New member questions regarding tire replacement on a Ranger XP 900

I am a brand new 79 year old forum member.. I have a few general questions and advice requests regarding the replacement of the tires on my 2016 Ranger XP 900.... My OEM tire treads are down to about an eighth of an inch so I'm ready to replace them... The current OEM tire sizes on my Ranger are 25 x 9 x 12 (front) and 25 x 11 x 12 (rear)... Is there any reason I shouldn't consider going with new 26 x 11 x 12 tires all round as replacements? I'm curious as to why the current setup have the front tires 2" narrower than the rear? I'm not into "hot-dogging" or racing,,,,, just being able to get around comfortably and hunting on my southeast Georgia river & swamp property... With just a moderate amount of rainfall I can predictably have 8-10 flooded road crossings with water up to 15-16" deep... I do not have power-steering so I don't want to go too big on the replacement tires causing adverse steering problems... I haven't given much thought to installing a 2" lift kit and I don't know what all would be involved, but would that be a practical option??
I welcome your experienced input...
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