Ranger XD 1500 UTVs Are Being Delivered!

[Dragoon]

Members are starting to receive their machines and the verdict so far is great!

🗞️ What's new

www.rangerxd.com

 

[JarHead]

So tell me again WHY we care about the Ranger 1500?? LOL

 

[Ryan]

So tell me again WHY we care about the Ranger 1500?? LOL

Agree, the Xpedition broke me.. lol

 

[JTBarlow]

So tell me again WHY we care about the Ranger 1500?? LOL

For all those complaining about noise on the Xpeditions, the XD1500 is extremely quiet for a SxS. My brother picked up his Ranger XD1500 last week and has taken it on a couple rides since.

Cruising average rpm is around 3500 and top rpm hits around 6300-6400 at near 64 mph top speed.

It is definitely a much bigger machine than the Xpedition length and height wise. The ride is much better than the previous Rangers but still not as good as the xpedition. It did come from the factory at advertised ride height, which none of the Xpeditions have.


There are still a bunch of the same issues the Xpeditions suffer from such as inadequate insulation and dust leaks into the cabin. I’ve already taken the floor apart and insulated the coolant lines and floor cavities, which will hopefully help with the other problem, which is gravel noise on the skid plate. With the drivetrain being so quiet, you start hearing other stuff you’d never hear on any other SxS

Overall it’s a great machine. Definitely suited to farm work and still trail worthy. It’s just not a sport machine by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[Dragoon]

For all those complaining about noise on the Xpeditions, the XD1500 is extremely quiet for a SxS. My brother picked up his Ranger XD1500 last week and has taken it on a couple rides since. View attachment 1728View attachment 1729
Cruising average rpm is around 3500 and top rpm hits around 6300-6400 at near 64 mph top speed.

It is definitely a much bigger machine than the Xpedition length and height wise. The ride is much better than the previous Rangers but still not as good as the xpedition. It did come from the factory at advertised ride height, which none of the Xpeditions have.


There are still a bunch of the same issues the Xpeditions suffer from such as inadequate insulation and dust leaks into the cabin. I’ve already taken the floor apart and insulated the coolant lines and floor cavities, which will hopefully help with the other problem, which is gravel noise on the skid plate. With the drivetrain being so quiet, you start hearing other stuff you’d never hear on any other SxS

Overall it’s a great machine. Definitely suited to farm work and still trail worthy. It’s just not a sport machine by any stretch of the imagination.
View attachment 1732View attachment 1733View attachment 1734

The ground clearance on the Ranger XD looks to be considerably more than the Xpedition next to it. Do you have stock tires on the Ranger XD or are they larger aftermarket tires?

 

[JTBarlow]

The ground clearance on the Ranger XD looks to be considerably more than the Xpedition next to it. Do you have stock tires on the Ranger XD or are they larger aftermarket tires?

It’s stock tires on the Ranger. At the lowest shock setting it is sitting at 14.75” rear and 14.5” front ground clearance.

My Xpedition has sagged in a ways since my initial adjustment to the shocks so it’s sitting around 13” loaded right now.

Also, nothing really loaded in the Ranger just yet whereas my Xpedition has 300+ pounds between the rock sliders, tool boxes and ice chests. Granted, the Ranger will handle being loaded up much better.

 

[Dragoon]

It’s stock tires on the Ranger. At the lowest shock setting it is sitting at 14.75” rear and 14.5” front ground clearance.

My Xpedition has sagged in a ways since my initial adjustment to the shocks so it’s sitting around 13” loaded right now.

Also, nothing really loaded in the Ranger just yet whereas my Xpedition has 300+ pounds between the rock sliders, tool boxes and ice chests. Granted, the Ranger will handle being loaded up much better.

Almost 15" of ground clearance stock is pretty serious! I imagine it would look massive with some 33 or even 35-inch tires!

 

[JTBarlow]

Almost 15" of ground clearance stock is pretty serious! I imagine it would look massive with some 33 or even 35-inch tires!

Oh yeah! And like I said, it’s currently on the lowest shock setting right now.
His plan is 32” tires on Packard wheels. I’ll get some pictures once it’s done.

 

[johndeerefarmer]

Xpedition was pricey, Ranger is ridiculous. Xpedition after my mods (insulation and AA cruiser clutch) is nice. Ranger's bucket type seats and cheap shocks are a killer for me as far as rocky trail rides go..
When I buy a new Ranger it will be a Northstar for farm use but it won't be the HD1500.

 

[JTBarlow]

Xpedition was pricey, Ranger is ridiculous. Xpedition after my mods (insulation and AA cruiser clutch) is nice. Ranger's bucket type seats and cheap shocks are a killer for me as far as rocky trail rides go..
When I buy a new Ranger it will be a Northstar for farm use but it won't be the HD1500.

This Ranger XD1500 was a direct upgrade for my brothers ‘21 Ranger 6 seat Northstar. He says the seating improvements are really good. He couldn’t do more than a couple hour ride in the previous one without starting to feel sore. And that was with HCR long travel. With a full day ride in the XD1500 he said he wasn’t sore at all afterwards.
While the shocks are pretty basic, I wasn’t really waiting on him at all on some pretty rugged trails in my Xpedition. It’s kinda expected that the suspension will be more focused on hauling capacity rather than trail comfort, but it did do really well on the trail.
Another really good thing with this machine, the Steel Belt Drive Transmission acts a lot like a hydrostatic drive. Engine braking is so good he said he very rarely had to use the brakes. It also has a creep mode where barely touching the throttle starts it moving super slow and it keeps moving until you tap the brakes. No waiting for clutch engagement rpm.

For farm use, the powered dump bed is awesome, and the bed area is huge. And while it is a very long machine in the 6 seat configuration, it turns way sharper than the previous model Rangers.

I do feel like there’s a lot less accessories needed to add to get these going. They come with the HD bumper and 6000# winch with remote and there’s definitely no need for clutch kits or belts . While they do need insulation help, it was much easier to from inside the cab rather than dropping the skid plate.

Other than the insulation work, the only additions my brother plans on is wheels and tires, a light bar and a radio.

Overall, it still comes down to intended use. The XD1500 is definitely utility oriented where the Xpedition is trail oriented.

 

[JTBarlow]

We’ve finished the upgrades that were planned on the Ranger XD 1500.
32” Rigid light bar
Sound deadening and insulation
Window tint
W. D. Street Legal Kit with Trailer harness

32” Maxxis Rampage tires on Packard 3.5/3.5 offset wheels.

 

[Dragoon]

It looks great with the window tint and wheels and tires! Looks like it would easily clear 33-inch tires the way it sits. The factory ground clearance on the new XD is impressive.

 

[JTBarlow]

It looks great with the window tint and wheels and tires! Looks like it would easily clear 33-inch tires the way it sits. The factory ground clearance on the new XD is impressive.

The tires say 32 x 10.00R15 but they measure 30” actual with a little bit of a squish from machine weight. They are taller than the stock tires by around an inch. There is still a good 4.5” clearance to the firewall so I wouldn’t doubt that 35s would fit.