoy the outdoors in multiple ways without owning all the things.
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