Polaris Ranger Diesel reviewed by The Field magazine

Make light work of the toughest shoot-related tasks, the Polaris Ranger is a firm favourite with the busy modern gamekeeper, says Nick Herbert

Polaris Ranger Diesel

Price as reviewed:

£18,499.00

TAGS: NL

The men who worked on my grandparents’ Cambridgeshire farm in the 1950s were a singular breed. My mother recalls Alf the tractor driver, who was never seen without a knotted handkerchief on his head, failing to notice that Northrop had fallen off the baler, had his foot caught and was being towed across the stubble like the body of Hector being dragged by Achilles around the walls of Troy. All Northrop would repeat was “that ’urts… that ’urts..” Once, Alf asked an undergraduate helping out at harvest time how long he’d be staying for; David replied that it would be until the autumn. “In that case, would it be all right to go and have my tea?” replied Alf.

Kingston Wood farm went out of my family for several decades but happily my sister and brother-in-law got it back. They found the farm and its shoot in a depleted state: unloved and unmanaged. Today, with a huge programme of tree and hedge planting, flower-rich margins, grass strips, unharvested cereal headlands and enhanced overwinter stubbles, the farm has been transformed to the benefit of wildlife. In fact, this year Kingston Wood received a bronze Purdey Award. The judges commended its ‘dramatic habitat enhancements… including the notable addition of a series of new flighting ponds’. (Read more on Purdey Awards here.)

The Purdey Award-winning Kingston Wood

The headkeeper has played a central role in this remarkable metamorphosis. Iain McKenzie arrived from Sandringham seven years ago and immediately began to take things in hand. My mother remembers that my grandfather’s keeper kept a ferret in his pocket, walked around the farm’s 1,000 acres and cycled to the village. Today’s keepers may have the advantages of technology but they also face modern pressures, including greater scrutiny and the duty to ensure environmental compliance. To deliver the high-quality shoot and standards expected, they need to break out of a walk. So, like many keepers, McKenzie relies on his Polaris Ranger.

The Ranger comes in a variety of guises

This ‘utility terrain vehicle’ comes in a variety of guises: with doors or without, with cab or open to the elements, with two seats or three. You can add winches and hydraulic bed lifts, gun mounts and windshields that raise to enable the deployment of a rifle. McKenzie has a shooting frame on the back so that he can use the Ranger like a mobile hide for night shooting. There are even luxury options such as windscreen wipers, in-cabin soundproofing and interior heating. The Ranger can carry feed, dogs and carcasses with ease but without doing the damage to the ground that a heavier pickup might cause in winters as wet as the one we’ve all just been through. In fact, you can select four-, two- or one-wheel drive, the last helping to avoid wheels chewing up the ground on a tight turn.

McKenzie is on his fourth Polaris, a testament to its suitability and popularity. He was interested to hear that an electric version is now available but remains more than happy with his diesel model. With an 898cc three-cylinder Japanese engine, it produces just 25hp but has a mighty towing capacity of over a tonne.

Honda has traditionally captured the market for small quad bikes, or all-terrain vehicles, which are favoured by farmers. However, its dominance has been upended by a new Chinese entrant, CFMOTO. Like the rash of Chinese electric cars that are increasingly challenging other manufacturers, its attractive deals and significantly lower prices are winning over customers. But Polaris, a company based in Minnesota in the US, still produces the vehicle of choice for gamekeepers here. The Ranger is obviously genuinely useful for the shoot and farm. With a 40mph top speed it may, secretly, also be a lot of fun