Mark in Colorado

Very cool. I wish Colorado would relax the on-road UTV restrictions a bit. I do it anyway up in my area of the county (if you’ve got a plow on, sheriff and police just wave - they know you’re taking care of roads and property), but I envy the folks in WY and SD who can rip down to WalMart in STYLE! -Mark

Love these First World problems! That 6x6 is a beast. My regular Defender is so dang capable already - I can’t imagine what the 6x6 must be like. I wouldn’t mind an “extended cab”. Not a Max, but a bit of room behind the seats to lean back a bit.

Ktop - can you post a picture of your turn signal kit installed? I’d love to see it - May do this too. Also - did you get the horn with it? -Mark

I put in a second battery to deal with accessory overload... plow, winch, heater, steering, lights - fairly soon the winch would start slowing down. Rigged up a 2nd 30A UTV battery (pos-pos / neg-beg) and never looked back. Let me know if you want to see pics of the set up. It’s in my passenger under-seat storage bucket (so I can get at it and attach a battery tender. -Mark

Welcome!

That is one awesome looking machine. I am having some fun - pull my daughters around on their snow sleds from time to time..! Also ran a poacher off my property with it - also fun. Putting on a 52” light bar (front) and a 50” bar (rear) near term. -Mark

Outlaw, they would probably be way too intense. They are some bright little guys..!

Hey Friends, Finally passed 100 miles on the 2019 Defender. Here's the score - good and bad: 3 - tanks of fuel (mind, all I do is plow snow) 2 - broken winch lift lines - getting rid of synthetic next season and going with steel. 1 - driver door that slipped south of alignment and will require adjustment (hard to close) 0 - drops of oil used 1 - far right cigarette lighter / accessory port stopped working. I never use it, but ought to look into it... 1 - worn out Pro Steel blade cutting edge (I took it off, and bolted it on upside down and get a "freebie" that works fine)! 1 - set of nearly worn-out chains - I figure these will last about 1 season. No big deal at all. 1 - adventure getting stuck (high-centered on a massive packed snow mound). 3 - neighbors or strangers stopping me to pull them out of a jam or to plow a foot of snow off their driveway. 20 + looks of envy from local rednecks and people out freezing to death on quads with 36' blades... 100,000 - smiles! - Mark

Outlaw - I found it easier to remove the passenger side floor panel to get to the center “tunnel”. Once your in, there is plenty of room to run wires and you can pull up behind the heater (if you have one) to get to the dash power block and switches. -Mark

You have to remove the side panels - this gives you access to the nut on the back of the reflector on each side. Tip up your tilt bed. There are 3 hex screws along top of the side panels, and another 3 along the bottom (necessitating the bed tilt). Pretty easy! So easy - in fact - that I am considering having my side panels wrapped for the fun of it! Wiring will require a bit more creativity. -Mark

I just checked out Audioformz systems - mentioned above - on a trip to Phoenix last week. While they look and sound great (it’s a full top replacement), they are ULTRA expensive. -Mark

Nice! If you find that your rope or cable is wearing out prematurely, consider upgrading your fairlead to one with and oversized lower roller. It’ll take some of the stress off the line caused by the sharp bend doing down to your blade. My stock fairlead actually BENT under the weight of the Can-Am blade, causing the roller to seize after only 4 days of use. The Warn upgrade seems to fix it. -Mark

Nice looking rig - especially the side light bars. Pretty original.

Just got around to watching the video. Really nice job and a great set-up. I especially like the roof lights. Can you comment on the quality of the Jensen / Can-Am sound system? I did not get this option because I’ve had Jensen in RVs (they come standard in Jayco campers) in the past that weren’t the best quality, but this one fits so well in the Defender that I want to give it a second look. You have 4 speakers - thought it only came with 2 - sound good? Thanks a lot! -Mark

2011 Polaris 800XP Crew - Engine welded itself together after 44 hours. 100% total. 2019 Can-Am Defender HD10 - 60 hours and it has not welded itself together. Joking aside, the XP800 debacle stung but Polaris DID give me a new machine (that I didn’t keep) and I’d certainly consider an XP1000 NorthStar. I’m sticking with Can-Am.

That stock Can-Am dome light is the finest light in all of automobilia. Period. It’s so bright it can cure glaucoma, crabs, gout - and all manner of disease. I can turn it on and the guy in the machine behind me can read his map. You can see it from space. God said, “Let there be light”, but he must’ve blushed a little when Can-Am came out with their LED interior light for the XT Cab. I once forgot my beer opener... no worries: I flipped that light on and the cap popped right off. My tan is beautiful. Look no further.

A follow-up from my earlier post: I completed the KC back-up light installation. Nice and bright - a great area/flood effect. Wired it to power block post 1 (red) and post 3 black (key switch “on”, so when you turn on the key to ACC, you get dome light, power windows, and my new back up lights - allowing you to use them as work lights with the engine off. Found the matching Back Up Lights switch on EBay (with block) for $19z. Here’s what it looks like: -Mark

Looking good!

I ran a 2011 Polaris Ranger Crew 800XP for 44 hours until the engine let go. Dealership “gave” me a new one but I didn’t keep it long. Very problematic vehicle. I looked at the 900 and was then absolutely sold on the 1000XP until the dealer in Lake City, CO turned me on to Can-Am. I like the newer Polaris’, and would have one, but I’m happier in the Can-Am. My only “gripe” is the 4x4 and locker activations require full stop on the Defender whereas they were on-the-fly with the Ranger. That said, the traction system on the Can-Am is so superior and capable that I’ll likely never look back. Love the fit/finish, ease of maintenance. You can’t go wrong with either brand today, but I’m sold on Can-Am.

Welcome!

Awesome story! I bought “Raul” (2019 XT Cab Camo) with no trailer and had to dream about it for a week before I could bum a buddy to pick it up for me. So I can relate. The struggle is real, man! Welcome to group therapy! -Mark

Woot! Welcome! I see you have your cooler in the back. My entire family tree is from Louisiana... we may be related! -Mark

Welcome Lake! Happy Thanksgiving to you. You picked a nice rig - enjoy. I do the same... plow, fish, hunt, watch my daughters cruise around. Wife’s from the Chicago area and I’ve had to “hear it” about the cold up there for 20+ years! Hope you have a barn or a block heater. Take care! -Mark (photo taken yesterday)

I’ll change out that odd-ball switch on the end as soon as it arrives... Hey, I also considered moving all of my lights over to the left hand side (alongside the headlights) and putting the winch control on the right (near the 4x4 and rear locker switch). I never use it anyway because I have a plow joystick and I suppose if I ever need the space that the winch switch will be the first to go. -Mark

I put in a spare battery because I pull so much current in the wintertime. Plow, heat, PS, lights, etc... I just added a second 30A and wired it up pos/pos, neg/neg and it starts strong and the lights don’t go dim after hours of plowing.