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The Yamaha Rhino 450 is great for both work and play!My 2007 Yamaha Rhino 450 was primarily purchased for work around a small farm. And it does work very well! However, as it turns out, the Yamaha Rhino is also an extremely off road capable machine, and although it is primarily used for work around the farm, it is also used a lot for recreational riding.
Some will say the Yamaha Rhino 450 is underpowered and that the more powerful Yamaha Rhino 660 or 700 would be a better choice. That might be true for some people, but the fact remains that for my own use the 450 has been more than capable to do EVERYTHING that I need it to do. Besides the engine, the Rhino 450 and 660 are essentially identical machines. So, while more power can be nice, it's really not necessary for what I need. A recent magazine article written by an offroad magazine reviewing the Yamaha Rhino 450 said that they felt it was even better than the 660 for certain types of riding. Sure, if you plan to just run in the sand at the dunes, then you might benefit from the extra power of the larger engine. However, if you do trail riding, slow speed rock crawling, or just use your Rhino for work, then you might actually benefit more from a Rhino 450 because of it's lower overall gearing compared to the 660. In any case, you'll definitely benefit by saving a chunk of cash since the Yamaha Rhino 450 was selling for around $1500 less than the 660 back in 2007.
Hauling 1/2 TON of Alfalfa Hay As mentioned, my Yamaha Rhino 450 is primarily used for work around the farm. We've got cattle to feed, so the Rhino is good for hauling around bales of hay. In the pictures above, I had the rear shocks set to the softest setting. In the case of when I was hauling 12 bales total, it would have been good to have the rear shocks set to a firmer setting to prevent the rear end from sagging so much. Even so, the Rhino performed admirably hauling this much weight - even up our gravel driveway which has a long hill climb to the top.
Yamaha Rhino with 60 gal. Fimco Trailer Sprayer Another way the Rhino is used for working around the farm is spraying weedkiller along roads and along the edges of the hay fields. The Fimco 60 gallon trailer sprayer that I use is very heavy once is full of spray mix. In the past, I used a small Craftsman yard tractor with a 21HP V-Twin engine for pulling the Fimco sprayer. The weak frame of the yard tractor was cracking in back from the tongue weight of the sprayer. In addition, the measly brake on the yard tractor could NOT stop the tractor with the weight of the sprayer pushing behind. The Rhino handles it all with ease. My Fimco sprayer is equipped with a fold out boom that sprays about a 10 foot wide swath. In addition, I installed a "boomless" boom which I can use to spray up to 30 foot wide swaths for covering large areas more quickly. I've also added a larger capacity 12V electric pump to my Fimco sprayer that is rated up to around 5GPM max flow with a maximum power consumption of 11amps. The alternator on the Yamaha Rhino 450 engine is adequate to keep things running for hours on end. Just to be safe, I did install a high capacity absorbed glass matt (AGM) battery in place of the stock lead acid battery for a little extra buffer but even after spraying many tank fulls over the course of SEVERAL hours, I've never had a problem with the Rhino's electrical system not being able to keep up.
Yamaha Rhino 450 Snow Tube Tow Vehicle It's not all work that the Rhino is for around here. When opportunities arise, it is also used for some recreational fun. Riding on trails in the foothills during the summer, and in the winter pulling kids around on a snow tube are some of the fun ways this machine is used. The 4WD system of the Yamaha Rhino provides excellent traction. Even through deep snow, my Rhino 450 with stock tires continues to drive great. Only when snow drifts have gotten very deep has the Rhino gotten high centered and stuck. If the going gets really tough, a push of a button locks the front differential and provides even more traction. While towing kids around on the snow tube, I leave the front differential lock off and it has no problems with traction even with lots of snow. Engaging front differential lock makes the Rhino even more surefooted in the snow. Great machine!
Having Fun in the Snow being Pulled by Rhino I would highly recommend the Yamaha Rhino to anyone looking for a side by side utility vehicle. At the time of writing this, I have around 355 hours run time and getting close to 2000 miles of driving the Rhino and I've never had any break downs or problems. It's just about perfect for what I need. This is a 1st class machine! Very reliable. It is great for both work and play. The Rhino 450 is very capable for everything that I need to do. For those looking to buy one with more power, then the new Rhino 700 comes with a larger fuel injected engine with many great features. Just be prepared to pay around $2200 more for a base model 2008 Yamaha Rhino 700 compared to a base model 2008 Rhino 450. No matter which model you choose, the Yamaha Rhino is a great machine. Below you will find a video of another Yamaha Rhino 450 owner driving in the snow.
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